
And they called it a Carnival.
The sheer numbers from this weekend’s Eastern Cup in Lake Placid left you with a lot to look at. 638 skiers will do that. Mixed up with an EISA college ski circuit that barnstorms across the East for six weeks every winter, the overall tempo of the weekend seemed to march in a different time. Ski racing: *sometimes* it goes by in a mass (start). This weekend, it went by in a flash.
The essential beauty of ski racing is that it takes an individual pursuit done at the frozen edges of the world and points those who do it, literally, in the same direction. What you find when hundreds do it at once is just an amplification of that spirit. Through the test of racing comes a better grasp of the connections that form those larger sinews of life around skiing.

Getting together the largest Eastern Cup ever (we’ve fact-checked this with all the old-school New England Nordies, but if you have can remember one larger please do reach out and tell us the story!) certainly made this “big race about the small moments” dynamic something approaching sublime. If you attuned yourself beyond the routine and rigor of a race day, little moments that spoke of big things appeared everywhere.
A chorus of voices forming a tunnel on Grindhouse hill that morphed and changed to the tune of which suit passed by. The roar of those clad in green when a GMVS skier strided by, or a shout from the a section of purple when the familiar cow prints of a Williams skier skated past. There were post-race hugs shared between sisters. Between teammates. Between friends. The easy-flowing feeling of a post-race Carnival lunch down by the race cabins, and old friends found once again somewhere on the hillside of Mt. Van Hovenberg.
All together, it was a wonderful scene. What more of a compliment could you pay to everyone in the New England ski community that has cumulatively made it so. If we measure our success as a community by the metrics that our skiers love the sport, and love competition, then this weekend was something to be incredibly proud of for everyone who took part.

Mind you, the racing matched the frequency of the atmosphere. With an EISA Carnival, and a robust field of Canadians joining in, not only was this one of the biggest events on the North American ski calendar this year, it was also one of the most competitive. The full podiums from the weekend are below!
More Media:
Marc-Andre Fontaine has shared photos from this weekend: DAY 1 | DAY 2
Ben Conditt, a member of the Williams College Ski Team, generously allowed NENSA to share his work from the weekend: DAY 1 | DAY 2
Daryn Slover, from Quarry Road Ski Club, has shared his photos from this weekend: HERE
Results
Saturday, January 18th, 2025 – Classic 7.5 k Individual Start
❄ Open Men
1. Luke Allan – Dartmouth
2. Finn Sweet – University of Vermont
3. Petter Bakken – University of Vermont
❄U20 Men
1. Finn Christiansen – Green Mountain Valley School
2. Daniel McCollor – St. Michael’s College
3. Aidan Jacobus – Dartmouth
❄U18 Men
1. Thierry Olivier – Club Nordique Mont Sainte-Anne
2. Joel Thibault – Fondeurs Laurentide
3. Owen Siderius – Nakkertok Nordic
❄U16 Boys
1. Kai Samm – Chelsea Nordiq
2. Bastiaan Brouwer – Chelsea Nordiq
3. Matthew Northcott – Caldwell Sport
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❄Open Women
1. Jasmine Drolet – Dartmouth
2. Clara Hegan – University of New Hampshire
3. Ava Thurston – Dartmouth
❄U20 Women
1. Clara Hegan – University of New Hampshire
2. Maeve Ingelfinger – Dartmouth
3. Greta Kilburn – University of Vermont
❄U18 Women
1. Sarah-Eve Picard – Equipe Quebec
2. Annelies Hanna – Ford Sayre
3. Mary Harrington – Green Mountain Valley School
❄U16 Girls
1. Mia Brun del Re – Chelsea Nordiq
2. Laila Lebel – Nakkertok Nordic
3. Acadia Enmen – Mansfield Nordic
Sunday, January 19th, 2025 – Skate Sprint
❄ Open Heats Men
1. Alex Comier – CNEPH
2. Guillaume Pelchat – CNEPH
3. Jeremy Lantz – Unaffiliated
❄U18/U20 Heats – Men
1. Owen Siderius – Green Mountain Valley School
2. Quinn McDermott – Williams College
3. Beckett Cote – Quarry Road Ski Club
❄U16 Heats – Boys
1. Kai Samm – Chelsea Nordiq
2. Marc Antoine Daousst – Mont Ste. Anne
3. Matthew Northcott – Caldwell Sport
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❄Open Heats Women
1. Sammy Legate – St. Lawrence University
2. Emmanuelle Moreau – CNEPH
3. Claire Serrano – Craftsbury Ski Club
❄U18/20 Heats – Women
1. Sofia Renaud – Mont Ste. Anne
2. Caroline Tarmy – St. Lawrence University
3. Sawyer Ezzell – University of New Hampshire
❄U16 Girls Heats
1. Mikayla Kennedy – Chelsea Nordiq
2. Lucille Dent – Ford Sayre
3. Mia Gorman – Mansfield Nordic Club