New England Cross Country Skiing

NENSA

2022 Castle Conquest Recap

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The Mt Van Hoevenberg venue provides exceptional challenge and thrill to competitors, with the idyllic background of the Adirondack Mountains.

This past weekend over in New York featured a variety of fun and exciting events that constituted the Castle Conquest.  Saturday featured the Keys to the Castle event court-style skate sprints, a BKL/youth agility rollerski session, and a mass start biathlon race at Mt Van Hoevenberg.  Sunday featured the legendary Climb to the Castle skate race up Whiteface.  Below are links to event coverage for your reading and viewing enjoyment.

Check out the Fasterskier race report of Keys to the Castle Skate Sprint & Biathlon Races and the Climb to the Castle Race HERE.

PHOTOS

 

NENSA is proud to partner with ORDA and NYSEF to continue hosting rollerski events in Lake Placid!   The court-style sprints featured in Saturday’s events are a synthesis of ideas from conventional sprinting and perhaps one of the most progressive rollerski competitions held to date at the Olympic Jumping Complex, just up the road, in August of 2018.   That event pitted in a duel which highlighted the strengths of Andy Newell and Ludvig Sognen Jensen “LUDDEYO.”  Newell, perhaps one of the most agile, and Luddeyo at the time the fastest 100 meters sprinters in the world.  Since the inception of these events, including ramps in a rollerski competition, NENSA, ORDA and NYSEF have partnered to put on developmental opportunities for athletes all while creating a show that is entertaining for participants and spectators alike.

Sproule Love, of Manhattan Nordic / New York Lynx Nordic Skis Club, powers his way to victory in the masters category of the 2022 Climb to the Castle.

Sunday marked the 15th edition of the historic Climb to the Castle race.  The event was created by Margaret Maher who was at the time the Head Nordic Coach at NYSEF.  Over the years juniors, masters and national team skiers from all Nordic sports have challenged this iconic roadway that climbs nearly 2800 feet in just under five miles.  Despite somewhat ominous snow blanketing the upper reaches of the mountain on Friday, Sunday dawned with a magical red sunrise and a clear sky.  Sixty-nine skiers of all ages enjoyed a beautiful climb under perfect conditions up perhaps the most arduous rollerski hill climb in North America.

The event served as the second event of the Allagash Masters Cup, a three race series for skiers over the age of 30.  Rosalie Wilson of Ford Sayre synched the women’s title, following up her victory at the Rollins Roll this August.  On the men’s side the action is just heating up, with two distinct fields at Rollins and Whiteface.  Sproule Love of the Manhattan Nordic / New York Lynx Nordic Skis Club was the fastest master up the mountain Sunday, followed by Adam Terko (Mansfield Nordic) and Eli Gallaudet (EMXC).  We look forward to seeing robust masters participation at the final event of the series, the Greylock Hill Climb, on November 6th.

Allagash Cup Masters Standings

Congrats to everyone who competed in these events, and a big thank you to Mt Van Hoevenberg, NYSEF, ORDA, and all the awesome volunteers that came out to help. We are also very grateful to Bullitt Timing for their exceptional services.

In addition the incredible support we receive from our NENSA associate sponsors – Salomon, LL Bean, Swix, and Fischer – we are also grateful to Enjoy Winter and Swenor Rollerskis for supplying NENSA with an awesome fleet of rollerskis so the top-seeded athletes in all our events have matched skis. And no NENSA rollerski race would be complete without the exceedingly tasty support of Cabot who has generously donated cheese for this season’s podium finishers!

NENSA presents the 2019 Eastern Cup Series

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In just over 20 days the 2019 NENSA Eastern Cup Series begins with a freestyle race weekend at the Craftsbury Opener, December 22nd and 23rd. With plentiful early snow, and racing already happening at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center this November, a large and talented field is expected for the Opener – register early as the event might need to be capped.  Competitors will include aspiring junior racers from throughout the Eastern US and Canada, elite skiers prepping for the 2019 U.S. Cross Country Championships, and master skiers looking to race on expertly groomed trails. There is something for everyone and Craftsbury is, “excited to welcome any and all to the trails at the Outdoor Center, whether you want to race, spectate, or volunteer.” Come join us and be a part of what could be the most attended race in the East this winter! (FIS, NRL)

January 26th and 27th the Series travels to New York State for the Lake Placid SuperTour and Eastern Cup. The combined event will showcase top national talent from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard SuperTour, alongside junior and senior skiers from New York, New England and Canada. Racers will be treated to the Olympic Trail system of Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the professional staff of the Olympic Regional Development Authority and the hospitality of the Lake Placid community. With SuperTour prize money and Junior National qualifications on the line for both the Mid-Atlantic and New England divisions you can be sure there will be awesome competition for racers and spectators all weekend. (SuperTour begins 1/25 – FIS, NRL)

The Rikert Nordic Center hosts the Frost Mountain Nordic Eastern Cup on February 16th and 17th.  Saturday’s Eastern Cup event will be run in conjunction with the EISA Middlebury College Carnival, allowing competitors the opportunity to compete against 200 collegiate athletes in the the storied Rikert woods. Sunday offers a unique skiathlon (continuous classic/skate pursuit) option for master and junior skiers at the conclusion of the morning’s races.  Come enjoy the festive show that Rikert and Frost Mountain always create with their challenging trails and spectator friendly stadium area – including tasty food, music and colorful announcers. (NRL)

On Saturday February 23, 2019 the Dublin School will host the Dublin Double – a new race format with two freestyle races.  Don’t miss out on this exciting new addition to the NENSA Eastern Cup Series.  Competitors will race two separate distances: 3.0km and 1.5km.  The 3.0km represents a prologue distance (& JN relay distance) and the 1.5km, a sprint qualification (there are no rounds).  Each race will be scored to the NRL and included in New England Junior National rankings.  Skiers will be seeded by U.S. Ski & Snowboard Overall points for both races.  Come try the exhilarating serpentine trails in Dublin, New Hampshire – the racing will be fast and furious. (NRL)

The Eastern Cup Series concludes on February 24, 2019 at the Holderness School with the Cheri Walsh Memorial.  This staple of the Eastern Cup gives racers of all ages the opportunity to race on “old school” or traditional New England trails in the classic style.  The Cheri Walsh represents the final qualification race for the New England Junior National Team – which will be named during the awards ceremony after the races.  Holderness has brought back a masters wave and we hope that to see many of our veteran New England racers join in the fun! (NRL)

NENSA is able to host our signature race series with the generous support of our associate sponsors: Swix, Nokian, LL Bean, and Kathy and Marty Hall (more about our sponsors).  By partnering with great venues and dedicated organizing committees, officials, timers, and volunteers NENSA produces some of the highest caliber races in North America.  This year we have partnered with SkiTrax Magazine to provide increased media coverage of all our programs and the sport of cross-country ski racing.  We strive to offer professional events, while making the sport exciting (new for 2019, several venues will have stand alone Cross Country Cross courses set up near their stadium areas), and accessible to as many participants as possible (there is a $10 one-day NENSA membership fee for 2019).  We are proud to present this Series to all ages and abilities and hope you will join us for these four fantastic weekends of racing!

Further Information:

Detailed Eastern Cup Event Pages
Eastern Cup Race Rules.
New England Junior National Qualification.
Registration for all events are live on SkiReg.com
Printable Eastern Cup Schedule Poster

Bag Balm Joins NENSA as our Newest Sponsor, and the Named Sponsor of our 2018 NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski Race Series

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The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is very pleased and excited to welcome Bag Balm, of Lyndonville VT into the NENSA sponsor family, and to announce the official naming of the “2018 NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski Series”.

NENSA is first and foremost a community rooted in New England’s rich and vibrant heritage of ski culture and we couldn’t be happier about bringing another New England company into that community. Since 1899, Bag Balm has been made in Vermont out of four simple ingredients and it stands the test of time as an incredibly versatile and long lasting moisturizer. Originally created for cows with dry and cracked udders, it has grown into a cult favorite among skiers and others who enjoy the outdoors for treating chapped lips, cracked hands, and more.

Reid Greenberg, Bag Balm’s new CEO had this to say: “Bag Balm is thrilled to be partnering with NENSA for the 2018-2019 rollerski and ski season! We have a devoted fan-base of athletes and there isn’t a better product to use on your hands and face (mixed with glitter, of course) for wintertime healing and protection. Bag Balm is a small, Vermont company with deep and personal ties to our local communities that mirrors NENSA’s own mission. Look for us at many of the NENSA events and races throughout the season and stop by our Bag Balm Glitter Booth to get your Balm on!”

The NENSA Bag Balm Rollerski Series kicks off on August 11 in Waitsfield, VT with the App Gap Challenge. Having Bag Balm on board to support our race programming strengthens our ties to some of Vermont’s rural history, which we hope is also passed on to the next generation of skiers. We’re very excited to to partner with Bag Balm on our rollerski programming and are excited to grow this aspect of our sport together.

Thanks to the generosity of Marty and Kathy Hall, there will be an overall cash prize for the top three males ($500, $300, $200) and females ($500, $300, $200) for the best of 3 out of 5 races for this series, to be awarded at the final Elite Invitational Race in Stowe on November 3rd. We are also excited to announce the inaugural College Cup to be award to the top collegiate team for this race series. WC points will be awarded to the top three finishers (male or female) from each college at each race.

For more information on the series, or to register for the App Gap Challenge please visit http://nensa.net/rollerski.

For more information on Bag Balm go to: www.BagBalm.com

 

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