Okay, so the skiers slept in a little. One stayed asleep in the car, never touching the snow. The sun-cupped snow would swallow your skinny race baskets when used for forward propulsion, and still, not a day to miss out in the mountains. The record breaking heat in the valley and no freeze over night didn’t change the always stunning scenery and the ski was followed with ebelskivers at the cabin.
After a year of qualifying races, Junior National Championships began yesterday at the spectacular Birch Hill venue at Fairbanks, Alaska. Cool sunshine switches to cold as the inversion in town drops temperatures to -31F in the valleys and hopefully warmer here on the hill. Intermountain team videos will continue to amass at this blog throughout the week. Internet has been spotty (okay, there are 400 skiers relaxing online) so keep checking back.
WJ1/OJ Classic 3X3 Relay video
MJ1/OJ Classic 3X3 Relay video
MJ1/OJ Interval 10Km Skate video
WJ1/OJ 5km Interval Skate video
Pre-race introduction to Birch Hill and a look around Fairbanks
The cold-front blizzard roared in from behind just as the skiers of the adult waves lined up for 20km. Watch this year’s video of the finale of five races or watch last year’s as there are difficult to tell apart, the conditions being so similar. The track went from hard and fast during warm-up to shearing-off with the three inches of new snow. A few corners were missed as blinded skiers skidded onto the ice-pond at the bottom of the hills, yet everyone found thier way back. Another great year of racing thanks to the skiers, the race organizers and crew, sponsors, and The Utah Nordic Alliance.
Video: Masters 20km Start through Open-division finish
Video: Masters 20km More finishers
Watch “the race that didn’t happen and the one that did instead.” The 5-9 inches of snow in the forecast over the top of a week of icy skiing, never fell. 5mm was closer so dust-on-crust greeted the powder hungry skiers and many wax, klister, and wax over klister combinations were tried. Most of them worked until they were ground off …and the course skied rather well – thanks to the groomers! Yes, the crash is in here.
Click here for J3-Masters’ video
Click here for J6-Sit-Skiers video
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Jeremy Teela slid in just ahead of Demong for another exciting finish to a Wasatch Citizens’ race at Soldier Hollow, Utah. The beautifuly groomed track emerged from the fog as the junior racers chased each other around either a one km or a three km loop. By the time the waves of adults hit the start, the sun was warming the morning-cold track taking the squeak out of the snow and speeding up the skis.
Click here for Wasatch Citizens’ race #3 video
Click here for Wasatch Juniors and Sit-skier start
Energized by US Nationals at Soldier Hollow, racers lapped the White Pine, Park City course for 15k of dramatic skiing. Wasatch racers welcomed many new skiers over from Nationals as this was a between races day.
Click here for Wasatch Race #2 video
Click here for Jr race – these kids hang on through everything
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TUNA Junior skiers were among the youngest skiers at the US Senior Sprint National Championships. These Juniors participated in top level races with Olympian Torin Koos and World Cups skiers including Park City’s Rosie Brennan, Sadie and Erik Bjornsen, and Sophie Caldwell. Utah’s Soldier Hollow and TUNA’s Ernie and Anne Page timed and hosted these events in world class style.
Click here for TUNA Jrs’ video
Click here for W20k Classic Nat’ls
Click here for M30k Classic Nat’ls
Stunning day for opening the season. Soldier Hollow is so busy this year that White Pine of Park City hosted the Wasatch Citizen’s Classic opening race. See you at National Championships next week!
The groomer described the track as “thinner than a Finnish ski jumper” and it melted out once already. Yet the club track is still just skiable and with images of Dorothy and Toto, the TUNA Junior Comp. and Comp teams skied into the approaching storm on wet sticky snow, humor, and a few frozen wind-induced tears.
Competitors and friends met at the base of Agony Hill behind the University of Utah on a brilliant Autumn morning for this infamous hill climb out of the Salt Lake Valley. Utah skiers from TUNA, Park City, and Soldier Hollow slipped up the mud, ice, and eventually snow to top out on the summit of Mount Van Cott, 1200 feet and 0.9 miles from the start.
Click here for Agony Hill video, use browser to return to FS
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