FORT KENT, Maine — Organizers are expecting “absolutely perfect” conditions for this weekend’s New England Nordic Ski Association Eastern Cup Nordic Ski races, according to Fort Kent Outdoor Center President Carl Theriault.
The center’s cross country trails will host the early season event, touted as the largest race the facility has ever hosted based on the anticipated number of entries.
“The trails are much better than I expected,” Theriault said Monday afternoon, considering the rain in the area last week.
This past weekend’s snow, however, in addition to manmade snow brought onto the course earlier from the nearby Lonesome Pine alpine ski area, has made for great conditions. The additional 6 to 12 inches of snow and cold temperatures the National Weather Service are forecasting between Monday and Thursday will only make things better, Theriault said.
Cross country trails at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center were looking very good on Monday, ahead of this weekend’s races.
(Don Eno)
Saturday’s race schedule includes a full day of freestyle sprint races starting with qualifiers at 9 a.m., followed by bracketed heats in the afternoon. Sunday features four classic style distance races, also starting at 9 a.m.
Organizers estimate about 400 skiers in all will take part in races on Saturday and Sunday. According to Theriault, more than 140 already had registered for each day, as of Monday. The deadline to register is Wednesday.
“This is when skiers sign up, so we expect that to increase,” he said.
All those skiers, coaches, family members and fans from outside the area will need places to stay.
“We are about sold out,” said Phil Leboeuf, owner of the Overlook Hotel in Eagle Lake. “Almost all of it is from the event this weekend.”
Leboeuf said it was a nice “shot in the arm,” for what is normally a slow time of the year.
“If we had 50 or 100 more rooms, I could book them,” said Carl Pelletier, the manager at the Northern Door Inn in Fort Kent.
That hotel is fully booked for the weekend, Pelletier said Monday, with nearly all of the rooms booked by schools, clubs and parents connected to the NENSA event.
Like Leboeuf, Pelletier said the early winter weeks are hit or miss. Even though snowmobilers have been calling and booking for dates later in the season, many rooms remain empty this time of year.
Winter events, though, do have an impact. Pelletier said the Northern Door already was booked solid for the state cross country ski meet in February, also at the Outdoor Center, and this year’s Can Am Sled Dog Races in March.
Even a regional high school cross country ski meet at the Outdoor Center at the end of this month has led to heavy bookings at both hotels.
The event this weekend, the first of four Eastern Cup cross country ski races sanctioned by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association, will attract many of the top junior athletes who are competing for points toward a spot on the national junior team.
The main categories competing for points will be the Under 16, or U16 and the U18/20 groups. The event, however, is not limited to junior skiers, Theriault pointed out.
Theriault said the “open” group at this event is for anyone too old for the two junior groups, but who wants to compete. He expects this to attract a mix of local and regional recreational skiers, competitive older athletes from the Northeast, as well as parents of skiers or anyone else who wants to try out a competitive Nordic event.
Theriault said spectators can expect to see some quality races over the weekend and lunch will be available on Saturday.
The most exciting races, he said, may be the sprint events starting at noon on Saturday. Each heat will send six competitors out on a short 1.3 kilometer course.
On Sunday, classic style skiers will compete in the 5- and 10-kilometer distance events. Award presentations are set for 3 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
More information about the NENSA races may be found online at: http://10thmtskiclub.org/eastern-cup-event/
