Author: Jason Hettenbaugh, Rochester Nordic Racing (RNR)
Believe it or not the Nordic race season is just around the corner. The traditional season kick off traditionally has been a pilgrimage West to the West Yellowstone Ski Festival however with the increased focus on snowmaking, skiers from the East have some great local options.
ORDA and NYSEF are teaming up to offer a junior Nordic ski camp in Lake Placid November 22nd – 26th. The plan is to have anywhere from 1k – 5k of man made snow at Mt Van Hoevenberg. The potential for more terrain is possible if they receive some early season snow as well. Info can be found HERE.
The Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont has also been making an effort to offer skiing over the Thanksgiving break. They have successfully been able to keep snow from the previous winter to help bolster snowmaking operations to ensure some skiable terrain in recent years. You can check trail conditions and live webcams HERE.
It is even possible that we could see mid-winter conditions at any moment on the Tug Hill Plateau. When Lake Ontario is warm and the air gets cold you never know how much snow could pile up. You can keep an eye on the conditions HERE.
If you are a junior ski racer and have plans of racing in March you should be considering one of these options. Everyone should be trying to make one of the championship events that will be hosted in NY this March. If you were not aware the Mid-Atlantic division is hosting the 2024 Junior National Championships this March in Lake Placid. In addition, the NENSA U16 Festival will be at Gore Mtn also in March.
For information on how to qualify for these events you can visit https://www.midaxc.com/
The schedule for the Mid-Atlantic Junior National Qualifiers is as follows:
January 6th-7th Gore Mnt Mid-A JNQ
January 20th – 21st USSA Supertour Lake Placid
February 3rd and 4th Empire State Games Lake Placid