Crested Butte hosts Nordic qualifier

250 junior skiers in town

Nearly 250 junior Nordic skiers are coming to Crested Butte this weekend for two days of Nordic racing hosted by the Crested Butte Junior Nordic Team.

This weekend is the first of four qualifier events for Junior Nationals this year for age groups J2 and up (ages 14-20). As a result, some of the top junior Nordic skiers from the Rocky Mountain region will be racing.
“There’s going to be some top national talent here,” says Crested Butte Nordic Team head coach Duncan Callahan.
In addition there will be up and coming Junior National all-stars in attendance with races for kids as young as seven years old.
The weekend of junior events kicks off Saturday, December 19 at 10 a.m. with skate races. The older skiers start first, competing in a 10-kilometer race and then on down the age groups with five-kilometer, three-kilometer and a one-kilometer races.
Sunday will be the classic races again, starting at 10 a.m. with the older kids 10-kilometer race and then on down the line with similar distances to the skate events.
The races will be based out of the Crested Butte Nordic Center with the start/finish area up on the bench as the kids attack the Big Mine and Electric Loops, trails that leave no room for rest.
“The course looks benign and it is, but one of the hardest things about this course is it’s a constant course,” says Callahan.