Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap

Ryan Ness coming in strong, Vinterloppet 24K

I saw a lot of smiling faces this weekend at the Vinterfest in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The snow coverage and grooming were great, considering the general lack of snow across much of the region. The sunshine helped ease the pain on the "Big Hill". I counted 144 racers listed on the results plus around 20 more in the kids race. I thought it was a nice turnout, with many of the Twin Cities top skiers making the drive.

Race Team Members

Per Nelson 	7th 	24k Freestyle 1:04:50
Scott Sjoquist 	15th 	24k Freestyle 1:07:15

The big race for the weekend was the Noquemanon Ski Marathon in Marquette MI, pulling in a good crowd including the Subaru Factory Team. The womens race came down to a three way sprint at the finish. I will leave the mens race to Brian he covers the bases in his race report.

Brian May 	1st	42k Freestyle 1:44:31
Abbi May 	3rd	42k Freestyle 1:59:49

Team Member Race Reports

Noquemanon Ski Marathon Report from Brian May:

With the cancellation of the Battle Creek Ski Games, Abbi and I headed east to Marquette for the Noquemanon Ski Marathon. We both opted for the 42k skate. With many of the top skiers vying for ASM Cup points in the classic race, the elite wave in the skate race was fairly small and the start was surprisingly relaxed. At the gun, I double-poled off the line and jumped onto the tail-end of a 6-man lead pack heading down the Dead River Basin. Chris Sachs was leading, Dale Niggeman just behind and a few more skiers I didn't recognize. The pace seemed to alternate between being pretty hard and fairly relaxed, depending on lead changes and pack dynamics. I gradually moved up, wanting to be in good position as we headed off the lake and into the hills. Dale let me by and I had the honor of leading the pack up the first climbs.

Our lead pack had been caught by a few more skiers at the end of the lake, so I figured this would be a good time to break things up a bit. I hammered pretty hard through the early hills and, to my satisfaction, it wasn't long before only Dale and Chris were still on my tail. Dale took over the lead for a while. Then, back in the lead, I notched it up again and then only Chris was hanging on. I continued leading and pushing the pace, figuring I wanted to put distance on the field behind us before beginning any cat-and-mouse games. I was thoroughly enjoying this part of the course, steep uphills and lots of technical downhills, plus some nice views back over the Dead River Basin. The grooming left a lot to be desired - double tracked with nowhere to skate! But, it was the same for everyone, so no reason to get worked up about it.

There was a "preme" prize for the first skier across the 17k mark, so I put in a hard sprint coming up to the line. Looking back, I had opened up a gap on Chris, so I continued the surge in an effort to break away. He let me go, so I was then out in front on my own. I was in good postion, but having hammered hard for 17k and with 25k to go, the race certainly wasn't in the bag. I sucked down a Gu and drank the rest of my bottle, figuring I might need the extra energy. Not knowing what was going on behind me, I continued pushing hard.

The second half of the course drops significantly toward the finish in Marquette. While that meant easier skiing and more downhills for recovery, unfortunately, it also meant a decrease in snow depth. There were some pretty sketchy sections, with rocks, roots and stumps showing through the snow, some skiing on plowed roads, and a couple of uphills that seemed to be as much dirt as snow! Nevertheless, I was in race mode and focussed on getting through ASAP. And in an "it's an adventure" sort of way, it was pretty fun.

I continued pushing along, occasional glimpses over my shoulder to see if anyone was closing. Finally, the km markers counted down and the Superior Dome came into sight. A final push and across the finish line - 1st place. Needless to say, I was pretty pleased with the result. I had opened up a fair size lead, 3 minutes by the end. Chris was second, Dale third, with Jey Carlson just behind in fourth. We stayed around for awards, picking some really nice cowbells and cash prizes - guess I'm a professional now!

Back in Duluth, we're still on snow, but rock skiing seems to be the name of the game. It's anyone's guess as to what races will be available next weekend, but come Thursday evening and a check on skinnyski.com, I'm sure we'll be aiming for another weekend adventure.

Find out more about the Skinnyski.com Race Team

Skinnyski Skiers

Jan 26 Vinterloppet 24K Freestyle
  Ryan Ness, 12th, 1:07:03 
  Bruce Adelsman, 26th, 1:11:29
  Jim Smith, 45th, 1:21:37
Jan 26 Vinterloppet 12K Freestyle
  Margaret Adelsman, 2nd, 0:42:22

Note: Skinnyskier Jim Smith had both of his kids in the races 
as well, with Zach Smith wearing last year's skinnyski suit.

Jan 26 Noquemanon 42K Freestyle
  James White, 195th, 2:37:07