In Retrospect: 2026 NNF U18 Nordic Nations Trip Recap

As the FIS Junior and U23 World Ski Championships get underway in Lillehammer, Norway, we wanted to take a moment to turn back the clock a few months to some other international results that many have have flown under the radar.

In late-January, early-February of this year, twelve U18 athletes (six girls and six boys) had the opportunity to travel to Norway and Sweden for a two and a half week trip as part of the Nordic Nations Championships. They would race in Trondheim, Norway as part of the Norwegian Cup, and then in Ulricehamn, Sweden as part of the Swedish Junior Championships. One of those athletes was Linnea Ousdigian, the two-time defending MSHSL State Meet champion, currently a Junior in high school. She remembered the experience fondly, having an amazing time and becoming close friends with the other athletes while exploring and skiing.

While overseas Ousdigian ended up racing in five of the six races, reaching the podium in three of those races, and even winning one of them, a particularly strong showing by any US junior in recent years. Her teammates also added to the series of solid results, with Tula Higman taking third among the U18 athletes in the 10K classic race in Sweden to go along with a couple of other top-10 finishes that were shared by both the boys and girls, including Georgia Bishop, Gabe Black, Matthew McIntosh, and Ian Carmack.

Now with the FIS Junior and U23 World Ski Championships ongoing, the results as a whole are all the more impressive as many of the same competitors that were present for the Nordic Nations Championships have also been competing at the Junior World Ski Championships.

Congratulations to all the U18 athletes for representing the States on the big stage!