A Day at the Skinny Ski Races

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Some great reasons to enter a cross-country ski competition this winter

Story and photos by Mark Nadell

A majority of Americans, including many avid outdoor enthusiasts, get their impression of cross-country ski racing from one of a couple sources.

The first image is of elite racers, seen on TV every fours years or so, like those we’ll be watching during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this year. You know — the ones with lots of body fluids frozen to their faces as they make their agonizing way around circuitous trails in a blur of limbs and sticks, only to fall face first in a fit of exhaustion across the finish line. And the overzealous announcer – who usually knows as much about cross-country skiing as we know about cricket – screaming into the microphone, “That Bjorn sure looks unbeatable today, doesn’t he?”

The other image many of us have of competitive skiers is that of Sierra hotshots who streak by in their form-fitting lycra while day tourers from sea level in bulky parkas gasp for air. Many of these racers are so seriously into their training that, to the uninitiated eye, they seem to be having about as much fun as mice in a maze.

We have good news for you, though. Cross-country ski racing isn’t all frozen snot and metronomic drudgery. It can be a whole lotta fun! And it doesn’t take world-class fitness to enjoy the thrill and excitement of trying to make your skis go faster than you ever could have thought possible. There are about as many reasons to try a cross-country ski race as there are races to choose from.

Physical Health

Maybe you’ve heard? Cross-country skiing is fantastic exercise. In the winter, there’s no better way to keep your body in shape than to go for a tour around the tracks. It works both the lower and upper body, including your core, provides a tremendous aerobic workout, and it’s low impact (so long as you don’t hit a tree!).

Entering an occasional competition is a great incentive to keep your fitness level and your technique at a higher standard.

Camaraderie

Ski races are truly a social event with a community atmosphere and an instant shared bond with fellow active outdoor folk who like to enjoy a little mind/body challenge in mother nature’s yard.

Competitions are a great excuse to get together with friends and just go out and and have a good time, before, during, and especially after the event. Anyone who’s ever witnessed the smiles and laughter in the Cottonwood Restaurant parking lot in Truckee at the end of the 18-mile long Great Ski Race can attest to that. (Yeah, okay, the kegs of beer might play a role as well.)

Like many endeavors in retrospect, the stories that are told about past races just get embellished and “improved” over the years.

Goal Achievement

All of us can benefit from a bit of competition at times. It tends to focus our efforts to an identifiable goal, such as beating a specific time, placing in the top “whatever” in an age division, or just having an easier time than you did in the last race. By setting modest goals and then achieving them, we can feel better about ourselves, our bodies and occasional caloric gluttony (see below).

Fuel Economy

Carbo-loading is not a myth. Ski racers need most all the calories they can get their hands (and mouths) on before a competition, within reason, keeping in mind their power-to-weight ratio. Even casual competitors can use racing as a great excuse for a second plate. Watch out for empty calories lurking in processed foods (though you’ll burn those too!), eat wholesome and … please pass the pasta!

Technique Improvement

Racing forces us to evaluate and adapt our ski technique so we work less and cover more snow. This doesn’t mean every racer has to have the perfect diagonal stride or the most powerful skate. It just means that every skier can do a little better in the efficiency department. Racing also forces us to improve our downhill technique. Having a gaggle of panting skiers on your tail around some of the steeper downhill curves will do wonders for your “sitzmark avoidance” techniques.

You’re convinced, right?

The following is a list of Sierra Nevada races that are especially well suited to novice and experienced cross-country ski competitors alike. These races generally have something unique about them. They’re either known for a special attitude where the competitive spirit doesn’t overshadow the main goal of having fun, or the race is set on an unusually beautiful course, or else it can be considered a “classic” event that every cross-country skier should experience at some time in his or her skiing career.

These are just some of the fun events on the Far West Nordic race calendar. Just about every XC resort has at least one or two races, and some have a variety of distances throughout the season to test your ability and fitness. So pick a race or two and have some fun! You’ll have a great time, and your body will thank you afterward, although perhaps not immediately.

Paco’s Fun Race

Jan. 3, Auburn Ski Club

A great way to kick-off the year, and burn up some of those extra calories from that big New Year’s party. While most of the nation is hunkered down watching football, you can be out on the challenging trails at the Auburn Ski Club Training Center and enjoying the thrill of skating with some of the best skiers in California — in a very relaxed, laid-back racing atmosphere. There’s even a novice-length course, and junior skiers are heartily encouraged at this fun event.

Tahoe Donner Night Race Series

Jan. 6 and 20, Feb. 3 and 17, Tahoe Donner XC

Traditional races still have you a little worried? Then come out to Tahoe Donner and enjoy the thrill of racing a short, 2.5-km loop, twice under the lights. This is an especially low-key, fun series of races that attract top skiers and total novices. The January 6th event is classic diagonal-stride technique only, the rest are freestyle (classic or skating). Plus, you can look forward to enjoying some great soup after each race.

The Tahoe Rim Tour

Jan. 24, North Tahoe High School to Northstar

One of the newest races on the Far West schedule, this has become an instant “classic,” and not just because it has a very competitive diagonal stride division. It’s similar to the Great Ski Race (see below), but with some fun twists in the course and overall design of the race. Even though the stiffest competition is in the classic-technique event, you can also enter the skating division and use it as a great tune-up before the infamous Great Ski Race.

Beginning on the beautiful and scenic trails of Tahoe Cross Country, the course heads over Starratt Pass before making a sharp turn to finish at the Northstar-at-Tahoe Cross Country Ski Center. Don’t miss this fun and growing race!

Yosemite Nordic Holiday Race

Feb. 20, Badger Pass, Yosemite

Another “classic-technique” only race, and possibly the most “casual” race on the schedule, the Nordic Holiday is the oldest cross-country ski competition in California. It might also be the most scenic, with the beauty of Yosemite awaiting anyone willing to slow down enough to catch the views. It’s also well-known for one of the best post-race parties! Or make a full weekend out of it and race the unbelievably scenic Glacier Point Skate Race the next day.

The Great Ski Race

March 7, Tahoe City to Truckee

The West’s largest of them all, the 30km Great Ski Race attracts close to 1,000 skiers or more! Top local racers (and even some national-caliber competitors) go fast from the starting gun, while the casual tourer takes a lunch and stops at the top of the course for a picnic before descending to Truckee.

And if you go more leisurely, you have the opportunity to take in some of the most spectacular vistas of any ski race in the world, in addition to some of the wildest clothing outfits you’ll see in any race this side of the Bay to Breakers. Also known for its great party in the Cottonwood parking lot, this race is a benefit for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team.

California Gold Rush (Silver & Bronze Rush)

March 28, Royal Gorge XC Resort

Some people call it hard-core racing. Others call the Gold Rush one of the most special events they’ll do in their lifetime. But this is the golden opportunity to test your limits and get to experience the thrill and pageantry of a national-caliber marathon distance cross-country ski event.

There are distances to suit any skier’s needs, from the reasonable 15km Bronze Rush to the two-lap 30km Silver Rush – to the big one, the 45km Gold Rush. And as one of the most important fundraisers of the year (thanks to Royal Gorge, ALL proceeds go to the Far West Nordic and Auburn Ski Club Junior Ski programs), you’re doing Nor Cal skiing programs a huge favor by participating.

Even if you don’t want to race, just watching National Team skiers duking it out for big prize money (the Gold Rush is often the final competition in the American Ski Marathon Series races) is worth coming up to Royal Gorge for the weekend.

And these are just a few of the better-known races, with other great events happening in Mammoth Lakes, Bear Valley, and Mount Shasta, to name a few. For a complete listing of all the races in the Sierra Nevada, go to the Far West Nordic website at www.farwestnordic.org. Here you’ll find all the information you can use on where to ski, race, and much more.

Mark Nadell is a graphic designer for the outdoor industry who sidelights as a ski coach for youth programs. He’s also editor of Nordic News, the magazine for the Far West Nordic Ski Association, promoting cross-country skiing in California and Nevada. In his spare time he also likes to demonstrate his ski fitness by outrunning younger guys on the basketball court.

A Day at the Skinny Ski Races