USCSA Ski Racing Festival presented by Colorado Mesa University and Grand County
Location: Snow Mountain Ranch, YMCA of the Rockies, Granby, CO

• January 20: 15 km classic race for college and high school students (two laps of 7.5 km course) and 7.5 km classic race only for high school/junior racers.
• January 21: 1.3 km freestyle sprint for college and high school students/juniors

 
Schools and teams that participated in the event:

• Colorado College
• Colorado State University
• Denver University
• US Air Force Academy
• University of Wyoming
• Western Colorado University
• Individual high school students, some traveled from Duluth, Minnesota
• Juniors from Team Summit
• Juniors from Winter Park Nordic Program

 
It was the first time for CMU to organize a race outside our home area and turn it into a ski racing festival open to high school students, allowing them to race alongside college athletes. This created a unique opportunity for both groups, as it showcased the strengths of each age group and allowed younger athletes to explore the cross country skiing opportunities offered by colleges and experience a taste of a college ski race.
 
CMU students performed incredibly well, including an overall win (1st place in men's and overall) in the 15 km classic race achieved by Iver Skaarseth. Iver placed sixth in the men's sprint despite a crash caused by another athlete during the final meters of the sprint, otherwise he was on track to finish first.
 
The classic race course featured two laps on the 7.5-kilometer course for college racers and one lap for juniors. It embodied the characteristics of an ideal race course, requiring athletes to utilize a variety of techniques and skills. The course included sections suitable for fast kick double poling and double poling on the flats, long sustained and challenging uphill's demanding diagonal stride and impeccable pacing, and fast downhill sections with demanding turns that tested downhill skills. The 1.3-kilometer sprint course challenged athletes with fast-paced V2 technique on uphill sections, pushing their technical skills and strength. We were fortunate with the weather as both days were relatively warm and calm.
 
 
Women's 15 km classic (39 collegiate women completed the race):

• Lauren Lackman, 5th place
• Patricia Casey, 17th place

 
Men's 15 km classic (36 collegiate men completed the race):

• Iver Skaarseth, 1st place with the time of 51:14. Conner Nilsen of Western Colorado University was on Iver's heels but eventually finished 40 seconds later in 2nd place. The third place was claimed by Kaj Taylor of University of Wyoming 44 seconds behind the winner.
• Garret Moehring in 6th place with the time of 56:51 was followed by Max Maronde of DU 12 seconds later, forcing Garret to maintain an exhausting pace through the finish line.

 
Women's Sprint Qualifier:

• Patricia Casey, 4th place

 
Women's Sprint B Final:

• Lauren Lackman, 4th place

 
Men's Sprint A Final:

• Iver Skaarseth, 6th place

 
Men's Sprint B Final:

• Garret Moehring, 3rd place

 
To see all race results: https://www.webscorer.com/findraces?pg=results (Search races by "Race name" and then enter USCSA)
 
 
The team travels to Crested Butte where Western will host the next race on Feb 2^nd and 3^rd.