Editor's note:  We're honored to host John Lazenby's photography this winter. If you haven't seen the exhibit already, make sure to budget time to enjoy the works during your next visit. Images were shot from the '16-17 season, and feature athletes from juniors to the World Cup, GRP to the World.

We reached out to John, asking him about his thoughts in both shooting the images as well as what guided the selections that now grace the walls of the Activity Center. In addition to this exhibit the photos have appeared on the web site Fasterskier.com and in the newest issue of Cross Country Skier Magazine.

John is a photojournalist living in Montpelier.

"My goal was to capture the action, color, and beauty of Nordic ski racing, and the emotions of the competitors. I was fortunate to be able to work on this near home, at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in 2016 and 2017, and abroad, at the 2017 World Nordic Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland."

“At Craftsbury, I was able to photograph a broad range of racing, from the national Paralympic championships to local ski racers in the New England Nordic Ski Association’s Eastern Cup races. In Lahti, there were racers from around the skiing world, tens of thousands of avid fans waving their national flags, and a horde of scrambling photographers and television crews.”

"In addition to pure action, I found an array of people and their personal stories, from young skiers at Craftsbury to Vermont World Cup racers like the Craftsbury Green Racing Project’s Ida Sargent, Caitlin Patterson, Liz Guiney, Kaitlyn Miller and Ben Lustgarten, and East Montpelier’s Liz Stephen."

“Among the stories: Paralympic skier Andy Soule, an Army veteran who lost both legs fighting in Afghanistan, preparing to race his sit-ski at Craftsbury; Americans Jessie Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen standing on the world championship podium in Lahti in their trademark U.S. team striped socks; the look of anguish on the face of Norway’s Emil Iverson as he struggled to a fourth place in Lahti with a broken pole after a collision 100 yards from the finish; the Canadian women’s team sharing hugs after the women’s world championship relay; Italy’s Federico Pelligrino on his back in the snow shaking hands with a competitor after winning his first world championship."

The exhibit will be on display throughout the winter. More images can be seen at lazenbyphoto.com under the Projects menu and at FasterSkier.com. John Lazenby can be reached at john.lazenby@gmail.com.