Kick off your race season at the Outdoor Center

Saturday, Dec. 9 - Rodrigues Sprints - Register now at SkiReg.com

Sunday, Dec. 10 - Kendal Memorial freestyle mass start - Register now at SkiReg.com

We are excited to invite racers to the open the 2023 race season with us at the Outdoor Center. Whether you are a sprinter, a distance skier, or both, you can open your season with a fun, low-key race at the Outdoor Center. Freestyle “knock-in” sprints kick off the weekend on Saturday in honor of our friend and mentor Jim Rodrigues, while Sunday brings freestyle mass starts in memorial of longtime ski timer and friend Tom Kendall. A portion of Sunday’s race fees will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Saturday's format will be a repeat of last year’s popular Royal Court format (though we are referring to them as “knock-in” rounds now). After racing a qualifier on our updated FIS homologated sprint course just like a standard sprint, ALL competitors, regardless of age class or gender, will be seeded into 6-person heats based on their times. Qualifiers 1-6 will be in the first round, 7-12 in the second, and so on. Heats will go off every 3 minutes and competitors will be “knocked in” to different heats depending on their performance. If you finish top 2 in your heat, you move “up” to the next fastest heat. Middle two positions (3rd and 4th) will remain in the same heat, while finishers 5 and 6 will move down to the heat below. This way the heats are constantly reseeded based on how competitors are performing. Everyone will race three rounds. Prizes will be given to the top 3 skiers of each gender and then the top U18/20, U16, and BKL skiers of each gender. The qualifier will be scored to both the FIS and NRL points lists.

Saturday schedule

Note: Because a sprint day requires a qualifier followed by heats, setting the schedule requires knowing how many competitors we have racing in advance of race day. Thus, we cannot allow day-of-race registration for the sprint. 

Sunday brings 10km and 5km freestyle mass starts in honor of the late Tom Kendall. The open (10km) races will be scored to the FIS and NRL points lists as well.

Canceled - Craftsbury Winter Duathlon

The Craftsbury Winter Duathlon has been canceled due to adverse course conditions and lack of interest.

For our multisport enthusiasts, we will also be offering a winter duathlon, part of USA Triathlon’s push to bring winter in the multisport fold. Racers will contest a 3km run, followed by a 5km ski, and finishing up with a 3km run. For more details, please head over to the 2023 Kendall Memorial Online Registration page on skireg.com.

Questions? Email race director Ollie Burruss.

NENSA and the Craftsbury Outdoor Center are excited to close out the Vermont Cup season with long distance interval starts on our Ruthie's Challenge courses. This race weekend will honor our recently departed friend Bill Henchey. Bill passed away suddenly on January 26, 2021. He was a mainstay of races at the Outdoor Center, providing an experienced guiding hand to ensure that our events were always top notch. All of us at the Outdoor Center are gutted by the loss and we're sure many of our Vermont race commnty is as well. We believe that honoring Bill with a ski race in his name is a fitting tribute to a man who gave our sport so much and expected so little.

The Bill Henchey Memorial will feature longer distance interval starts that will deviate from our usual homologated courses. Women and U16s will race on a 7.5km course, while men will race on a 10k loop. Both loops include the bulk of Ruthie's Run, a perrenial favorite trail that includes long, gradual climbs, fast descents, and rolling terrain that is quintessential Vermont cross country skiing.

While we hope that things will feel "normal" out on the course during the race, things are certainly not business as usual this season. We ask that all racers, parents, guardians, coaches, and volunteers familiarize themselves with the state Agency of Commerce and Commercial Development rules regarding racing and the Vermont Snowsports Competition Guidance. Both of these documents govern our ability to host races at this time. Failure to comply with the guidelines laid out in those documents could jeopardize our ability to continue to host races, so please help us by being part of the solution! 

Registration

Head to SkiReg.com for registration.

Schedule

The following schedule is tentative, contingent upon final participation numbers. We reserve the right to combine fields and move start times. Any changes will be made in the 48 hours leading up to the race. All races will be run as 30sec interval starts with cohorts of no more than 25 athletes at a time.

Saturday Feb. 20

9:30am: U16 girl's 7.5k skate (1 lap of the Ruthie's 7.5km) 

10:15am: Open women's 15k skate cohort one (2 x Ruthie's 7.5k course)

10:35am: Open women's 15k skate cohort two & masters women

Sunday Feb. 21

9:30am: U16 boy's 7.5k skate (1 lap of the Ruthie's 7.5km) 

10:15am: Open men's 20k skate cohort one (2 x Ruthie's 10k course)

10:35am: Open men's 20k skate cohort two 

10:55am: Masters men 20k cohort one

11:15am: Masters men 20k cohort two

Start Lists and Seed Lists

Please visit the Bullitt Timing event page for Start Lists and Seed Lists.

Bib & chip

All non-masters racers must rent a bib and timing chip from NENSA in order to enter these events (see link for details). Bib and chip rental are not included. You must complete the season-long bib and chip rental from NENSA in addition to registering for this event. Masters racers do not need to complete the NENSA bib and chip rental, the Outdoor Center will be providing bibs and chips for masters. 

Reservations

All athletes and coaches must reserve their snow time via the Outdoor Center's reservation portal. This is a state-mandated practice that allows us to capture contact information for all visitors to campus. Please reserve a slot beginning with the start of your warmup and ending with the conclusion of your cool down. THIS IS MANDATORY. 

Health screening

State of Vermont regulations mandate that all race participants fill out two health screenings in advance of all races. The health screening survey is available here. The first screening must take place 24-48 hours before the event. For ease of data management within the organizing committee, the Outdoor Center is requiring this initial screen to be completed by 8pm the night before the race (Friday, February 19th). Failure to do so will forfeit the right to start. The day of race screen must be completed by one hour before an athlete's posted start time. For coaches and non-racer participants, your screen must be completed by 8:00am on race day. Failure to complete your screen within the mandatory window will result in forfeit of start rights (or being asked to leave the venue in the case of a coach or non-racer participant). No refunds will be given to participants who fail to fill out health screening surveys.

Course

Ruthie’s 10k Course Map
Ruthie’s 7.5k Course Map

Given that we are limited to 25 athletes at one time, all warming up and cooling down must take place OFF the race trails. These race courses are "open" and competitors are expected to yield to non-racers if necessary. Please help us by being courteous in the event that you need to pass a non-racer. If we receive complaints about racers' conduct, you will be DSQ'd and struck from the results.

Wax Policy

Fluorinated waxes, both for grip and glide, are not permitted at the Outdoor Center at any time. This includes both applying these waxes at the venue or applying them prior to arrival at the Outdoor Center. For more information, read our fluoro policy.

COVID19 Mitigation Measures

At a minimum, the following measures will be in place for all races at the Outdoor Center this winter in an effort to minimize the chance of transmission of COVID19. Failure to adhere to these measures may result in loss of start rights. Given the dynamic nature of the pandemic, review complete current updates on the Outdoor Center website to find the latest event participation requirements prior to heading up to the Center.

• Masks are required for all participants (racers, coaches, officials, volunteers).

  • Masks are not required during the strenuous parts of a warmup and during racing.

• Racers need to reserve their COC snow time on race day via our reservation portal.

  • Racers do not need to wear masks during the intense part of their warm up or while racing.

  • Masks must be carried during races and put on promptly upon finishing.

• Racers must complete two health screenings, one 24-48 hours before the race and one on race day.

• No spectators will be allowed. This is a state law.

  • Parents/friends/family members/guardians are encouraged to go for a ski or walk or wait in a vehicle.

• No indoor space will be open to the public.

  • Temporary restrooms are available in both upper and lower parking lots (including a heated toilet trailer with sinks in the upper lot).

  • Racers should be prepared to stage for races out of their vehicles.

  • No public wax space is available. If you would like to learn about renting one of our 4 private wax cabins, please email the race director.

• Participants are required to adhere to proper physical distancing measures, including limiting both duration and proximity of interactions with others.

• All participants must read, acknowledge, and adhere to the Racer Code of Conduct.

Refunds

In the event that we are forced to cancel the event, we will refund participants their entry fees.