The annual industry demo day is back! Join us on Saturday, December 14th to check out the latest in ski product from industry leaders.
Held in honor of our friend, the late Tom Kendall, the Kendall Classic kicks off the season with a FIS-sanctioned mass start of 7.5k for open-class skiers, followed up by a 5k mass start for U16s.
Season opening freestyle sprint shenanigans. All racers will get a qualifier and three rounds of heats.
The Craftsbury Outdoor Center is excited to again partner with NENSA and Harvard University to bring a combined EISA Carnival-NENSA Eastern Cup event back to the trails at the Outdoor Center. Harvard hosted its inaugural EISA Carnival weekend at the Center back in 2020 and we are excited to have them back (and now led by the steady hand of new head coach Sam Benzing, a former Craftsbury Ski Club coaching assistant). Pairing a Carnival with an Eastern Cup creates an incredibly high caliber field, with all the top racers from New England and even eastern Canada looking to score FIS points.
Racing kicks off on Friday, February 2nd with 15km classic mass start races for the college field. Saturday, February 3rd brings 7.5km freestyle interval starts for all racers, allowing both the Carnival and Eastern Cup fields to test their mettle against the best of the best. The Carnival wraps up after Saturday's racing and Sunday, February 4th's Eastern Cup competitions will be held in the always-popular pursuit style, with U16s racing a 5km based on the previous day's time gaps, while the rest of the men's and women's field will race 10km based on their Saturday rank.
For more info and registration details, head on over to the Registration Page.
If you want to do our BKL race, head over to SkiReg to register for Bill’s Blastoff BKL Races.
Come support the Catamounts at their home EISA carnival races.
Friday is a classic sprint.
Saturday is a freestyle interval start.
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.
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.
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.
This is the second BIPOC ski day this winter at the Center. Registration is required to participate in these free events. Choose between two sessions each day, 10:00am and 1:00pm. Participants receive complimentary trail passes and rental equipment, as well as lessons from BIPOC instructors.
The group lessons are optional if you’d prefer to spend your time skiing on your own or with friends old and new. While we encourage those that may have never tried cross country skiing before to take part, we also welcome folks of any ability level to come. Snowshoeing will be available as well. Hope to ski with you this winter!
This is the first of the BIPOC ski days this winter at the Center. Registration is required to participate in these free events. Choose between two sessions each day, 10:00am and 1:00pm. Participants receive complimentary trail passes and rental equipment, as well as lessons from BIPOC instructors.
The group lessons are optional if you’d prefer to spend your time skiing on your own or with friends old and new. While we encourage those that may have never tried cross country skiing before to take part, we also welcome folks of any ability level to come. Snowshoeing will be available as well. Hope to ski with you this winter!
This 5/10k interval start classic citizen’s race compliments Saturday's Silver Fox Trot and promises a low-key race opportunity prior to the start of regional and national racing.
The Outdoor Center’s Demo Day returns for 2022. This event brings some top brands in the XC ski industry to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center to showcase the latest gear.
Finish out the Center’s season-opener weekend with the mass start Kendall Classic. Held in honor of Tom Kendall, a longtime timer and booster of XC ski racing in the U.S., the Kendall Classic will donate 25% of proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Back for 2021, Demo Days brings the top brands in the XC ski industry to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center to showcase the latest gear.
Opportunity to demo race equipment, including boots, ski and poles from Skirack, Madshus, Caldwell Sport, Fischer, Alpina and Rossignol. More info to come.
