This weekend will offer a full slate of cross-country skiing competition on the central Kenai Peninsula.
The action will start with the Kenai Klassic Duathlon at Kenai Golf Course today, a notable location because the golf course has not been suitable for skiing for several years now. This race will feature a four-kilometer, mass start classical race. Skiers then transition to freestyle skis and race four kilometers using the skating technique.
The girls varsity race starts at 2 p.m., followed by the girls junior varsity at 2:05 p.m. The boys varsity race will start at about 3 p.m., while junior varsity boys will follow five minutes later.
Then Saturday and Sunday, the best skiers in the state will converge on Tsalteshi Trails for Besh Cups 3 and 4. The Besh Cup series is used to choose which skiers will make Team Alaska, which will compete at the 2017 Junior Nationals in Lake Placid, New York, from March 3 to 11.
All of the weekend’s races will be based at Skyview Middle School.
Saturday, skiers will compete in freestyle sprint races. Racing starts at 10 a.m. and culminates with heats beginning for the Under-14 and Under-16 and above skiers at 12:45 p.m.
Sunday, interval classic is the format. Under-8 and -10 boys skiers do 1K at 11 a.m., Under-12 and -14 girls skiers do 3K at 11:25 a.m., Under-16 boys do 5K at 11:45 a.m., Under-16 and over girls do 5K at 12:10 p.m. and Under-18 and over men do 10K at 12:40 p.m.
The Besh Cup races take a lot of volunteers and volunteers, no matter their experience with skiing, are still needed for Saturday and Sunday. For information, contact Cathy Carrow at c2dhix@gmail.com.
