Warm temperatures and wet snow marked the 2006 Eastern Canadian Championships which were held over the weekend at Nakertok Ski Club in Cantley Quebec. Over 550 skiers took part in the various age categories. Rain mixed with the odd ice pellet greeted the skiers on Friday as they previewed the newly redesigned, tougher, Nakertok courses. The forecast for the weekend was a mix of possible snow, rain, freezing rain and everything in between, sure to be a challenge! Read more...

Saturday was a 10 km classic race for the men and a 5 km for the women. Klister was the name of the game as temperatures were well above zero and the tracks were very wet. Despite the gloomy conditions, team NSXC had great grip and glide thanks to their special wet snow “secret” klister combo. Most of the best racers from around the country were on hand so it was a good opportunity to see how far behind we would be without having to attend the national championships!! Andrew had a pretty good race and was happy to see some tougher trails that minimized the amount of double poling he had to do! He placed 29^th of 59 in the very competitive senior men category (20-29). Stephanie Rees also raced very well to a 28^th placing of 54 in the tough senior women’s category.

Andrew applying the secret wax combo

Andrew starts the 10k classic

Andrew on lap one, showing good focus!

Andrew 10k classic

Steph starts the 5k classic

steph in the 5k classic

Steph up the last hill

Steph finishing the 5k

Sunday was a 10 km skate for the women and a 15 km skate for the men using the pursuit format (skiers start position determined by their time behind the leader on Saturday). Significant rainfall overnight made the trails even wetter and slushier than on Saturday (there were puddles and small rivers to negotiate out on course!). Luckily though, it didn’t rain during the races themselves. Stephanie toughed it out to a 27^th place finish despite pushing slower skis than the competition (beyond wax and base structure, ski flex has a lot to do with glide under very wet conditions). Andrew faded a little on lap two but worked hard for a 31^st place finish. The courses and conditions were very demanding and it seemed that those who were in the best physical condition were most successful (darn!). Thanks to honorary NSXC members Steve Bursey and Alicia Berthiaume for their moral support. Complete Results at www.zone4.ca

steph skating the 10k

Andrew 15k

down the hill