Sometimes days that are no good for any one things are perfect to do all the things. The fabled quadrathlon returns to Craftsbury.
Vermont’s high school race season wraps up at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center with the final day of the VPA state meet. Racers will tackle a 5km individual freestyle race in the morning (boys 10:30am, girls 11:45am) and then schools will field 4-person relay teams in the afternoon for 4 x 2.5k freestyle relays (boys 2pm, girls 3pm).
The racing action should be fast and furious and we encourage spectators to car pool and join us to see all the fun!
Start Lists and Results:
Maps:
Vermont’s fastest high school skiers again converge on the Outdoor Center to see who will qualify to represent the state at the 2024 Eastern High School Championships and U16 Championships.
Athletes will race a 3k classic interval start in the morning, followed by a 3k freestyle interval start in the afternoon.
For race details and registration, check the VT Nordic Ski Team website.
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.
Check out the 2024 Marathon Ski Festival Race Guide.
We are excited to bring back the Marathon Ski Festival in-person in 2024.We have our fingers crossed for a great snow year and we hope y'all do too!
The 2024 Marathon Ski Festival is also a US Ski and Snowboard SuperTour race weekend, meaning that on Friday, January 26th we welcome the nation's fastest skiers for a freestyle sprint on our 1.5km homologated sprint course and on Sunday the SuperTour field will get its own start at the head of the field for the 25km freestyle.
Friday, Dec. 1 - Marathon price increases to $75 for the open class.
Saturday, Dec. 30 - Marathon price inceases $10 for college and high school categories.
Thursday, Jan. 11 – Marathon price increases to $85 for the open class.
Thursday, Jan. 25 - Online Registration closes for the Marathon Ski Festival.
Friday, Jan. 26 - SuperTour Freestyle Sprint
Saturday, Jan. 27 - 41st Craftsbury Classic Marathon
Sunday, Jan. 28 - Craftsbury Freestyle Marathon and SuperTour
Join our trained staff and Green Mountain Adaptive Sports (GMAS) for an afternoon of fun in the snow at the Outdoor Center.
Come support the Catamounts at their home EISA carnival races.
Friday is a classic sprint.
Saturday is a freestyle interval start.
Join us to kick off the biathlon winter race season in the northeast! Biathlon Eastern Regional Cups are great race opportunities for experienced biathletes of all ages.
Friday, December 15, join us at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (COC) for an evening of the Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM). Mark Isselhardt of Elmore, Vermont has participated in the CSM nine times since 2014. Mark will share some basic information about the event as well as his own experiences traversing the special 160k trail that is only open once a year.
The Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) is a ski tour, not a race: participants challenge not each other, but themselves by choosing a level of difficulty and trying to accomplish that goal. Since its inception in 1967 the event has taken place annually just north of the Ottawa River between the regions of Montreal and Ottawa, capital of Canada. The tour happens on the second weekend of February and usually covers a distance of 160 km (99 mi). There are many levels of participation in the CSM from “tasters” who ski one or two sections a day to "Coureur des bois" who attempt to ski all ten sections over the two days. Far more people take part in some but not all of the ten sections during the weekend and the event attracts participants of all ages and ski abilities.
This free event runs from 7:00-8:00pm in the COC Activity Center. Hope you'll join us!
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.
The annual industry demo day is back! Join us on Saturday, December 2nd to check out the latest in ski product from industry leaders like Fischer, Salomon, Atomic, Rossignol, and Madshus, along with retailers like SkiRack and Caldwell Sport. Skis, boots, and poles will be available to demo on our snowmaking loop (and whatever natural snow might be available).
Hope to see you there!
Participants will get two days on snow (three if you get to campus early enough on Friday) full of instruction.
Coaching staff will include former Olympian Trina Hosmer, Craftsbury Ski Club's Rick Costanza, and more.
The curriculum consists of technique drills, pre-race interval sessions, video review to reinforce technical points, plus presentations by the coaching staff on a range of topics including making a race plan, mid-season strength training, and pre-race nutrition. The weekend won't be all work though: there'll be plenty of time for relaxing with your fellow campers and staff, enjoying sumptuous meals in our Vermont Fresh Network Dining Hall (included in the full price camp), trying some biathlon, and free-skiing.
The details...
Camp with lodging & all meals: $470 + tax
Registration will open online the week of October 23. Will link registration here, OR call now - 802.586.7767. (Note that voicemail is not currently functional, so calling during open office hours is best. These vary during shoulder season, but generally mid-day Monday thru Saturday works).
Lodging quoted in the camp price above is in our dorm-style accommodations, double occupancy. Upgrades are available for an additional charge, subject to the 9% State of Vermont Rooms and Meals tax. Talk with the front office for more details.
We're eager to welcome the masters' community to Craftsbury for an excellent early-season tuneup. Sign up today to reserve your spot. Have a question about the program? Drop a line to ollie.burruss@craftsbury.com. Questions about lodging, dietary needs or similar? Shoot the office an email.
Hope to see everyone for a big weekend of on-snow time in December!
The biennial Ski & Bike Swap is here! Put on by the Craftsbury Ski Club, join us in the Event Barn & Activities Center to gear up for winter, snag a bike for next season, or get your equipment to a new home.
Selling gently used Outdoor Center mountain bikes and XC skis
Accepting bikes, XC ski equipment, clothing/outerwear for skiing & biking
Drop off consignment gear (pro tip: fill out your consignment form ahead of time):
Friday, Oct. 20, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Saturday, Oct. 21, 10:00am - 2:00pm
Swap happens Sunday, Oct. 22, 10:00am - 2:00pm
Note: COC bikes can be purchased at the swap but CANNOT be taken home on Sunday - they must be picked up after Friday, Oct. 27. We know this is a hassle but we need to use these bikes for another week of school programming!
Pickup unsold items: Sunday, Oct. 22, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
30% of consigned item sales benefits the club’s youth programming and scholarship fund. Any unsold items left after 4:00 pm on Sunday, October 22 will be donated to the Craftsbury Ski Club.
We take credit cards or cash.
Other auestions? First check out our FAQs here. Still stumped? jrskiing@craftsbury.com
Registration is live for the second Singletrack Shootout of the summer - September 9. Come give biathlon a try, no matter your experience level! It’ll be a fun morning of biathlon racing - running or mountain biking, your choice. A novice clinic will teach you everything you need to know to complete the four stage race. Club rifles will be provided.
Registration closes at 8:00pm. 100 total entries, across all categories. NO day-of-race registration. (While not a requirement to participate, Craftsbury Annual Members save on their registration! Read more about membership.)
8:00-9:00am - Bib pick-up
9:00-9:45am - Novice safety talk and clinic (required if using a club rifle)
9:30am - Zero (for the experienced category - those bringing a rifle: points 13-15)
9:45 - Short Demo Race by GRP Biathletes
10:00am - Bike start (15 sec intervals)
10:30 - Noon - Running waves will start (both novice and experienced category)
NOTE: The exact start schedule is TBD, based on number of entries. Check your pre-race email for more info, but be prepared that your wave's scheduled start can vary greatly depending on registration numbers.
All categories will complete a four stage biathlon race: lap, shoot, lap, shoot, lap, shoot, lap, shoot, lap. So that’s starting with a lap, four shooting stages, and ending with a lap. For each miss, there will be a short penalty lap to complete before returning to the course. This will be an interval start for bikes, and a wave start for runners.
For anyone not bringing their own rifle. Club rifles and ammo will be provided. All shooting will be in the prone (lying down) position, using a support block for the rifle. Targets will be set to standing (bigger) targets.
Anyone bringing their own rifle. Zero period before race as stated in schedule. Will shoot two prone stages on prone targets and then two standing stages on standing targets.
Running: 1k lap, ~5k total.
Mountain Biking: 1.5k lap, ~7.5k total.
You betcha.
Questions? Please email us at biathlon@craftsbury.com.
Interested in eating at the dining hall for lunch? Call our office at 802-586-7767 to reserve your spot. Reservations can only be made within 48 hours of the meal (so call starting Thursday lunch time!).
This camp provides a fun-oriented stepping stone both for kids who already have shooting experience or for skiers who want to jump right in to biathlon in a safe way.
New this summer: This mini-camp for 13 and 14 year olds is a great way for budding biathletes and interested skiers to go all in for three days on biathlon training. A shorter intensive yet fun style of camp like this can not only solidify what athletes have learned at weekly practices but can also rapidly advance their skills in a way that weekly practices cannot.
Open to experienced biathletes and interested skiers with no biathlon experience alike!
Rollerski racing is back! Join us on July 1, 2023 for the 3rd running of the Lost Nation Roll, presented in conjunction with our friends at NENSA. Come test yourself against the region’s fastest racers on the Outdoor Center’s paved rollerski loop. Athletes can choose to race either 2 laps (just over 5km) or 4 laps (just over 10km). We are expecting a stacked field, with squads from the region’s top clubs.
The race will be a standard 30 second interval start for each distance without separation by gender.
Top 10 ranked open skiers of each gender will race on NENSA’s new fleet of Swenor Skate Long skis.
Register for the 2023 Lost Nation Roll over at SkiReg.
The race will be contested on the Outdoor Center’s paved rollerski loop. The loop has a figure 8 layout, meaning that the middle portion including Dino Hill will be skied twice per “lap.”
The race course includes the challenging Dennis's Nemesis downhill once per lap. If you are not comfortable on rollerskis, this may not be the right event for you. This downhill is high speed and includes an S-turn (or chicane) at the bottom. Please arrive early enough to preview the course.
A course map is available for preview here.
Link to 2020 Lost Nation Roll video recap.
8:30AM - Bib pick up and day-of-race registration opens (if numbers allow); course opens for warmup
9:25AM - Course closes to all racers.
9:30AM - 5km races start. 1 skier every 30 seconds, mixed gender. Two 2.5km figure 8 laps plus the field start/finish for a total of 5.2km.
10:00AM - Open races start. 1 skier every 30 seconds, mixed gender. Four 2.5km figure 8 laps plus the field start/finish for a total of 10.2km.
12:00PM - Podium ceremony
2022 Lost Nation Roll - All results
This camp gives U17 athletes a chance to develop their biathlon skills in the summer while simultaneously progressing their ski training.
BKL Summer Day Camp is when skiers work hard but play even harder! There will be lots of fun games, a variety of ski workouts, tons of opportunities to learn or improve skills like roller skiing, shooting with a real biathlon rifle, and canoeing, all capped by the traditional adventure race.
Sometimes days that are no good for any one things are perfect to do all the things. The fabled quadrathlon returns to Craftsbury.
We’re again hosting SuperTour Finals/Spring Nationals, the culminating event for the 2023 National XC ski calendar. Come see the best skiers in the country race on home soil or participate yourself in the New England Open Club Relay Championships on Saturday.
The New England Bill Koch Youth Ski League (NEBKYSL) Festival is the marquee event of the New England Nordic Ski Association Bill Koch Youth Ski League. This league has the mission to introduce young people to the sport of cross country skiing with its social, fitness and competitive opportunities. This fun youth festival will feature racing, as well as a wide range of non-competitive winter activities. Skiers of all ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade are welcome!
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!
Craftsbury is honored to host the freestyle day of the ‘23 VPA High School State Champs.
Join our trained staff and Green Mountain Adaptive Sports (GMAS) for an afternoon of fun in the snow at the Outdoor Center.
We're thrilled to welcome Cross Country Skier magazine's Tour de Trail to the Center both Saturday and Sunday, 9:00am-3:00pm both days. Free demos both days from Salomon, Swix, Alpina and Kästle, as well as raffles that support NENSA and offer you a chance to win gear. Details.
The Tour de Greensboro is a non-competitive classic style ski tour fundraiser for the Greensboro Association. The course is a 25k single loop starting and ending at the Highland Lodge with a 15k cutoff. Participants will enjoy great classic skiing and spectacular views along the course, incorporating the Greensboro Trail System and private trails along the route. The course will be professionally groomed by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and private land owners. Read full details at event registration.
Please note, aside from the grooming, this event is not organized by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Contact the promoter with any questions.
The Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival returns! The classic races take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023 and the freestyle competitions are on Sunday, January 29, 2023. We are planning on running the 25k-ish loop from 2022 before it was rained out.
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!
