The best skiers in the country will hit town over the next few days for the 2016 Haywood Ski Nationals, being hosted by the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club.

The stellar field will include a host of Olympians including Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw, Ivan Babikov and hometown favourite Emily Nishikawa.

Also in the field will be local standouts Dahria Beatty – coming off a best-ever 15th place finish in a recent World Cup race in Canmore, Alta. – and national development team member Knute Johnsgaard.

Almost 500 athletes and more than 100 support staff from around the country have registered for the event.

Races start on March 19 with a team sprint race and finish on March 26 with a mass start classic race.

For the first time in Whitehorse racing history, there will be a para-nordic ski category; both sit and standing para-nordic skiers will be competing for national para-nordic titles.

Further, the event also includes the Canadian University and Colleges Championships.

The trails are in good shape for the races, especially considering the low snowfall that Whitehorse has experienced over the winter.

“Club volunteers have put in countless hours moving snow onto the trails,” said chief of competition Claude Chabot.

“Our course crew has done a terrific job identifying and dealing with high-risk areas, supplementing the snow-making we did earlier in the year.”

Yukon will be well represented at the races with a record 46 athletes racing, rivalling the powerhouse Nakkertok club, which is bringing 48 skiers.

Nakkertok (Ontario) has been dominating the club championship category awarded at each year’s ski nationals but Whitehorse is expected to give them a run for their money this year.

In 2015, Yukon finished fourth in Thunder Bay, Ont., behind powerhouse Nakkertok, Skibec (Quebec) and Team Hardwood (Ontario).

In total, the Whitehorse ski club took home eight medals, a far cry from 2014’s second place finish where they earned a best-ever 19 medals in Corner Brook, N.L.

The Haywood Ski Nationals will be the largest ski event ever hosted in the territory, with the most competitive field since the club hosted North America’s inaugural World Cup races in 1981.

Nishikawa, Beatty and Johnsgaard are in top form after recently competing on the eight-leg Ski Tour Canada.

Nishikawa finished as the top female Canadian, in 37th place, 18 minutes and 13 seconds back of tour winner Therese Johaug of Norway.

Beatty and Johnsgaard did not compete in all eight races and thus did not place in the overall standings.

“There were lots of highlights along the way, but I think I’m just most proud of how this women’s team has come together,” said Nishikawa.

“We started with 12 women and ended with five, but I’m very proud to be a part of these girls and hope this will help us continue to build a strong team well into the future.”

Closer to home, the Whitehorse ski club is celebrating another successful year of the Northwestel Bunny and Jackrabbit programs.

The popular ski programs for children ages four to nine saw 143 skiers learn basic ski skills – the largest enrolment in recent years.