Solid start to season for Yukon’s elite XC skiers
It was a good weekend for Whitehorse cross-country skiers.
By Marcel Vander Wier on December 2, 2015
It was a good weekend for Whitehorse cross-country skiers.
Dahria Beatty and Knute Johnsgaard were part of a Canadian contingent competing on the U.S. SuperTour in West Yellowstone, Mont.
The Yukon duo is part of the national development team, training out of the Alberta World Cup Academy.
Three members of that program teamed up with development skiers out of Thunder Bay, Ont., to attend the event – the American equivalent of Canada’s Haywood NorAm series.
On Friday, Beatty and Johnsgaard logged the top performances among the Canucks, with Beatty earning a bronze in the skate sprint and Johnsgaard finishing just off the podium in fourth place.
Beatty, 21, finished the 1,500-metre course in 2:55.07, behind American Jennie Bender and U.S. junior sensation Hannah Halvorsen on the podium.
After turning in the top performance in the qualifiers, 22-year-old Johnsgaard finished behind American Logan Hanneman, his brother Reese Hanneman and Dakota Blackhorse-Von Jess in the final in 2:34.10.
Johnsgaard followed that up with a sixth-place finish Saturday in the 15-kilometre distance race, just behind teammate Kevin Sandau. The field consisted of 139 skiers.
Johnsgaard showed off his range over the weekend, and was the only skier to finish in the top-six of both the sprint and distance races.
He finished in 35:59.6, just 34 seconds off 2014 U.S. Olympian Brian Gregg’s winning pace.
In her 10-km race, Beatty finished 23rd in 29:21.4, one placement behind leading Canadian Jenn Jackson.
Overall, Beatty was 2:14 off the winning pace, while the field included 78 skiers.
This weekend, the Yukon duo will be right back at it, participating in the Haywood NorAm and Buff Sprints season opener in Canmore, Alta.
On the World Cup circuit in Ruka, Finland, 26-year-old Yukoner Emily Nishikawa is the only female skier representing Canada.
On Friday, Nishikawa finished 58th in the women’s classic-ski sprint race, before finishing 63rd in Saturday’s five-km skate-ski race in 16:16.
Norwegian Therese Johaug was first with a time of 14:27.3.
Nishikawa went on to place 60th in the women’s 10-km pursuit Sunday, in 32:34.1. Johaug also won that race in 27:22.3.
The World Cup now travels to Lillehammer, Norway.
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Meanwhile in the Yukon capital, the recreational season is underway at the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club.
The chalet is offering a free ski day this Sunday, hosted by Coast Mountain Sports, with free day passes and ski rentals.
Also, the club issued a notice last month that Cross Country Yukon is seeking to secure funding to pave five kilometres of trails during the next two years.
The trails would be located near the chalet and would provide a safe place for athletes to complete roller-ski training during the off-season.
The trails would require only a small amount of snow for early season skiing and would be available to public use during the non-winter months.
More information is available in the club’s wax room.
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