The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club cobbled together just enough snow to complete the annual Don Sumanik Memorial series Saturday.

Working with a light base of just three centimetres, the ski team spent hours scraping snow onto the trails in order to host Saturday afternoon’s race.

City crews even delivered five truckloads of snow from Takhini Arena to help lay a base in the culvert below Sumanik Drive.

“On Thursday, we got two of the squads, about 40 people, to shovel for three hours,” said Yukon Ski Team head coach Alain Masson. “We had to ensure we had enough snow to make a classic track.”

Despite the hardships, the club managed to pull it off and hosted one of the largest Don Sumanik races in recent memory, featuring 97 skiers.

The high number of athletes “gave the event energy and excitement in spite of marginal snow conditions that challenged the organizers,” said chief of race Grant Abbott.

Knute Johnsgaard won his second straight series race, posting the day’s top time by completing the 11.25-kilometre route in 30:59.9.

Meanwhile, junior girls skier Natalie Hynes posted the fastest time among women Saturday, completing the 7.5-km route in 26:27.1.

The two’s combined times were tops among male and female skiers, earning them their respective Don Sumanik trophies.

Elsie Sumanik, wife of the late Don Sumanik, presented the trophies to Johnsgaard and Hynes post-race.

Hynes edged last week’s race winner, Annah Hanthorn, who missed the race while completing an SAT test.

The race also served as one of five in the Grey Mountain Lions series, and Lions Judy and James Miller presented awards for the top three finishers in each category.

Other category winners included Reid Sandiford in atom boys (one km in 11:30.3), Kate Mason in peewee girls (2.5 km in 13:32.3) and Sam Mather in peewee boys (2.5 km in 11:16.2).

Caelan McLean won the junior boys event (11.25 km in 33:19.1), Michael Kischuk topped the juvenile boys class (11.25 km in 39:38.5) and Nichollis Schmidt was victorious among midget boys (5 km in 19:31.9).

Other category winners were Dahlia Lapointe in midget girls (5 km in 22:15.5), Sasha Masson in peewee (5 km in 19:56.2), Hannah Deuling in juvenile girls (7.5 km in 26:27.1), Adrienne Hynes in junior female (7.5 km in 26:40.7) and Marit Rjabov in open women (7.5 km in 28:02.9).

The results of the Don Sumanik race series, as well as Saturday’s NorAm race in Rossland, B.C., will determine the Yukon squad for the Canada Winter Games.

The local club continues to wish for snow as an early Christmas present. A trail report issued last week indicated early-season warnings are still in effect and rock skis are advised.

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Local skier Emily Nishikawa was in Lillehammer, Norway, over the weekend, representing Whitehorse on the World Cup circuit.

The 25-year-old Olympian finished 42nd in Sunday’s 10-km classic ski pursuit, clocking in at 32:38.6.

Nishikawa led the way for the Canadian women’s contingent Saturday, finishing 67th in a difficult five-km skate-ski race in 13:57.8.

In Kuusamo, Finland, last week, Nishikawa had one of the best results of her young career, placing 38th in the 10-km classic race in 28:31.1.

The World Cup now travels to Davos, Switzerland.

NOTES: The ski club will host the first race in its Tim Hortons series tonight. Today’s theme for the fun race is “Crazy Hat.” Registration begins at 5 p.m. with the race starting at 6. The entry fee of $5 includes a Tim Hortons chili dinner.