After the 2010 Haywood Ski Nationals, Whitehorse not only continued to carve out its name in cross-country skiing, but it further proved that the city is one of the best event hosts in Canada, says chief of competition for the Haywoods, Claude Chabot.

The Haywoods saw 412 skiers in Whitehorse, plus 70 to 80 coaching staff and families gathered to watch their athletes compete.

"I think there's a pretty solid boost to the local economy from this one,” said Chabot.

Chabot has received comments that the downtown core was bustling with skiers. Hotels, restaurants and local watering holes were packed with Haywood athletes and fans all weekend.

"I'm very very pleased with the whole thing,” Chabot said.

The boost of population has spilled over to the airport as well, where locals have had a hard time getting flights out as the influx of people in town begin to head home after a great weekend at the ski races.

"The airport is going to be busy,” Chabot said.

The success of the Haywoods further proved that Yukon knows hospitality, and that Whitehorse is capable of hosting a great sporting event, Chabot said.

"I think Whitehorse in general is an event-hosting place. We've proven to the country that yea, we can host good events,” he said.

Whitehorse also proved that they are a force to be reckoned with in the cross-country skiing scene in Canada.

The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club climbed from fourth club in Canada to third after this week.

Dahria Beatty scored a gold medal with teammate Janelle Greer on the first day of competition, that set off a flurry of bronze and silver medal finishes, as well as other top placings from all members of the club.

"Dahria Beatty is of course the real star of the pack,” Chabot said of the 16-year-old.

"She just had an awesome week.”

Another stand-out was 18-year-old Knute Johnsgaard.

"Knute's had a really good week,” Chabot said, adding that the best is yet to come for the young athlete. "I think we're going to see some good things from him.”

One person that was deeply missed was Janelle Greer, who was knocked out of competition on Thursday following a bad crash that fractured one of her fingers and badly bruised her hand and the left side of her body.

"Having lost Janelle hurt us a lot,” Chabot said.

Moving up in the national club rankings had been a goal of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, and they achieved it. Chabot said they owe that to the home-field advantage, and the weather curve-ball that was thrown at the competition on Sunday.

"We were hoping for a result like that,” Chabot said of the final standings.

The Whitehorse club is smaller than most of the participating clubs, but it still managed to have top finishes in almost every division and race.

"The Alberta guys are drawing from a million and a half people,” Chabot said.

Chabot says that the Whitehorse club left a great mark on the visiting competitors.

"People from across the country are just really impressed with Whitehorse,” he said.

On Sunday, Johnsgaard finished 0.2 seconds ahead of Colin Abbott, for a silver and bronze medal for Whitehorse in the junior male 20-kilometre classic race.

In the junior female category, Beatty finished third, 4.9 seconds out of first place, and Heidi Brook took 11th overall and second in her age group. Kendra Murray's 16th place finish won her second in her age group.

Emily Nishikawa was ninth in the open women's 30-km race. and Katie Peters had her best ski of the week with a 10th place finish in the juvenile female 7.5 km.

Beatty also earned a bronze in the individual sprint races on Friday.

Chabot said the finish shows the great resources the athletes have available to them.

"It's a great testament to the quality of our coaching staff and our programs,” he said.

Save for a few loppets here and there, Chabot said it is time for many cross-country skiers across the country to put away their skis for the season, but not in Whitehorse.

"For most of the skiers that were here, they're pretty much putting their skis away for the season,” Chabot said.

Next weekend is the Buckwheat Ski Loppet, and skiers in Whitehorse are still expected to enjoy three or more weeks on the trails.

The extended season may have helped the Whitehorse club climb to third position in the national rankings, Chabot said.

"It helps that we've got a six month ski season.”