It was only a tune-up race, but Emily Nishikawa and Dahria Beatty proved they were already in fine form Monday.

Canada’s top cross-country skiers raced with snow underfoot for the first time this season at the Canmore Nordic Centre during the fourth annual WinSport Frozen Thunder Classic.

The classic-ski sprint races were held in temperatures just above freezing on an 800-metre man-made track using snow preserved in sawdust from last season.

The Frozen Thunder initiative stored the snow under a thick layer of sawdust through the summer months. Natural and artificial snow was added as available.

Frozen Thunder kicks off an historic schedule for Canadian skiing. This season features the highly anticipated Ski Tour Canada 2016 – a series of eight World Cup ski races held in a stage format in early March.

The season’s first World Cup event is set for Nov. 27 in Ruka, Finland, while the domestic Haywood NorAm series opens Dec. 5 in Canmore.

The Frozen Thunder event served as a test for the top names in the sport, including Yukon’s own Nishikawa, Beatty and Knute Johnsgaard.

Nishikawa, 26, continued her strong performance from last year, earning victory in the open women’s category, followed by Andrea Dupont and Beatty.

Nishikawa finished the two loops of the course in 4:53.20, while Beatty clocked in at 5:01.35.

Natalie Hynes, 17, also competed, finishing eighth among junior women in 5:46.52.

The heats were organized by race speed, which saw Nishikawa and Beatty racing against a variety of junior men from the national talent squad and Alberta ski team.

“It’s not official or anything, but it’s a good opportunity to get a race bib on and just remember what it’s like to ski race and get back in the groove,” Nishikawa said.

“I’ve been feeling really good. I’ve had a really consistent summer of training and everything’s gone real well.”

Training began in May.

Nishikawa will head to Europe in mid-November to begin her season on the World Cup circuit, where she’s hoping for at least one top-15 finish.

Last year, she finished as high as 23rd on her first season on tour.

“It’s a big jump, but I think it’s definitely within reach,” she said. “It’s really motivating and I know I can do it.”

Beatty said the annual season-opening event is a fun one.

“It was nice to get out on snow and just focus on the race, which is sometimes hard the first time out.”

The 21-year-old said she was happy to finish near Nishikawa – arguably Canada’s top female skier.

Beatty said her goal is to finish as the top female on the domestic circuit this season. She finished third last year, while Nishikawa won the crown.

In January, she will join the Canadian team for a series of World Cup races in Europe, before returning home for the Ski Tour Canada in Quebec and Alberta in March.

“I’m hoping to have a consistent year and make this a breakthrough year for me,” Beatty said. “My goal is to get onto the World Cup full-time next year and in order to do that, I need to place in the top-30 on the World Cup this season in an individual race. I’ll have 10 opportunities this year (to do that).”

On the men’s side, Lenny Valjas, Jesse Cockney and Ivan Babikov earned podium positions, with Johnsgaard finishing eighth in 4:20.53.

Valjas’s win took him just 3:57.46.

Due to the race format, Johnsgaard’s early successes in the heats saw him racing against the current World Cup squad later, leading to his eighth place finishing position.

“It’s a fun way of doing things, but I’m glad real races aren’t like that,” he noted.

“By the end, I was pretty gassed.”

The 22-year-old Yukoner joined Canada’s senior cross-country ski team in May. Already, he’s improved by leaps and bounds.

“I’m very happy with my fitness right now,” the 22-year-old told the Star. “I’ve improved a ton since moving to Canmore this spring.”

However, Johnsgaard is tempering his excitement for the season, noting the first official races are still a month away.

Johnsgaard’s goal is a top-30 finish on the World Cup circuit in January, and he hopes home-field advantage pays off at the Ski Tour Canada.

Each of Johnsgaard, Nishikawa and Beatty aim to compete on home turf in March, when Whitehorse hosts the 2016 Haywood Ski Nationals.