While his teammates were competing in the relatively balmy weather of Whitehorse this weekend, Colin Abbot was going head to head with the best the east has to offer in -19 C. temperatures, barely legal for cross country ski racing.

Competing in the Eastern Canadian Championships in Gatineau, Quebec, Abbot had a stellar performance and finished third in the Junior Men's division and fifth overall in the huge open men's division.

Abbot finished the 20 km classic race in 1:04:12, just seven seconds back of gold medal winner Stefan Lloyd of the powerhouse Nakkertok club.

The Easterns is a huge event and has attracted more than 500 racers.

Meanwhile, halfway around the world, Janelle Greer was having her first taste of international competition at the World Junior Cross Country Ski Championships in Praz de Lys, France.

Greer, competing against skiers two and three years older than her 16 years, finished 34th in the classic sprint race, just two seconds off the time she needed to advance to the quarter finals of the race.

The event provides a superb opportunity for Greer to gain some international experience.

Story provided by Claude Chabot, spokesman for Cross Country Yukon.