The 49th Annual Geschmossel Classic
- Damian Bolduc
- Jan 19
- 8 min read
The 49th Annual Geschmossel
1/19/2025
The 49th Annual Geschmossel was held at Bretton Woods on another beautiful New England ski day. The Geschmossel has come to be a more refined racing experience that only the 5-Star resort can offer. In the emerging age of artificial intelligence, the event has come to redefine its name, yet sticks with the origins of the word, drawing a dedicated field that has come to appreciate what the event stands for in an evolving sport.
Politely, Geschmossel means organized chaos. In the context of the event, it means we don’t exactly know what we have, but we are going to throw together a fine racing experience with what is out there on the day of the race. Only a handful of Geschmossels have been canceled throughout its history, so Bretton Woods has been able to deliver something reliably for all this time! It is rather astonishing to think how this tradition has endured!
Falling where it does on the calendar, the race draws a Masters field primarily. Perhaps falling on a Monday, those without seniority have a more difficult time getting the day off, though MLK Day is increasingly observed throughout the region. It is also on the heels of an Eastern Cup Weekend, which tends to deplete the energy of the athletes and the network that supports them, but those in the know find respite from the commotion of NENSA's signature Eastern Cup Series at an event that operates with different priorities in mind.
This year’s event had the usual weather turmoil leading up to it. Bretton Woods has been on the receiving end of some of the worst weather this winter. Where rain has switched to snow just a few miles from away from the venue, the rain stuck just enough to obliterate the snow conditions at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center. Much of the terrain survived and was skiable, but connecting the different sections that had been reduced to sheer ice or bare ground to complete a course was going to be difficult. Thankfully, some late-week snowfall did the trick, sprucing things up for the race. Organizers were relieved as a quality event emerged from the chaos.
Kick wax recommendations swayed from it's going to be hard wax, to NA, to klister covered in the days leading up to the event. On our drive to Bretton Woods, the temperature stayed consistent in the upper teens and low twenties, and a welcome sight of increasingly significant new snow picked up when we took the exit to Bethlehem. A trace is usually good enough for me, but this was a plowable amount, which guaranteed the NWVE Wax Prediction was spot on again. It was going to be an easy wax day, though, through a twist of fate, the NA kick wax recommendation may have been the fastest.
The Mt. Washington Nordic Staff welcomed participants to the venue, creating a relaxed atmosphere. They were prepared with registration and course details. The indoor facilities are much appreciated, with a variety of spaces for members of the skiing community to visit each other. It is a calm and joyful atmosphere.
The racecourse this year was about as flat as possible. While everything looked beautiful, we were reminded that it was a very different scene just a few days prior.
The snow looked plentiful, but the cover was thin, and decisions about the course's durability in technical sections had to be made. We have seen the cover shear down to boiler plate and wounded skiers return after bruising on the course. That was not the case this year. The course started in the stadium behind the Nordic Center and went straight onto Perimeter. The course looped by the Mt. Washington Hotel, where guests could watch the race from the Grand Balcony as participants navigated their way around the golf course. When we got to Crawford’s Pass, we went into the woods and had a short climb. The course followed Crawford’s Pass and linked with Zealand’s Pass, where there was a two-way section in the softest snow on the course. From Zealand, we took a cutoff onto Esker to loop around back to Zealand and returning to Perimeter. Skiers did two laps. The flags atop the hotel were still; there was a mix of sun, clouds, and gentle flurries.
The course had an easily stride-able hill on Crawford’s Pass and a short wall on Esker. A dramatic change from last weekend's loop in Jackson. Tracks varied with amounts of snow. Some thin, some powdery, and a finishing stretch of icy hero tracks over the final kilometer of the course. There was no place where it was necessary to check speed on the course. It was fast snow with nothing too technical.
The skiers lined up, looking forward to the race. There did not seem to be any stragglers, and race instructions were given. Questions were answered, and a request for a countdown was obliged. Racing initially got underway in an orderly fashion, but the number of lanes quickly reduced to two, and the commotion began. Nothing major occurred, but there was a slight bottleneck, and sorting was needed. By the time we hit Craford, most of the shuffling was complete, and racing was taking shape.
It is a common misunderstanding that a flat course makes for an easy race. This is simply untrue. With a lack of variability, new dynamics control the outcome. Each lap being 7km meant that economy would play a significant role. Basically, if you were in a paceline, things were going to work out better for you. Experienced skiers held on dearly to their groups for as long as they could. Nate Laber (MNC) has been having an outstanding season and opted to double pole on skate skis. He was joined by teammate Michael Dillon (MNC), and the two stayed at the front for the duration of the race. Rob Riley (Gunstock) chased with Jackie Chalmers (Nonstop), Colin Pogue (Jackson XC), and Dennis Page (Nansen).
Stuart Kremzner (Enevoldsen Coaching) was psyched to have a course so favorable to double poling as that has become his signature at many events. Tyler Magnan (NWVE) was not a fan of the course, primarily training at a venue where it is nearly impossible to double pole. Bill Donahue (Gunstock) worked with Tyler during the race, watching Stuart slip away but holding off Rick Powell (Ford Sayre). Rick had an interesting race. He stayed in a pack with his teammate Bryce Wing (Ford Sayre), Kristopher Dobie (Unattached), and Sarah Pribram (NWVE) for a lap, then kicked it up a lot to chase down David Herr (Unattached) and eventually latch onto Bill and Tyler. This was no easy feat on this course.
I was doing my best to hang on to the next pack. JoAnn Hanowski (Rossi), Ian Blair (BOC), and Jeff Palleiko were rotating fairly efficiently in an organized paceline. We were able to put a good gap on David Chalmers (Nonstop) and David Robers (Nonstop). Jim Fredericks (Rossi) was commanding an organized group that included Crag Mallery (Unattached), Richard Ely (Unattached), and Nicholas Nelsonwood (Unattached). Jim’s group chased down skiers that started well, but found themselves solo like Jonathan Rodd (NWVE). Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) started slowly after a high-volume weekend in exceptional conditions, preparing for some 50km races on her calendar. She worked a bit with Russ Cone (Unattached) but found herself solo after powering past John Lazenby (Onion River). Jessica liked the two-way section, as that was where she saw the other skiers in her race. Michelle Smith (CSU) picked up Russ, and the two worked together trying to keep Jessica in sight as she worked her way through the field.
John Lazenby and Jud Hartmann (NWVE) were part of one of the most competitive age groups in the race – the M10s! All were delighted to have company and showed most of the M9s how it is done. Jim Fredericks (Rossi) saw a glimpse of someone who looked like Jud pull up next to him down the final stretch, causing him to push harder to the finish to win the M10 division. John and Jud skied with Art Copoulos (Ford Sayre) and Dhyan Nirmegh (NWVE) for the first lap, but the
M10 pace was too much as they faded in the second lap. Nirmegh was excited
about trialing some new skis he picked up at the Skirack Ski Swap. Maybe not the best pair for double poling, or a flex measurement is in order. Nirmegh was happy to hold off Colby Lapointe (Unattached). Jonathan Rodd was happy with Nirmegh’s new skis!
Bruce Katz (Unattached) was in a good battle with Greggory Wade (Unattached) for much of the race. The effort between the two widened their lead over Louisa Chalmers (Nonstop), Jens Beck (Unattached), and Angeline Andrew (Maine West). Staying organized paid high dividends, and Angeline’s group was not able to stay together enough to be effective. Lillian Namie (Unattached) was happy to get a race in with her father, Christopher Naime (Holderness), while visiting home. Lillian had an aggressive start and was probably unaware of the ground Chris was gaining on the second lap of the race. Cipperly Good NWVE was in a solid group working well. Cipperly’s skis were climbing well enough to give her an advantage over Roger Wilson (SDXC), Daniel Baumert (Penobscot), and Karen Alence (MNC).
Over the course of the race things stayed relatively confined to the groups established in the first lap. However, there were a few exceptions. Rick Powell’s (Ford Sayre) move was impressive closing over a minute on Bill Donahue (Gunstock) and Tyler Magnan (NWVE). This was especially impressive on a course with no place to hide! Rick’s move also compromised the group he skied away from. Each tried to hang on, but could not, leaving energy reserves low.
The winning instinct in the next group was keen on what was going on ahead and methodically played a brilliant hand. JoAnn Hanowski (Rossi) saw Sarah Pribram (NWVE) floundering as I made a move to drop the pack on Crawford’s Pass. Throwing a 400m sprint effort on a climb like this has served me well in the past, and I thought it would be enough to get me to the finish line ahead of the group. JoAnn had other things in mind. While she could not match my stride, she was a little quicker where soft snow was in the track. She also saw an opportunity for the Women’s Overall, which is a W that does not come so easily to an M8. JoAnn locked in and drafted me, knowing I was committing to an extended effort, to drop Ian Blair (BOC) and Jeff Pelleiko (Gunstock), who were sure to keep things close. When I began to slow in the powdery two-way section, JoAnn made her decisive move. She powered her way back to Perimeter, where she played her final card. She closed in on Sarah in the ice tracks, but waited for the right moment to pass. Using the element of surprise and surging with about 500m to go, she drew Sarah out briefly, but the plan was executed perfectly, and Joann was determined to see it through. Nothing was going to stop her. Post-race, JoAnn credited her time kayaking for her core strength and endurance, but I think there was more to it. It takes a lot of wisdom and guts to see this plan playout perfectly over 5km!
Karen Alence (MNC) was also conspiring to reel in a skier making a move on the climbs. Cipperly was thinking similarly to me. Climb, and make it to the ice tracks, and take the free ride in. It worked on most of her group, but Karen was moving well and thought she could catch Cipperly off guard in the final meters of the race. The group was still close, but ground was difficult to make in the fastest tracks on the course. Karen’s tempo said she was on a mission, and part of Cipperly’s entourage tipped her off that she had company. Cipperly moved into high gear to successfully defend her place in the race.
The conditions and the course made for some very exciting racing at this year’s Geschmossel. From start to finish, there was action on course as things stayed a little closer together than normal. The staff and volunteers at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center did an excellent job hosting and keeping participants smiling. Many went for extended cool-down skis, contemplating their next event before making their way home. This will surely be one for the memory banks as the Double Pole Geschmossel. Things have certainly been stirred up as we move into the next phase of the season.
Damian
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