The Great Caribou Bog Classic
- Damian Bolduc
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
The Great Caribou Bog Classic
2/7/2026
The Annual Great Caribou Bog Classic was held today on a bluebird day in Orono, Maine. Skiers enjoyed a perfect combination of excellent snow conditions, mostly sunny skies, and temperatures that reached into the twenties! The race saw more participants this year, with many opting for the 20km and 30km events.
The Orono region, like the rest of northern New England, has benefited from snow and cold temperatures in recent weeks, setting the stage for another great event. The snow base and new cover allowed for the utilization of different terrain that enhanced the race. The mild weather had people out enjoying the opportunity to ski without worrying about windchills and frostbite. More than once, it was exclaimed that it is all about having fun!
Skiers arrived and tested wax. NWVE tested some Rode B17 Blue, but found it was not as toothy as we would like. We tried Guru Violet, and that did the trick. It was gripping better and had a really nice release. We also felt it would continue to perform as the temperature rose from the mid-teens to the low twenties during the event. Most people were going with something comparable, hesitant to go too warm, as the course has some extended flat sections.
The course started on Black (Stump) Pond, which served as a much larger stadium, giving participants a lap to sort things out. The course turned onto the Old Veazie Railroad Bed to Hedgehog Road, then climbed up Bangor Hill to the Caribou Trail. It descended back to the Railroad Bed via single track on Smith Farm. Once back to the Railroad Bed, skiers had a mile-long out-and-back section on the Kirkland Connector. Once back on the Railroad Bed, the course returned to Black Pond, and turned onto Dorion Road, to Newman Hill, and finished the lap on the Interpretive Trail around the Caribou Bog Outdoor Center. Each lap had extended sections of double pole and a little over 250 feet of stride-able climbing. Skiers could complete 1 lap for the 10km, 2 for the 20km, and 3 for the 30km events.
Skiers gathered on Black Pond for the start. We were given a few time warnings and a countdown. Several lanes of tracks were set, and it paid to arrive early to get your starting position. All the fields started together, and self-seeding was not very good with many novice racers eager to hop in the local event on a pleasant winter day. Skiing got underway fairly well organized, though the start was not clean, with a few mishaps amid the excitement. Everyone got up, and by the time the field got onto the Railbed, things were spreading out, and there was room to move on the course.
Finn Bonderson (PVSC), Evan Griffis (University of Maine), and Greg Harkay (PVSC) gapped the field early and never looked back. Further back, season-long rivalries were taking shape with myself and Anders Vikstrom (Team Hamp), Dave Roberts (Nonstop Nordic), Michael Melnikov (Freedom Trail) and Dhyan Nirmegh (NWVE), Mark Lena (Maine Nordic) and Jeff Owen (Unattached), and Cipperly Good (NWVE) and Everett Ingalls. The field attacked the course, and while people had different strengths and weaknesses, the approach was the same: all out and hang on as long as you can!
Everyone raced hard, and the field began to separate as soon as 5km into the race. Finn Bonderson (PVSC) was away with Evan Griffis (University of Maine). Greg Harkay (PVSC) was skiing a little back with Stephen Morse (Unattached). Anders Victsrom (Team Hamp) and I had a more conservative start and had worked our way through the field by the time we hit the Kirkland Trail. Dhyan Nirmegh (NWVE) was leading David Roberts (Nonstop Nordic) and Michael Melnikov (Freedom Trail) was keeping them within range. Bruce Katz was among the shorter-distance racers. Cipperly Good (NWVE) was chasing Everett Ingalls (Unattached).
On the long double pole back to Black Pond, things started to change in the first lap. Finn opened a significant gap on the rest of the field that expanded throughout the race. Greg skied away from Stephen. I noted that Anders was drafting me and pulled up to let him buy for a bit. Nirmegh and Dave kept even while outpacing Michael. Mark Lena (Maine Nordic) was on the move as the field spread out more and began gaining ground on Jeff Owen and Bruce. Cipperly began skiing faster as the field thinned and began overtaking places.
In the second lap, things were mostly stable with only a few significant changes. Anders was quick in the feed zone, dropped me, and saw Stephen ahead. David overtook Nirmegh at about the halfway point in the race. Cipperly drew closer to Everett and had a good mark to chase. In the third lap, skiers really got going. Greg could now see Evan and began surging as Evan showed signs of fatigue. Anders was doing a similar thing with Stephen. I was holding a position and motivated as the gap to Anders had closed slightly from lap two. David had hoped to drop Nirmegh on the Bangor Hill climb, but Nirmegh closed back up on the downhill. Michael was skiing strong, as was Mark Lena, who broke away from Jeff. Bruce was hanging on for a finish, thinking that the racing was over with 5km to go. Cipperly overtook Everett, and he was doing all he could to hang on as she was skiing negative splits.
As the race closed out, the order would stay the same, but there were some close calls. Evan got a second wind seeing Greg closing in. Stephen skipped the last feed to keep his advantage on Anders as long as possible. I had no chance once Stephen and Anders picked things up. David was surprised that Nirmegh was still within striking distance with 5km to go and found another gear. David upped his double-pole tempo and finally got away. Cipperly did the same, opening a comfortable margin on Everett by the finish line.
As people finished, they were happy with their achievement and eager to go ski some more. At the awards ceremony, Dan Baumert spoke to a packed house about the history of the land we raced on and his appreciation for the participants for making the event a success. The acknowledgement was reciprocated to Dan for all the efforts it takes to host an event like this. During the awards, Dan had a personal anecdote about each recipient. Nirmegh also gave a little personal history on being the son of a local football legend and coach, and unwittingly having skied on a course only a few miles from his first home as an infant in Old Town, ME! There was also a lively prize draw, and everyone was in great spirits, celebrating another successful day!
Damian
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