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The Jackson Jaunt 2025

The Jackson Jaunt

1/12/2025

Report # 300


I have contemplated what Race Report 300 would be.  It is certainly a significant mark in NWVE’s history.  It is also NWVE’s 20th season, which is another significant milestone.  Earlier in the season, AI suggested that NWVE’s race reports document the heritage of cross-country skiing in New England.  That seems like quite an evolution from the band of renegades that crashed the New England racing scene 20 years ago!  As I reflect on all that has happened, I realize that it has been an amazing journey with all the wonderful people involved.  We have had some great times together, won more than a dozen championships, been at the top of the rankings consistently, and have had a tremendous influence on cross-country skiing in New England.  We have weathered a pandemic and are still going strong, looking to the future.


The Jackson Jaunt is a newer addition to the race circuit that has not earned the prestige of many other events we participate in. However, the race is of great significance when you consider what is possible and who is responsible for not backing down during adverse times.  Ellen Chandler has been a fixture in the New England Scene for as long as our club has existed.  She has held many roles, stewarding cross-country skiing in the region, from getting grooming in the Upper Valley to directing the Bretton Woods Marathon with Amy Patenaude Gunn to managing the Bretton Woods Outdoor Center, then taking on Jackson Touring as the Executive Director, and being the Chair of the NENSA Board of Directors.  Ellen has done all of this with friendly confidence, knowing that she can provide what is needed for a positive outcome.


Ellen has been innovative in bringing people together to share those positive experiences.  She introduced the rolling start, the ski switch zone in the Bretton Woods Marathon, and has had the flexibility to accommodate by optimizing what is available.  The most significant moment for me was when she held the Long Hall Loppet on the eve of the worldwide quarantine at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  While everyone was fearing the end of life as we know it, Ellen put together an event where participants would meet the CDC Guidance and still recreate in a safe and healthy manner. We had the rolling start, socially distanced registration, individually wrapped feeds, and a great experience with practical/achievable modifications. It was the second to last ski race held in North America that year.    The last was the BFA Alumni Citizens Race, held before the noon deadline for the quarantine the following day.


The Jackson Jaunt 2025 continued bringing together the region's cross-country skiers in an innovative way, and NWVE was there in force to take advantage of the opportunity.  As stated in the White Mountain Classic Report, the snow has been very lean in Jackson this year, but Ellen rallied staff, volunteers, and athletes to come and enjoy a weekend of excellent racing.  When others would have canceled, the Jackson community pulled together the resources needed, even if it meant making a new trail!


So, the Jackson Jaunt was a race of great significance in the heritage of New England skiing. Pre-registration was meager, but it was full of hearty competitors who have helped define the success of the New England skiing scene. The USCSA teams and the Jackson Juniors filled the ranks, making for 82 finishers!  Many of the participants had stayed locally to double up on the weekend events.


The conditions were perfect.  The snowfall from Saturday morning slightly transformed and was groomed into a bulletproof skate track for the Sunday morning race.  The course was modified by eliminating the Troll Trail and the steep climb to it.  Instead, skiers raced on the Wentworth Trail and the Eleventh Hole Trail.  This made an approximately two-kilometer circuit on which skiers completed two or four laps.  The Bridge and Tunnel served as a neutral zone between the two loops.  The wind was not noticeable, the temps were in the low twenties, and the sky was clear.  A perfect bluebird day!


Skiers arrived with little time to spare as they got underway for the skate day of the weekend.  There was less preparation involved, and it was nearly impossible not to have fast skis. After a few calls to the start, racing got underway.  It was a 15-second individual start, and skiers got on course quickly.  The collegiate skiers went first, Men followed by Women, then the seniors and masters, and finally the juniors.  It was remarkable when one of the skiers came through the lap in four minutes! 


John Thompson (NWVE) was the first senior to get on the course.  He was chasing some of his Paul Smiths skiers but was also being chased by his roommate Gus Whitcomb (Paul Smiths).  Andy Elliott (Unattached) was next and started making quick work of the skiers in front of him.  I followed Andy and immediately forgot about the fatigue I was feeling from the White Mountain Classic.  I was chased by Anders Vikstrom (Team HAMP) and a long-time friend, Brad Clarke (BOC), who was making a return to ski racing after a couple of years off.  Jeff Palleiko (GNS), Brett Rutledge (Down East), and Ian Blair (BOC) followed in the order.  Jud Hartmann (NWVE) was the last of the master men’s start list, and Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) led off the master women right behind him.  Michele Smith (CSU) was between Jessica and Cipperly Good (NWVE) in the start order, and Angeline Andrew (BOC) finished out the master women's start list.  Angeline was also returning to racing after a few years away.  She was happy with the course and conditions but, like many, was caught off guard by the USCSA skiers in attendance.


Once on course, it was an all-out drag race. Everyone's strategy was to go as fast as you could for as long as you could.  The neutral zones through the bridge and tunnel occasionally provided a brief chance to catch your breath, but otherwise, it was seeing how long you could ride your glide with a V2 alternate.  John Thompson (NWVE) was able to catch a few of his athletes.  Gus Whitcomb (Paul Smiths) worked his way up to and passed John on the last lap.  Anders Vikstrom (Team HAMP), Brad Clarke (BOC), and I nearly skied even the whole race.  There were less than two seconds between us in the results.  Jeff Palleiko (GNS) was able to catch Brad and race him a bit in the second half of the race.  Ian Blair (BOC) broke a pole with an unplanned plant, avoiding a fallen junior skier.  He had set poles out and picked one up quickly, but the race was so fast that every second counted.  Jud Hartmann was happy to chase down and pass West Point athletes.  “When everyone was on course with so many abilities, at times, it felt like a slalom,” exclaimed John Thompson at the finish.


For the women, Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) widened her lead over the rest of the masters from the start.  Angeline Andrew (BOC) was able to catch Cipperly Good (NWVE) and Michele Smith (CSU) and move up several spots in her return to skiing.  Cipperly cruised along, catching some of the collegiate skiers from Smith and Clarkson.  Jessica did encounter a slight mishap when a skier caught a tip skating onto the bridge and fell.  It happened to be the moment that I was coming from the other direction.  Fortunately, no collision occurred, and I was out of the way quick enough for Jessica to make the pass while the downed skier righted himself.  Angeline was psyched with her first race of the season.  Cipperly was quite pleased with the weekend as well.  She put in some extra training kilometers before heading back to Maine. 



The Jackson Jaunt brought together skiers from all over the region to compete with each other in a friendly way.  While the ski racing was fast and furious, all were appreciative of the opportunity they had and the progress of those just starting out in the sport to those with a few decades of experience to share.  Many skiers made an extra effort to provide supportive words to the juniors; as we all know, it will only be a year or two before we hope they reciprocate the courtesy as they fly by us.  The USCSA skiers added a great dynamic, and it was encouraging to see the positivity and respect between the teams in the competition.  Under the leadership of Ellen Chandler, the event was a huge success.  It is an event like this that is the vision of NENSA, which is the heritage of skiing in New England, and I am moved that NWVE continues to play a significant role after 20 years and 300 reports!


Damian

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