Nordic skiers race at Mt. Bachelor

The Outlaws Nordic ski team faced its toughest challenge of the season at Saturday's Mt. Bachelor Pursuit and came through with some top finishes.

Snow conditions were "absolutely perfect" for classic waxing, according to head coach Tom Blust.

Pursuit racing includes two stages. In Saturday's race, stage one featured a 3.5-kilometer classic leg, followed by a 4.8- kilometer skating leg. The classic leg began as a mass start and results from the race determined the starting order for the pursuit leg.

Amity Calvin finished fourth in the classic race, while teammate Courtney Blust ended up ninth. Calvin came back strong in the skate portion and hung on to fifth place overall, after getting passed by just one skier. Blust moved up three notches to finish sixth overall, just nine seconds behind Calvin.

The winner of the race, Sarah McKenzie of Redmond, finished with a combined time of 32:10. Calvin's time was 34:37 and Blust's 34:46.

"Both girls skied exceptionally well overall," said Coach Blust. "The longer pursuit portion really worked all of the skiers."

Other finishers for Sisters included Janelle Hjelmstad (41:43), Emi Conrads (48:59), and Riley Barrett (50:11).

Parker Bennett chased the top Summit boys again, finishing ninth overall, while teammate Alex Yinger ended up a respectable 19th place overall among 58 finishers.

Summit's Pat Madden won the race in 24:13 to lead a Summit sweep of the top six spots. Bennett (28:45) and one Redmond skier were the only non-Summit finishers in the top 10.

Yinger finished in 30:32, followed by Outlaw teammates Jake Lasken (32:35), Mason Calmettes (33:08), and Andy Thomas (36:45).

"Pursuit races are always exciting to watch," said Blust. "This year's course really challenged the racers' stamina and determination."

The skiers return to competitive action Saturday, January 30, at the Tea Cup Nordic area, on Mt. Hood, for the Skadi Cup, hosted by Crescent Valley High School.