The weather and trail conditions at Larch Hills were perfect Dec. 30 for the first Okanagan Cup cross-country ski race of the season.
Racers of all ages and ski ability from the Thompson/Okanagan attended to compete for individual medals and points for their club. Club points are accumulated for each race in the Trek-sponsored Okanagan Cup series and an award is given to the club with the most points at the end of the final race. Points are earned for top five finishers and for participation.
The Larch Hills Nordic Club is currently leading the points race with 293, followed by Sovereign Lake Nordic Club at 174.
There were several race categories, including an option to register for either the Okanagan Cup race or the Fun Race.
The Hamish Jenks Memorial trophy for the top male in the 10- to 13-year-old category was awarded to Petter Gaarder Dahl of the Alno Skiclub of Sweden, and the top female was Alana Brittin of the Revelstoke Nordic Club. The Ian Jenks Memorial trophy for the top male in the 14- to 17-year-old category was awarded to John Connor of Larch Hills, and the top female was Hannah Mehain of Sovereign Lake Nordic Club.
The overall winner of the 10-km race for men was Kurt Behnsen of Telemark Nordic Club, and the overall winner of the women’s 10-km event was Abbi May of Larch Hills Nordic Club. Brian Abbi, Rachel and Trond May, who each won their individual divisions, were awarded the Keskinen Family trophy for earning the top family results for the race. John Henderson, representing Larch Hills, won the 70+ men’s division.
Many other members of the Larch Hills Nordic Club either won or placed near the top in the standings in their individual divisions.
For a complete list of race results, visit http://new.zone4.ca.
The next events are on Feb. 16 in Kamloops and on March 10 in Vernon. All clubs are encouraged to attend all three races.
Cross Country BC, the provincial sport governing body for cross-country skiing in British Columbia, is a not-for-profit, club-based organization of more than 16,000 members. For more information on Cross Country BC, visit www.crosscountrybc.ca.