Corner Brook -
A fresh blanket of snow created some sticky situations, but participants in the classic race at the 2010 Canadian Masters Cross-Country Ski Championships eagerly embraced a beautiful day at Blow-Me-Down Trails Monday.
Alf Parsons of Labrador City was the second racer to cross the finish line with a final clocking of 1:14:11.5, but he had the fastest time on the course because he started one minute later than the first Masters male to cross the finish line - Jeff Holmes of the Avalon Nordic Ski Club in St. John's with a final time of 1:14:59.9 on the 20-kilometre course.
Because of the fresh powder that fell and temperatures hovering around zero, Parsons found the course a tad bit challenging when it came to getting a good grip underneath his skis.
"It's the worst time when it's around zero or plus one or two," Parsons said following the race. "I kind of tend to go with more grip than glide, so I got up the hills great, but coming down the hills I was really slow on the downhill."
Jeff Holmes of St. John's competes in the 2010 Canadian Masters Cross-Country Ski Championships at Blow-Me-Down Trails Monday. He finished with a time of 1:14:59.9.
Parsons said his time on the course was about 10 minutes slower than what he would expect in prime conditions. He said conditions of the trail have a major impact on the final result at the end of the day.
"It's hardly anywhere where you can have a record in skiing because the conditions are just different every time you ski," he said.
Harry Vanderlugt of Toronto, competing in the 65 plus age bracket, found conditions somewhat difficult because of the fresh snow, but it still turned out to be a great day on the trails for him.
"Very hard to get a wax ... either it ices up if it's too soft or it slips like crazy if it's not hard enough so it's hard to get right in there," he said. "So it varied a bit here and there. When you were on the powdery snow it was sticking and in other places it was slipping."
The national championships being held in the city gave Vanderlugt an opportunity to check out the local trail system, which has been regarded as one of the best in Canada by those who skied them in the past from all over the country and beyond.
"Beautiful trails, really well laid out. A good race course, really well groomed, everything is well done," Vanderlugt said following the race.
Cynthia Mcloughlan, a member of the Menihek Nordic Ski Club in Labrador City, finished the race in 1:36:43.3 to be the first female skier to complete the 20-km trek through the woods.
"You're our hero," a female volunteer at the finish line shouted to McLoughlan when the Labrador City resident skied into the stadium.
Putting out the welcome mat for major events is nothing new for movers and shakers with the local nordic ski club. As light snow fell on the participants, enthusiastic volunteers could be seen all over the course lending a helping hand, making safety a priority and, most of all, there was a handful of people handing out cold beverages and cookies at the finish line. For those who wanted the royal treatment, students with the Massage Therapy class at Academy Canada put their hands to good use as athletes made their way across the finish line.
Today, the trails are open at the local nordic ski facility, but there are no races on the docket, which is probably a good thing because Monday night was all about socializing as the host committee hosted a kitchen party for all participants and supporters with some of Newfoundland's finest traditional cuisine on the menu.
The warm welcome and masterful ski performances continue all week at Blow-Me-Down Trails with the next big race slated for Wednesday when a 10-kilometre free technique race is on the slate.
For a complete list of results from Monday's race see the Scoreboard in today's edition of The Western Star.
