The country’s best cross country skiers are racing in Fairbanks this week, including in national championship events. The four races at the Birch Hill Recreation area are the conclusion of the season long North American Super Tour Series. More than 140 athletes are signed up, including most of the U.S. Ski Team. Chief of Competition John Estle said the national team group includes World Championship medalists Kikkan Randall and Sadie Bjornsen of Anchorage as well as Minnesota’s Jessie Diggins and Caitlin Gregg.
”This will be, far and away, the best women’s field ever to compete in a cross country race, maybe any sporting event, in the history of Fairbanks,” Estle said.
Estle said the field also includes several skiers with Fairbanks roots, who have gone on to represent the US internationally. He said recent upgrades to the Birch Hill trail system, coupled with ample snow and expert trail grooming are making for ideal racing conditions.
“My goal whenever we’re organizing a big event like this is to make the people who come to the races think this is the best place in the world to live if you’re a cross country skier,” Estle said.
Estle said all the races are being run on courses that loop through the stadium at Birch Hill, offering nearly continuous spectator viewing.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
