As much as local ski hills have taken a beating the past month after weeks of unseasonably warm weather, rain and wind, the cross-country trails at Otway Nordic Centre are in remarkably good shape.
That's good news for organizers from the host Caledonia Nordic Ski Club for this weekend's Teck B.C. Cup No. 2 cross-country races.
While the lack of snow did scrap plans for a classic technique sprint race Saturday (it's now a freestyle race), there's enough covering the trails to make for fast conditions on the Otway slopes, and that has a group of 86 Caledonia club skiers excited.
"Caledonia registered 86 skiers from the age of six to masters - that's definitely more than last year by quite a few," said Caledonia Racers coach Graeme Moore.
"One of the most impressive things is the number of atoms, peewees and bantams. It's a good opportunity to race the other clubs in the north. For some of the younger ones, this might be their first race."
Several of those Caledonia skiers could be the hunt for podium finishes this weekend.
Kaia Andal, 17, is a medal favourite in the junior girls category after she won a bronze medal two weekends ago at a Haywood NorAm Westerns sprint event in Callaghan Valley near Whistler. Andal was also fifth in 7.5 km classic event.
"Kaia is very strong and skating is a strong point for her," said Moore.
"We have a few other 17-year-olds but she's our strongest female athlete. She had some strong results at a couple early NorAms (Andal was fifth in a classic race Jan. 21 at Whistler)."
Moore anticipates Beth Granstrom and Alana Brittin of Revelstoke and Rachel May of Salmon Arm will push Andal for the junior girls titles this weekend.
In the juvenile boys event, 15-year-old Caledonia skiers Cole Turner, and Jordan Bax have had a running battle going all season. Last weekend a the Omineca Open in Burns Lake, Turner won the classic race and Bax placed fourth.
Turner and Bax were first and eighth respectively Jan. 8 at a B.C. Cup classic race in Salmon Arm.
In the sprint race, Bax took advantage of Turner's fall to grab second place behind Aiden Noble of Vancouver. Turner, who moved to Prince George from Williams Lake last summer, took top spot in the Nor-Am classic race at Whistler, while Bax finished 19th.
Damian Georgyev, 13, and Josh Fiala, 12, are medal contendersamong midget boys. Georgyev placed third at the Nor-Am classic race at Whistler, while Fiala was 15th. Martin Williamson of Prince George is also entered in the midget event.
They won't be shooting their rifles but Caledonia biathetes Liam Connon, Nicholas Veeken and Arthur Roots have had podium success in the sport and know their way around the Otway course.
Wendy and Tony Fiala, a former Olympian, are training for the world masters championships and both are coming off solid performances last weekend at the Omineca Open, part of the Teck Northern Cup series.
Tony won the men's 22.5 km classic event and Wendy was second in the women's race.
Linda Foreman, John Hagen, Scott Forrest and Cory Williamson have also entered the open categories.
The sprint races begin Saturday with qualifying heats at 9 a.m. Elimination heats will follow at about 11 a.m. Much of the sprint courses, which range from 250-800 metres, will be visible from the stadium area, which makes it exciting for spectators.
A mass start free technique event is scheduled for Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m.
Saturday's forecast calls for a high of -12 C and a low of -16 with a 40 per cent chance of snow. A mix of sun and cloud is predicted for Sunday with a high of -11 C and a low dipping to -25 C.
"The conditions on the sprint course and in the stadium are going to be a little firm but there's still some nice skiing on top," said Moore.
"They left the Race Maze ungroomed until they just did it two days ago and the skiing is fantastic."
Caledonia club biathletes Emily Dickson and Bobby Kreitz are in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic today for the start of the IBU Junior Open World Championships. Dickson, 19, is entered in the women's 12.5 km individual race, while Kreitz, 18, is in the men's 15 km individual event.
Dickson's top IBU Junior Cup result this season came in December, when the native of Burns Lake was 11th in a sprint trace in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Kreitz, who was born and raised in Prince George, was 53rd last weekend in a sprint race in Poklujuka, Slovenia.
Otway will be the site of the Canadian/North American biathlon championships, March 6-12. Volunteers are needed for that event. For more information go to www.pgnationals2017.org.
Former Prince George resident Matt Neumann, 27, is in Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia for the IBU Cup Open European Championships, which start with sprint races on Friday. Sarah Beaudry, 21, dropped out of the women's event so she could return to her home in Prince George while her father Pierre undergoes surgery this Friday. Due to his illness, Pierre has been forced to step away from his duties as competition chief for the 2017 Canadian/North American biathlon championships.
