Caelan McLean is a long way from his home in Whitehorse, Yukon, but returned to familiar surroundings Thursday afternoon at Otway Nordic Centre.
Almost exactly a year ago he was in Prince George racing the same cross-country ski trails at the Canada Winter Games.
He's back for this weekend's Haywood NorAm/Buff Sprints Western Canadian championships and is on top of game as he takes on some of the country's top junior men's racers (born in either 1996 or 1997).
"It's nice to be back, it's nice and warm - a bit too warm," said McLean. "The snow conditions are pretty good considering the recent weather you've had here. It's good to see there's been some shoveling (on the corners) to keep it in good shape. The classic five kilometre course has a lot of climbs, which is good, and same with the five kilometre skate course. Both are nice courses. It will probably be pretty quick (for today's race) and firm if it freezes, hopefully it won't be too icy. Most of the areas don't get direct sun and they've been putting a lot of effort into it."
Now 18, McLean was one of the younger skiers racing at the 2015 Canada Games, an under-23 event. Still, he managed a 16th-place result in the 10 km classic race and helped the Yukon team finish fourth in the men's relay.
The Haywood races start today with an interval-start free technique event. Saturday will be devoted to sprints and Sunday's race is a mass start classic event.
A couple weeks ago at the Eastern Canadian championships in Ottawa, McLean finished just off the medal podium with a fourth-place result in the 20 km classic race. He's hoping his experience racing the Otway trails will lead to more top-five finishes this weekend.
"I like classic mass starts, I prefer classic and in a mass start everyone is there," said McLean, who was second in a NorAm classic sprint in December in Canmore.
"This season has been fairly good, some better races and some not as good ones, but overall it's been OK. I was glad to do that well (in Ottawa)."
The host Caledonia Nordic Ski Club has 24 athletes entered in today's race and will have 70 skiers in action Saturday and Sunday when the Teck Northern Cup races begin.
Kaia Andal and Sage Bialuski are both having solid seasons on the BC Cup circuit in the junior girls (13-and 14-year-olds) category. Andal won the individual start event two weeks ago in Kamloops and was third in the mass start race, while Bialuski was fourth and 10th in Kamloops. Bialuski was bothered by injuries last year but is battling a flu bug this weekend which might keep her from racing at home.
"Kaia is definitely knocking on the door for medals lots of times," said Caledonia head coach Graeme Moore.
The top older male Caledonia cross-country racers are also biathletes. Bobby Kreitz, who won two silver medals last weekend at BC Cup biathlon race at Whistler, Logan Sherba and Colton MacDougall could all push for medals in the youth men's (17-and 18-year-old) category this weekend.
UNBC student Jarod Algra is also in the medal hunt. He won both biathlon races at Whistler competing for West Coast Nordics in Vancouver.
The Haywood races are open to all racers from midget to open categories. The younger club racers get their chances to race Saturday and Sunday in the Teck Northern Cup.
Another local racer to watch is 14-year-old Jordan Bax. This is his first full season of racing and he's making a name for himself in the juvenile boys class.
"He had one strong result in Kamloops and he's coming along," said Moore.
Damian Georgyev could also emerge near the head of the class in the midget boys class.
There will be one familiar face in the senior men's races. Matt Neumann is returning to his hometown to race this weekend.
Neumann is still intent on making Canada's senior men's biathlon team and trains with the Rocky Mountain Racers in Canmore.
"Matt is a local hero and it's nice to see those role models come out to race," said Moore.
Canmore Nordics head coach Matt Decarufel was relieved to see the trails well-covered at Otway, a far cry from the conditions his skiers encountered last weekend at the Alberta Games in Medicine Hat, where there was barely enough snow to race.
Senior skiers Russell Kennedy and Annika Hicks are both in the top-10 in the NorAm standings and the Canmore team includes junior men Peter Hicks and Ty Godfrey, who both competed for Alberta at the 2015 Canada Games.
"With the small amount of snow they've done a really nice job of preserving and maintaining a really nice course," said Decarufel.
"The trails are a lot of fun, really active, and all the athletes really enjoy skiing here. Our guys do a lot of training and they ski a lot of technical downhills and they're ready for them."
Today's races start at 10 a.m.
