January 10, 2013 (New Gloucester, ME) – The New England Nordic Ski Association’s premier competitive series, the TD Bank Eastern Cup Series, heads to the Mountain Top Inn & Resort for a weekend of cross-country ski racing in Chittenden, VT. The event will kick off Saturday morning with a spectator friendly freestyle spring qualifier with final sprint heats to follow in the afternoon. Sunday will feature distance classic races of 5.2K for women and J2 competitors, 10.5K for men and a 4.5K NEARS series adaptive race.
The Sprint Course will take place on our snowmaking loop and in the field and measures out to 1.3km. It provides for excellent spectator viewing and will challenge racers with sweeping corners and an uphill finish. The Classic Course will comprise of 2 laps of 2.6km each for the Women, and 3 laps of 3.5km for the Men. It will feature some tough climbs and challenging downhill’s and will start, lap and finish in the field allowing for great spectator viewing.
There will be several athletes competing this weekend fresh from U.S. National Championships in Soldier Hollow, UT. Look for the junior teams of Cambridge Sports Union, Green Mountain Valley School, Stratton Mountain School, Maine Winter Sports Center, Burke Mountain Academy, and Ford Sayre to name just a few. In the open division, the Craftsbury Green Team, Vermont XC, and several Collegiate teams will headline the competition.
“This year the weather is cooperating and we are very excited to be back at Mountain Top for the second weekend of TD Bank Eastern Cup and JNQ races. With full use of the trail system, racers can expect challenging and beautiful courses,” said NENSA competitive programs director Janice Sibilia. “Mountain Top was the home of the 2012 TD Bank Eastern High School Championships, hosting four races in two and a half days for 250 athletes. Despite the lack of winter that Mother Nature threw at us in 2012, the crew at Mountain Top turned that event into a highlight of the season and we’re looking forward to another great weekend of racing.”