Season Kickoff: St. Lawrence Carnival Nordic Races

Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid, NY

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All photos courtesy of Phillip Belena

The first carnival of the season is always a flurry of jitters and nerves, but this year, the stakes felt especially high. St. Lawrence hosted the opening carnival in conjunction with U.S. Nationals, resulting in one of the largest ski racing events the country has seen in years. Over 600 athletes toed the line at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, NY, and the whole venue buzzed with excitement. What's more: with the 2026 Winter Olympics on the horizon, the races at U.S. Nationals had even higher stakes than usual. Throughout the week, athletes from across the country vied for spots on World Junior, World Cup, and Olympic teams. While the carnival races themselves took place on Sunday, January 4th, and Tuesday, January 6th, racing at Mt. Van Hoevenberg continued until Friday, January 9th.

Geo DeBrosse, Junior at St. Lawrence University, Racing the 10k Individual Start Classic

The first day of racing began on January 4th with a chilly 10k individual start classic race. The women started first, with a light snow falling as the athletes took off from the start. Racers completed two laps of the demanding 5k course at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, and consistency on the second lap proved key for the day of racing. Ava Thurston of Dartmouth rose to the challenge, leading the EISA women and placing 6th overall in the national field. Thurston shared that though U.S. Nationals can be a "more stressful race series, the crowd, friends, and music helped make the atmosphere more fun." Close behind was Emma Crum of Bowdoin, who finished second for the EISA women and 11th overall in the national field. Though excited with her result, Crum also viewed the race as a chance to brush off early-season cobwebs and build momentum for the races ahead. Rounding out the podium was Shea Brams of Middlebury, who placed third for EISA and cracked the national top 20 with an 18th place finish.

Shea Brams, Senior at Middlebury College, Women's 10k Classic 3rd Place

As the men prepared to race, the snow slightly subdued, but the sun never broke through the clouds. The men's 10k proved to be just as gritty as the women's, and a clear EISA standout emerged. John Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth claimed the EISA win and placed 5th overall in the national race. Hagenbuch, who has his sights set on World Cup and Olympic starts this season, was happy to be racing on the collegiate circuit, calling the EISA the "best circuit in the world." Following Hagenbuch were two skiers from the University of Vermont, Tabor Greenberg and Ruben Kretzschmar. Greenberg mentioned that after battling sickness over the past two years, he is grateful to be back racing with the EISA field.

After the first day of racing, Dartmouth ski team sat on top of the team standings.

John Steel Hagenbuch, Senior at Dartmouth College, Men's 10k Classic Winner

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Following the exciting classic races on Sunday, the athletes had one day to reset before gearing up for a freestyle sprint on January 6th. The day of sprinting began with qualification, a round that determined advancement into the afternoon heats. On a typical carnival sprint day, there is one round of heats for both men and women. At U.S. Nationals, however, the format expands, featuring open heats for the top 30 qualifiers as well as a set of heats for junior athletes. Two EISA men, Owen Young (UVM) and Fin Bailey (UVM), and five EISA women, Ava Thurston (Dartmouth), Haley Brewster (UVM), Sofia Scirica (Middlebury), Maeve Ingelfinger (Dartmouth), and Clara Hegan (UNH) qualified for the highly competitive open heats. Several other younger EISA skiers also advanced into junior heats.

Men's Freestyle Sprint Podium. From Left to Right: Fin Bailey, Owen Young, Tabor Greenberg

In the afternoon heats, the EISA skiers put on a show for the national stage. In each heat, six athletes raced head to head, and only the top two automatically advanced to the next round. Clara Hegan of UNH summed up the thrill of heats perfectly, saying that “it was fun to go fast and head to head with all the best women in the country.” Ava Thurston and Owen Young both made it to the finals of the open heats, finishing 3rd overall and fourth American, respectively. Fin Bailey finished runner up for EISA, while Tabor Greenberg secured third, leading to a podium sweep for the UVM men. On the women's side, Haley Brewster finished runner up, with Sofia Scirica close behind in third.

Women's Freestyle Sprint Podium. From Left to Right: Haley Brewster, Ava Thurston, Sofia Scirica

After an impressive day of sprint racing, the UVM Catamounts overtook Dartmouth for the lead in the St. Lawrence Carnival team standings. The alpine races at Whiteface Mountain on January 22nd & 23rd will ultimately decide the overall carnival winner. Looking ahead, the next nordic carnival races will be hosted by Colby at Quarry Road on January 23rd & 24th.

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⭐️ For more updates on EISA carnival racing, follow @eisaskiing on Instagram

⭐️ Full race results and livestream playbacks are available at bullitttiming.com

⭐️ Full photo sets can be downloaded at https://phillipbelena.com/eisa

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