NEDERLAND — The tall pines cast shadows over perfectly packed snow. Skiers gracefully whoosh and glide through long, difficult, and steep trails, racing against one another to get to the finish line. Racers push themselves to the absolute limit, using everything they have in them to succeed. 

The Nederland Nordic team closed out an unusually difficult yet exceptional season over a late February weekend, competing in the 2026 CHSAA high school Nordic State Championship at Snow Mountain Ranch, Granby. Despite having just three racers—and a lack of snow during the season—the team finished in the top 10 for Colorado.

“They are really gritty, and they'll ski fast no matter what the conditions are," said Head Coach Ethan John. "They grew up in Nederland; what do you expect?”

'Trust the process'

Racing in the championship were three talented athletes: senior Ben Weber, junior Amika Begin, and freshman Kajsa Wik. The championship spanned two days, with skate races taking place on February 19 and classic/relay races on February 20. 

To someone unfamiliar with the sport of Nordic, the difference between skate and classic may seem confusing.

Classic racing is typically what someone may picture when thinking of Nordic skiing. It entails keeping a racer's skis within a small carved track in the snow, while racers take a running-like stance. However, unlike running, racers glide each time they place their foot down. Classic Nordic skiing is an age-old technique that has been used in Nordic countries for around 5,000 years, while skate skiing is, in retrospect, very new.

The skate style gained popularity in the 1980s, and is highly comparable to ice skating. It requires athletes to be immensely agile and incorporate lots of technique into their strides. While skate skiing, you can expect to reach very high speeds and long glides, making it easier to sprint and to catch other racers. 

Skate skiing in a classic race will result in disqualification. 

Nordic skiing is one of the hardest sports out there, working nearly every muscle in the body. Nordic racers are known to hold the record for the highest VO2 max, (maximum amount of oxygen utilized) scores surveyed across all of the most cardio heavy sports. 

The hardest part about Nordic, said Begin, was that “it's difficult not to give up, you have to stay with it and trust the process.” 

“It’s exciting, it's kind of scary before you start, and then you go and everything's okay and then you finish and you're like, 'Wow, I'm really glad I did that!'"

Freshman takes 1st in classic, 2nd in skate

It was sunny and bright on the day of the state meet at Snow Mountain Ranch—so bright, in fact, that it hurt to look at the sparkly snow as it began to melt down the steep hills. The course was filled with family and friends of racers from all across Colorado packed onto the small paths next to the course, waiting to cheer. 

Racers line up shoulder to shoulder, all together in one big pack, wishing good luck and hoping to themselves that everything will go well. They begin to prepare themselves for the next three miles to come and then…BANG! The starting gun goes off, and a whirl of skis creates a sea of kicked-up snow and skis. 

The state course starts up a large, gradual hill. Spectators watch as racers begin to disperse and find their pace, conquering this hill with strength.

Snow Mountain Ranch events are notoriously difficult, even forcing athletes to tackle a particularly nefarious portion of the course known to racers as “Concussion Hill.” 

Weber of Nederland and Wik of Boulder High, both had a phenomenal skate skiing race, with Weber finishing in 37th and Wik finishing second. This impressive result earned the Nederland team a place in the top ten best overall skate teams in the state of Colorado based on points—even more impressive considering Nederland only has three racers.

Senior Ben Weber (left) and Coach Ethan John (right) .

Photos Courtesy of Stephanie Weber

On the second and final day of the championship, Weber, Begin, and Wik all took part in the classic race—the first of many for Wik, and the last high school state race for Weber.

When asked if he could go back in time and tell himself one important thing about Nordic, Weber responded, “I think the biggest jumps I've made as a skier came from training over the summer, so I would tell myself to put more work in on the off season and make sure I come into the season with as much as I can.”

The classic races went outstandingly well for the whole team, with Wik taking first place by quite a distance, rocketing through the finish line with an astonishing time of 20 minutes and 27 seconds. 

Weber improved greatly between last year's classic race and this year’s, moving up a grand total of 10 places.

Begin had a great race, showing her impressive strengths in Nordic all while also focusing on her running training.

The final event (the relay) kicked off a mere few hours after the classic races had finished. Athletes raced in the sprint relay, which brought several small schools together to race on a mixed-school team. This race was a success for the whole team.

When all of the points from the season were added up, Wik was awarded third place overall, making her the third best female high school skier in Colorado.

No snow? No problem

What made this Nordic season difficult was the depressingly dismal lack of the cold, white, and fluffy precipitation on which Colorado winters rely and expect each year. Due to the lack of snow, the Eldora Nordic Center was not able to even open its doors for most of the season.

The team got the chance to practice on the trails just once, when the center eventually opened its doors in February. “It was really difficult, so we had to get creative," said Coach John.

But what exactly does creative entail? From moving snow around with shovels to make a small track, to typical trail runs and eventually skiing underneath Eldora's Alpenglow lift, training was impressively colorful.

“At one point, I even considered having practice at Barker reservoir, to try skiing on the sand,” said John.  “I’m really proud of them for all the skiing they did, and their good attitude even with the lack of snow, I think we made the best of it and we had a lot of fun."

The lack of snow was a small roadblock, Weber said. “It was difficult without snow, but I'm the best skier I've ever been."

As the senior member on the team, Weber closed the season and his Nordic ski career at Nederland Middle-Senior High School by saying, “My teammates are the best part about being on this team. So I just tell them how thankful I am that I get to ski with them and see them at practice everyday.”