FRISCO, Colo. – The Nanooks Nordic skiing team is back this weekend, taking part in the Denver Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 7 and Sunday, Feb. 8. The races, which were originally set to take place at the Maloit Park Trails in Minturn, Colo., will now be held at the Frisco Nordic Center in Frisco, Colo., due to snow conditions.
Saturday, Feb. 7
at Denver Invitational | W: 8 a.m. AKST | M: 8:45 a.m. AKST
Frisco, Colo. | Frisco Nordic Center
Sunday, Feb. 8
at Denver Invitational | M: 7 a.m. AKST | W: 8 a.m. AKST
Frisco, Colo. | Frisco Nordic Center
Race Details
The ‘Nooks will ski in the 10k classic mass start races on Saturday, Feb. 7, before concluding the invite with the 7.5k freestyle interval start on Sunday, Feb. 8.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks placed fifth at the Utah Invitational two weeks ago, collecting 215 points over the 7.5k freestyle and 15k classic races. The men collected 137 points during the invite to take third, while the women placed fifth with 78 points.
The Nanooks notched two top-10 finishes in the 7.5k freestyle on Saturday, Jan. 24, with Ben Dohlby and Philipp Moosmayer placing fourth and eighth. Dohlby completed his race in 18:03.3, while Moosmayer crossed the line in 18:22.4. Blake Hanley followed with the best result of his collegiate career, securing a 12th-place result with a time of 18:38.1. On the women’s side, Piper Sears led the way for the Nanooks with a 21st-place finish, completing the 7.5k in 23:10.9. Õnnela Rodendau followed right behind her in 22nd place after posting a time of 23:34.8, and Viktorie Kahounova took 23rd in her Nanooks debut, finishing in 23:38.8.
Alaska added one more top-10 finish in the 15k classic the following day, as Dohlby followed up his fourth-place result from the 7.5k freestyle by matching it in the 15k classic, finishing in 36:47.1 to put him less than four seconds outside of a podium finish. Meanwhile, Hanley recorded another top-15 result, finishing 13th after crossing the line in 37:37.7. The ‘Nooks had just two skiers competing in the women’s race, with Piper Sears leading the way with a 15th-place result after finishing in 46:03.3. Viktorie Kahounova was the other Nanooks finisher in the women’s 15k classic, placing 20th with a time of 50:18.6.
Milano Cortina Bound
Alaska’s Rosie Fordham has officially qualified for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, where she will represent Team Australia. Fordham will be joined by former ‘Nooks Kendall Kramer (USA), Mariel Pulles (EST), Mike Ophoff (CZE) and Joe Davies (GBR), who earned the call to represent their nations. The games begin on Saturday, Feb. 7, with the women’s skiathlon, and run through Sunday, Feb. 22. Fans can watch all the action on Peacock.
RMISA Nordic Standings
The Nanooks currently sit sixth in the RMISA Nordic standings after the first two invites, totaling 445 points. The men have notched 253 points, which is good for fourth in the RMISA Nordic standings, while the women’s 192 points put them sixth. Below are the full Nordic standings.
- Utah (757 points)
- Colorado (650 points)
- Alaska Anchorage (524 points)
- Montana State (487 points)
- Denver (465 points)
- Alaska (445 points)
What’s to Come
The ‘Nooks stay in Colorado for one more week, with Alaska heading over to Steamboat Springs for the Colorado Invitational on Feb. 13-14. The Nanooks will begin the invite with the 20K freestyle mass start on Friday, before skiing in the 7.5K classic individual start races on Saturday.
Follow the ‘Nooks
IG – @NanookSkiing
X – @NanooksSki
FB – Alaska Nanooks XC
