This past week 5 Mammoth cross country skiers traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the 2022 Junior National Cross Country Skiing Championship. The skiers qualified for the trip by racing and performing at 5 regional races this winter, and along with skiers from the Lake Tahoe area, represented the Far West Division (clubs and schools from California and Nevada). Junior Nationals is the high point of the season for the athletes, who trained all summer, fall, and winter to compete against 9 other divisions from across the country.

It was the first Junior Nationals to be held in two years, with all five Mammoth skiers making their debuts. Cabot Godoy, Dane Karch, Davin Wolter, and Jack Leonard all raced in the Male Under 16 category, and Ella Walker competed in the Under 16 Female division.

Four hundred and thirty racers in three age groups, participated in 4 races across 6 days on world class trails at the Theodore Wirth Park. Competitors faced cold weather and demanding courses all week, with the race temperatures often in the single digits. Mammoth athletes embraced the challenges with extra layers, face tape and glitter and enjoyed the annual chance to race shoulder to shoulder with the best skiers from across the country.

After the ups and downs of the week, Mammoth and Far West placed second in the small division team category and seventh in the overall standings. The Mammoth nordic athletes represented well in the tough competition, scoring points for Far West, and gaining invaluable experience that will provide motivation for the next cycle of training beginning in June.

Mammoth athletes results summary: 

Skate Distance:

U16 Male 5km:                      U16 Female 5km:

Dane Karch- 16th                   Ella Walker- 55th

Cabot Godoy- 22nd

Davin Wolter- 73rd

Jack Leonard- 75th

Classic Sprint:

U16 Male 1.3km:                 U16 Female 5km:

Cabot Godoy- 22nd              Ella Walker- 66th

Dane Karch- 48th

Davin Wolter- 56th

Jack Leonard- 76th

Classic Mass Start:

U16 Male 5km:                   U16 Female 5km:

Dane Karch- 17th                Ella Walker- 69th

Cabot Godoy- 44th

Davin Wolter- 73rd

Jack Leonard-74th

Skate Mixed Relay:

U16 4x 3km:

Far West 1 (Dane Karch, Cabot Godoy)- 21st

Mixed 1 (Jack Leonard)- 34th 

Far West 2 (Davin Wolter, Ella Walker)- 35th

Full results can be found at superiortiming.com.

The Mammoth High School and Middle School Nordic Teams competed in the California/Nevada Interscholastic Ski and Snowboard Federation (CNISSF) State Championships at Auburn Ski Club in Soda Springs, California this past Saturday and had some impressive results. The State Championships are the culmination of a season of competition between schools in the league and are a highlight of the racing season.

Competing against eight other school teams from both California and Nevada, the Mammoth High School Men’s Team landed atop the podium and won the school’s first-ever CNISSF State Championship!  The race format was a “Skiathlon” individual start, where competitors skied against the clock combining two nordic disciplines, skiing the first 3.3k circuit on classic skis, then transitioning to freestyle (skate skis) for the second lap of the course. Competitors raced on a course that challenged their skills in climbing steep and gradual hills, descending fast downhills, and grinding flat sections. It took a team effort of individuals skiing their best race to win the Title.

The High School Women’s Team skied to impressive results as well with a second-place overall finish for the Championships.  Senior Mia Karch saved the best for last as she posted her personal best performance of the season in her final race with the team.  Mia was both exhausted and emotional as she was presented with a flower bouquet by the coaches and cheered at the finish line by her fellow teammates, waving posters and face cut-outs of her to help celebrate her final moment with the Mammoth team. Ella Walker raced to a top 5 result in the championship after a solid season representing Mammoth High School.

Here are the individual results from the CNISSF State Championships:

Mammoth High School Boys

Dane Karch - 2nd place

Cabot Godoy - 4th place

Wade Perry - 8th place

Davin Wolter - 9th place

Jack Leonard - 15th place

Mammoth High School Girls

Mia Karch - 4th place

Ella Walker - 5th place

The Mammoth Middle School Team competed in the skate technique on the 3.3km course. The excitement of State Championships was apparent by the glitter on their cheeks and nervous energy.  High octane cheering from the Mammoth High  School skiers led to a fantastic day of racing. Weeks of training paid off for both the boys and girls teams as they each placed 3rd in the overall team ranking for state championships! Luken Senior and Olivia Karch led the Mountain Lions, who finished 5th and 4th respectively.

Mammoth Middle School Boys

Luken Senior - 5th

Nat Parker - 17th

Will Parker- 32nd

Noah Pourol - 43rd

Mammoth Middle School Girls

Olivia Karch - 4th

Pearl Johnson -19th

Makenna Smith - 23rd

Kylie Wolter - 28th

The Nordic Team Coaches (Ben Higgins, Jeff Byberg, Kathi Kirkeby, Nancy Fiddler, and Isaac Kreisman) are very proud of these student athletes. We’d like to give a special shout-out of appreciation to the supportive parents, volunteers, Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Association Board members, Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, and a host of others who have contributed to the success of the Mammoth Nordic program! Thank you Team!

Written by the Mammoth Nordic Team coaches