LAKE PLACID, N.Y.- The first of three Empire State Winter Games ski orienteering races got underway Friday evening, Feb. 6, on the Scott’s Cobble Nordic ski course in Lake Placid. Joshua Yeaton won the Men’s 21+ division, navigating the trail network in a time of 38 minutes, 22 seconds.
Ski Orienteering is a cross-country skiing event where athletes navigate with just a compass and a map, looking for checkpoints throughout the course. The further away the skier is from the starting gate, the more points are earned. The skier with the fastest time and the most points wins gold.
Friday night, a group of 50 skiers, competing in 17 different categories for men and women, were given two hours to complete one of four courses among different terrain.
James Connell finished second, more than six minutes off of Yeaton’s pace, crossing the finish line in a time of 44.33. The bronze medal was awarded to Taras Kashuk, who skied to a time of 45:47.
Sharon Crawford, who finished first in the Female 70+ division in a time of 58:39, enjoyed the race’s ski and weather conditions.
“It’s wonderful to be on skis and is so fun. You combine skiing with navigating,” Crawford said.
She also explained that what makes ski orienteering fun is the uncertainty from spot to spot, and that “the whole point is to go in order, the fastest possible way, and without a mistake to lead you down a wrong path.”
Nadezhda Popova grabbed the Female 70+ division silver medal when she crossed the finish line in 1:38:48, and Terry Myers Coney came away with the bronze. Her time was clocked in 2:00:46.
Ski orienteering continues Saturday at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, in Lake Placid and concludes Sunday, at Dewey Mountain, in Saranac Lake.
For complete ski orienteering results click HERE.
For more information about the Empire State Winter Games, go to https://empirestatewintergames.com/.
Fans and athletes can also follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X, using @ESWGames and #ESWGames.
Photos of the 46th Annual Empire State Winter Games can be found HERE.
For more information about the 46th Empire State Winter Games, go to https://empirestatewintergames.com/.