RXCSF Winterfest – Event Details

RXCSF Winterfest is back! We’re excited to welcome Nordic youth skiers from across New York (and beyond) for a weekend of skiing, games, and community.

Registration (Please Read)

All youth skiers must register for General Winterfest admission to participate. To participate in Races 1–4, skiers must also select those races separately during registration. There is no additional cost for races beyond General Winterfest admission. Adult chaperones and spectators do not need to register.

General Winterfest Admission Includes: Access to indoor space and bathrooms, Saturday chili cookoff lunch, hot chocolate, races, games and non-race activities.

Trail Passes: Trail passes at Bristol Nordic are not included and must be purchased onsite ($16/day retail). Children under 7 free with adult day pass. Bristol Nordic season pass holders do not need a separate pass.

Key Times

• Saturday: Arrive between 10:30–11:00 am. Racers may wish to arrive earlier, as the first race begins at 11:30 am. Activities wrap up around 4:00 pm.
• Sunday: Arrive around 10:00 am. Activities end around 2:00 pm.

Racing Overview

Racing is available, fun, and encouraged—but it is not the main point of Winterfest. If your skier doesn’t race, we’ll have a full schedule of non-race activities, and we hope you’ll still join us.

Although you’ll register in advance for four races, we will actually run six events over the weekend.

Race Details

• Race 1: Saturday, 11:30am. Classic distance. Distances will depend a bit on ages and range from less than 1km up to roughly 3km for older ages. Individual start.
• Race 2: Saturday, 1:00pm. Classic sprint. Heat format (as close to the World Cup template as we can get it).
• Race 3: Saturday, 2:30pm. Laser biathlon. Freestyle technique! We're getting the laser biathlon setup from NYSEF and will need some volunteers to run this successfully.
• Race 4: Sunday, 10:30am. Freestyle distance. Distances will be slightly longer than the classic distance races from the previous day. We may attempt a 5km for older ages. Mass start by age group waves. This is the last of the "serious races".
• Race 5: Sunday, 11:30am. Freestyle team relay! One lap each (the lap is quite short, around 1km). Each team fields four skiers (must all be youths, no adults in this one!). No preregistration required but think in advance about who you want on your team. Your club can have multiple teams. Timing will be unofficial.
• Race 6: Sunday, 1:00pm. Parent/child relay. Distances will depend on age of the child, not the parent. One adult and one child only. You do not need to be related to participate. No preregistration required. Timing will be unofficial.

Food & the Chili Cookoff

Last year, the registration fee included lunch. This year, we are instead introducing the most important competition of the weekend: the Saturday chili cookoff.

Bring your crockpots—we will have places to plug them in. There will be individual winners and club winners (highest average score by club). The prize is bragging rights. Judges will be announced closer to the event.

If you don’t like chili or prefer something else, please bring a picnic lunch on Saturday. Food options on Sunday will likely be limited, as chili supplies may run low. Bristol Mountain does not have food service at the Nordic Center.

Funds that previously went toward lunch are being redirected to semi-professional race timing and additional activities.

What to bring

• Warm, layered clothing for skiing and standing outside.
• Water (there is no potable water in the Nordic Lodge)
• Snacks (we'll provide lunch on Saturday, but there isn't food available for purchase)
• A family-friendly game (e.g., cards, small board games) for downtime in the lodge.