Local skiers cleaned up at this year’s Candy Cane Cup, which took place at Nakkertok Nordic cross-country ski club in Cantley over Dec. 15 to 17.

Esther Lavigne of Cantley was the top Hills skier of the weekend, as the Nakkertok skier won the U14 girls one-kilometre sprint final with a time of 2.47 minutes on Dec. 16. Lavigne spent sunday with a gold medal dangling from her neck. Her teammate, Ella Trudel from Chelsea, finished the race in sixth place.

In the U16 girls category, Mikayla Kennedy of Chelsea Nordiq just missed the podium, snagging a fourth-place finish.

Chelsea Nordiq skier Oscar Brun Del Re was the lone local racer to hit the podium, after he took third place in the U16 boys race.

Chelsea Nordiq racer Skylar Samm managed to beat the competition on day one during the U20 men’s sprint heats – completing the 1.3-km track, which includes two steep uphill climbs, in an impressive 2.51 minutes during qualifiers. Samm also placed 46th in the 4.6-km free technique race.

Nakkertok’s own racers also made a name for themselves.

Luke Allan, originally from Ottawa, and Anna Stewart, a native of Thunder Bay, made Nakkertok proud with a firstplace finish each during the men’s and women’s open sprint on Dec. 15.

Allan has been skiing with Nakkertok since childhood: The third-year university student at Dartmouth College told the Low Down he’s been skiing the tracks in Cantley for at least 15 years.

“The course was incredible,” said Allan, adding that the two big climbs were an extra challenge that meant he had to ski tactically.

“I’m really happy with the result…I had a good day,” he concluded.

Stewart and second-place finisher in the women’s sprint, Nakkertok’s Clara Hegan, also had glowing things to say about the ski club’s race course.

“The artificial snow loop, Nakkertrak, was phenomenal, and the sprint course is awesome,” said Stewart.

She proudly showed the Low Down her “gold medal,” which is actually a snowman-shaped Christmas ornament engraved with the date of the race.

“The steep downhills and tight corners on the course make it really technical,” said Hegan, “but it’s the home course – I know it well; I love it.”

She added the mild weather made for ideal ski racing conditions: the temperature on Dec. 15 was a relatively balmy six degrees.

“When it’s too cold, all my muscles seize up,” Hegan said, “but today felt great.”

The warmer conditions didn’t worry race organizers.

Nakkertok has been able to make their own snow for the past few years, meaning they can reliably host tournaments even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

The Candy Cane Cup has been an annual tradition at Nakkertok for the past eight years, according to media coordinator Anton Scheier, who is a bonafide ski legend in his own right: Last year Scheier was the second Nakkertok skier inducted into Canada’s Ski Hall of Fame.

This year, the event was held in conjunction with the Eastern Canada Cup and was organized by Évènements Nordiques Gatineau Nordic Events (ENGNE).

The race was the first of the season in a series of national races from Nordiq Canada. More than 600 athletes from six provinces and territories participated in races over the course of the weekend.

“When it’s too cold, all my muscles seize up, but today felt great.”

– Clara Hegan