Mt. Blue’s Maya Kellett, left, and Edward Little’s Nora Condit participate in the 2024 state championship Nordic freestyle race at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington. Three fun Nordic races for skiers of all ages are planned this month at Titcomb Mountain. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file

FARMINGTON — Three fun, exciting Nordic ski races open to all ages are being held this month at Titcomb Mountain, 180 Ski Slope Road.

“These three events are fun, happening about the same time,” said Deb Aseltine of Wilton, who serves on the Titcomb Ski Club Educational Foundation and the Nordic Ski Committee for the board of directors. Aseltine said she thinks the races will give Nordic skiing a bit of a boost.

The new Titcomb Giant Ski Race kicks things off Sunday with registration at noon, practice sessions at 12:30 p.m. and heats starting at 1 p.m. Trail names and/or dress-up themes are encouraged. The 3rd annual Titcomb Mountain Inferno — a timed race — starts at 3:30 p.m.

Nordic Ski Committee member Tony Ramsey of New Sharon, head coach for Farmington Area Ski Team for students in grades four to eight, said the first race features teams of four skiers using one set of skis.

“It’s a pretty fun event,” he said. “I have watched it. They do this out in the Midwest at the Birkebeiner, which is the biggest event in the United States.”

The Birkebeiner Giant Ski race is a six-person event but Ramsey thought it might be hard to get a lot of six-person teams out locally.

“They call it the Birke for short, and that’s a huge race,” he said. He shared the link to a video about that race to provide a glimpse of what is involved. “It’s about a group of middle-aged men, the Nimrods. They are really good (and) have been champions three years.”

The skis for this race are being made by students in the composites program at Foster Community and Technical Education Center at Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington, Ramsey said. He donated the wood for them but no exact measurements of the skis have been taken. He believes they are about 16 feet long.

The race will take place in the (Nordic) Bitterauf Stadium, he said.

“We will probably fence out the lanes,” he said. “Teams can try it out once they have registered. See how the skis work out see if they can actually stand up and go 200 meters. It sounds easy until you actually try to coordinate four people. It’s pretty amazing.”

“The race is short but takes longer,” Ramsey added. “Two teams go head to head. Whoever can stand up is usually the winner.”

For the second race Sunday, Lift 2 will take anyone who wishes to participate up, he said.

“There’s a relatively flat table on the bunny slope just below the lift exit,” Ramsey said. “We close down that part of the trail at three o’clock, and people start lining up. That turned out to be a really fun event. What happens is, everybody starts in their ski boots, and they have to go over and put on their skis and poles, then climb over to the summit. And once you get to the summit, it’s about a mile and a half or more, just almost all downhill.”

It’s a pretty fast race, Ramsey said. “I think the record for it is like five minutes and one second, pretty screaming.”

Both events are free to watch. Those racing who are not club members will need to purchase a $10 trail pass which is good for the day plus $5 per person per race.

Ramsey said prize details are still being determined for those races. The fastest teams by age will probably be recognized for the first race, he said.

“We will definitely have the winning team sign the skis — there will be room to put signatures on them over the years,” he said.

On Friday, Feb. 28, the Titcomb Starlight Sprint qualifier kicks off at 4 p.m. with heats to follow.

Titcomb Mountain, with support from New England Nordic Ski Association is hosting the Friday race, Aseltine said.

The logo for the Titcomb Starlight Sprint under the lights Feb. 28 at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington is the design of Maya Kellett, a member of the Mt. Blue High School Nordic Ski Team in Farmington. Submitted photo

Maya Kellett, a member of the Mt. Blue High School Nordic Ski Team, created the logo for the Titcomb Starlight Sprint, Aseltine said.

“Come to Titcomb Mountain for a fun, late afternoon/night sprint race under the lights,” Aseltine said in an email. “This event is intended to be a fun challenge for all ages. The 1.2 km course will begin in Bitterauf Stadium where participants will shoot into the woods all under the lights and end back at the finish building. The Kings Court race format will give each participant an opportunity to race four times (four laps).”

As part of the fun, participants’ names will be entered for a bib draw for some great items, Aseltine said. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available at the end of the race along with prizes, she shared.

“This is a great warm-up event for the athletes heading to the Rangeley Loppet and for high school athletes tuning up for the U16’s and Eastern High Schools,” Aseltine said. “Also, a great race for college athletes finishing their season. We encourage anyone who likes to race to come and participate. Titcomb has a warm and friendly lodge and atmosphere.”

Registration fee is $25. To register online visit Titcomb Starlight Sprint Online Registration.