The Durango Nordic Ski Club raced in Frisco’s Rocky Mountain Nordic series event over the weekend where the team’s U16 and U18 skiers worked toward qualifying for the national championships.

With an 11th-place finish in the U16 boys’ Classic Sprint and then an eighth-place result in the 5K skate race, Wade Mitchell is in a good spot to qualify for nationals with one more RMN Junior National Qualifier remaining. The top-13 boys and girls in each division from the RMN, based on their top-four races, will advance to the national championships.

“Wade Mitchell put himself in a good spot to reach nationals,” said Durango Nordic Ski Club coach Evan Elliott.

In the Classic Sprint, which was 1.3K, Mitchell finished ninth in the qualifier, second in his quarterfinal and then sixth in the semis with the 11th-best time.

“That was a good race for him,” Elliott said.

On Sunday in the 5K skate, where he did three laps around the same course as the classic race, Mitchell placed eighth in 15 minutes, 44.8 seconds.

“Those races really improved his chances (of qualifying),” Elliott said.

The team will compete in one more JNQ this season, Feb. 19 in Minturn. The athletes from the RMN’s national team will be announced after the competition.

In the U14 division, Betty Holcomb placed third in the classic sprint qualifier, advancing to the A final where she finished second.

“That was a very good race for Betty,” Elliott said.

Holcomb also finished 10th in the 3K skate (11:35.1).

Ilah Mitchell also raced in the U14 division. After finishing 15th in the classic sprint qualifier, she advanced to the C final, where she finished first. Ilah Mitchell also finished 12th in the 3K skate (12:11.0).

“In the sprint, she had a fall in the qualifier so she started in the back of the back (in the C final), but she was able to win the heat,” Elliott said.

Three Durango girls also competed in the U16 division. In the classic sprint, Dewa Ilg placed 20th in the qualifier, advancing to the quarterfinals where she finished fourth. Lilli Goltz finished 26th in qualifier and sixth in her quarterfinal. Zoe Freeman placed 27th in the qualifier and then sixth in her quarterfinal.

“Dewa, Zoe and Lilli are pretty new (to the JNQ level),” Elliott said. “They’re getting better each race and had some good performances for being that new.”

Zach Ottman also raced for the DNSC in the U18 division. In the classic sprint, Ottman finished 27th in the qualifier and then sixth in his quarterfinal, racing against both U18 and U20 athletes.

In the 8k skate, Ottman finished 30th in 31:39.5.

“Zach had a really good distance day on Sunday,” Elliott said, adding that it was “brutally cold” and “windy” that day.

“The kids did well in some challenging conditions,” the coach said.

When the team races in Minturn, Elliott said a few skiers will compete for the first time. “They’re pretty excited to try it,” he said. “We’ve had a great turnout this year and all of the kids are having a blast. Overall, it’s been a really good season.”

In general, however, most of the roughly 80 participants in the Durango Nordic Center’s programs, including about 40 adults in masters programs, don’t race. “They just want to get outside and ski and do something to stay in shape,” Elliott said, noting that Nordic skiing has “exploded across the U.S.” in recent years.

The Durango Nordic Center will host the Mike Elliott U14 Youth Ski Festival and state championships March 5-6. The event was originally scheduled in Red River, New Mexico, but a wind storm left the course cluttered with down trees.

The event is named in honor of coach Elliott’s dad, Mike, who was a three-time Olympic cross-country skier and was big in organizing RMN events.

“I’d say he’s probably excited to have his event here,” Evan Elliott said.

The ski festival will begin with the competitive races one day and then have relays and other fun events to keep the kids skiing a little longer.

The Pine Needle Langlauf will also take place Feb. 26 at the Durango Nordic Center.