The Gunstock Freestyle 2025
The Gunstock Freestyle at Holderness
1/5/2025
Report # 298
For the second year, the Gunstock Freestyle was relocated to Holderness. The partnership seems to be positive and is certainly one that benefits cross-country skiers. Participants traveled from all directions to get to the race, which promised a fun and fast course. As we drove, we saw a variety of snow conditions, and some of it sticking to the road. Upon exiting Franconia Notch, the snow ended aside from a few scattered patches in the woods. Those driving from the east and south did not see snow on the way to the event. When we arrived at Holderness, there was a little more natural snow and an upbeat Gunstock crew welcoming skiers to the event.
Holderness has invested in an extensive snowmaking operation and had a bombproof 2.5km loop to hold the race on. The transformation to accommodate the Davis Trail Network is impressive, and it looks as though enhancements are still in progress. It is not as radical as the changes at Oak Hill, but there has been significant trail widening and some new trail connections made. Overall, it still looks like the old Holderness, with a hilly, wooded trail network, except that the trails are three lanes wide with nearly the whole ribbon of snow visible from the stadium.
The temperature was slightly warmer than predicted in the low twenties. However, a brisk wind swept through the stadium from the west. This favorable wind gave skiers a nice push at the start and as they lapped through the stadium. Participants were mostly sheltered from any headwind on the course. The surface was frozen granular and loosened up as it got skied in. The firm snow was fast; the loose depended on the skis.
The course featured three hills that defined the different segments of the loop. Skiers started in the stadium as usual and headed into the woods. The gentle incline quickly steepened. From the start to the top of the first climb, it was about 800m with a 100-foot gain in elevation. The skiers descended back toward the stadium on a sweeping downhill with a little roller at the bottom to keep it fun and took on the next climb. This was a more direct route to the 100’ elevation gain. Rob Bradlee (FTN) accurately described it as a wall. It is less than half the distance of the first climb with the same elevation gain. Skiers then had a nice rolling descent before hitting one final kicker behind the new ski jump before dropping back into the stadium for the lap/finish area. Good skiing on the approach to the final hill allowed one to carry a lot of speed over a good portion of it. The trail was swooping and fun, with good recovery.
The open race field had a substantial majority of Master Skiers, which was a nice change; however, competition was just as fierce as in all the races leading up to this one this season. The longer loop with fewer skiers made things much less congested, and those of us plugging away did not need to worry too much about impeding anyone else. The trails had plenty of room for everyone, and the snow was holding up well.
Chris Burnham (NWVE) had the honor of starting things off with bib 1. Chris and I were ready to go at 10:00 a.m., but the rest of the field seemed to be taking a more casual approach to the starting line. Perhaps they were a little rusty, as for many, this was their first race this season, or they were not as in tune with the 15-second interval as others. With two minutes to go, new urgency was announced to get the first 20 in the running order to the start. There was no delay, and Chris got underway with some nice V2. The start order was similar to the Bogburn’s going by age, but it started with M1 and had the junior and senior athletes start afterward. Non-NENSA members were moved to the end of the order, which is another reason to have your membership in order!
Skiers challenging Chris were Dennis Page (Nansen) and Sam Evans-Brown (Concord Nordic), starting 3rd and 5th, respectively. I had a ghost to chase for the second day in a row and got on course with bib 9. Rob Riley (GNS) was bib 14 and one of a few that doubled up this weekend with the Bogburn, along with Chris, Jessica, and me. A little further back in the start order was a serious line-up with Wes DeNering (CSU), Rob Bradlee (FTN), and Bob Burnham (NWVE). The old rivalries kept these three moving on the course. Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) was the only female starter for the club today. She was joined by Lindsey Masterson (Dublin), Michele Smith (CSU), Rosalie Wilson (Ford Sayre), and Kathy Maddock (Dublin), among several others, getting in a challenging race.
On the course, skiers had a lot to be happy about. The conditions were holding nicely, and people were all over offering enthusiastic support. There were even a few trumpeters heralding skiers up the wall. Over the four laps, everyone got to see each other at some point. The race was not seeded, and I found myself passing about as much as being passed, which makes sense for a mid-field finish.
Chris Burnham (NWVE) was caught by Sam Evans-Brown (Concord) earlier in the race. Chris was hoping to tuck in behind Sam and draft a bit, but that did not last as long as hoped. Sam was up through the field quickly and ended up missing the win by nine seconds to Lane Myshrall (Dartmouth). Chris held off Dennis Page, who closed the gap a bit, but there was not enough time to overtake. I was caught by a few skiers early in my race, Rob Riley (GNS) flew by me with a quick tempo up the wall. I went about monitoring Bob Burnham (NWVE) and Rob Bradlee (FTN). They were gaining but were far enough back in the order not to catch me. Rob and Bob caught Wes DeNering (CSU) easily but the two never connected on the course. They kept the margin even, with Rob gaining on the climbs and Bob pulling away on the descents.
Kathy Maddock (Dublin) started as the men lapped through, but she looked very fresh as she cruised by. Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) was the only woman to double up this weekend. She kept things low-key on the day but picked up a few spots over the course. The first lap had more traffic, and while she moved down the first downhill, she had two skiers pass her on either side – luckily, all made it down unscathed. She skied some with Scott Brown (Ford Sayre) and Matthew Katsenes (Unattached) before steadily pulling away. Rosalie Wilson (Ford Sayre) was psyched to hang onto Kathy for a lap after being caught. Ella Ronci (Holderness) hit it out of the park as she moved up through the field, besting all but the top ten men! However, right behind her was Kathy Maddock, who had one of the most impressive results of the day!
Sam was the first to the finish line, followed by Chris and then Dennis. Chris did not wait to see how the finish order was going. He got back out on course to see how the battle between his father and Rob Bradlee was playing out. On my final lap, I had a line on Brett Rutlidge (Down East). I also heard someone closing fast, so I tried to hold them off as well. I was unable to catch Brett before the lap/finish line, and when I turned to see who was closing, it was Jeff Palleiko (GNS). Rob Bradlee never let Bob Burnham catch him, but Bob closed and won the battle with a seven-second margin on the results page. Rosalie Wilson came flying into the stadium with a big smile, knowing she had just had a great race. Jessica skied the last half of the loop alone, finishing strong on the final rollers.
Skiers were quick to get their warm-ups on in the gusty stadium after the race. Many proceeded to cool down, though not an extended one, as I think the climbs on the course were such that enough was enough. Jessica shared some banana chocolate chip muffins with mostly ravenous skiers who were grateful for the recovery food. So much so that a fine Maine Beer Company Double IPA was given to the talented baker by Brett Rutledge as a token of appreciation. The Gunstock Freestyle was another success that was well-received by the participants. The new Davis Family Trails are a blast to ski, and many look forward to returning to get some more kilometers in on the network. Thank you to Gunstock and Holderness for making this event happen!
Damian
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