News & Stories

Summer 2023: Loppet Nordic Racing

Ever wondered what Loppet Nordic Racing Juniors Competition and Development teams get up to during the summer when there isn’t snow? We caught up with Head Coach Chris Harvey to hear what summer 2023 looked like for LNR Juniors.

Comp Team 

Upperclassmen and those just graduated high school. Group was about 30 skiers meeting 5 – 7 times a week. Comp Team Coaches. Chris Harvey, Andrew Joda and David Chamberlain

Devo Team

Younger middle school and high school aged skiers. Meeting 3 or 5 times a week. Summer group size of about 50 athletes. Devo team coaches – Piotr Bednarski, Ellen McCarthy, Kaisa Bednarski, Jake Stiele, Tom Camp and Lynee Cecil

There were three out of town training camps: Ironwood, Michigan from June 19th – 24th, Grand Marais, MN from July 24th – 28th, and finally Bozeman, Montana from July 21 to August 9th. The trip to Ironwood had 31 skiers and 5 coaches rollerskiing and trail running in Michigan upper peninsula. The camp is highlighted by a long trail run in the Porcupine Mountains. Coaches Chris Harvey, Andrew Joda, Ellen McCarthy, Jake Stiele, and Michael Symanski went with to keep the comp team going.

 15 LNR Devo skiers took on the rustic Bally Creek cabins near Grand Marais, MN living with no running water or electricity. Devo took this challenge like champs with coaches Piotr Bednarski and Tom Camp. Training is glamorous, isn’t it?

The final trip of the summer was from July 21 to August 9th at Hyalite Youth Camp in Gallatin County south of Bozeman, Montana. 24 skiers and 4 coaches went to Bozeman for an unforgettable time – in face all of the pictures shown in this post are from the Bozeman trip. Chris Harvey, Andrew Joda, Ellen McCarthy and Jake Stiele. LNR alumni and Montana State skier Emma Albrecht joined the group as a mentor. Most athletes trained 37 hours in the 10 days at camp. Wow!

Loppet Nordic Racing has had an incredible last few seasons and we are excited to see what this winter brings!

Ironwood Training Camp – example day

7:30am: wake up and morning activation (short run and drills/stretching)

7:45am: breakfast

9am: depart for classic rollerski. Starting at Black River Harbour and finishing at Mt Zion in Ironwood. 3 hrs

lunch back at lodge

2 – 4pm: rest time

5pm: skate rollerski with agility course. 90 min

7pm: dinner at lodge

8 – 9pm: beach time on Lake Superior

9:30pm: bedtime