RESULTS: Biac, Duclos (FS), Borton, Bianchini (CL) win White Pine Stampede

Sun, Feb  4, 2024 - By Mike Muha

Snowmaking saved the day...again! This year's White Pine Stampede was a repeat of last year's: Lack of natural snow made the race relocate to the downhill slopes at Schuss Mountain. It was a hard race for all the climbing. Downhills were "fun" - conditions were nice and the snow was controllable. Snowplowing was possible for skiers who were a little uneasy with the long descents on fast snow. More confident skiers went for it. On the third lap of three, the snowplowing did create some berms that were tricky for the faster skiers. Says Team NordicSkiRacer's Yvon Dufor, "I went as hard as I could on the downhills and didn't fall once. I came close on the last lap when I almost caught an edge because of the snow pushed up from all the snowplowing. The uphills were hard!"

There was one broken pole, unrelated to the ups and downs: Allen Sorgenfrie broke his pole at the start of the race and had to run back to his car for a replacement. He still managed to finish 8th overall.

Totally climbing for the 10.5km race: 520 meters or over 1,700 feet!

Milan Baic, Weston Willoughby, and Jack Lindwall were the top three male skaters, finishing in 41:49, 42:03, and 42:29. Sarah Duclos, Mariah Frye, and Mary Schlimmer were the top women skaters in 41:49, 42:03, and 42:29.

In the classic division, Brooke Bianchini was the fastest women in 1:08:20, followed by Deanna Spencer (1:18:02) and Eunice Yu (1:39:39). For the men, Dave Borton took first in 1:01:48, followed by Joseph Bianchini and Kenny Rogers in 1:07:42 and 1:07:52.

White Pine Race director Ben Tarbutton raced on his own course, taking 9th in the men's skate in 52:12!

Results: 2024 White Pine Stampede Results (pdf). There are results by gender and age group, and results in Michigan Cup point order.

Photos: More photos of the 2024 White Pine Stampede.

Start of the 2024 White Pine Stampede

Milan Baic, Weston Willoughby, Jack Lindwall (1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 10k men's skate) and Sarah Duclos (women's skate winner)

Senior winners: Milan Baic and Sarah Duclos (Skate winners) and Dave Borton and Brooke Bianchini (Classic winners)