The Great Nordeen in Bend Oregon is a celebration of Central Oregon ski history. Just once a year a trail is groomed through 36km of lava flows, hemlock, fir, and pine forest stands in remembrance of Emil Nordeen, the decorated Central Oregon ski pioneer. The course is point-to-point and drops roughly 300 meters from start to finish. Over 300 competitors lined up for the 6th annual running of the event, with Olympian Lars Flora capturing the men's crown, and XC-Oregon athlete Evelyn Dong taking the women's title. Dong skied away from fellow Factory Team member Kristina Strandberg to win by over four minutes. Sarah Max took the final podium spot another 4 minutes in back of Strandberg. Dong's impressive time of 1:38:12 placed her 6th overall.
Flora (Factory Team) topped a star-studded men's field by an impressive margin as well, putting over three and a half minutes on XC-Oregon's Marshall Greene (Madshus/Alpina). Third place went to another former Olympian and Factory Team member, Carl Swenson, who crossed the line 12 seconds behind Greene. Colin Mahood (XC-Oregon/Rossignol) took the fourth spot.
Full Coverage in the Bend Bulletin – Includes photos and quotes
