Despite the heavy snowfall, cross-country skiers from near and far made their way to Hallis Lake for another successful edition of the Hallis Lake Loppet.
In all, 78skiers hit the trails at the Hallis Lake facility.
“The loppet was a great success,” spokesperson for the host Cariboo Ski Touring Club, Ron Watteyne said.
The snowfall, although enjoyed by the skiers, did pose a few extra problems for members of the Cariboo Ski Touring Club who had spent much of Friday putting the finishing touches on grooming the trails.
“The trails were in exquisite condition,” Watteyne said.
But as life will often do, Murphy re-asserted his Law Saturday, Watteyne, who had skied the trails the evening before, bemoaned.
The snow came down in buckets and come Saturday morning CSTC members were out in full force tending to the snow-covered trails to be used in the loppet.
Club members groomed the trails just before and even during the races.
“The grooming yielded pretty good results for the racers,” Watteyne said.
“But they still had to contend with a strong south wind and swirling snow.”
CTC members did well for themselves, finishing in the top three in several of the disciplines, including Observer contributor, Sunshine Borsato who took second place in the 16-km race with a time of 1:45:14.
Jason Neumyer of Quesnel earned top spot on the men’s side.
Veronica McIlvenna took first place in the 32-km distance in her age group in a time of 2:48:40.
Lou Brisco finished the 32-km distance in 2:27:44 to give Quesnel the win in her age group.
For full results visit www.caribooski.ca