Sid Moffat starts the Buckwheat Ski Classic.
Eighteen Haines skiers participated in the 26th annual Buckwheat Ski Classic Saturday afternoon at Log Cabin, B.C.
Cross-country ski coach Liam Cassidy led the Haines contingent as the only resident to finish the 50-kilometer Nordic event. Cassidy finished 13th of 17 in 4:10:20.
Chip Lende was top Haines finisher in the 25K race, finishing 20th of 66 finishers in the men’s division with a time of 2:04:53.Daughter J.J. Lende was the top Haines skier in the 25K women’s race, finishing 56th of 77 in 3:26:12. In the 10K race, Ray Staska finished first among Haines men and 43rd of 53 overall in 1:31:45. In the women’s 10K division, Heather Shade finished first for Haines, 17th of 74 overall in 59:52.
Other finishers included: 25K men’s: Thom Ely, 28th, 2:12:39, Tom Morphet, 59th, 3:26:31; 10K men’s: Gregg Bigsby, 49th, 2:21:36; 10K women’s: Deborah Marshall, 21st, 1:05:08; Tina Schaefer, 42nd, 1:26:19; Gina St. Clair, 67th, 2:21:30, Melany Zimmerman, 74th, 4:22:27.
Residents Bart Henderson, Kaci Ahmuty, Cynde Adams and Knikki Cinocco also completed the 10K event and Sabine Olsson and Sid Moffat finished the 25K. No times were available for their finishes.