The Utes cross country skiing team will be competing at Midway’s Soldier Hollow Nordic Center Saturday and Sunday, racing 7.5 and 15km events as part of their Utah Invitational. The team will compete against other Western schools like Colorado, Denver and Montana State. Utah remains a powerhouse in the collegiate ranks, along with Colorado and Denver. The three have 58 combined national titles, with Utah winning their last in 2023 as part of a four peat. The Utes have regularly practiced and competed at Soldier Hollow since the site hosted the 2002 Olympic cross country events. “Very excited for the weekend,” said Utah director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt. “Soldier Hollow has been the main Nordic center in the country since the 2002 Olympics.”“It’s pretty much the best place anywhere to have competition, so we’re very happy to have that as our own venue.”The team will also host alpine races to cap off the invitational at the Olympic Park in early-February. The alpine team races slalom and giant slalom events. Soldier Hollow Nordic Center hosting the Youth and Junior Biathlon Nationals last month. Credit: Photo courtesy of Michael Ritucci PhotographyThe Olympic Park developed an alpine course over the past few years. Soldier Hollow has hosted the NCAA cross country skiing championship events in 2014 and 2022, and is set to do so again in 2028. “We’re very much anticipating continuing to have homes at these venues for the foreseeable future,” added Landstedt. The alpine team is up at the Olympic Park nearly every day and the cross country team rotates their practices between Soldier Hollow and other sites. The cross country team roller skates at Soldier Hollow in the fall before snowfall. The Utes cross country team began their season with a win in the Alaska Anchorage Invitational 10km race. They followed with a second place finish in that invitational’s 20km race. Utah is chasing a return to the sport’s top spot this season with their 15th national title. “We have a great team,” said Landstedt. “There’s a lot of new athletes on our team, so it’s always tough.”“We have very tough competition from Colorado, Denver and probably from Dartmouth out East, so it’ll really come down to whoever is peaking at the right time at the championship.”The cross country team is just now getting to full-strength, with multiple skiers having missed time with other competitions. The return to training and competition will likely pay dividends when the NCAA Championships roll around in early-March. There will be additional races following the collegiate 7.5km event Saturday. Lendstedt expects 600 skiers to the venue Saturday. The 15km race Sunday will feature additional, non-collegiate skiers, with the teams separating their results afterwards. There will likely be around 40 college skiers in both the men’s and women’s races both days. “This is going to be the 2034 Olympic venue for all Nordic and biathlon events,” said Landstedt. “There’s a great opportunity to come out and watch most of the top young skiers in the country.”“There are a few of these skiers that very well can make the 2030 and 2034 Olympics.”Soldier Hollow boasts ample parking space and opportunities to head inside and grab a bite to eat mid-race. There will be food trucks at the Olympic Park for fans attending the invitational’s alpine races next month. The Olympic Park is also next to plenty of spots in Kimball Junction, which the teams often frequent after practices and races. Landstedt shared that one of their favorite restaurants to eat together in Kimball is Vessel Kitchen.The Utes also shared in a team barbeque over the summer at the Jordanelle Reservoir. Race results from this weekend, the alpine races in early-February and beyond can be found on Utah’s skiing page.The post Utes cross country ski team competing at Soldier Hollow Saturday and Sunday appeared first on Park Record.