Nearly 200 brave fog, drizzle at Mount Spokane’s annual cross-country ski race

Fog and drizzle, leading to the deployment of a handful of umbrellas, didn’t stop 190 cross-country skiers from competing in the annual Langlauf race on Mount Spokane on Sunday.

“It was kind of an interesting weather day. With the fog and the snow and the mist, there were a few umbrellas around,” said Tim Ray, the race director. “It was a challenge for the waxing so a lot of people were using no-wax skis.”

Still, grooming was good with fresh snow falling the day prior and the night of grooming, Ray said.

Top honors in the 10K race went to Sergey Avdyushkin, 54, from Spokane Valley with a time of 32 minutes, 34.9 seconds. The top female finisher was Jamie Redman, 36, from Spokane with a time of 37:11.4.

“To be fair, a lot of our local talent was racing in Winthrop this weekend,” Redman said of her top finish in a message. “So it was a new experience to be near the front of the pack. Normally I’m going toe-to-toe with the junior racers. But it’s such an awesome community event – tough conditions aside, the race organizers and volunteers really put on a top-notch experience for the racers. A huge props to everyone who raced on wooden skis … waxing conditions were super tricky, so I have the utmost respect for skiers who did it on fifty-year-old equipment.”

After the race, participants, volunteers and spectators enjoyed soup and coffee provided by sponsors. And more than $6,000 in prizes were given out during the award ceremony, to racers and volunteers alike.

Conceived as Bloomsday on snow, the 10K classic skiing race started in 1980 and was the brainchild of two elite athletes looking for close-to-home competition – while also introducing others to the sport. The race has continued for all but three of the years since, Ray said. Two cancellations were due to a lack of snow and the race was shuttered during the pandemic.

To see a full list of finishers visit spokanelanglauf.org.