Miss Buckwheat 2016 was one-year-old Anika Thole of Skagway, daughter of long-time volunteers Cory and Mary Thole, seen here with her mom, founder and emcee Buckwheat Donahue and volunteer seamstress Jean Worley, who has been making crowns, sashes and blankets for the event’s little winners since 1990. (Jeff Brady, Log Cabin Ski Society)
A record field of 431 skiers signed on for this year’s Buckwheat Ski Classic over the weekend. Race organizer Jeff Brady says getting the course ready posed many challenges. In the end, the start times and race route were modified to compensate for the soft trails and warm weather. The entire race was run on about six miles worth of trails, including the longest event – the 31-mile, or 50-kilometer race.
Brady says the shorten track created a bit of a logjam at the aid station, with a section of the trail having to be shut down after a couple of hours.
Brady says “Despite the crowded course, slick trail to start, and soft snow in the afternoon, there were no injuries or incidents and everyone had a howlin’ good time at the 30th annual Buckwheat Ski Classic.”
Next year the race will return to its usual weekend in late March.
Besides the competition winners, several special awards were handed out.
Longtime volunteer Jeremy “Scotch Man” Simmons won the Des Duncan Sportsmanship Award, while Marcel Jolley won the Father Mouchet Most Inspirational Skier Award. Alberta’s Curtis Brock won Best Costume for his wookie getup – this year’s race theme was a play on Star Wars. It was called Ski Wars: May the wax be with you. Anika Thole of Skagway won the honors of Miss Buckwheat 2016.
Find a link to the complete results here,
