Utah Ski Team Hosts Nordic Races This Weekend at Soldier Hollow
Free parking and admission for Utah Invitational, with events beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday
1/22/2026
The Utah Ski Team will host the Nordic portion of its annual RMISA home meet—the Utah Invitational—this weekend at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.
Teams will race in 7.5K freestyle interval start events on Saturday, with the women’s competition going off at 9 a.m. and the men following at 9:50 a.m. Awards presentations for both genders will take place at the conclusion of the men’s race.
A 15K classic mass start is on the docket for Sunday; though this time around the men’s field will kick off the day at 9 a.m. The women’s mass start is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. Fans should note that separate awards ceremonies will take place on Sunday at the conclusion of each race, rather than together at the end of the day.
Parking and admission are free all weekend. The on-site café inside the new Nordic Center building will also be open, with a variety of food and refreshments available for purchase.
Please note, due to conditions at Soldier Hollow, spectator access to the course will be restricted this weekend. Everyone is still welcome to attend the races, but all viewing will be from the balcony of the timing building or the inner parking lot. Both are directly next to the course and offer great race views of much of the course, including the start and finish areas.
Live timing and results will be available at this link.
The Story So Far – 2026 Season Snapshot
Utah has gotten off to a strong start in the new campaign, with highlights both on the Nordic and alpine sides of the house. The Utes are atop the RMISA standings with 998.5 points, but are in a tight battle with both Colorado and Denver close behind as the season presses on.
The Utes have had three RMISA Nordic race days to date, all taking place in Lake Placid, New York, as part of the U.S. National Championships and SuperTour slate. In winning the RMISA Invitational, Utah had a men’s individual winner in all three events, along with two women’s victories. Mons Melbye made his Utah debut with a runner-up performance in the 10K classic before following it up with a victory in a 20K freestyle. In addition, Max Kluck was atop the classic sprints podium. Zachary Jayne had a podium result in all three starts—including a 10K classic victory—though Jayne will miss the Utah Invitational after being invited to race on the World Cup circuit in Switzerland.
On the women’s side, Erica Lavén picked up where she left off in concluding a strong debut season in 2025. Lavén was the individual winner in both the women’s 10K classic and classic sprints at Lake Placid, while fellow returner Neve Gerard skied to bronze in the 20K freestyle. Newcomer Sofia Pedersen capped off that race series with a second-place result in the classic sprints and had a top-five performance in the 10K classic.
The team performed exceptionally well (in Lake Placid). Really proud of all the races individually and it was great for us to take home the College Cup. A lot of personal bests and international qualification from our skiers, so I think it will be a great season for our team!Zachary Jayne - Sr. - Bend, Ore.
For alpine, Johs Braathen Herland has led the way with four wins in as many starts—two apiece in slalom and giant slalom. Dating back to 2019, Herland is the first alpine skier at Utah—men or women—to win the first four races of a season. Melanie Dahlberg paced the women’s side with a pair of top-five results in GS.
Utah's four alpine races up to this point counted as part of the Denver Invitational and Colorado Invitational. The team is off from alpine competition until Jan. 31, when the squad will begin a series at Mount Rose Ski Tahoe that will serve as the Nevada Invitational.
Utah will host home alpine competitions from Feb. 22-24 from the Spencer F. Eccles Olympic Mountain Center at the Utah Olympic Park. Additional information about those events will be shared at a later date.
Johs is a Utah Ute through and through. When he believes in something, he goes all in and he believes in what we have here at Utah. It’s refreshing to watch him go through his process of becoming a better skier without getting distracted by outside influences. He pays so much attention to all the little details and keeps building off it. Johs has a lot of good stuff going on and he’s flying with it.JJ Johnson - Head Alpine Coach
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