Jan. 18—BEmidji — Bemidji’s oldest ski event made a triumphant return Sunday as 49 skiers braved the cold weather to compete in the 2026 Buena Vista Snowjourn.
The event is held annually at Buena Vista Ski Area, but was canceled in 2025 and 2024 due to lack of snow. After last year’s event was canceled, attendees gathered at Bemidji Brewing for an informal gathering called “Snow Brew,” where organizers presented the annual Johnson-Jarvi Snowjourn Award.
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In a press release announcing the cancellation of last year’s Snow Tour, organizers said they were “hoping to have adequate snow and reasonable temperatures for next year’s event.”
That hope became a reality Sunday morning as dozens of skiers flocked to Buena Vista, even though the temperature actually felt like about -10 degrees. Competitors hit the trails covered in a fresh layer of snow to compete in races such as the 12K Freestyle, 12K Classic, 5K Middle School Race and 7K Tour.
Take a look at the results:
female
1. Andrea Patten, 40, Bemidji, 52:30.2
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2. Claire Storey, 18, Bemidji, 55:13.3
3. Hannah Vanasse, 34, Bemidji, 1:01:34.5
4. Lisa Boulay, 68, Bemidji, DNF
male
1. Nick Youso, 22, Hermantown, 39:55.8
2. Ryan Rogers, 46, Bemidji, 46:44.6
3. Elias Hendrickson, 31, Menaga, 50:02.4
4. Sam Schulze, 22, Bemidji, 51:08.5
5. George Patten, 41, Bemidji, 51:25.1
6. Michael Meehlhause, 36, Bemidji, 52:02.4
7. Solomon Benson, 15, Bemidji, 52:15.4
8. Josiah Hendrickson, 37, Bemidji, 54:51.1
9. Craig Mohn, 43, Bemidji, 56:15.6
10. Jim Harwood, 61, Laporte, 58:17.2
11. John Mueller, 52, Bemidji, 58:37.8
12. Chris Godwin, 50, Nevis, 1:00:27.3
13. Brent Matzke, 58, Bemidji, 1:01:58.7
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14. Hans Kuningas, 51, Crystal Lake, IL, 1:02:37.8
15. Dan Rogers, 64, Guntherry, 1:06:02.3
16. Scott Freitag, 62, Nevis, 1:18:30
17. David Carlson, 22, Bemidji, DNF
female
1. Kerrie Berg, 46, Bemidji, 54:44.2
male
1. Logan Jensen, 23, Bemidji, 50:01.2
2. Leif Ronnander, 38, Bemidji, 54:44.6
3. Aaron Coburn, 48, Bemidji, 1:08:13.2
4. Jon Shorter, 68, Bemidji, 1:15:47.6
5. David Harrington, 66, Turtle River, 1:19:17.3
6. Jon Laasko, 61, Bemidji, 1:20:10.3
7. Walter Calder, 63, Crystal Lake, IL, DNF
female
1. Anna Wick, 11, Bemidji, 41:35.4
male
1. Cameron Francisco, 13, Cass Lake, 22:55
2. Gavin Eichman, 13, Bemidji, 31:38.8
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3. Axel Berg, 12, Bemidji, 37:23
4. Gideon Benson, 13, Bemidji, 1:10:24.2
female
Susan Fabius, 76, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Rylee Story, 15, Bemidji.
Willow Story, No. 14, Bemidji
Beth Grundy, 33, Cass Lake
Kathy Storey, 18, Bemidji.
Chris Will-Court, 71, Bemidji.
Kristal Story, 46, Bemidji
Brenda Jarvie, 61, Bemidji
Jen O’Leary, 57, Bemidji
Jill Troutner, 54, Oxnard, Calif.
male
Matt Opegaard, 35, Cass Lake.
Teal Kelsey, 13, Bemidji.
Waylon Story, 14, Bemidji
Jesse Storey, 44, Bemidji
Roger Jarvie, 75, Bemidji.
