FARMINGTON — Three fun, exciting Nordic ski races open to all ages are taking place later this month at Titcomb Mountain, 180 Ski Slope Rd. in Farmington.

“These three events are fun, happening about the same time,” Deb Aseltine of Wilton, said Wednesday, Feb. 12. She serves on the Titcomb Ski Club Educational Foundation and the Nordic Ski Committee for the board of directors, thinks the races will give Nordic skiing a bit of a boost.

On Sunday, Feb. 23, a new event, Titcomb’s Giant Ski Race will have registration at noon with practice sessions at 12:30 p.m. and heats starting at 1 p.m. Trail names and/or dress up themes are encouraged. At 3:30 p.m. the 3rd annual Titcomb Mountain Inferno – a timed race – starts at 3:30 p.m.

On Friday, Feb. 28, the Titcomb Starlight Sprint qualifier kicks off at 4 p.m. with heats to follow.

Tony Ramsey of New Sharon, head coach for Farmington Area Ski Team for students in grades four to eight and Nordic Ski Committee member gave more information about the first two races on Wednesday.

The first race features teams of four skiers using one set of skis, Ramsey said. “It’s a pretty fun event,” he noted. “I have watched it. They do this out in the Midwest at the Birkebeiner, which is the biggest event in the United States.”

The Birkebeiner Giant Ski race is a six-person event but Ramsey thought it might be hard to get a lot of six-person teams out locally. “They call it the Birke for short, and that’s a huge race,” he said. He shared the link to a video about that race https://www.google.com/search?q=giant+ski+race+birkie&oq=giant+ski+rac&aqs=chrome.9.0i512j69i57j0i22i30l5j0i751j0i546i649j0i751.11930j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ac972b07,vid:7Hj-ByjLTgs,st:0 to provide a glimpse of what is involved. “It’s about a group of middle aged men, the Nimrods,” he noted. “They are really good, have been champions three years.”

The skis for this race are being made by students in the composites program at Foster Community and Technical Education Center at Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington, Ramsey said. He donated the wood for them but no exact measurements of the skis have been taken. He believes they are about 16 feet long.

The race will take place in the [Nordic] Bitterauf Stadium, Ramsey noted. “We will probably fence out the lanes,” he said. “Teams can try it out once they have registered. See how the skis work out see if they can actually stand up and go 200 meters. It sounds easy until you actually try to coordinate four people. It’s pretty amazing.”

The race is short but takes longer,” Ramsey stated. “Two teams go head to head. Whoever can stand up is usually the winner.”

For the second race Sunday, Lift #2 will take up anyone wishing to participate, he said. “There’s a relatively flat table on the bunny slope just below the lift exit,” Ramsey noted. “We close down that part of the trail at three o’clock, and people start lining up. That turned out to be a really fun event. What happens is, everybody starts in their ski boots, and they have to go over and put on their skis and poles, then climb over to the summit. And once you get to the summit, it’s about a mile and a half or more, just almost all downhill.”

It’s a pretty fast race, Ramsey said. “I think the record for it is like five minutes and one second, pretty screaming,” he stated.

Both events are free to watch, Ramsey indicated. Those racing who are not club members will need to purchase a $10 trail pass which is good for the day plus $5 per person per race, he noted.

Ramsey said prize details are still being determined for those races. The fastest teams by age will probably be recognized for the first race, he noted. “We will definitely have the winning team sign the skis, there will be room to put signatures on them over the years,” he added.

Aseltine provided more information about the Feb. 28 race. Titcomb Mountain with support from NENSA [New England Nordic Ski Association] is hosting the race, she noted.

Maya Kellett, a member of the Mt. Blue High School Nordic Ski Team created the logo for the Titcomb Starlight Sprint, Aseltine said.

“Come to Titcomb Mountain for a fun, late afternoon/night sprint race under the lights,” Aseltine shared in an email. “This event is intended to be a fun challenge for all ages. The 1.2 km course will begin in Bitterauf Stadium where participants will shoot into the woods all under the lights and end back at the finish building. The Kings Court race format will give each participant an opportunity to race four times [four laps].”

As part of the fun, participants’ names will be entered for a bib draw for some great items, Aseltine wrote. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available at the end of the race along with prizes, she shared.

“This is a great warm up event for the athletes heading to the Rangeley Loppet and for high school athletes tuning up for the U16’s and Eastern High Schools,” Aseltine noted. “Also, a great race for college athletes finishing their season. We encourage anyone who likes to race to come and participate. Titcomb has a warm and friendly lodge and atmosphere.”

Registration fee is $25. To register online visit Titcomb Starlight Sprint Online Registration, https://www.skireg.com/titcomb-starlight-sprint.