Patterson Kicks Off Her Season in Beitostolen FIS Races

Patterson in the 10k freestyle in Beitostolen (Photo Aleks Tangen)

GRP skier Caitlin Patterson was in Beitostolen, Norway over the weekend preparing for the start of the World Cup season. Along with her USST teammates, she competed in a set of FIS races on November 23 and 24. Beitostolen is the traditional start to the season for most Norwegian skiers, whether National Team athletes or those hoping to make the team, so the field was packed with fast Norwegians.

Patterson skied to 23rd place in the 10k classic last Saturday, finishing as the 5th American on a day when the US packed all five of their athletes in the top 25. The following day, she had a great result, placing 13th in the 10k freestyle. Patterson was +1:33.5 from winner Therese Johaug. However, Johaug dominated the field by 30 seconds, so Patterson was just over a minute behind second place finisher Heidi Weng.

Results from Beitostolen here.

The World Cup season kicks off this weekend in Finland with the Ruka Triple. November 29 is a classic sprint, the following day is a 10/15k classic, and the final day is a 10/15k freestyle pursuit. Stay tuned for results! As always, live results, recaps, and the full World Cup schedule are all available on the FIS website.