Fin Bailey of the University of Vermont carries a large loudspeaker to the top of Saturday's racecourse during the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. The member of the U.S. Ski Team raced earlier Saturday during the men's race and brought up the tunes to set the tempo for the women's race.
Ben Condit of Williams College and his assistant coach, Annika Martell, discuss ski options prior to the start of Saturday's distance race during the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Coaches test similar ski and wax combinations to see where they may find a speed advantage before each race. Condit is a graduate of Edward Little High School in Auburn.
Eli Shifrin of Bowdoin College competes in Saturday's distance race during the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Shifrin is from Bethel.
Clint Macy, right, of Colby College and Soren Davidson of Bates College compete Saturday during the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford.
Emma Charles of the University of New Hampshire competes in Saturday's distance race during the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Charles is a graduate of Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, where she won every Class A Nordic skiing state championship race in which she competed.
Members of the Bates College Nordic ski team cheer during the men's race Saturday during the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Bates hosted the two-day ski race. St. Lawrence University will host next weekend's carnival in Lake Placid, New York.
College Nordic ski coaches from across New England and Quebec gather prior to Saturday's distance race during the Bates Carnival in Rumford. The lack of snow coverage caused a last-minute course change that they discussed.
Nyla Scott of Colby College tucks down a hill during Saturday's Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Scott is from Greenwood.
Spectators line the racecourse Saturday as college athletes compete during the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Eleven college teams competed in the two-day Nordic ski event that was hosted by Bates College.
John Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth College pulls out front Friday during the sprint quarterfinal of the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Hagenbuch just returned from Anchorage, Alaska, where he won two national championships during the 2025 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships.
Bowdoin College Nordic ski coach Nathan Alsobrook hoists the Chummy Broomhall Cup Saturday following the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford. Each winter, Bates College, Colby College and Bowdoin compete for the de facto Maine State Championship between the three college ski teams. The competition is simply for bragging rights but taken very seriously by the three teams. The cup is named after Chummy Broomhall, a two-time Olympian who volunteered at Black Mountain for many years before his death at age 98.
River Valley 
