24th Annual
2027 Great Nordeen
Presented by
Latitude 44 Sports
With support from
Apollo Mechanical Contractors and Rebound Physical Therapy
In conjunction with Mt Bachelor
February 27th, 2027
XC SKI & FATBIKE RACE
23K and 11.5K Freestyle Events – 7:30am – Starting at West Village
15K Fat Bike Race – TBD on Conditions
Grooming provided by Mt. Bachelor.
MEDALS FOR THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES
Individual Nordic Race:
0-14 M/F/NB
15-18 M/F/NB
19-39 M/F/NB
40-59 M/F/NB
60+ M/F/NB
Fat Bike Race:
Juniors 17 and Under M/F/NB
Ages 18-39 M/F/NB
Ages 40+ M/F/NB
Weather & Snow Conditions
Mt. Bachelor Cup Nordic races will not be held when weather or trail conditions pose a safety risk to participants. When the weather or trail conditions are marginal we may encourage participants to enter the shorter distance events, or at the discretion of the race director modify courses as warranted. There is no specific minimum air temperature that races will be held. The determination of whether the race can be safely held will be based on multiple factors including temperature, wind, precipitation and course conditions.
The race director will make a final determination regarding the acceptability of racing conditions as soon as possible, but not later than 8 am the morning of the race. Any cancellations or updates will be pushed out via email and on MBSEF’s Nordic Account on Instagram (mbsef_nordic). A race that cannot be held due to unsafe conditions will have to be canceled. Registration fees will not be refunded.
Registration
Early Bird Registration Deadline: Saturday, February 20th, 2026 at 5 pm.
Online Registration Race Fee:
- $60 (ages 18+), all distances
- $40 Junior pricing (up to 17 years of age), all distances
$20 Late Registration Fee after regular registration closes, until Friday, February 26th at 5 pm.
Register at Webscorer.com
No day-of-race registration.
Need Accommodations?
If you are joining us from out of town, we hope you will consider staying at MBSEF’s event sponsor, Waypoint Hotel. They have wonderful accommodations and are eager to meet the unique needs of our ski racers. Call the hotel directly at 541-382-7011 to receive your exclusive MBSEF discount.
https://waypointhotel.com
Packet Pickup
Friday, February 26th, 10:30 am – 6 pm at:
Latitude 44 Sports
1375 SW Commerce Ave, Ste 160, Bend, OR 97702
Wax Techs will be available to help you have some fast glide with your skis
Awards
Join us at 4 pm for food and beverages at MBSEF after the race.
First 90 registered racers will receive a Great Nordeen hat by Sauce Active
History
The Great Nordeen is held annually in honor of Central Oregon Ski Pioneer Emil Nordeen. Known in Bend in the 1930s as the ‘Iron Man,’ or the ‘Old War Horse,’ Nordeen fashioned weight training systems out of concrete-filled coffee cans, carved his own 8-foot long skis from scrap lumber and developed his own brand of pine-tar ski wax. A well-known adventurer and mountaineer in the Cascades, Nordeen helped found the first search and rescue organization in Bend. He played the violin, pipe organ, piano, guitar, and loved to gamble. Nordeen won the Crater Lake Wilderness Race twice- once at age 43 and again at age 45. The race was a grueling 42-mile course from Fort Klamath to Crater Lake Lodge gaining 2,800 feet in elevation.
Cross-country skiing was a way of life for Nordeen, who had grown up in Sweden. He moved to Bend in 1920, racking up a list of impressive skiing adventures and achievements throughout the years. In the 1920s and 1930s, skiing was enjoying a surge in popularity in the U.S. Those who could ski well were widely admired. In fact, about 3,500 spectators gathered to watch the 1931 Fort Klamath-Crater Lake race. Along with other Central Oregon ski pioneers such as Nels (N.J.) Wulfsberg, Nels Skjersaa and Chris Kostol, Nordeen was a founder of the Skyliners Ski Club, later becoming MBSEF.
These days, the Great Nordeen is significantly less grueling than the races Nordeen won in 1930s. The courses are groomed specifically for the event and give skiers and fat bikers a once-a-year opportunity to cruise through hemlock forests, over lava flows and around the buttes of the Deschutes National Forest on their journey to the finish at Wanoga Sno-Park. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy skiing or fat biking on a special course as part of a Central Oregon tradition.
Thank you to our Event Sponsors
