CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University skiing will open its 2026 season with the nordic side of the Bates Carnival on Sunday, Jan. 4 and Tuesday, Jan. 6 with nordic competition at mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, New York. 

What to Know

• Sunday's competition will feature the 10k classic interval start on day one while Tuesday's action will include the freestyle sprint on day two.
• The St. Lawrence Carnival also took place last season with the Crimson coming in ninth place as a team at the event in 2025.
• The Crimson will feature two captains on both the alpine and nordic teams. Senior Luke Kearing and sophomore Skylar Sheppard will serve as captains on the alpine side while junior Breagh Bridge and sophomore Bennett Hutchison will act as captains on the nordic team.
• Harvard's roster features 24 total skiers with 12 student-athletes each on the alpine and nordic teams. The Crimson's roster includes three seniors, seven juniors, eight sophomores, and six first-years. Seniors Luke Kearing, Hayden McJunkin, and Olyvia Snyder represent the Class of 2026.
• Nordic skiing alumnus Rémi Drolet '24 has earned a spot at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics with Team Canada. A 2022 Olympian for Team Canada, Drolet concluded his time with the Crimson as a three-time All-American, two-time CSC Academic All-American, three-time NCAA qualifier, a 2023 NCAA Champion, and an NCAA Today's Top 10 honoree.
• Harvard has qualified skiers on both the alpine and nordic sides for the NCAA Championships in each of the last five competitive seasons. Sophomore Duncan Armstrong returns for the Crimson after qualifying for NCAAs in 2025.
• The Crimson welcomes six first-years in the Class of 2029, including Braden Bellizzi, Caleb Boyce, Caroline Collins, Logan Cuddy, Maya Eisner, and Tristan Leightell.
• Scott MacPherson – The Peter H. Carter '69 Head Coach for Harvard Alpine Skiing – stands in his ninth season at the helm of the alpine program in 2025-26. While at Harvard, MacPherson has twice earned EISA Coach of the Year honors (2019-20, 2022-23).
• Cate Brams – The Paul J. Finnegan Family Head Coach for Harvard Nordic Skiing – enters their second season as the leader of the Crimson's nordic program in 2025-26. 

Next Up

Harvard will compete in the alpine side of the Colby Carnival from Jan. 16-17 at Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, the alpine side of the St. Lawrence Carnival from Jan. 22-23 at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York, and in the nordic side of the Colby Carnival from Jan. 23-24 at Quarry Road in Waterville, Maine.