The Tour of Meissner is less about racing, and more about bringing the Central Oregon Nordic skiing community together.

The classic cross-country skiing event is set for its ninth edition on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Virginia Meissner Sno-park west of Bend. Skiers can choose race distances of 17 or 30 kilometers.

“Meissner is a really neat community,” said Tour of Meissner race director Ben Husaby. “It’s financially viable and people support it, but we’re all in our little pods of friends or family when we go up there. We really don’t interact that much with one another. This is a chance where all the people we see out there, skiing around, actually come together on a day to ski together.”

The Tour of Meissner was founded in 2009 by Bend’s David Smullin. It was held each year through 2011, then went on hiatus before it was brought back in 2020 by Smullin and has been staged every year since. After a low of only 57 skiers in 2021 during the pandemic, the race rebounded as more than 200 skiers registered in 2023 and 2024. Husaby is expecting a similar turnout this year.

A former Olympic cross-country skier and longtime Bend resident, Husaby was giddy with excitement when he talked about the upcoming event.

“We’re one of the largest classic ski events in the West,” he said. “I think it’s got some legs, which is really cool. The number of entrants has really gone up the last few years, post-COVID.”

In his third year as the race director, Husaby said his goal is to get to 300 participants in the next year or two.

While skate (or freestyle) skiing seems to be the most popular style among Central Oregon cross-country skiers, Husaby noted that many are migrating to classic skiing. Skate skiing is typically performed on a wide-open groomed trail and involves a V-step and glide motion, akin to ice skating. Classic skiing is usually done with the skis in set tracks and the skier employing an easier-to-grasp kick-and-glide motion.

“I’ve always loved classic skiing,” Husaby said. “Meissner is perfect for classic skiing. The terrain is really good for it. There’s a lot of people that like to get out on their classic skis.”

The Meissner Nordic Club has teamed up with Mount Hood’s Teacup Nordic Club to form a classic racing series of sorts, according to Husaby. Teacup will stage its own classic skiing race on Feb. 9. Skiers who complete both races will receive a “king or queen of Oregon classics” teacup and will be entered into a raffle to win a free trip to the Retreat at Silvies Valley Ranch north of Burns, which offers groomed Nordic trails.

“This is not race-centric,” Husaby said of the Tour of Meissner. “Timing and awards are not such a big deal. What’s really a big deal are the raffle and the food.”

For more information and to register, visit meissnernordic.org/tour-of-meissner. Registration is available through Wednesday. There is no entry fee, but donations are encouraged to support the Meissner Nordic Club, which provides groomed trails at the sno-park.