More than just the competition was fierce, though.

The trails at Lookout Mountain proved to be some of the toughest and some of the fastest that many junior and masters skiers have experienced this season.

"We got super-positive results and comments afterwards. A lot of the head coaches from the big teams in Anchorage really liked it and asked when we'd hold the state championships here and said it was great for racers and spectators," said Homer High School Assistant Ski Coach Megan Spurkland.

The trails on Lookout Mountain were hard and slick after a week of sunshine and below freezing temperatures.

With steep hills, tough climbs, fast corners and slippery conditions, the trails at Lookout Mountain can be intimidating even for the most experienced skiers.

"There were definitely some kids who complained that it was too hard or two fast, but I think that all the coaches and parents I talked to loved having the kids skiing on challenging terrain. They can handle it wherever they go then," said Spurkland.

The Homer High School ski team practices on Lookout Mountain all season, and because of the challenging terrain Homer's skiers have developed into strong climbers, said Spurkland.

Even so, challenging the best racers in the state can often be intimidating in itself, but Spurkland encouraged her skiers to at least make it to the starting line.

"The experience of being there outweighed everything else. Getting that race experience is very important. You never know when the freshman at the back of the pack will be the next big contender in the next three years," said Spurkland.

In addition to challenges on the trails, being host of the Besh Cup was a challenge in terms of logistics, especially with the races at two separate venues.

Without the help of enthusiastic and plentiful volunteers, Spurkland said the race would not have gone as smooth as it did.

The Besh Cup called about 200 skiers to Homer, not to mention all of the parents, family members and coaches that showed up just to cheer from the trail's edges.

Homer High Head Ski Coach Jan Spurkland was in charge of overseeing and organizing both days of races at two different venues.

"Jan had everything organized really well and the volunteers were super flexible, they were in great moods and they really made the whole thing work," said Spurkland. "The community was so supportive and so many people volunteered for these two days."

The last two Besh Cup races will be held in Fairbanks on Feb. 6-7.

Besh Cup Homer Results

Saturday at McNeil Canyon

Female 1km sprint race

Junior 1:

22) Maggie Bursch, 03:30.41

Junior 2:

20) Kaya Morelli, 04:02.70

Junior 4:

2) Mia Alexson, 2 05:17.56

Male 1km sprint race

Junior 2:

16) Parker Sorensen, 03:15.73

Overall

(Junior 1, Masters):

46) Jens Klaar, M5 03:03.05

62) Andre Lovett J1, 03:24.09

65) Atz Kilcher M7, 03:31.07

Sunday at Lookout Mountain

Female 3km

14) Mia Alexson, 12:20.00

Female 5km

36) Maggie Bursch, 19:38.80

42) Frances Bursch, 19:53.50

54) Marie Schmidt, 21:05.20

69) Alaine Miller, 22:42.80

74) Emily Schmidt, 25:13.20

75) Katie Schmidt, 25:38.30

Male 3km

23) Hoxie Parks, 14:12.90

Male 5km

23) Kyle Wentz, 19:18.40

Male 10km

48) Andre Lovett, 36:49.30

57) Tux Seims, 39:24.00

58) Jens Klaar, 39:34.00

65) Atz Kilcher, 42:47.30

70) Paul Gutzler, 45:01.60

72) Jon Berryman, 45:17.10

73) Jake Mclean, 46:10.70