Brothers Liam, 17, and Euell Browne,16, from Columbia Falls, qualified for the U.S. Ski Orienteering Team and will compete at the World Junior and European Youth Ski-Orienteering Championships in Luleå, Sweden this March. 

This will be their second trip to the championships. Last year, Euelle finished in 22nd place, which was the second fastest finish by an American competitor. Liam earned 24th place in Finland. 

Ski orienteering is an endurance winter sport which combines navigation and cross-country skiing.  

“Each racer must punch a series of controls in a specific order, but they choose their own routes,” the boys’ mother, Kara Browne, said. “They assess contour lines, distances, symbols for impassable fences or open meadows, all while keeping track of their location on roads, ski trails, snowmobile tracks, or while cutting off trail.”  

The fastest person to the finish line wins. However, speed is not the only factor to getting across the finish line first.   

“Many decisions -- from route, speed, how many times you look at the map, what to do when mistakes happen, what to do if lost -- determine a racer’s finishing time," she added. 

Liam describes the sport as “crazy” and gives a first-hand account of how it feels immediately before a race. 

"When you roll up to the start line, you only have a vague idea how long your race will be, no idea what the terrain is like, or how long you will be pushing yourself,” he said. “Fifteen seconds before you start, you’re handed a map you’ve never seen before, and you only have a few seconds to figure out where you are on the map, where you’re going, and how on earth you’re going to get there.” 

The Browne brothers have been competing in cross-country ski races skiing with the Glacier Nordic Club for many years. 

While Ski orienteering does involve cross-country skiing, the orienteering part requires an athlete to utilize problem solving skills while knowing how much to push themselves physically. 

“Unlike a cross-country ski race, you don’t get to just settle into a groove and think about pushing your body to the limit,” Liam said of Ski-O races. “Instead, you are constantly reevaluating your strategy by gathering information as you fly through the woods as fast as you can.” 

He said variables like the condition of the trails, the “gnarly” qualities of the hills, and other competitors all come into play during a race. 

“It’s like playing chess while trail running,” he noted. 

No non-competitors are allowed on the course and, adding to the difficulty of the sport, the racers are not allowed to see the course before the race. 

The youth and junior divisions have a sprint, a medium, and a long race. The sprints usually take about 20 minutes, and the long race will most likely take about an hour or so.  

There's also a relay where a racer has a map, skis a while and taps off to a partner who has his own map and takes off, continuing to race. 

While the popularity of Ski-O is growing, it has not yet caught fire in the U.S., so the Brownes must get creative when it comes to training. 

“It’s a challenge, being in a unique sport like Ski-O, especially when it comes to training,” Euell said. “I’m really thankful for Glacier Nordic and having a team to train with.” 

Euell said Ski-O-specific training includes extra double pole workouts and practice studying maps. Liam added that a typical training session involves hours of roller-skiing or running and comparing notes on race strategy. 

“Most of the time we practice with Glacier Nordic as part of the Comp Team,” Liam said. “We also train on our own and are working on setting up trainings with former members of the U.S. Word Cup Ski-O team.” 

The U.S. Ski-O team headed to Sweden include three pairs of siblings: the Browne brothers, brothers Erik and Mark Fey who are on a team from Rochester, New York, and live in Norway, and a brother/sister duo, Espen and Caroline Chitty with the Grizzly Orienteering Club in Missoula. 

“I am excited to have more kids on the U.S. Ski-O team this year,” Euell said. 

The Grizzly Orienteering Club has seen a surge in interested athletes as the sport gains traction in Montana. Kara said it is one of the fastest growing orienting clubs in the nation and is producing some highly competitive racers.  

Foot orienteering, the hiking/running version of Ski-O, is becoming popular, too. When Missoula hosted a national ranking event in foot orienteering this spring, it attracted about 400 competitors from around the world. 

“Starting next spring, we're hoping to have a regular series of foot orienting events in the Flathead,” Kara said. “We will have a ski orienting event in March, if the snow cooperates.” 

THE U.S. JUNIOR Ski-O team is fundraising for their upcoming travel to Luleå, Sweden.  Donations help to cover the team's travel expenses, event registration, wax and Program Accelerate 2033, a campaign to encourage young athletes to enter the sport. 

The six young athletes are seeking pledges for each training kilometer covered by ski, roller ski, or foot during the month of December. Individual athletes receive pledges, and all money raised goes to the team fund.

The Browne brothers are ready to go. 

“I am super excited for this upcoming season and can’t wait to see what it has in store,” Liam said. “I feel incredibly blessed to be representing the United States in World Junior Championships this February.” 

“I am looking forward to Sweden!” Euell said. 

To donate to the team, visit Orienteering USA Junior Ski-a-thon!