That’s the challenge this week at the high school Alpine and Nordic skiing state meets at Giants Ridge in Biwabik. The three-day meet will begin with Alpine competition Tuesday, followed by Nordic racing Wednesday and Thursday. The Minnesota State High School League adjusted the Nordic schedule so that the individual pursuit will be Wednesday and the sprint relays Thursday.

Hill-Murray sophomore Taylor Voigt will be out to defend her girls individual title in the Alpine state meet. It won’t come easy: Voigt struggled to fourth place in the Section 4 meet under trying conditions at Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls. The Pioneers were also the defending team champion but didn’t qualify for state as a team.

Minnetonka senior Marisa Witte and Blake junior Vivien Pihlstrom finished second and third last year and will apply plenty of pressure to the favorite. Seniors Ella Dols of St. Cloud Area and Emily Gustafson of Mound Westonka, the fourth- and fifth-place finishers last year, could figure in the mix. The girls field is deep, with nine of the top 10 from last year in the field.

The boys will crown a new champion; medalist Josh Nelson of West Lutheran graduated last year. Seniors Cash Jaeger of Stillwater, Jackson Reents of Hastings and Ray Dressley of Cook County/Silver Bay head the field after finishing second through fourth last year. Six of last year’s top 10 are back in the field.

Two-time reigning team champion Minnetonka is favored to three-peat.

In Nordic, one Drevlow will be absent while another appears ready to burst onto the scene. Hopkins junior Sydney Drevlow, the state’s best girls skier and the 2022 pursuit state champion as a freshman, is attending a U.S. national team camp abroad and didn’t participate at the high school level this season. Her brother, freshman Logan, is ranked No. 3 among boys by Skinnyski.com.

Defending girls state champion Zoe Devine of Ely graduated, leaving a wide-open competition. Seniors won three of the top four spots and four of the first six last year. St. Paul Highland Park junior Hanna Koch, who finished fifth last season, is in the mix.

Duluth East is a heavy favorite to repeat as team champion, boasting two of the top seven finishers from a year ago in seniors Lydia Kraker and Rowan Bixler. Kraker was the runner-up to Devine and is ranked No. 2 behind Koch.

Keep an eye on seniors Nina Fedje of Minnetonka, Erica Kazin of Orono/Delano and Hanna Wilsey of St. Louis Park, junior Chloe Angerman of Minneapolis Washburn and freshman Linnea Ousdigian of Mounds View.

The boys also will produce a new medalist because the top three finishers from last season graduated. Seniors Tommy Simmonds of Prior Lake/New Prague and Daniel McCollor of Wayzata finished fourth and fifth a year ago and will make a run at the title. Duluth East is also the defending boys team champion.