Becca Rorabaugh of the APU Nordic Ski Center was the first American finisher on Thursday at the U-23 Championship in Hinterzarten, Germany.
Rorabaugh, a Fairbanks native, was 24th as several inches of fresh snow slowed skiers.
Kerttu Niskanen of Finland won the 10-kilometer classic race in 29:36. Rorabaugh finished in 31:58.
Pat Casey, the head coach of the American U-23 team, said the hilly course and trying conditions "magnify any sort of vulnerability.
APU Skier, Kate Fitzgerald, finished 38th in 33:11.