Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard Club celebrates another year, implements changes to this season’s trips to Alyeska

The Mat-Su Ski and Snowboard Club (MSSSC) will be hosting weekend trips to Alyeska with Valley youth this winter. This long-standing club has provided young skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to connect with peers and share a common goal: hit the slopes and have fun.

“We continue to try to get as many kids as we can out and staying active in the winter time,” MSSSC President Jason Ortiz said.

The MSSSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes youth getting involved with winter sports. The club consists of volunteers that organize, plan and facilitate ski and snowboard experiences for registered youth aged 10-18.

Two club sessions were available this year, offering alternating weekend trips from Palmer to Alyeska. The cost this year is $325 and includes six trips to and from Alyeska, two paid ski or snowboard lessons and two tickets to Skeetawk in Hatcher Pass.

The first session starts on January 11 and the second session starts on January 25. Sessions will continue until April 19. Registration for both sessions filled quickly this year, in less than 10 minutes after opening according to Ortiz.

Each trip consists of three motorcoach buses filled with 150-165 youth and chaperones. Buses depart from Palmer at 8 a.m. and return the same day by 7 p.m. These trips make for long days for participants and many are tired from the exercise and the outside time, according to Ortiz.

One time rider spots are available to fill vacancies. If a registered member is not able to go on a scheduled weekend, a nonmember can sign up in their place. Registered members are required to verify their participation by Tuesday for their session’s trip to Alyeska the following Saturday. Vacancies will be announced on the MSSSC website starting on Wednesday. One time riders pay a $65 fee that covers transportation and a lift ticket for the day.

“It's a very great alternative to fill in those seats and help keep our prices low, because we're trying to take a full bus every time we go down,” Ortiz said.

The first trip of each session will require a mandatory training lesson with an instructor. A second lesson is optional on the following trip. Ortiz noticed a history of injuries and wanted to incorporate these lessons in the session price to address this issue.

“We've noticed an increased trend of kids getting hurt, and we really want to make that trend go down,” Ortiz said.

Funding from the Mat-Su Health Foundation helped keep registration prices low this year according to Ortiz. Partial and full scholarships were also available and made registration possible for members.

“This year we had some really cool scholarship stories,” Ortiz said. “We had one that was an exchange student that didn't have a lot of money, so that was really cool to be able to award an exchange student from out of country visiting Alaska a scholarship.”

New this year for MSSSC is their pickup location. In the past, buses picked up participants from the Carrs in Palmer and the Carrs in Wasilla. Participants this year will meet at Colony Middle School and all three buses will depart together. Ortiz said that the club may implement a fourth bus next year. This would open up opportunities for another 50-60 kids.

As the season progresses, spots on the bus may open up to allow for parent chaperones to attend. Parents are required to purchase their own lift ticket to accompany their child.

Youth that have graduated from the program return to say how much they enjoyed their time with the club, according to Ortiz. The kids build a sense of camaraderie with their peers and build lasting relationships.

“They create great memories,” Ortiz said. “They get cool opportunities to be out doing some fun stuff.”

The MSSSC will be looking for new board members to fill vacant seats. The club will be announcing how to apply for these positions in the following weeks.