Registration opens soon for the Valley’s popular junior Nordic ski program

It’s become one of the Valley’s most popular youth programs and among the hardest for which to snag a spot: Mat-Su Ski Club’s Junior Nordics. Annually providing low-cost cross-country ski lessons to hundreds of Valley youth, the volunteer-coached program can fill in minutes after registration opens each September.

That means parents who hope to register their children ages 5 to 16 for the 2023 lesson season should mark their calendars now. Registration will begin Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. for families who enrolled last year, with remaining slots opening Sept. 14 at 9 a.m. for those who did not.

The club has spots for a total of 480 children across three lesson slots, said Marla Jakab, the club’s administrator. The hour-long lessons are held Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m.; or Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m. Registration is $100 per child for two months of classes, plus $75 per family for club membership. Free ski rental is also available from the club, while ski boot rentals are available via Backcountry Bike and Ski for a fee.

Jakab said they know interest in the program among new families is much higher than the number of registration spots likely available, and they’d like to expand. But to do so, she said, they need more help — and more equipment.

“The only way to grow the program is to increase the coach numbers and also the ski equipment numbers, which is slow — it’s a slow process,” she said.

Each year the club adds skis to their gear closet, she said. But skis and poles are expensive and not always easy to come by thanks to recent supply chain problems.

“We buy a little bit more each year. And then we put it into the general population of ski and poles, and at the end of every season we kind of take a stock and see what we need to order,” she said.

Sourcing more volunteer coaches is its own type of supply chain problem, Jakab said. Long-time volunteers phase out as their own children graduate or move on, and newer adult skiers may think they don’t have strong enough skill to coach.

But because there’s a need for coaches at all levels, including very beginner, and a need for additional adults to ski with the groups acting as sweep so no student gets literally left behind, the club is eager for adults of any experience level to volunteer, she said. And to make coaching feel less intimidating, the club is also offering free coaching clinics and pre-formatted lesson plans.

“This year, we’re going to have four, and then also guidelines and instructional information, and lesson plans that give you what you need,” she said. “You don’t have to come in with any experience. If you want to be a coach, we’re going to teach you what to do, we’re going to show you what to do, and we’re going to lead by example. You don’t have to be afraid of basically showing up and not knowing what to do.”

The club also offers popular adult ski lessons for both classic and skate styles, with registration opening for those later this year on a date yet to be announced, but likely in early December.

Club volunteers also groom ski trails around the Valley’s core area, including the trails at Independence Mine and Archangel in Hatcher Pass; the Moose Range; Government Peak Recreation Area.

That work starts as soon as the snow is deep enough, and lasts until it’s gone. Over the 2021 to 2022 season, for example, grooming at Independence Mine started in early October and ended in mid-May.

The club will host their annual fall meeting and information social at Government Peak Recreation Area chalet October 15 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., according to the club’s website.