New England Nordic Ski Association

The Home of Cross Country Skiing in New England

Mackenzie Rizio

The Cross Country Ski Experience: Snowbound Expo 2024

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This past weekend, NENSA was thrilled to attend the Snowbound Expo for the third year in a row. The expo continues to serve as a vibrant hub for winter and outdoor sports, bringing together enthusiasts, businesses, and organizations from across the industry under one roof. The energy and excitement around snowsports were inspiring, and we loved connecting with some of our incredible partners, sponsors, and collaborators at the event, including Fischer Nordic, EMXC Skiing, CCSAA, BirdieBlue, Skida, Hootie Hoo, and Bivo.

Once again, we teamed up with the fantastic volunteers from EMXC Youth and EMXC Juniors to introduce expo attendees of all ages to rollerskiing at the Cross Country Ski Experience Booth. It was so exciting to see so many people trying the summer version of cross-country skiing for the first time and learning about the many NENSA clubs and events available near them this winter!

The Story Behind NENSA’s 2025 Season Artwork

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NENSA’s 2025 Season Artwork by Gracie Rizio

Since the fall of 2023, NENSA’s tagline has been #SkiingBetterTogether. While the message is straightforward—skiing with others—what does this mean to us at NENSA?

We believe that the greatest catalysts for improvement and personal growth are not solitary; success is richer when shared with friends, teammates, and the community. Our 2025 Season artwork was inspired by this very idea.

The scene is set in early March 2024, at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, NY. The U20 Men’s 15km classic mass start race is about to begin, and it’s one of the final starts of the day. The conditions? “Slop” doesn’t even begin to describe it. Just over 45 minutes later, four New England skiers were celebrating a 1-4 podium sweep. This achievement was especially meaningful, as these athletes have been longtime friends and training partners.

The teal figures in our artwork are inspired by images of each skier during that race. They all met through NENSA programming, and over the years, they’ve trained and competed together at various events and camps. This shared journey is a perfect example of how NENSA programming supports the development of skiers throughout New England.

All four skiers began their careers in the Bill Koch League (BKL) and have progressed through our programs over the years.

A core tenet of our BKL philosophy is to inspire a lifelong love of cross-country skiing in children throughout New England. In the artwork, the four navy-colored BKL-aged figures cast in shadow are their younger selves—the version of them that first fell in love with the sport. Our hope is that no matter their age, skiers carry with them the magic, joy, and camaraderie they experienced as kids at Bill Koch practices, where laughter and play were paramount. Success naturally follows and is even sweeter when it happens together.

Skiing is much better when our NENSA community comes together. The 2025 Season is upon us, and we expect it to be the best one yet.

2024 BKL Parent-Leaders Symposium Recap

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On Sunday, a group of forty Bill Koch Youth Ski League Parent-Leaders, coaches, and community members gathered at the Holderness school for a day of education, connection and inspiration for the season to come. #LearningBetterTogether

We had a full day’s worth of time to connect and share experiences. Topics on the agenda included our NENSA Bill Koch League Philosophy and NENSA Resources for Youth Coaches from NENSA’s Mackenzie Rizio, The Beaver Dam System for Club Development led by NENSA’s Isabel Caldwell,  an update on Norwegian Youth Skiing culture from Tricia Groff of Ford Sayre, Making Practices Fun even with low or no snow from Sarah Holton and Heiner Baumann of EMXC, a technique session which covered some progressions and tips and tricks for introducing new ideas by Liz Hollenbach, of MNC, an adventure approach to creating a positive BKL Team Culture led by Jamie Hannon, and a discussion on group management for BKL clubs led by Chris City of Patient Leadership.

All of the attendee’s presence, enthusiasm, and commitment to fostering the next generation of Nordic skiers made this event an unforgettable experience. Above, the Northeast Vermont district representatives discuss group managment.

Jamie Hannon, of the Holderness Ski Club runs the Mousetrap exercise with a group of brave and adventurous volunteers. The small middle circle represents the comfortable zone for young skiers, and as they move out into the larger circle, the (SET!) mousetraps are representative of all of the social risks a skier may feel just by coming to practice. The goal is to get skiers out of their comfort zone so that they may develop skill and have fun, all while minimizing the social risks they may feel by promoting a strong team culture.

It was inspiring to witness such a collaborative spirit, as the group came together to share experiences, exchange ideas, and discuss the challenges we all face in building a stronger, more vibrant BKL community. Above, the Southern/Central New Hampshire district coaches brainstorm solutions to everyday group management challenges that youth coaches feel and work to combat.

We are grateful for all of the coaches that invest their time, energy, and dedication to the BKL program. We are truly fortunate to have such a passionate and supportive group of leaders, and we hope to see everyone out on the trails this winter!

New for 2025 Season – NENSA & Jakroo Youth Apparel Program!

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New for the 2024-2025 Season: NENSA and new-sponsor, Jakroo, are teaming up to offer the BKL Apparel program this year! Items available include training jackets, training pants, hats, warm puffy coats, and more for BKL skiers, coaches, and leaders. Team clothing is more than simply pieces of clothing used to ski in. When young skiers don their uniforms, it creates a sense of camaraderie, pride and belonging in one’s club which in turn helps both clubs and individual skiers develop together.

If your club is interested, please email Patrice Spyrka at patrice@jakroousa.com for account setup, product choice questions, and design assistance. Design turnaround is 1 business day. Once the artwork is approved, the order can be placed. Delivery of the order is 2 weeks to your doorstep. Team ordering is available and there are no minimums, ever. We’ve created this webpage to address your questions. We look forward to seeing you in your Jakroo this winter! 

BKL Apparel program details

NENSA Awarded a 2024/25 Share Winter Foundation Grant

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NENSA is thrilled and honored to be a 2024/25 Share Winter Foundation Grantee. The Share Winter Foundation is a grantmaking organization dedicated to improving the lives, health, and fitness of youth through winter sports. Their generous support continues to fund our Nordic Rocks program. In addition to their grant contribution, they are also providing new equipment for our Nordic Rocks schools this year through Madshus and Lost Nation R&D. This includes a novel binding design engineered to be compatible with everyday footwear and mounted on a universal touring ski.

We are grateful to collaborate with an organization whose mission aligns so closely with our goal of introducing young people to the lifelong sport of cross-country skiing, along with its many health, fitness, and social benefits, all in a fun, inclusive, and safe environment. Read on below to learn more about our Nordic Rocks program.

Nordic Rocks offers elementary school students the chance to experience cross-country skiing during the school day with their teachers and classmates, while learning about the health and lifestyle benefits associated with exercise and outdoor fun. NENSA assists each participating Nordic Rocks school with ski curriculum, resources, teaching support, and equipment acquisition. The goal of Nordic Rocks is not only to introduce more young people to skiing by removing potential barriers to entry, but also to provide a pathway for students to continue skiing at local ski centers and within local youth ski leagues. We aim to support our Nordic Rocks program participants in becoming lifelong skiers!

NENSA is truly grateful for Share Winter’s support, which enables us to continue offering opportunities for young people to appreciate the many joys of cross-country skiing. We would also like to thank the Killington World Cup Foundation for their ongoing support of Nordic Rocks. We still have capacity to add a few more schools this season, please reach out to mackenzie@nensa.net to learn more or see our interest form here.