Athlete Development Camps
NENSA supports a series of camps and clinics, primarily held during the summer, which serve to gather cohorts of our region’s developing competitive athletes. These opportunities not only showcase the unique community, training, and competitive ethos of New England skiing, but serve as crucial educational and peer collaboration opportunities for our athletes and coaches.
2026 Camp Dates
- USSS Regional Elite Group (REG) | June 27 – July 1, 2026 | Green Mountain Valley School, VT
- NENSA Regional Development Group (RDG) | July 5 – 7, 2026 | Craftsbury Outdoor Center, VT
- USSS National U16 Camp | July 27 – August 2, 2026 | Paul Smith’s College, NY
2026 Camp Nominations Lists
Updated: 3/26/26
Regional Elite Group (REG) Camp
Held annually each summer, the Regional Elite Group (REG) Program is a US Ski and Snowboard (USSS) and National Nordic Foundation (NNF) sponsored program which introduces promising skiers to a regional network of peer skiers and coaches via a structured training environment modeled after US Ski Team Training Camps. Eastern REG organized and administered by NENSA for the USSS Eastern Region, including Mid-Atlantic and New England skiers.
Members of the REG are invited to REG Camp during summer each year. REG Camp serves 3 overlapping purposes. 1) Provide a fun, structured training block for peer athletes from across the East, 2) Facilitate regional collaboration between skiers and coaches on training and technique, and 3) Serve as a featured competitive opportunity stressing regional performance goals.
Eastern REG is targeted to serve junior skiers between the ages of 15-19 years of age according to their USSS Age Group, U18s and U20s.
To learn more about what REG is like, read the 2025 recap here.
REG REgistration form & camp deposit
Athletes should fill out acceptance form and pay camp deposit of $300 by Wed. June 3rd, 2026.
Adopted by NENSA Athlete Development Committee: Spring 2025.
Eligible Skiers are as follows: athletes who competed as a U20, 1st or 2nd year U18, or 2nd year U16 in the prior season: 2025-26 for 2026 Eastern REG. 2nd year U20s are eligible if they competed at Junior Nationals (JNs) for an Eastern Region team in the prior season or meet pre-qualification standards.
Eastern affiliation: Eligible Skiers must have skied as USSS Eastern Region members during the prior season in either the Mid-Atlantic or New England Division. Skiers who have opted to participate in their last US Junior National Ski Championships (JNs) for a division outside of the Eastern Region, either in the prior season or in prior seasons before last, forfeit their Eastern affiliation for REG selection via 2) quota qualification.
No athlete who competed as a first year U16 or younger shall be eligible to attend under any circumstances.
2nd year U16s will only be considered for REG selection if they qualify via 1) Quota Pre-Qualification.
Selection Criteria Proceeds 1, 2, 3 until the ADC-defined quota of skiers has been filled.
1) Non-Quota Pre-Qualification through Automatic Qualifying Standards.
Eligible skiers which meet the following criteria shall be named to REG with first priority, and shall not fill a quota-defined spot as outlined in qualifying criteria 2. All automatic qualifying standards are defined for the previous season – 2025-26 for 2026 Eastern REG.
- Qualifiers for the NCAA Championships.
- Qualifiers for USSS Development Programs: Youth Olympic Games, World Junior Championships, and U18 Nordic Nations’ Cup Trip.
- U18 or U20 Individual National Champions at Junior Nationals. U16 Individual Podiumists (Top 3) at Junior Nationals.
2nd year U16 athletes may qualify for REG only by qualifying via this non-quota pre-qualification criteria.
2) Quota Qualification via Objective NRL and JNs Criteria – 20 Boys, 20 Girls.
REG selection via quota qualification shall take place via a REG Points List, which shall be created as such:
- Eliminating skiers from rankings who have already qualified via selection criteria 1.
- Creation of REG Points List – 1) Combined Scored National Ranking List (NRL) + 2) Best 2 or 3 JNs Races.
- All scored via the “old” World Cup scoring scale, see scale below.
- National Ranking List (NRL) – The top 30 athletes in the 3 Years of Birth eligible shall be ranked from the first USSS NRL points list released after Junior Nationals. Each athlete shall be assigned the corresponding amount of points from the old World Cup scoring scale.
- Best 2 of 3 JNs Races – A list of only Eastern athletes in the 3 Years of Birth eligible shall be ranked from the individual start distance, sprint qualifier, and mass start distance races at JNs. Earth athletes shall be assigned the corresponding amount of points from the old World Cup scoring scale for each finish.
- For Mass Start Distance Race – Combined U18 and U20 list will be created from NRL points earned for the race.
- REG Points List = NRL Rank + JNs Races Rank
- Selection shall proceed through the top 20 of each gender. If a tie exists for the 20th ranked athlete, both ranked athletes shall be invited. If an athlete declines their spot and the accepted roster of quota skiers is below 15 skiers in the skier’s gender, the next skier on the REG points list is named. If an athlete declines their spot and the accepted roster of quota skiers is above 15 skiers in the skier’s gender, another skier is not named. The next 3 U18 skiers in either gender above the accepted camp roster on the REG Points list are named to NENSA’s Regional Development Camp (RDG).
3) Quota Qualification via Discretion from NENSA ADC or Mid-Atlantic Committee
New England athletes – NENSA’s Athlete Development Committee (the ADC) is responsible for setting the guidelines and philosophies for skier development in New England. The ADC is composed of a robust set of experienced Junior and Collegiate Coaches from across New England. Under its purview, the ADC may advise and direct NENSA’s Competitive Program Director to extend discretionary selection to the REG for skiers who have otherwise not met the qualification standards outlined in Selection Criteria Sections 1 or 2.
The ADC reserves the right to exercise discretion in all circumstances., though it is rarely used.
Mid-Atlantic Athletes – In order to ensure representation at Eastern Regional programming from both Eastern divisions, the Mid-Atlantic Committee and NENSA have developed additional selection criteria for Mid-Atlantic skiers.
If two or more athletes of the same gender qualify through the above objective criteria, Mid-Atlantic does not receive an additional discretionary selections for that gender.
If fewer than two athletes of the same gender qualify, Mid-Atlantic receives up to two additional discretionary selections per gender. These discretionary picks are made and selected by the Mid-Atlantic Committee, who will direct NENSA’s Competitive Program Director to extend an invitation to REG.
Old World Cup Scoring System Scale:
Regional Development Group (RDG) Camp
Held annually each summer, regional Development Group Camp (RDG) is a NENSA-run program which introduces promising skiers to a regional network of peers and coaches through a structured training environment. Regional Development Camp is designed to be a regional training camp opportunity for skiers engaging in multiple different developmental pathways, with a base of skiers drawn from top performers at NENSA Eastern High School Championships, NENSA Eastern U16 Championships, and USSS Junior Nationals.
RDG is designed to cater to skiers from Ages 14-17 in their USSS Age Group, U16s and U18s. Eligible skiers are those that qualify from the following criteria.
To learn more about what RDG is like, read the 2025 recap here.
RDG REgistration form & camp deposit
Athletes should fill out acceptance form and pay camp deposit of $300 by Wed. June 3rd, 2026.
NENSA Member Club Camps
Over time, member NENSA clubs have developed their own programming which often stress the same values towards fun, collaboration, and competition as NENSA’s invitational camps (REG & RDG). Many of these opportunities are available to the wider ski community, and we consistently update these offerings on the NENSA Calendar.
We encourage athletes to take advantage of these fantastic opportunities – NENSA staff is often present at part or all of these camps.
Longstanding Club-led Offerings Include:
- Stratton Mountain School Summer Camp – Held annually in August.
- Green Mountain Valley School Summer Camp – Held annually at the end of July/early August.
- Maine Elite Team Camp – Held for Maine skiers in June each year.
National Camps
U.S. Ski & Snowboard creates development opportunities throughout the summer and fall.
These include:
- US Ski & Snowboard National U16 Invitational Camp
- National Development Group Camp (NDG)
More info about these camps and the selection criteria can be found at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Eastern athletes who qualify for these opportunities will be notified by USSS and/or NENSA’s Competitive Program Director.
For more information on any of these camps and trips contact Ben Theyerl.
