NENSA News

Over the last eight years, NENSA’s Nordic Rocks program has introduced thousands of children in the Northeast to the joy of cross country skiing with their teachers and classmates, and shared the health and lifestyle benefits associated with exercise and outdoor fun.

Generously funded by the Share Winter Foundation and the Killington World Cup Foundation, the overarching goal of this program is to provide all children with an opportunity to ski.

Beyond a structured and fun introduction, another key aim of this program has always been to identify and facilitate connections between school programs and nearby youth programs in order to provide a pathway and the support necessary for ongoing participation in the sport. In Putney last week, thanks to the vision and energy of community members, a new Nordic Rocks program was launched and a partnership formed with the local club.

Last week, NENSA delivered a brand new set of Nordic Rocks skis and helped lead the first PE classes at a new Nordic Rocks programs in Putney, VT. An hour later, many children were back on skis in a nearby field at the local Bill Koch League practice.

Both club practice and PE class featured kids having fun on skis, trying a new activity, and expanding their skiing skills. Programming in Putney was inspired by a key volunteer with the vision and the interest in providing opportunities to all youth in the community at school and beyond.

A big thank you to the Share Winter Foundation and Killington World Cup Foundation for funding the Nordic Rocks program and helping us to share the joy of gliding on snow with thousands of children each year.

While we cannot accept any additional new Nordic Rocks schools for the 2023-24 season, our waitlist is open for the 2024-25 season:

We have an adventurous weekend ahead! Skiers from all over the Northeast are flocking to Craftsbury for the Marathon Festival. Women’s XC Ski Day – one of the season long highlights of NENSA’s non-competitive programming is on this weekend. An a real crowd pleaser – the Stratton Terrain Challenge will be thronged by BKL families and adult skiers wanting to experience some old school ski racing with a freestyle twist! Click on the blue links below for more details.

Stratton Terrain Challenge

Stratton Terrain Challenge returns for the third year at the Stratton Nordic Center as part of NENSA’s Popular Race calendar. With support from the Stratton Mountain School Nordic ski team, West River BKL and the Putney Ski Club, you can look forward to a fun and challenging “terrain challenge” freestyle race. There’ll be tight corners, swerving downhills, dips and loops, and plenty of ups and downs on a course that will keep your heart pumping. This grassroots event has a great festive atmosphere. It certainly one you want to make sure to experience! This event is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series.

Craftsbury Marathon Festival

The Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival includes two days of racing. Day one is classic technique, with day two in freestyle and the reverse direction of the classic course. There will be a 13.5km loop this year, with feeds at 2km/15km and 7km. Two or three laps on Saturday, two laps on Sunday. This weekend is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series and includes the second & third events in the NENSA Marathon Series. Be sure to gather family and friends to join you for this incredible weekend of long distance skiing and racing. REGISTRATION CLOSES THURSDAY AT 7:00PM

Women’s XC Ski Day

Women’s XC Ski Day is coming up this weekend at Inland Woods + Trails in Bethel, Maine. This very popular event is a huge gathering of women who enthusiastic Nordic sport in New England. The highlight of the day is learn-to-ski clinics with women instructors; the emphasis being on relaxed, fun learning in a supportive and encouraging environment. All ability, skill, and experience levels are welcome. In addition to this event being open to all women, we also encourage and support the participation of nonbinary people who are comfortable in a space that centers the experience of women. This event is part of NENSA’s Community Tours and Event Series. Please note that this year’s event registration had already reached capacity. Be sure to sign up early next year to guarantee your spot!

The snow gods, the Haydock’s, and the Rikert Outdoor Center made an exceptional event for well over 200 participants. This was the 35th edition of the Bogburn Classic, an event steeped in celebrating the roots of cross country skiing — and the second running of the event in Ripton. Traditionally held in Pomfret, Vermont on a single track, the event needed some new legs due to climate change — Rikert’s robust snowmaking system, and the Frost Mountain Ski Club have stepped up to carry on the legacy of this event.

The 2024 Bogburn was quite simply beautiful.

Sure there were plenty of fast skiers, some exceptional indeed — but the reunion of friends gathering to enjoy gliding on snow was much more the vibe.

Rikert created a splendid course that doubled back in itself several times in graceful arcs, making for an awesome skier experience. For a moment in time it was hard to think that many had traveled from snowless places.

And while there is no doubt it takes power of all sorts to create machine made snow, for another year it kept the Bogburn dream alive.

Results
NENSA Instagram

Who had the most fun — we did!

Andy Newell developed as a skier through NENSA programming, Prospect Mountain and the Stratton Mountain School. He went on to become a 4x Olympian and now shares his passion for sport though coaching the Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team as well as running Nordic Team Solutions. His impacts on American Skiing are widespread and perhaps the best part about Andy is his love of playing on skis.

One component of playing on skis happens to be cutting edge technique work.

Andy joined forty NENSA coaches last week, sharing insight into new ways to look at technique — and fielded questions from coaches of a wide background.

NENSA will be sharing an edited version of the NTS / NENSA Tech Talk shortly on our YouTube channel (make sure to like:) and Coaches Resource Page. We are thrilled to work with Mr. Newell and NTS and look forward to future collaborations. For anyone on the talk or some who might have missed it, make sure to say hello this weekend at the Lake Placid SuperTour / Eastern Cup.

#skiingbettertogether

Snow is falling all over New England, and our NENSA Nordic Rocks skis are enroute to their new homes in schools in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. This year, NENSA is thrilled to share that we are nearly doubling our program to include a total of 47 new and returning schools, and serving 6,090 children. Check out the below video that highlights the impact the NENSA Nordic Rocks program has on the schools that are enrolled.

We are especially excited to announce a fresh, all new injected-molded binding design for this year from Lost Nation R&D, for mounting on Madshus skis. Stay tuned, we will be sharing the thought behind the innovative design by Lost Nation R&D soon!

A big thank you to the Share Winter Foundation and Killington World Cup Foundation for funding this program and helping us get more children outside on skis.

While we cannot accept any additional new schools for the 2023-24 season, we can add you to our school waitlist for the 2024-25 season if your school is interested in joining the program.