NENSA

The 24th edition of NENSA Women’s XC Ski Day has come and gone, and what a fantastic event it was! We are very thankful to the Woodstock Nordic Center for hosting the event in Woodstock, Vermont this year as well as welcoming 200 participants, 20 instructors, NENSA staff members, and some of our wonderful Women-led sponsors for a day on their trails. We also want to thank the NENSA Women’s Committee for their continued support to pull off this event every year.

For those who are not familiar or have not attended a Women’s Day event in the past: Women’s XC Ski Day was started in 2002 by Olympian Trina Hosmer of Stowe, VT. Trina was inspired by her “Sisters in Skiing” in Anchorage, Alaska, who started the Alaska Ski for Women in 1997. Like the Alaskans’ original event, Women’s XC Ski Day chooses a non-profit women’s organization to benefit and gathers as many participants as it can for a day of cross country skiing which includes lunch and a raffle. 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.

This year, there were 9 different clinic offerings for both classic and skate technique, based on the ability level and experience of clinic attendees. For some, there were also guided group tours offered. Year after year, we are deeply grateful for our dedicated clinic instructors who generously volunteer their time to attend this event, sharing their expertise and passion for the sport with others.

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After the morning clinics wrapped up, participants gathered at the Nordic Center for a delicious lunch and an inspiring presentation by professional cyclist and mother of two, Laura King. Laura first attended Women’s Day with Paradis Sport, one of our women-led businesses, and returned this year to share her journey. She spoke about the power of striving to challenge yourself and ultimately achieving your goals. It was a perfect reminder at the halfway point of Women’s Day, where women from across New England come together to enhance their cross-country skiing skills, no matter their experience level.

In the afternoon, participants went back out onto the trails and had the opportunity to keep working on new skills, try a new skill out, or participate in a guided tour. The concluding activity of the day was fundraising and event raffles. The Women’s XC Ski Day benefit organization for 2025 was WISE. Since 1971, WISE has provided crisis advocacy and support for people and communities affected by domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and trafficking within 23 towns of the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont. WISE has a rich history of supporting survivors through its interconnected programs: Advocacy, Community Education, Youth Violence Prevention, Forensic Interviewing, and Immigration and Family Law Services. WISE is committed to engaging everyone in learning to recognize and eliminate the root causes of violence. This year, we raffled of a one-night stay at the Woodstock Inn and a trail pass for the Nordic Center. Thank you again for the Woodstock Inn and Resort for putting this donation together.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of our sponsors, whose generosity makes this programming possible. A special thank you to Fischer, Salomon, Rossignol, Skida, Bivo, BirdieBlue, Paradis Sport, Hootie Hoo, and Ciclismo Classico for joining us in person and providing participants with the opportunity to demo or purchase their products.

And finally- thank you to all who joined us for this year’s event – we hope to see you next year. As it will be the 25^th annual Women’s XC Ski Day, we are planning some extra special features!