This criteria was updated November 25th, 2025.
NENSA Definitions: Age Group and Club Affiliation
NENSA Membership provides the basis for NENSA’s community race series – Zak, Marathon, and Club Cup – allowing skiers of all ages and abilities to build community, track their progress, and challenge themselves throughout the winter.
Join | Renew NENSA Membership HERE
For all NENSA community race series, NENSA utilizes age groups and club affiliations. These are generally defined in accordance with US Ski and Snowboard’s current competition guide, with exceptions defined where NENSA has implemented different policies based on the New England ski community’s values (expressed through NENSA’s Committees).
Age Groups
Masters age groups are as follows:
| SR ages 20-29 | M1 ages 30-34 | M2 ages 35-39 | M3 ages 40-44 |
| M4 ages 45-49 | M5 ages 50-54 | M6 ages 55-59 | M7 ages 60-64 |
| M8 ages 65-69 | M9 ages 70-74 | M10 ages 75-79 | M11 ages 80-84 |
| M12 ages 85-89 | M13 ages 90-94 | M14 ages 95-99 | M15 ages 100+ |
Race Age – Which Age Group am I?
- Race Age: Your race age is your “USSS” age, meaning your age on December 31, 2025 is your age for the season!
- Example: A racer, Ben, is turning 30 years old on January 18th, 2026. Because they will still be 29 on Dec. 31st, 2025, they are 29 for the entire season. They will be scored as a Senior for the Zak Cup this season, not an M1.
Club Affiliation
NENSA clubs form the basis for ongoing community by implementing local programming for skiers of all ages and abilities.
Join | Renew NENSA Club Membership HERE
NENSA Clubs with active membership are eligible to score in the Club Cup and enter the NENSA Club Relay Championships.
- “Active Membership” – NENSA Club & Team Membership is renewed for the current season. NENSA Membership terms run 5/1-4/30 annually (Current: May 1st, 2025-April 30th, 2026).
- Individuals may affiliate with a non-active Club, but will not score for the NENSA Club unless the Club holds an active membership.
- NENSA Club Membership Deadline: NENSA Clubs wishing to score for the entirety of the Club Cup season must have their membership active by the first community race of the season, usually by December 1st. There is no deadline for active NENSA Club Membership, however, clubs who are not active at the time of race registration will not retroactively receive scoring for a race.
Skier Club Affiliation
- NENSA members may affiliate with a NENSA member club.
- NENSA members choose their affiliation for the Membership year at time of membership join/renewal.
- An Individual can only represent one Club within a Membership year.
- Individuals may affiliate with a non-active Club, but will not score for the NENSA Club unless the Club holds an active membership.
- College Clubs: Individuals who are members of a college club, and are within their seasons of collegiate eligibility, may represent their college club and one other club within a season. They may change their affiliation between those two clubs on an event by-event basis.
Zak Cup Points and Scoring
NENSA Membership: You must have an active NENSA Membership at time of your Zak Cup race to be scored for the Zak Cup.
Active membership is required at the time of race registration and membership will not be applied retroactively for scoring in events.
Zak Cup racers are responsible for keeping their NENSA Member profile current for the following:
- Age Group
- Current Club
- Contact Information
Join | Renew NENSA Membership HERE
Zak Cup Scoring Rules:
ALL Senior and Masters classes: Best 3 finishes across the season.
- ‘Best’ refers to the the highest scoring placement. 1st place is ‘best.’
- Scoring of Zak Cup points, both overall and within NENSA age classes, follows a modified World Cup system according to the table below*.
- Age-Group Tiebreaker: In the event two skiers are tied for Best Zak Cup age group ranking, the age group is awarded to the skier who has the best overall Zak Cup points. If both skiers have the same number of overall Zak Club points, the best individual race placement in the overall Zak Cup is the tiebreaker. If the best individual race placement for both skiers is 1st place, then both Zak Cup racers will be awarded.
- Age-based Marathon scoring for M7+: Select marathons (bolded below) will be scored for overall Zak in both age appropriate distances.
- If an M7+ does the longer race and they are in the points – they score. M6 and under do not score in the shorter distances.
Zak Cup Awards
The winner of each Zak Cup Age Group will be recognized by NENSA at the conclusion of the season. NENSA will include recognition in season-end recaps. In addition, NENSA makes an annual effort to secure a sponsorship-based award, which may include a commemorative item. Awards are given out at the last Zak Cup event of the season: in 2026, NENSA Club Relays on March 28th, 2026.
In the event a Zak Cup award winner cannot attend the posted event, NENSA will work with a Subcommittee of the Masters Committee to facilitate award distribution.
*Zak Cup Modified World Cup Scoring Table (Both Overall and Within Age Group Classes)
| Place | Points |
| 1st | 25 |
| 2nd | 20 |
| 3rd | 15 |
| 4th | 12 |
| 5th | 11 |
| 6th | 10 |
| 7th | 9 |
| 8th | 8 |
| 9th | 7 |
| 10th | 6 |
| 11th | 5 |
| 12th | 4 |
| 13th | 3 |
| 14th | 2 |
| 15th | 1 |
| 16th and above | 0 |
Marathon Series Challenger Award
NENSA Membership: You must have an active NENSA Membership at time of your Marathon Series race to be scored towards the Marathon Series Challenger Award.
Active membership is required at the time of race registration and membership will not be applied retroactively for scoring in events.
Join | Renew NENSA Membership HERE
Marathon Series Challenger Award
Marathon Challenger Award Definition: All NENSA Members who complete 3 events in the Marathon Series will be recognized by NENSA as Marathon Challengers.
NENSA will include recognition in season-end recaps. In addition, NENSA makes an annual effort to secure a sponsorship-based award, which may include a commemorative item. Awards are given out at the last Zak Cup event of the season: in 2026, NENSA Club Relays on March 28th, 2026.
In the event a Marathon Challenger award winner cannot attend the posted event, NENSA will work with a Subcommittee of the Masters Committee to facilitate award distribution.
Series Definition: At present, NENSA designates all Zak Cup races of 25k or more as eligible towards scoring for the Marathon Series.
NENSA recognizes ‘Challengers’ as participants who complete 3 events in the Marathon Series. The Challenger Award is based on participation only, independent of scoring in other race series,’ rankings, time, place, or age.
Age-based Marathon scoring for M7+: For M7+, both full-distance and half-distance marathons will count towards their scoring for the Challenger award.
- M6 and under do not score towards the Challenger award in shorter distance.
Low Snow Contingency
In the event a full-length marathon is reduced in length due to low-snow, scoring for the Challenger award will occur for the promoted full-length distance by the race organizer. This will be the case even if the full length race is shorter than the 25k threshold established as the distance for the Marathon Series. The full-length marathon may be combined with the half-distance marathon at the discretion of the race director.
Example: A two-loop 30km full-length marathon is reduced to a 15km one-loop due to lean snow and potential exposure. Everybody registered does one loop. Skiers registered for the promoted 30km who complete the 15km would score towards the Challenger award. M7+ who were originally registered for the promoted full-length 30km OR 15km half-distance option would also score for the Challenger award.
Club Cup Points and Scoring
NENSA Club Membership: You must have an active NENSA Membership at time of your Club Cup race to be scored for the Club Cup.
Active membership is required at the time of race registration and membership will not be applied retroactively for scoring in events.
Club Cup racers are responsible for keeping their NENSA Member Profile current with the current club they wish to represent at NENSA events. If a member switches clubs mid-season, points will not be awarded retroactively.
NENSA Members must keep the following current:
- Age Group
- Current Club
- Contact Information
Join | Renew NENSA Membership HERE
NENSA Club Membership – NENSA Clubs must be have an active NENSA Club membership at time of race registration and membership is not applied retroactively for scoring members at events.
Club Cup Rules:
- Series Definition DRAFT: Open timed community events designated on the NENSA season calendar will be scored for the club cup races.
- A selection of Eastern Cup races will also be scored. The NENSA Masters Committee has designated the following races for the 2025-26 season:
- 12/21/25 – Cheri Walsh Memorial at Holderness, NH – 10 k/5 k Classic Ind. Start.
- 1/17/26 – Roy Varney Memorial at Quarry Road, ME – 7.5k Ind. Start Skate.
- 1/18/26 – Roy Varney Memorial at Quarry Road, ME – 10k/5 k Classic Mass Start.
- 2/14/26 – Oak Hill, NH 7.5 k Classic Ind. Start
- At these events, the sanctioned race will be scored for the Club Cup. NENSA Introductory races are not scored to the Club Cup.
- Skiers are responsible for keeping their NENSA Club current in their Membership profile. See above.
- Scoring:
- Up to 3 skiers from a club score in each category. Skiers after this displace points from skiers behind, rather than scoring direct points (i.e. if you’re 4th from a club and you earned 6 points for your finish place, you keep the points, the finisher behind you only gets 5, even if they count to their club’s 3-person scoring total).
- Winners score 60 points per category. Each place is worth a point: 1 – 60, 2 – 59, 3 – 58…
- Junior event categories, as recognized by US Ski and Snowboard: U16, and a combined U18/U20 age groups, will also be scored in Club Standings at NENSA Community Races. If a U14 skis in the U16 category, they will score in that event.
Protest Period for Zak, Marathon, and Club Cup Rankings
Unofficial rankings for Zak, Marathon, and Club Cup in a Monday-Sunday weekly scoring period are updated by 12pm Tuesday and linked on the NENSA Rankings Page HERE. A 48 hour protest period exists before rankings become Official at 12pm Thursday. No modification will be made to rankings after protest period.
Protests are lodged to NENSA by emailing both ben@nensa.net and steve@nensa.net, to reach Ben Theyerl, Competitive Program Director, and Steve Bruner, Operations and Programs Director.
One Day State Championships (at the White Mountain Classic)
The One Day State Championships are administered by the NENSA Masters Committee at the White Mountain Classic in Jackson, NH. See the season calendar to determine when the One Day State Championships are held.
Competition Rules:
- Minimum team size is 7, any combination of Men and Women allowed.
- Skiers receive points based on their age group placement (i.e. 1st = one point, 2nd = two points, etc.).
- No upper limit on team size.
- State Team is determined by residence as given on SkiReg or other registration form.
- Scoring age groups are Senior and older age categories. All Masters classes will be scored (M1-M15) according to the table posted above.
- The NENSA Masters Committee will do the final team scoring.
- Scoring will be based on best 7 place finishers within the age classes scored. Ties broken by best 8th place finish.
- The State Team will be announced at the Luncheon as close to 1 PM as possible. The winners will receive a custom certificate designed by the youth that the event supports. The certificates are mailed after the event.
- The NENSA scoring committee reserves the right to delay awards in event of race timing or other scoring problems.
One Day Club Championships (at the White Mountain Classic)
Competition Rules:
- Minimum team size is 4 Men or 3 Women (genders awarded separately).
- Skiers receive points based on their age group placement (i.e. 1st = one point, 2nd = two points, etc.).
- No upper limit on team size.
- Only Active NENSA Member Clubs are eligible for scoring.
- Club as presented at time of registration with NENSA Member Club.
- Scoring age groups are Senior and older age categories. All Masters classes will be scored (M1-M15) according to the table posted above.
- The NENSA Masters Committee will do the final team scoring.
- Scoring will be based on best 3 (female) or 4 (male) place finishers within the age classes scored. Ties broken by best 4th (women) or 5th (men) place finish.
- The Club Plaques will be presented at the Luncheon as close to 1 PM as possible.
- The NENSA scoring committee reserves the right to delay awards in event of race timing or other scoring problems.
NOTE: The One Day Mountain Championships are not administered or scored by NENSA Staff. Questions and discrepancies must be reported to the NENSA Master’s Committee, who will be on-site at these Championships.
*Currently Being Updated for 2026* New England Club Relay Championships
*NOTE: The following criteria are being updated in concert with organizers at Craftsbury for the 2026 NENSA Club Relay Championships on Sat. March 28th, 2026.
Updates will be made to reflect the organizer’s capacities to facilitate expanded age groups as we get closer to the event.*
- The New England Club Relay Championships will be scored for Club Cup points in each of the six age group categories:
- women combined age under 100
- women combined age over 100
- men combined age under 100
- men combined age over 100
- mixed combined age under 100
- mixed combined age over 100
- Teams will be scored as follows: 240 for 1st (60×4), 236 for 2nd (59×4), 232 for 3rd (58×4), 228/4th, 224/5th, 220, 216, etc (decreasing by 4 points per place)…
- Skier affiliation is based on the honor system at registration.
- Each club can score two teams per age category and points will be added to each club’s total points.
- Only current NENSA club teams will be scored and non-NENSA club teams will not displace in scoring.
- Mixed Club teams are allowed and will be split proportionately.
- Protest should be addressed to Ben Theyerl within seven days of posted results.
Zak and Marathon Series 2025-26 Schedule
The NENSA Masters Committee Approved the 2025-26 season on 10/20/25. The following spreadsheet contains included Series for NENSA Community Events under the “Type” column.
