Clubs & Teams

Other teams in the region include the CNISSF-league schools, such as Truckee High School, North Tahoe High School and Middle School, Alder Creek Middle School, Mammoth High and Middle Schools, South Lake Tahoe schools, Incline High School, Colfax and Nevada Union High Schools, and Tahoe Expedition Academy.

A USSA Club is affiliated with the US Ski Team promoting high level racing at local, National and International levels. USSA sanctioned clubs in Far West include Auburn Ski Club, Sugar Bowl Academy, Mammoth Skiing (part of ESNSA), and Unleashed Coaching.

Thinking of starting a club?

A couple of things to consider when starting a club:

• Insurance is your biggest hurdle to starting a club, and it can be expensive. Maybe one of your members has connections regarding pricing and researching this.
• Ski area connections: where will you ski, how much will it cost, and how many people will you have?
• Coaching licenses: what kind of licenses do your people have? Are they personal coaches, PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America), USSA (US Ski Association), etc.?

Far West Nordic is not a ski club — it is a division of USSA. It encompasses California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. Currently, only California has a thriving xc ski community. There are 10 divisions in the US that together, through coaches and activities, make up the whole of US Skiing. Within Far West there are currently only a couple of ski clubs.

One of those, Auburn Ski Club (ASC), on Donner Summit, is the 2nd oldest ski club in the US and an affiliate of Far West. It has numerous xc skiing programs and membership incentives. Perhaps your group would all like to join ASC for a season and check out what a top-rated ski club is all about before you proceed. Rates are reasonable and include a season trail pass to the ASC nordic trails. Go to www.auburnskiclub.org for more info.

Far West Nordic is dedicated to promoting xc skiing and racing in the division. They offer many camps and trips for Junior (age 13-19), Senior (age 20-29), and Master (age 30+) skiers. They promote xc racing within the division and host numerous xc ski races as fundraisers for the programs they support — your members may wish to race in events like the Tahoe Rim Tour, the Great Ski Race, and the California Gold Rush.

Far West also offers many one-day xc ski clinics throughout the year, taught by some of the best coaches in the country. You need to be a member of Far West to take these clinics.

Many Far West and Auburn Ski Club coaches are PSIA Instructors as well as coaches. Early every winter (first or second week of December) they hold a symposium locally in the Sierras that encourages new participants to take classes and clinics for personal development or ski club/resort benefits. Check out www.psia-w.org for info.

Both PSIA and USSA offer insurance for members of their respective programs; they do not offer group insurance. Neither Far West nor Auburn Ski Club have "chapters," but they will support and encourage new clubs, and have even offered "umbrella programs" to help folks get started.