Summer Training Starts!

With the turning of the calendar to June, the Prep and Comp nordic teams have started their preparations for the summer and the year ahead!  We have a few weeks of training under our belts and it has been awesome to see the energy and enthusiasm to get back to work ahead of the summer.  The past few weeks have seen many athletes participate in sessions with lots of ultimate frisbee, trail runs, core, strength, and both skate and classic rollerskiing.  Nordic training inherently includes multiple sports and this is the most fun time of the year to get back into it.  Many of the athletes on the team are wrapping up other spring sports including lacrosse, soccer, track and field, and biking, and we love to see all the athletes trying and succeeding at other sports outside of skiing.  We love to see kids mixing it up in the offseason and including other activities, our philosophy is that it is great to take mental and physical breaks from skiing.  

Earlier in May, we held our kick-off camp on Togwotee Pass and at home due to low snow around the region.  We typically start the season in Bend, Oregon with an on-snow camp at Mt. Bachelor but we had to cancel it due to paltry snowpack in the central Cascades.  We skied on the crust up on Togwotee pass two days out of the weekend which was a huge highlight.  Getting to ski in May is always special, particularly when it is right in our backyard.  We also did some fun trail runs up Munger Mountain and out to Hermitage Point in GTNP with a great crew of kids.  What a way to kick off the season right at home with both skiing and cross training - how lucky are we?

Looking forward to the summer, we are going to have an awesome schedule of training including tons of fun activities for all of the Prep/Comp athletes.  We are going to do many runs in the National Park and the mountains around Jackson, work on rollerskiing on the bike paths around the valley, play tons of games on foot and rollerskis, start to hit the gym with strength sessions, and mixing it up with swims and other fun activities throughout the entire summer!  I am already really stoked for summer training and getting into the swing of things with the entire crew including our middle school Juniors.  

Nordic Heritage and the JHSC Hall of Fame

Last week we celebrated the induction of the newest class of the JHSC Hall of Fame.  The 2026 class was very nordic-heavy included four predominantly nordic athletes; World Cup biathlete David Gieck, nordic athlete and founder of Skinny Skis Jeff Crabtree, athlete and national team coach Gordon Lange, and biathlete and huge supporter Rody Hagen.  In addition, longtime Trail Creek Ranch manager Muggs Schultz was also inducted for her contributions coaching and providing opportunities for generations of skiers at Trail Creek Ranch.  All of these people have given decades of their lives to JHSC and the entire Jackson Hole ski community stands on their shoulders.

It was very inspirational to hear from these inductees and celebrate the decades of nordic heritage in Jackson Hole.  The Club is truly a pillar of this community and the heritage of support for thousands of kids through the almost 90 years in existence is remarkable.  The present Nordic program is a product of uncounted hours of work and passion for the sport and for supporting kids in becoming well-rounded people and athletes.  Most current participants do not know that we had many World Cup and World Championship nordic skiers and biathletes in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s who grew up right here in the Jackson Hole valley.  In addition to world class athletes, we have had coaches who have given decades of their lives to the sport and to the community supporting youth.  These people helped lay the groundwork for the ski culture in Jackson Hole, and we are so lucky to be a part of JHSC and get the opportunity to continue the tradition they have started.  

Here are some inspirational quotes from the Hall of Fame inductees to get all of us fired up for the summer ahead!

"You learn what’s possible in Life. Nothing easy about skiing. It’s sets you up for life to work hard and dream big." ~ David Gieck

“Be a good person, work your ass off, and love ever my minute of it.” ~ Jeff Crabtree

"There’s a dream you want to be and the motivation to pursue that. The Ski Club is a platform and an opportunity to launch from. It’s a preview to life. It’s an easy thing to give back to this Club because it continues to support young people’s growth." 

~ Rody Hagen