JHSC Club and Community Nordic Update
Happenings of the JHSC Nordic Program, Trail Creek Nordic Center, and local Nordic Community
Welcome to the 2024-25 December Edition of “What’s Going On!”
Thanks for reading the December edition of the Nordic News. This monthly post covers the happenings of the JHSC Nordic program, what is going on at Trail Creek Nordic Center, and items of interest to the larger Nordic skiing community.
If you are new to the area, Welcome! Recognizing that it can be a little confusing understanding all that is happening with the JHSC Nordic Program and Trail Creek, this newsletter will attempt to add some clarification. First off, here are the JHSC Nordic Programs and seasons:
- Lollipoppers Grades K-1 January 6-March 19, 2025
- Teewinots Grades 2-3 January 6-March 20, 2025 (December 3-19 option)
- Devos Grades 4-5 October 28, 2024–March 19, 2025
- Juniors Grades 6-8 September 30, 2024-March 21, 2025
- Prep/Comp Grades 9-12 June 19, 2024–March 30 2025
- JHSC Masters December 12, 2024–February 6, 2025
More information can be found about the teams at the jhskiclub.org.
The Coombs Foundation sponsors the Ositos youth Nordic program at Trail Creek after the first of the year.
The Jackson Hole High School Nordic program also skis and races at Trail Creek throughout their season.
The public is welcome to ski at Trail Creek as well. This year, day passes are $20, an individual season pass is $325, and a family season pass is $550. Passes can be purchased at the Trail Creek web page.
In general, if you are looking for a quiet ski and plenty of parking, mornings are a good bet. On the other hand, if you want to see lots of kids having a fantastic time on Nordic skis, and do not mind parking a ways away, weekday afternoons cannot be beat.
Just like that, we are off to a great start to the winter! We currently have about half of our total athletes training so far including Development (4th and 5th grade), Juniors (middle school), Prep, and Comp teams. We have also started hoping for snow at Trail Creek, which has been off and on so far this year.
The biggest upcoming events for the whole program are the Winter Carnival which is happening on December 11th at Snow King and the IMD Opener/Betty Woolsey Classic at Trail Creek December 13-15th. The latter race event is a huge event that will encompass Intermountain Division, High Plains, WY High School, and other athletes from around the region. We are currently hoping for more snow to make sure it is a great event, but we will do everything in our power to make sure we can host it right here at Trail Creek. Those of you who were at the Winter Carnival last year know that it is a great event where kids can ski, hit some jumps, and have fun together with the Alpine, Freeride, and Backcountry teams.
Mark December 11th after school on your calendars! We are really looking forward to the winter and the year, so everyone do a snow dance for another great winter of skiing at Trail Creek!--
Will Wicherski
Nordic Program Director & Head Coach
December Teewinots
Hello December Teewinot families,
Happy Thanksgiving week! It is less than one week until we start December Teewinot on Tuesday, December 3rd.
Reminder: December Teewinot practice runs Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:45-5:15 p.m. at Trail Creek. We hope to have enough snow at Trail Creek to ski. If there is not, we will still have fun dryland sessions until we are able to get on snow. (It is looking pretty good now!). I will send an email out regarding the plan on this closer to the first day of practice.
As we go into the season, we always like to remind Teewinots to be prepared for practice with these things:
1. Warm coat
2. Water
3. Pocket snack
4. Hat
5. Gloves and other warm layers!
Please feel free to reach out anytime via text, email or phone should you have questions. I look forward to seeing you all next Tuesday!
My contact info: 208-721-8967, kcampbell@jhskiclub.org
Best,
Kirsys Campbell
Head Teewinot Coach
Lollipoppers and Ositos
Lollipoppers and Ositos will not be at Trail Creek until after Christmas. Details are at the JHSC Nordic webpage.
Devos
Coach Kaya Morelli has been working hard with the Devos doing dryland training since late October. The fourth and fifth grade Devos are at the developmental stage, where racing starts to become serious, but they also have a lot of fun doing crazy things that hardly seem possible on skis. A sighting of this group cruising around Trail Creek is always entertaining!
Junior Team
We are off to an incredible start this season! Over the past weeks, our athletes have been training hard, building endurance and strength through roller skiing, running, and strength workouts. Their dedication and positive attitudes have been inspiring to see!
For Thanksgiving, we were thrilled to get on snow up at Teton Pass and out at Turpin Meadows. It was a fantastic opportunity to kick off our winter training on skis and enjoy the beauty of the early-season snow.
The team has been working hard to build both fitness and camaraderie, and it is paying off! The energy and teamwork among our athletes are stronger than ever as we prepare for the first races of the season. We are excited to see everyone show their hard work and determination at the home opener coming up soon.
Starting this week, our training will move to Trail Creek. We are crossing our fingers for more snow to arrive soon, but in the meantime, we will make the most of what we have and keep the momentum going.
Thank you for your continued support—we could not do this without our amazing Junior Nordic community!
See you on the trails,
George Cartwright
Junior Nordic Coach
Comp/Prep Teams
The month of November marked transition to our winter training schedule. We began the month with a recovery week completely off to get rested after all our fall training and prepare for getting on snow. We got in some rollerskiing, running, bounding, plyos, weight lifting and ice hockey before heading to our on snow Thanksgiving training camp.
This is the 4th year we have gotten to stay at Turpin Meadow Ranch and train on snow in the Togwotee Pass area. The week has mainly focused on easy distance skiing with technique work, and we have also done some speed and intensity sessions to prepare for race season. The skiing has been excellent, and we have benefitted from the small, but steady, snow accumulation since our arrival. All the athletes at camp have been working hard and having fun, and we are excited for race season!
Luna Wasson
Head Coach and Nordic Program Director
Nordic Masters
The Nordic Recreational Masters program will get started for the season on Thursday, December 12th, at Teton Pines Nordic Center. Masters skiers will learn Nordic ski technique from JHSC coaches utilizing the US Ski Team training systems. This low-key series of clinics will focus on skate and classic techniques using a progressive learning system that builds knowledge each session. Students can sign up for either the skate series or the classic series or both, but not individual sessions. This clinic series does not offer drop-in classes. Discussion, practice drills, distance skiing and ski games will be the weekly menu, with four classes at Teton Pines, and four at Trail Creek Nordic Center. Registration is open and available at this LINK.
The Masters program will be offering additional clinics for parents and racers in January. Look for registration to begin soon for parent clinics on Wednesdays at Trail Creek. These clinics are held at the same time as the team after-school training so parents can drop off their kids for practice, take a clinic, and then pick up their kiddos after practice. Dates are Wednesdays, January 8th and 15th, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
A new Tuesday Night Lights program will also start in January. Skiers interested in improving their technique and speed will train on Tuesdays at the middle school. Skiers in this program will enjoy a strenuous training session and leave with ideas to improve their race training, technique, and tactics. Dates are Tuesdays, January 7th and 14th, 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. (tentative)
Rob Murphy
Head Masters Coach
Many old favorite events are on the calendar and can be happily anticipated as the winter proceeds. In addition to the new Nordic Masters opportunities Coach Rob listed above, here are a few more new twists and turns to put on your Nordic calendar.
- Trail Creek is hosting the season opener for the IMD this year December 13th-15th (see News from the Chief above). This event will also feature Wyoming High School racing.
- The biggest change is that the Betty Woolsey Race, usually held in close proximity to Christmas, will this year be December 14th in conjunction with the IMD Season Opener. What fun it will be to ski with some really fast IMD racers!
- Sheridan High School has joined the Nordic world in Wyoming Nordic ski racing and is hosting a high school race January 10th-11th at Black Mountain in the Bighorn Mountains (see feature below).
- IMD Youth Championships will be held in Teton Valley March 1st and 2nd .
- The Western Club Championships will be held in Synderville, Utah March 8th and 9th.
- New last year was the Spring Series FIS event, which returns and is expanded this year, running from March 29th-April 2nd.
For years there have been six high school Nordic teams in the state of Wyoming--Jackson, Casper, Cody, Lander, Laramie, and Pinedale. In the past few years there has been a growing presence from Sheridan, Wyoming, with that team hosting its first high school race this season. For this December feature, Head Coach Falk Alicke graciously shared a little about the history and growth of the Sheridan High School Nordic Program:
Skiing as a school sport in Sheridan originated at the junior high school. Rebecca Attebury, who had previously skied on an Alaskan team, started the program with just one student. Over the following 4 years the program grew substantially. I joined them in 2021 as an assistant coach, and in 2022 the Sheridan High School agreed to add the sport to the school’s athletic program. I ended up with the privilege to start the program at the high school as the head coach. For the 2024-25 season there are 26 athletes in the program.
When we started in 2022 we had the best snow conditions for our sport imaginable. We were able to groom the HS football practice field and other places in town, which allowed us to be on snow daily. But last year we were never able to train in town. For a few practices we went to Story, a town 35 minutes away, and trained in a local park; however, none of the places mentioned so far are sufficiently challenging for advanced skiers. For this reason we travel, typically twice weekly, up into the Big Horns, and train at Sibley Lake or at Cutler Hill. Those locations are at ~8000 ft of elevation. The grooming is done by Black Mountain Nordic Club, a local non-profit organization. Unfortunately, we don’t have the heavy snowcat type of equipment for grooming Nordic trails as Jackson and other towns in Wyoming have. Our grooming equipment is pulled by snowmobiles. This makes it difficult when we get a lot of new snow. Our local trails are more narrow and bumpy than the pristine trails we find in Jackson, Casper, Pinedale, and Lander. We hope Nordic skiing gains momentum in Sheridan, and results eventually in a trail system that is comparable to those places.
Two days each week the athletes rush out of school, which lets out at 3:35 p.m. We drive up the mountain and get to the ski site around 4:50 p.m. In December and early January this only leaves us with ~ 45minutes of daylight; we usually finish skiing using headlights. On the other week days we cross-train, often by running and roller skiing. To accumulate sufficient training hours we also utilize 2-3 early morning practice sessions, focusing on cardio machines, strength, and HIIT training.
Sheridan falls within the HPN region. In fact, I am a board member for High Plains Nordic. Last year we had, for the first time, one athlete qualify for Junior Nationals. It was an incredible experience. I love taking athletes with me to qualifying races. Last season we traveled to SOHO, Winter Park, and Jackson for qualifiers.
This year we will be hosting the very first HS race in Sheridan on January 10th and 11th. In the past the middle school has hosted a few times. We have been trying to outline a new race course, but the permitting has been an issue and we will most likely hold the race at Antelope Butte Mountain Recreational Area, located off Highway 14, about 90 minutes from Sheridan on the way to Greybull and Cody, on the west side of the Big Horns. The closest lodging would be Bear Lodge and Elk View Inn, both near Burgess Junction. Otherwise, teams and spectators could stay in Geybull, if they come from the west, or in Sheridan.
Please tell us about yourself, where you are from, how you got involved in Nordic skiing, how you got involved in Nordic coaching, how you got involved in the Sheridan Nordic program, and other relevant bits of Nordic information.
I grew up in a small town in East Germany under Russian occupation and a socialist dictatorship. I was 17 when the wall between the East and the West collapsed, which became the most consequential, freedom-giving event of my life. Back in East Germany school sports didn’t exist as they do here. Exceptionally talented kids were identified from very early age and trained and lived in sport specific institutions funded federally. All other kids simply had PE in school and maybe played soccer in a club. I began running marathons in my twenties and switched to Ironman racing in my thirties.
Living in Boulder, CO a ski-passionate family introduced me to Nordic skiing. I fell in love with the sport and the incredible aerobic benefit transferred into my triathlon racing the following season. After starting my own family and moving to Texas, skiing had to take a back seat, but I never sold our ski equipment. In 2014 we moved to Sheridan, and in 2021 my daughter, Kayley, considered joining the middle school ski team. To get her and a few friends ready for the winter I conducted an 8-week CrossFit style class for them. When the middle school coach found out about my skiing background and passion to coach, she asked me if I would consider helping as an assistant. I tried to turn her down but, after joining a couple of practices, I had so much fun I could no longer tell her "no." We would also have a handful of kids from the high school join our middle school training group as the high school did not have a program at the time. These athletes would race on the Cody team, and I went with them to the state championship in Pinedale. At this point it was clear that if the high school would adopt the Nordic program, I would absolute love to serve as their coach. That next fall I finished my L100 course led by Will Wicherty.
From the beginning, Sara Kirol has been helping as an assistant coach. Her daughter, Brynn, is an athlete in the program. Sara has been incredible. She works for the Forest Service and makes a lot of sacrifices to help the team. Her athletic background is a collegiate volleyball player. She is a true outdoorsman and knows the Big Horns incredibly well. This season we gained another coach, Mikaela Moore. She grew up in Sheridan, studied in Laramie, ran the local ski store there, and now works at EMIT Technologies in Sheridan, which is also my employer.
Our team plans to race in Jackson on December 13th and 14th. Most athletes will participate the high school race, while some will join the IMD qualifier. I admire what Jackson has accomplished in Nordic skiing. I have followed Junior Nationals closely over the past two seasons. Jackson has one of the top three best ski teams in the nation. I wish more of your club athletes would participate in high school racing. It would benefit my high school athletes and the entire state. As a coach, I am committed to excellence. While I feel I am mastering the training and assessment of cardiovascular fitness well, I wish there was a way to tap into your team’s deep coaching knowledge to accelerate our learning on skiing technique. Thank you for representing Wyoming so well, and good luck in continuing this tradition going forward.
Best regards,
Falk Alicke
SHS Nordic Head Ski Coach
cell: 307-751-3095
https://sites.google.com/scsd2.com/nordic
Thanks so much Coach Alicke for sharing with us about the Sheridan Nordic program. Best wishes for the upcoming season and we will look forward to seeing your team here in Jackson!
Let it snow!
While it has been a little slow this year, the snow has begun to pile up, with the promise of lots of great skiing just ahead. The Husky has taken its yearly journey to the snowcat spa in Utah, and has returned with a great bill of health, ready for another year of fantastic corduroy. Our “new last year” Skidoo snowmobile also is serviced and is ready for the Ginzu, roller, pulling the sled, or whatever mission comes its way.
That snow that is so important for our sport looks to be headed our way in a bountiful way this winter. Looking at the latest seasonal forecast from the National Weather Service, our part of Wyoming is forecast to be slightly cooler than normal with abundant amounts of precipitation. Be sure to have those skis ready to go!
There is once again a relatively busy race schedule at Trail Creek this winter. The season kicks off with the 3-day IMD/Wyoming High School/Betty Woolsey Classic Race December 13th-15th. Next, Trail Creek plays host to the Moose Chase February 15th. The Skinny Skis Wydaho Season Finale will take place on March 15th, and the expanded FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) Spring Series Race is scheduled for March 29th-April 2nd. Many days of racing to look forward to!
Finally, on the wildlife front, which is such a huge part of skiing at Trail Creek, the slow accumulation of snow has kept things pretty quiet in the fields and woods. So far a few moose sightings have been reported; the resident winter elk herd has not moved in as of report time. Coyote and fox tracks have been in abundance, and it appears there is an abundant squirrel population this year.
Remember to get your passes purchased (at the Trail Creek Page) so you are ready to jump on the snow as soon as it falls. It is sure to be a great Nordic year!
Youth racing kicks into high gear in December with IMD and high school racers competing at Trail Creek December 13th-15th for the IMD Opener. US Senior Nordic Nationals are January 2nd-7th, 2025, and Wyoming High School Nordic has their second completion of the winter January 3rd-4th in Pinedale.
Masters have plenty of opportunities as well in December, with the JHSC Masters Clinics on Thursdays beginning December 12th, and the Betty Woolsey Classic Race at Trail Creek on December 14th.
In short, there is no lack of opportunity to ski or spectate in the busy month ahead, so get those skis waxed and be ready to keep on skiing! Click here or on the image below to go to the full calendar, complete with clickable links.
Thanks so much to the skiers and sponsors who make this all possible, with an extra special thanks to our season pass holders!
Thanks to our amazing staff!
Thank you to the multitude of youth athletes for your dedication and support, for whom this program is designed, and without whom it would be impossible!
A special thanks to Jackson Hole Nordic for being a strong supporter of our programs.
