Dear Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club Families,
We envision a world passionate about access to outdoor recreation, winter, and lifelong health for all through Nordic (cross-country) skiing. Thank you for registering your skier(s) in our SkiSparks programming and becoming part of this vision.
---
CLUB MEETINGS
The Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club meets at 1:45 p.m. on Sundays in January and February 2025 outside the Riverside Park shelter to be ready to ski at 2 p.m. SE, Saint Cloud, MN 56304 (SE side of St. Cloud, across the river from St. Cloud State University).
---
TYPICAL SESSION
Our program is family-oriented and focused on fun for ages 4–14. We ski, play games, and learn skills. Groups are divided by age and skill level. Younger groups stay near the trailhead; older kids explore the park with a coach. Parents must remain on-site and assist younger skiers (especially Level 1, ages 4–5). No experience needed—activity plans and apps are available. This is a friendly, family-oriented program built around kids having fun while learning Nordic skiing skills.
---
REGISTRATION
Register at: https://www.mysl.org/registration
Cost: $40 per youth skier (ski rentals extra if needed). Registration FAQs:
* Skill levels can be edited anytime in Step #1 “Household Information.” Leaders can also edit rosters.
* Step #2 “Club Membership” is required. This often confuses new members who think “lesson” instead of “membership.”
---
EQUIPMENT RENTALS
Youth are encouraged to provide their own equipment. If you need help finding gear, contact Amanda Jackson, Equipment Coordinator, at [email protected]. Rental costs:
* Classic ski set: $35
* Skate ski set: $80
This rental program is possible thanks to ski binding donations and a $1,000 grant from the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation Young Skier Development Program (2017–2018), which allowed us to maintain 30 ski sets for club use. Rental arrangements must be confirmed with the Equipment Coordinator to ensure availability and correct sizing. Use this sizing chart: https://mysl.org/sites/default/files/2020MyXC_sizingchart.pdf. Families who rented equipment in 2025 or earlier should contact [email protected] to return rentals and club bibs if not already done.
---
COACHES NEEDED
MYSL relies on volunteers—especially coaches! We need coaches, assistant coaches, and sweepers for the 2026 season! High school students and adults are encouraged to volunteer. The youth skiers really look up to high school racers and past MYSL graduates! MYSL provides training and curriculum to make coaching easy and fun. Coach training sessions are offered virtually and in person early in the winter. Contact Carina Paton, Volunteer Coordinator at 612-232-6264 or [email protected].
---
PHOTOS
Share your photos by emailing [email protected] or posting on our page: https://www.facebook.com/CentralMinnesotaYouthSkiClub.
---
NORDIC SKI CLUB OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA
Consider joining the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota for $20 per family. Membership fees are donated back to our youth club. Their volunteers make and groom snow at Riverside Park, enabling our lessons and community skiing. They also maintain trails at Riverside Park and the Saint Cloud Reformatory property. Without their efforts, many past seasons would not have had enough snow for skiing. Snowmaking and grooming equipment was purchased by the Nordic Ski Club and operated by a dedicated crew. Their work supports local high school practices and races, community skiing, sledding, and special events like the Sons of Norway Barnelopet. Learn more:
Website: http://nordicskiclubcentralmn.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentralMNNordicSkiClub/
The Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club thanks the Nordic Ski Club volunteers for making skiing possible in our area! Thank you for supporting youth skiing in Central Minnesota!
-----
Dear Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club families:
We envision a world passionate about access to outdoor recreation, winter and lifelong health for all through participating in Nordic (cross country) skiing. Thank you for registering your skier(s) in our SkiSparks programming and becoming part of this vision. This winter we are all facing a continued crisis in the goal of lifelong health for all. We have made the decision to allow in person programming for SkiSparks clubs in 2023. We will be prepared for multiple scenarios. What you can expect from SkiSparks this winter:
We will maintain in-person clubs only if it is in the best interest of public health, follows government mandates, and we have adequate volunteer coaching support. Stay safe. Be active. Get outside with your family. Updated July 30, 2022:
Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club 2023 Meeting Schedule and Location: At this time, the Minnesota Youth Ski League has determined that all clubs will start meeting in person, while following COVID 19 Pandemic safety measures to keep our families as safe as possible. Under this direction, the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club 2023 season is now planned to be held in person over eight Sundays from January 1, 2023 to February 26, 2023 based outside of the Riverside Park shelter from 1:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please note there will be no club meeting January 22, 2023. Instead, we’ll attend the 15th Annual Sons of Norway Barnelopet fun youth kids ski “race” held this day at Riverside Park with on site registration starting at 11:30 p.m. and “youth races” beginning at 1:00 p.m. The Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club will meet at 1:45 p.m. on Sundays in January and February 2023 outside the Riverside Park shelter to be ready to ski at 2 p.m. The Riverside Park shelter parking lot is located at 1725 Kilian Blvd. SE, Saint Cloud, MN 56304, which is located on the SE side of St. Cloud State University. In 2023, it is likely the club will have access to the Riverside Park shelter. However, due to COVID 19 Pandemic safety measures, the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club may be restricted potentially from utilizing the Riverside Park warming shelter before, during or after club sessions, so parents and guardians are advised to dress your youth skier(s) and yourself for skiing ahead of time. Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club registration for 2023 can be found at https://www.mysl.org/registration
Registration costs $40 per youth skier, which will be charged at checkout. Ski rentals are extra if needed. Registration FAQ's:
1. Skill levels can be edited (anytime, even after registration) in step #1 "Household Information" of the Club Registration process. Leaders can also edit this on their rosters for any skier.
2. Step #2 "Club Membership" is required. This often confuses new members because they are thinking "lesson" not "club membership"
Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club Nordic ski equipment rentals:
Youth are encouraged to provide their own cross country ski equipment. If you are having a difficult time finding ski equipment, please contact Nicholas Snavely, Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club Coordinator, at [email protected] to see what additional options may be available. Again this upcoming 2023 Nordic ski season, the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club will have traditional classic cross country ski sets available for rent at a cost of $35 and skate skis available for rent at a cost of $80. This is the direct result of the ski binding donations that were received previously, which provided the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club currently with 30 set of skis. Likewise, the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club was awarded a $1,000 grant in 2017-2018 from the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) Young Skier Development Program. When registering youth for the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club, there is an option to add a ski rental before you pay your membership dues. Arrangements must be made with Nicholas Snavely to ensure ski rentals are still available, as well as ensure the proper ski set size is available for the child. Visithttps://mysl.org/sites/default/files/2020MyXC_sizingchart.pdf to determine the ski set your child needs. Families that rented MYSL ski rentals during 2022 or years prior should contact Nicholas Snavely at [email protected] or 763-232-4921 to make arrangements return ski rentals and club bibs if they were not returned already. Coaches and Assistant Coaches needed for Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club:
The Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club 2023 season is approaching! We hope to have another successful year with the help of high school student assistant coaches and others! The youth skiers really look up to them! Please contact Nicholas Snavely, Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club Coordinator, at [email protected] if you know someone that would like to be an assistant coach this season. Adults are specifically encouraged to volunteer as coaches as well. Thank you for helping our youth skiers learn how to cross country ski and have fun at the same time! We still need coaches to sign up today! Coach Training Info:
This winter the Minnesota Youth Ski League is offering virtual and in person coach training sessions. Attend either or both! Typical ski club session:
We're here to cross county (nordic) ski and have fun! We ski and play games on the snow. This is a very friendly, family oriented program focused on children ages 4 to 14 years old that is built around kids having fun while learning skills and techniques needed to become better cross country skiers. We divide into seven groups based on age, comfort level, and skill level. Younger groups ski near the trail head and take advantage of small, snow-covered inclines to get used to being on skis. Older kids venture off about the park with a coach. Volunteer coaches have access to curriculum loaded with ideas and strategies for teaching young skiers. If you have a 4 to 5-year-old child in Level 1, one parent will be required to assist that child during their class. Older skiers also require a parent/guardian present while attending. Just to be clear, don’t plan on dropping your child off and picking them up after each session, since parents/guardians are expected to participate in some fashion, such as assisting with coaching. No experience is necessary, as there are activity plan booklets and cell phone apps for each level available for review before each session. Once again, I stress that this is a very friendly, family oriented program that is built around the kids having fun while also learning skills and techniques needed to become better cross country skiers. Families that took photographs of Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club skiers are encouraged to share them with the club be emailing them to [email protected] and posting them on the club's FACEBOOK page. Please find and LIKE/Share the page at https://www.facebook.com/CentralMinnesotaYouthSkiClub
MYSL is a Volunteer Organization and We Need You! Really. Our largest volunteer need is coaches. MYSL has a unique day-by-day curriculum to make it easy for anyone (who can walk on skis) to be a great coach. MYSL also holds coaches training events in early December. We love Junior Coaches as well. Past MYSL graduates and high school racers are perfect coaches for younger skiers. If you have any questions about the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club, please contact: Nicholas Snavely Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club Coordinator 763-232-4921 [email protected]
Beyond just joining the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club, consider joining the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota! During the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota meeting held on October of 2017, their members voted to approve a measure to help boost their membership, while offering parents who have their kids enrolled in the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club the opportunity to join the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota at the $20 family rate with the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota, then turning around and donating their $20 family membership funds to the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club. Thereby, the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota will not be gaining any funds, but would hopefully gain some new members. Some of the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota volunteers make snow at Riverside Park early in the season and groom snow throughout the season. Without their efforts, we would not have had enough snow during many of the past seasons to cross country ski. The member volunteers of the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota have been the reason for the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club being able to cross country ski at Riverside Park in past winters due to their excellent ability to make snow at Riverside Park. Likewise, the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota has an agreement with the City of Saint Cloud to provide the water used to make snow. Snow making and grooming equipment has been purchased by the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota, which is operated by a dedicated crew of volunteers who maintain the cross country ski trails at Riverside Park and the Saint Cloud Reformatory property. During past winters, they have made snow at Riverside Park, which not only made the Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club lessons and games possible early on, but also provided a location for local high schools to practice and race, as well as location for the local community to cross country ski and enjoy the sledding hill. Special events, such as the Sons of Norway Barnelopet events were made possible due to the Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota’s snow making and grooming volunteer efforts. The Central Minnesota Youth Ski Club thanks the volunteer members of Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota for all that they do to make cross country skiing a possibility in the Saint Cloud area! Consider becoming a member of Nordic Ski Club of Central Minnesota to help support these efforts and make some great friends along the way. Visit http://www.nordicskiclubcentralmn.org/ Nordic Ski Club of Central MN webpage: http://nordicskiclubcentralmn.org/ Nordic Ski Club of Central MN page: https://www.facebook.com/CentralMNNordicSkiClub/ ngs/Lessons
