Adult ski programs bolster local Nordic community

Dec. 20—The Glacier Nordic Club has a mission to inspire a lifelong love of cross country skiing from youth as young as 4 years old through the golden years of age.

The nonprofit community ski club offers a variety of programs for different age groups. Though adult or masters programs have been offered for several years, it has ebbed and flowed over the years. This season Glacier Nordic is hoping to ramp up that program once more and get even more people out enjoying the outdoors this winter.

There are options from beginner learning programs through advanced masters clinics and cross-training groups. Glacier Nordic Club Executive Director Jennie Bender says the club doesn't necessarily hope to convert people to being Nordic skiers but offers it as a way for people to enjoy the outdoors in the winter.

"Just both for mental and physical health, getting out in the woods sliding around, it's a way to kind of break the winter blues a bit," Bender said. "As well as a little quicker, a little more accessible than heading up the mountain, which is also super fun."

"I love downhill skiing, but I really crave the fitness element and going out into the woods that Nordic skiing has to offer," she added.

Novices don't need to feel intimidated either — there are programs specifically designed for beginning skiers and rental equipment is available at the shop at the golf course too. Bender added that even if you have tried cross country skiing in the past or as a child, it's worth giving it another go.

"You've got to try it as an adult because there's so much that you can gain both mentally and physically... It's such a good fitness base — its strength and endurance and cardio, balance and agility," she said.

The adult Nordic program has options for beginners through advanced skiers. Glacier Nordic offers a Learn to Ski program in both skate and classic styles. There are two sessions, one is for four weeks in January and the other is throughout February.

The beginner adult programs are meant to be welcoming and informative for those who have either never cross country skied before or are very new to the sport.

"We've got some really great instructors and a little technique just goes such a long way," Bender expressed. "Once you understand how your body is supposed to maneuver the equipment... then you can run with it and don't need us, just need a pair of skis."

But if participants want to continue after taking a learn to ski course, the club has added options this year to keep people skiing and improving their technique. Glacier Nordic not only wants to get adults to try the sport but keep them active and form a community ski group. That's where the masters clinics and groups come into play.

There are Masters Sunday Clinics that can be registered for as a series of clinics or just one at a time, and a Masters Nordic Training Group. The ski clinics are designed to improve skate skiing efficiency by learning to use the correct technique for the terrain, while the training group is more of a consistent group to ski with. The training group will have coached drills and a good workout consistently each week. Both are for advanced beginners through to experts.

"We want to also just grow the community even if you're not really looking for a workout, but you want to come ski with people," Bender said. "My goal is for (the Nordic Training Group) to kind of develop groups within the group and to build that adult Nordic community as well."

The Glacier Mountain Athlete (GMA) is another option for adults looking to get on snow this winter. GMA is a group for endurance athletes who want to cross-train with like-minded individuals. It includes technique clinics, group workouts, race strategies and guest speakers.

"No one needs to convert to being a quote, 'Nordic skier', but you can add it into your training both for mental and physical health," Bender added.

There are also private and group lessons to fit the needs of all skiers wanting to join the club. Most of the adult programs begin in January, but some including GMA and the Masters Nordic Training Group started up last week. Bender says people interested have plenty of time to sign up for any of the adult programs.

The Glacier Nordic Chet Hope Youth Ski League is filling up quickly this year, but Bender added that there is still some availability for those interested in joining.

Glacier Nordic also has rentals available at their shop at Whitefish Lake Golf Course. Right now trails are open on Big Mountain, but more snow is needed for the golf course trails. The nonprofit club grooms trails in three main locations: at the Glacier Nordic Center located at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course, the Big Mountain Nordic Trails in Whitefish and Meadow Lake Nordic Trails in Columbia Falls.

Dates, times and more information about registering for the groups can be found at https://www.glaciernordicclub.org/adult-ski-programs/