Juneau Nordic Ski Club

Here is the revised (as of February 14) schedule for this year’s Juneau Nordic Cup. These races are created for skiers of all levels, with choices of different distances. They are very informal and are above all meant to be fun! So if you feel like burning off a little energy, just show up a little before the start and we’ll sign you up. Many thanks to Tristan Knutson-Lombardo for organizing and holding these races.

2013 Nordic Race Cup schedule, revised April 1 (no foolin'!)

Here’s a PDF version of the race schedule you can print or save: 2013 Nordic Race Cup

Marlena Sloss scoots around the Eaglecrest course

We made it!

Thanks to a heartwarming flood of contributions from a wide range of nordic skiers in the Juneau area, and spearheaded by a group of hardcore enthusiasts who stepped up to launch the drive with major gifts, JNSC hit its upwardly revised fundraising goal of $17,700 to purchase a new Scandic Skidoo snowmachine and accessory grooming equipment. Key to the success were especially generous donations from the Juneau Community Fund, the Pioneers of Alaska, the Jurasz Scudder Lingle Group/Merril Lynch, and the Juneau Emergency Medical Associates. For more details, please see the press release below issued by JCF and JNSC.

If you were one of the many donors, we want to express our sincere gratitude on behalf of the entire nordic skiing community here in Juneau. Your generosity is exceeded only by the amazing volunteer hours that the groomers put in day after day running the equipment over the trails, in every possible weather condition, to keep our skiing so consistently great. And if you didn’t have a chance to kick in for the equipment fundraiser, please don’t hesitate to buy your JNSC annual membership (a mere $25 per adult) to keep our operation and maintenance fund healthy.

What a wonderful community of skiers we have here in Juneau!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 21, 2013

JUNEAU COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SUCCESSFUL IN COMMUNITY CHALLENGE GRANT FOR JUNEAU NORDIC SKI CLUB

The Juneau Community Foundation and the Juneau Nordic Ski Club announced today that they have surpassed their fundraising target of $16,000 for the purchase of new cross country ski trail grooming equipment. A wide variety of local donors contributed to the fundraising drive and raised an additional $1,700 to cover the shipping and set-up costs of the equipment.

The new Skidoo Skandic snow machine has arrived in Juneau and has already been used on the Mendenhall Campground and Mendenhall Lake trails by volunteer operators from the Nordic Ski Club, according to the club’s president Bart Watson. Additional track grooming equipment is en route from the manufacturer.

“We are very grateful to our local Community Foundation for their guidance and support in this fundraiser, since this is a new kind of effort for us,” stated Watson. “In recent years, we have relied on volunteer memberships from the skiing public to fund our operations. Many thanks to the many generous skiers who stepped up to help us buy this sorely needed new equipment.”

The Community Foundation recently established a fund and contributed $2,500 in support of the JNSC’s efforts to raise $16,000 to purchase the new equipment. The Community Foundation funds, combined with $5,500 from the Nordic Ski Club presented the community with an $8,000 challenge match, according to Amy Skilbred, the foundation’s Executive Director.  Foundation challenge grants are aimed at stimulating numerous smaller donations from interested members of the public.

In additional donations from individuals, local businesses helped to meet the fundraising challenge with generous contributions.  Rebecca Brooks, Client Associate at the Jurasz Scudder Lingle Group (JSL) of Merrill Lynch, explained their group’s decision to make a donation to close the fundraising gap. “JSL finds the outdoor opportunities in this community a tremendous asset that enriches all of our lives.  We frequent the campground and the lake to ski, and without the dedication of the ski club and its volunteers, the groomed trails enjoyed by countless skiers simply wouldn’t be there.  It’s exciting to help the club grow their fleet to open more trails in Juneau.”

The club maintains groomed cross country ski trails at the Mendenhall Campground, the Mendenhall Lake and other locations in the Juneau area throughout the winter when snow conditions permit. All labor for the grooming is donated to the club by a team of dedicated volunteers. Funds for the oil, gas and maintenance of the equipment come from the annual membership of hundreds of Nordic skiers and other supporters. More information can be found at their website: jnski.org.

The Juneau Community Foundation is a local charitable organization established to make it easy for Juneau residents to donate to charitable causes they feel strongly about, such as local recreation programs, schools, scholarships, social services, arts and humanities, or other nonprofit agencies or projects, for more information visit juneaucf.org or call Amy Skilbred at 907-523-5450.

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JNSC’s new Skandic snowmachine (above) and Ginzu groomer (below)

Juneau’s very own nordic skiing Youth Development Association stood still just long enough to get their photos snapped before blasting off on one their Eaglecrest time trials.  With thrice weekly on-the-snow training sessions, they’ve been learning how to leave the rest of us in their snow dust.  After a propitious start just last year, the group has already broken several local Juneau-area land speed records and has set its sights on the sound barrier.  Who knows, maybe the speed of light is next?

Juneau Nordic "Devo" group poses before their first time trial of the season on December 16