Events
Events
banner photo: A Family Moonlight Ski.
EVENTS
Join us during our free Family Moonlight Cross Country Ski evening at the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve on Thursday evening before the full moon when snow conditions permit. Everyone is invited to participate. Bring your own ski equipment. A limited number of headlamps will be available. There will be a warm-up fire, hot drinks and marshmallows during the event. Participants will meet at the preserve’s main parking lot on Riverview Road (at the Whipple Bridge) at 7:00 pm. If conditions are more favorable at Garnsey Park in Rexford we will do it there. Check the Club’s Facebook page before leaving home! This season’s dates include December 21, 2023; January 18, 2024, February 22, March 21.
Family Moonlight Ski
The Town of Clifton Park, in cooperation with the Shenendehowa Nordic Club, announces its Beginner Cross Country Ski Lessons program. Classes are offered as snow conditions allow from 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm on January 4, 2024; 11, 25; February 8, 15, 29; March 7, 14 at the Clifton Park Senior Community Center. All ages and families are welcome. Pre-registration is required. Register for the program is at the Office of Parks, Recreation and Community Affairs at Town Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Class fee is $12 per person per session. Bring your own cross country skis. Members of the Shenendehowa Nordic Club enjoy a reduced fee and may borrow club ski equipment if available.
Introductory Ski Lessons
Clifton Park WinterFest
Saturday, February ?. The excitement starts at Garnsey Park with a fun Bill Koch youth race at 9:30 AM. Registration and bib pick up at 9 AM at the parking lot just like a regular youth practice. Check out the course and trails and be ready to start at 9:30.
There will be other activities from 10:30 to 1:30: brief discussion of the park, explanation of the BKYSL, a warm up fire, hot dog roast, and marshmallow and s’mores. Bring your favorite hot drink. Parents can try a fun citizen race if desired, or tour the park. Shenendehowa Nordic Club members will be there to answer questions or join you in a ski.
Other activities will be available elsewhere in Town.
Shenendehowa Classic Ski Race
We are planning our signature fund raiser race, the Shenendehowa Classic to be February 18 at Saratoga Biathlon and Competition Center in Day, N Y. Register on SkiReg.
Empire State Games
Shen Nordic members of all ages and ability are encouraged to participate in Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid on February 2 to 5, 2023. Since 1980, ESWG brings together 2,000 athletes of all ages from across New York State and beyond to compete in over 30 winter sports events, including cross country skiing, adaptive cross country skiing, ski orienteering and biathlon. Click here for more information.
Nordic participants must join NYSSRA-Nordic (www.nyssranordic.org). Your first membership benefit includes reduced entry fees to competitive events as well as a host of other information on Nordic skiing in NYS. Females to compete in ski orienteering and biathlon are especially needed. For more info, talk to your coach or one of the club officers.
NYSSRA - Nordic Racing and Championship
New York State Ski Racing Association - Nordic is a grassroots organization that organizes and runs cross country ski, ski orienteering and biathlon races throughout the state, all winter long. Races vary from five to 50 kilometers, in both skate and classic techniques. Many of the races are fun, low pressure events, that see a wide variety of skill levels participate. Give one a try, they are fun, and can be addicting. More info: www.nyssranordic.org
Check out the annual HURT Mega Relay for a great introduction to racing. The Mega Relay is a six-hour relay race at Garnet Hill Lodge in North River. Bring a team of three to eight people, ski a lap, or two, or thirty, and enjoy a fun day of skiing! More info: www.skireg.com
Bill Koch Festival and Bill Thayer Ski Fest
This championship is an event the whole family can enjoy. There will be fun cross country ski races for all members, plus biathlon and ski orienteering demos, family fun relays and club challenges. The Mid-Atlantic Bill Koch Festival is a fun championship in both classic and skate techniques for those under age 13. Don’t miss it!
This year, the Polar Bear Ski Club will host the annual Mid-Atlantic Bill Koch Youth Ski Festival February 24 through 26 at Old Forge, NY.
The weekend will feature fun events, covering all things Nordic: fun races, unique activities and games, awards dinner, and 8th grade graduation are just part of the fun planned.