WELCOME! 

- Our ski session on Sunday, February 19 will  again be at Green Acres Recreation Area in Lake Elmo from 12:15 - 1:30PM.  Hope to see you there!

- Our ski session on Sunday, February 12 will  again be at Green Acres Recreation Area in Lake Elmo from 12:15 - 1:30PM.  Sorry for the inability to have local skiing this year.  We're still hoping that at least one of our sessions later this month will be able to be held at Lebanon Hills.

 - Our ski session on Sunday, January 29 has been changed to 3:30-4:45, and will be an "open ski" without formal instruction. We will again be at Green Acres Recreation Area in Lake Elmo. This change is due to the http://www.tourdetwincities.com/ races being held at Green Acres earlier in the day. Check your email for additonal information.

- January 19, 2012 Announcement:

Our ski session on Sunday, January 22 will once again be at Green Acres Recreation Area in Lake Elmo. Our ski time is 12:15 - 1:30. See you there. If your skier isn't comfortable putting skis on and taking them off, you may want to have them practice doing so inside on a carpeted area. Being able to do this quickly will allow them to spend more time skiing!

Jan 14, 2012 Announcement:

We will ski Sunday, Jan 15 at Green Acres Recreation Area in Lake Elmo from 12:15-1:30.  Check your email for additional details!

Jan 6, 2012 Announcement:

Our first session scheduled for January 8 is cancelled due to lack of snow. We will be exploring Green Acres Ski Area in Lake Elmo (where the have snowmaking capability) to determine if we can have our Jan 15th session at that facility. Check this web site next week for additional information.

Jan 2, 2012 Announcements:

1. We are still hoping for snow so we can start our season on Sunday, Jan 8, but the weather forecast doesn't look promising.  If we can't start on the 8th, we'll hope to start on Jan 15th.  Please check back to this site to check the status of our schedule!
2. For those who have rented equipment, we will be contacting you to provide times and dates for obtaining your gear. 

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The EVAA Cross Country Ski program will be run in collaboration with the Minnesota Youth Ski League, a statewide organization with the mission of developing and promoting the participation and enjoyment of cross country skiing for youth and their families.

The program is open to ages 4-15 and is designed for skill levels ranging from beginner to experienced. The organization is a volunteer led organization, with parents and guardians encouraged to participate and learn with the children. For the younger children, parents are required to be “on the snow” with their children (although not necessarily on skis).

Cross-country skiing provides numerous benefits, including:

• Great cross-training for fall and summer sports
• Helps children learn to enjoy the outdoors during winter.
• Provides a great low-impact, cardiovascular workout
• Helps learn a life-long sport that can be enjoyed for many years to come.

TIME AND LOCATION

Our group will meet for eight Sunday afternoons from 12:45 - 2:00PM in January and Februrary at Lebanon Hills ski trails in Eagan, with parents and guardiarns encouraged to participate either with or without skis. Although skiers will learn to enjoy skiing the most by participating each week, there is no problem if scheduling conflicts arise and a skier is unable to attend.

EQUIPMENT

A limited number of ski equipment is available for rental, either for the full season (in which skiers take the skis home each week) or for the weekly sessions only. The fee for the full season rental is $65, vs. $6 per session for each weekly rental.  We recommend the full season rental so that you have access to the skis for independent use, while also eliminating the need to wait in line each week to a) get fitted and receive the skis, and b) return the skis.

REGISTRATION

The registration fee for the season is $80, ($5 additional late fee after Dec 15) and includes membership in the Minnesota Youth Ski League, 8 scheduled ski outings at Lebanon Hills (weather permitting), and a long sleeve EVAA Cross-Counry Skiing t-shirt.  To register, use the link at the top of this page.

ARE THESE SKI LESSONS?

The organization is designed to promote and encourage skiing in a positive and supportive environment so that youth can ski with others of similar ability and increase their skills together. Although our volunteer leaders use teaching curriculum with specific learning goals for each group, we prefer to use the term “ski outings” rather than “ski lessons”.