Our season is complete, and we hope your skier found it to be an enjoyable learning experience.  If you haven't returned your rental equipment yet, please contact so we can coordinate the return of the gear!

The new snow will allow us to ski at Lebanon Hills this week. Session will run from 12:45 - 2:00, although with the cold the Level 1 skiers may end early. Dress warmly and allow plenty of time to park and get to your group's meeting place.

See last week's post for info on where to meet at Lebanon Hills.

See note below from our Minnesota Youth Ski League Partners:

We will ski at Lebanon Hills Sunday! (And hopefully the rest of the season.)

• Address: 860 Cliff Road, Eagan​ (Driving directions)

 Time: 12:45-2:00

--parking will be challenging. Plan for it to be busy. 12:45 is when groups will start to ski.

 Group locations: look for flags and see map below. 

 Level 1 and 2 meet on the north end of the parking lot by the sledding hill.

• Level 3 and 4 meet on Schultz beach.
• Level 5 and 6 meet behind the visitor center.

Dress warmly!

Same place.  Same time as last week.

TIME CHANGE:  11:30 - 1:00!

With the weather warming up we'll be able to ski at Hyland. To try and alleviate crowding we will change our start time to 11:30. We will end 90 minutes later at 1:00. Hope you can make it!

A look at the weather forecast for Sunday tells you all you need to know. It is no fun skiing in sub-zero temperatures. See you next week.

Although we got some new snow, it isn't enough to hold our session at Lebanon Hills. We will meet at Hyland (Jan's Place) again. Please be sure to get there early so you're ready to ski at 11:00. 

Due to lack of snow, the January 5th session will be moved to Hyland. All registered skiers should have received an email with the details shown here.  Please be sure to read this to help ensure a successful first session.

WELCOME! 

Registration for the 2025 EVAA Cross Country Ski program will open this month. (November 2024) As in previous years, our 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.

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.

The program is open to skiers ages 4-15 and designed for skill levels ranging from beginner to experienced. For the younger children, parents may need to be “on the snow” with their children (although not necessarily on skis).

Our sessions with the Minnesota Youth Ski League will meet for eight Sunday afternoons in January (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) and February (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd) at Lebanon Hills ski trails in Eagan from 12:45 - 2:00 if snow conditions are good. If snow conditions at Lebanon Hills are poor, the group is expected to meet at Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington, at the expected time of 11AM.  Although skiers will build their skills and 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.

FEES

The program registration fee for the season is $80 and includes membership in the Minnesota Youth Ski League, eight scheduled group ski outings and wool ski socks with the EVAA logo! Note: If the group needs to meet at Hyland, skiers 12 years of age and older will need to purchase an additional trail pass for $10 each time the group skis there.

Equipment Rental: A limited amount of ski equipment is available for rental to both participants in the Full Program and the Rental Equipment Only program. Rental fee for the season is $75, and includes boots, skis, and (if appropriate for the age of the skier) poles. Equipment will be picked up at a location in Apple Valley and returned in April or May once the snow is gone for the season.

IS THIS PROGRAM CONSIDERED TO BE SKI LESSONS?

No, the in-person sessions provided as part of the program should not be considered ski lessons. The EVAA/Minnesota Youth Ski League collaboration 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 the volunteer leaders use teaching curriculum with specific learning goals for each group, we prefer to use the term “ski outings” rather than “ski lessons”. If you are looking for ski lessons, contact the program director to obtain recommendations for private organizations that conduct lessons.

REFUND POLICY

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that the EVAA ski program will meet for all eight of the scheduled sessions. We do our best, but as this is an outdoor activity, it is not uncommon to have weather cancellations, or to have to move the location and time that we meet. If we do need to cancel a session, we will do our best to try and add a make-up session at the end of the season.

Because all of our costs are incurred BEFORE the season starts, our policy is to only offer refunds if registrants cancel before December 15. In this way we can still offer the cancelled spots to skiers on our waitlist. If cancellation occurs before December 15, 80% of the registration fee will be refunded and 50% of the equipment rental fee will be refunded.

If this policy causes financial hardship, please contact the Program Director and the EVAA Ski Program Board of Directors will review the request.

If there are un-skiable conditions at Lebanon Hills, our ski session will move to the Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington, 10145 Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington, MN 55438 where they have snowmaking equipment.

If our session is moved to Hyland, we will meet from 11:00 to 12:30. We apologize for having to meet at the earlier time when there is no snow at Lebanon Hills,  but due to the high demand at Hyland we have to take the time assigned to us.

Meeting Place: We will be meeting outside the building called "Jan's Place". This is the first parking lot PAST the main visitor center. This is where you can pick up the Minnesota Youth Ski League bib with your skier’s name, and then proceed to the meeting area. Just look for the flag with the same color as your skier's nametag. There may be other ski clubs there so be sure to look for the Lebanon Hills club. We have colored flags for our levels. Please know your level to help with check in. 

Start Time: To minimize the amount of time skiers stand around getting cold, when at Hyland we will try to release them with their leaders onto the trails promptly at 11:00.  To make sure they are ready to ski at 11:00, we suggest you allow at least 20 minutes for skiers to get their bib, put on their skis, and get to their meeting area. That means it is probably wise to be exiting your vehicle in the parking lot at 10:45; earlier if you have multiple skiers to corral. Latecomers will need to wait for their group to return; we can’t have skiers heading off on their own to try and find their group unless they are with a parent. Hyland is crowded.

Trail Pass: At Hyland, a trail pass must be purchased for anyone 12 years of age or older. Passes can be purchased at the main Visitor Center and online: here. (scroll down to passes. There are day passes and season passes. Anyone needing a pass will need to purchase the applicable  "All Parks" pass)  Please plan your time accordingly if you need to purchase a trail pass on site. Even better....buy online the day before.  Note that our group will NOT be meeting at the main Visitor Center so if you have to buy a pass in person you will need to make a separate stop here.

On Site Rentals:  if you are renting skis at Hyland, do so at the main visitor center as you enter the park. Remember that  our club does not meet at this location; we meet at the building called "Jan's Place". Remember to arrive even earlier to allow for the time it takes to go through the rental process. You may set up your rental ahead of time: here.

1. Label Your Equipment: Please be sure to label your skis and poles with your child’s name. Colorful duct tape or painter's tape works well for this process.  Many youth skis are the same brand and size and they are easy to mix up. 

2. Getting Ready: It works best if skiers put their boots on at home or in the car. This will help them to ready to ski at the scheduled start time. To respect the time of ALL skiers, the club tries to DEPART for skiing promptly at the scheduled start time of 12:45 at Lebanon Hills or 11:00 at Hyland. It also helps to allow time to look for parking spots. 

3. Parent Skiers:  You are welcome and encouraged to ski with your child’s group as a "Ski Chaperone”. Just let the group leader know, and if you can assist with any issues such as dropped mittens, loose boots, etc. while skiing along that would be appreciated. Please be aware that all adult skiers (including coaches) will need a trail pass, so please factor this into your schedule since that could take additional time. Of course a season pass makes things easy :)

4. Level 1 Skiers: If you have a Level 1 skier, a parent/caregiver needs to by present during the ski session. This "rule" might be overlooked after the first few sessions if your skier is independent, but for the first few sessions plan to have someone there. At Lebanon Hills, it is easy to walk alongside the skiers. At Hyland, walking alongside the trail is frowned upon, so if you aren't on skis, you must walk away from the groomed tracks. Please respect the etiquette if we're skiing at Hyland.