If you haven't been contacted yet regarding returning rental ski equipment, you should be receiving information regarding that soon. Sorry we couldn't deliver more snow this winter, but we hope you were able to ski at Hyland and your skier's skills improved this year!

Our final session of the season is this coming Sunday.  We will be skiing back at Hyland at the "normal" 11AM Hyland start team, finishing at 12:30. The plan is to have a snack table available when we're done skiing, along with a gift from the Lebanon Hills Ski Club.  We will NOT be collecting rental equipment at this time.  If for some reason you are not able to attend Sunday, let us know so we can have your gift available when you return equipment.

Hope you can make it. The weather should be nice!

We will ski at LEBANON HILLS on Sunday. However, we will need to CHANGE THE START TIME.  Please be at the Visitor Center by 10:30 to meet at the flag that matches your skier's group color. The plan is to ski from 10:40 - 12:15, and then have some snacks behind the chalet to enjoy a pleasant day on the ski trails!, Address is 860 Cliff Road in Eagan. 

Another Sunday. Another session at Hyland! Arrive in time to start skiing at 11 AM.

Same drill as the last two weeks. Meet at Hyland on Sunday, and start skiing at 11:00; show up at 10:45 (or earlier ) so your skier is ready on time.

As you can probably tell by looking out your window, we will need to move the ski session for this coming Sunday to Hyland. If you haven't been there before, or this is your first session, please read the details regarding the protocol for skiing at Hyland and the steps for first time attendees. The key point to remember is that the goal is to send the skiers off onto the trails promptly at 11:00 AMs when we meet at Hyland, so please try to be parked by 10:45 so you have time to get out of the vehicle and head to the meeting spot for your skier's group.

See details on this first session of the year and details regarding meeting at Hyland in the sections below on this webpage.

Due to the low temperatures and high wind forecast for Sunday, the ski session at Hyland is CANCELLED. We want the skiers to ENJOY skiing :) 

When we finally DO get to ski, be sure to review the information on this webpage in advance. Thanks.

1. Details specific to our back-up venue which is Hyland Lake Park Reserve. See details specific to our sessions at Hyland in the section of the web page below.

2. Info to know for our first session

Scroll down to find these sections.

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.

Due to lack of snow we will not be skiing on January 7, 2024. Due to the higher than normal temperatures, Hyland recreation area in Bloomington, which is our back-up location, has been unable to make sufficient snow to have our group ski there. The current plan is to re-locate the January 14th session to Hyland from 11:00 - 12:30.  Additional details to follow.

WELCOME! 

Registration for the 2024 EVAA Cross Country Ski program is now closed as we have reached our capacity. We look forward to a great season with all who have registered, and hope that those of you who missed out on registering this year will join the program next year.

 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 (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) and February (4th, 11th, 18th, 25th) at Lebanon Hills ski trails in Eagan from 12:45 - 2:00 if snow conditions are good. Due to capacity restrictions in Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington, we may not have the option to hold our sessions there if Lebanon Hills does not have sufficient snow cover.  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 expected to be $80 and includes membership in the Minnesota Youth Ski League, eight scheduled group ski outings and an wool ski socks with the EVAA logo! 

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 expected to be $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 Board of Directors will review the request.

The EVAA Cross Country Ski Program is run in partnership with the Minnesota Youth Ski League. Check out the video below to get a little more insight regarding the program.

EASTVIEW GIRLS FEATURED IN STAR TRIBUNE

The Eastview High School Girls Nordic Ski Team was  featured in an article in the Star Tribune a few years ago.  Click on the link below to read the story.

The "Winter Kids" organization in Portland, Maine also has a youth cross-country ski program.  We thought you might enjoy seeing how some of their kids feel about cross-country skiing.