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Coming Up ...| SKI 101 Clinic on December 1st at Backcountry Bike and Ski |
| Adult Ski Lesson registration in early December |
| Holiday Tour of Lighted Trees on December 23rd at GPRA |
| Icicle Double on December 31st and January 1st at GPRA |
| Trail Cameras at Independence Mine, Archangel Road and GPRA |
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 | | What a beautiful start to ski season at Independence Mine! |
| | Annual Meeting Recap We had a great turnout on October 15th at the GPRA Chalet for our Annual Meeting and Social. Thank you to the generous friends that brought food to share, grilled on site and tended the fire pits outside along with those volunteers that helped to set up and clean up. We were grateful to have so many MSSC Members and friends join us in the Chalet after several years of outdoor meetings. Throughout the evening we shared new and exciting things coming this season and rewarded some of our volunteers for going above and beyond. We introduced a new type of grooming reporting and web cameras at Independence Mine, Archangel and GPRA that will be online soon along with many other exciting improvements and program highlights. View our Annual Report here.
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| Each year at this meeting we say goodbye to departing board members and elect new ones. Thank you to departing board members Lorene Lynn and Kimberly DelFrate. You will both be missed and we thank you for sharing your time with us. We are excited to announce the two new board members that were elected during this year's meeting. Cyndi Koop and Steve Brown. Please join us in welcoming them to the MSSC Board of Directors. |
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 | | Cyndi Koop moved to Alaska in 2021 and is excited to share her love of cross country skiing through coaching and volunteering within the MSSC. |
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 | | Steve Brown is an avid trail user who has worked with numerous nonprofit groups in the Mat-Su Valley. He understands the importance of maintaining healthy outdoor opportunities for our residents and visitors. In his opinion, the GPRA trail system brings together public and private interests in a unique fashion that exemplifies a true sense of community. |
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| We are excited to announce that trail grooming started this season on October 21st! This year we partnered with Nordic Pulse to bring you a new way to view trail grooming cfrom live GPS tracks. |
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| Nordic Pulse has modernized ski trail reporting to provide a visual overview of existing trails along with a grooming timestamp by using GPS tracking provided by our groomers. Along with Independence Mine, you will find maps of Archangel Road, GPRA and the Moose Range. Clicking on the MSSC icon and features within this page is really the best way to learn how to use Nordic Pulse. Some of the benefits of NP are knowing when and where to go ski at a quick glance based solely on color, learning the difficulty levels of the trails, and how you might find your way back to the trailhead. The groomers are still learning all the features of this new type of reporting. We plan to continue reporting to Snowio as well. Nordic Pulse and Snowio reporting are both found on the grooming page of our website. Click here to check it out! |
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| This photo shows a red flashing circle that will be present when a groomer is actively grooming a trail. A caution to give them time to finish and depart before you head out to enjoy their work. |
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| New this season, be on the lookout for this bright yellow and very stylish Trail Ambassador vest. These are volunteer folks that love our trails and interacting with the community. As the trails we groom and maintain become more popular and crowded, it is our goal to provide visitors with an awareness of trail etiquette which helps preserve all the effort and time that goes into trail grooming. These friends have knowledge of the area and can answer your questions about events, ski races and programs hosted by the Mat-Su Ski Club. Also, it's just nice to have a friendly person to talk to. Be sure to smile and wave when you meet them on the ski trails! |
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| Call for Volunteers!| Volunteers are the glide wax to our skis which means we would be stuck without you! Ski season (the best season!) is here again which means we have a calendar full of events and races. The Mat-Su Ski Club is mostly run by volunteers and that includes the amazing people that lend their time to help us make every single ski race appear effortless. This season we have 15 ski races on our calendar and would be so grateful if you would consider donating some of your time to one or more of these events in some capacity. We truly value our volunteers and have planned some new ways to show appreciation in hopes of keeping you coming back for more. Click the volunteer button below to see what ski race help we need along with other ways to help out and meet friends in your MSSC community. |
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Annual RTTO #1 A Great Success!| What a great turnout of skiers and volunteers for the 14th annual Race To The Outhouse! Independence Mine was the destination this year and it did not disappoint! Smiles were on participant faces as folks of all levels prepared for the start of the first ski race of the season. The temperature, weather and grooming was near perfection on Saturday, November 12th. We sincerely appreciate the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage (NSAA) for providing the timing for this event. |
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 |  | Some of our amazing volunteers that helped make RTTO a success.
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| RTTO photos submitted by Eric Strabel, Kim Taylor and Stephanie Larousse. |
| | Why Buy a MSSC Membership? Membership fees support our programs, events, grooming, trail building, equipment purchases and maintenance.
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Volunteers groom many trails that are for cross country skiing only or multi-use and one of these memberships is just for you. A Winter Walker Membership is $25 and is for folks that enjoy walking on multi-use, groomed trails. For friends that enjoy skiing on trails where classic tracks or a skate lane is maintained, we offer an Individual Membership $40 or Family Membership $75 .
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| Membership for the 2022-23 season is open. Consider supporting your ski club by renewing or purchasing a membership. |
| | | | We love to hear from our members and ski community! Here are some comments from returning members ... |
| "Happily joined as a member. Thanks for all you do to help so many of us find our joy." |
| "Thanks for the superb grooming at Independence Mine an Archangel" |
| | SKI 101 |
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| Friends, are you new to the idea of cross country skiing and not sure what you need to get started? Then this talk is just for you! Join coaches Lorene and Daryl inside Backcountry Bike and Ski for a class that will cover the basics of what you need to know and answer your questions. They will cover topics like how to dress, the gear you need and tell you about our upcoming adult ski lesson registration. No gear needed to attend this event. We hope to see you there! |
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New MSSC Swag!| Check out these beautiful Jytte wool beanies, custom made for your MSSC. These beautiful hats are made of 100% merino wool and come with a soft flannel lining. It's never too early to start thinking about gifts for friends and family of the Mat-Su Ski Club. Click here do a little holiday shopping. |
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 | | Marla Jakab, Administrator and Cyndi Koop, new Board Member, sport the beautiful new wool beanies at the RTTO. |
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Holiday Tree Tour| Save the date for the second Annual Holiday Tree Tour on December 23, 2022. Sure to be a bright success and sponsored by the MEA Charitable Foundation. Come and go between 4:00 and 7:00 pm and enjoy the lighted trees along the Pioneer Loop at Government Peak Recreation Area (GPRA). This event is free and skiers of all levels along with walkers are welcome. Let us light up your night as you join us for this magical evening of joy and cheer! |
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Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram! |
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| 2023 AK State and MSB Parking Passes 2023 AK State and Mat Su Borough Annual parking passes are available for purchase December 1, 2022.
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| Click here to buy a day use or yearly 2023 MSB parking pass online. Save $10 when you buy two. |
Click here to visit the 2023 Annual Parking Pass ordering page. Alaska State annual parking passes may only be purchased online.
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| Trailheads do not close for winter, fees are collected year round. |
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Support throughout the Year! You can help support the Mat-Su Ski Club through the Fred Meyer Community Awards program and through Amazon Smile. Every little bit counts.
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