Our Winter Nordic Ski Programs are part of the Loppet Foundation’s Trail Kids year-round programming.

*Beginner participants must attend one of our 3 week Beginner Clinics before they register for a 5 or 10-week Winter Ski Programs, or have equivalent skill and experience. Novice to advanced skiers are split into ability and age-specific coaching groups, so that each participant is challenged appropriately. Trail Kids sessions include technique drills, relays, games on skis, distance adventure skiing, and preparation for upcoming race events. The main focuses are developing skills, having fun, and falling in love with a lifetime sport!

 Please read all equipment and registration information before registering.

The best way to reach the Trail Kids Admin Team is via email at trailkids@loppet.org

Ski Ability Level Guide

In order to place participants in the appropriate classic and skate ability groups we need your help during registration. Participants will be placed into ability groups, will be assessed by coaches the first week of session, and rearranged as needed. Please refer to the Nordic Ski Ability Level Guide when registering your child.

Friend Requests: For safety and equity reasons, Trail Kids does not offer friend requests as part of registration. The mass quantity of friend requests made it impossible to accommodate them all and greatly impacted safety and group dynamics. We would love to allow everyone to practice with their friends, but if we cannot accommodate all friend requests, we cannot offer them to everyone. We encourage riders to embrace the opportunity to form new friendships through our programs!

Registration Information

Registration for Trail Kids winter programming will open at 9am on October 7th

Registration FAQs: For answers to many common registration questions please visit our Registration FAQ page

These sessions meet twice a week for ten weeks, focusing on both classic and skate ski technique (classic and skate equipment needed to participate in these sessions – rentals are not available for the 10-week program). Please read all equipment and registration information before registering.

• Dates: January 6th – March 12th
• Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 6PM – 7:30PM
• Where: The Trailhead (meet at team flags east of the Trailhead)
• Type of instruction: Skate and Classic technique
• Equipment needed: Skate skis and poles (nose height) & Classic skis (skin skis or kickwax skis) and poles (shoulder height). Combi boots can be used for both techniques. Rentals are not offered for the 10-week program.

Trail Kids offers two five-week sessions for families that want a shorter time commitment and/or to focus on one discipline. The sessions will teach either skate or classic technique, so only one type of ski equipment is needed to participate. Please read all equipment and registration information before registering.

Session 1: Monday/Wednesday 5-Week Classic Ski Session

• Dates: January 5th – February 4th (no practice MLK Day)
• Days/Time: Mondays/Wednesdays 6PM – 7:30PM
• Where: The Trailhead (meet at team flags east of the Trailhead)
• Type of instruction: Classic technique
• Equipment needed: Classic skis (skin skis or kickwax skis) and poles (shoulder height). Combi boots can be used. Limited number of rentals available as a registration add-on for $75.

Session 1: Tuesday/Thursday 5-Week Skate Ski Session

• Dates: January 6th – February 5th
• Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 6PM – 7:30PM
• Where: The Trailhead (meet at team flags east of the Trailhead)
• Type of instruction: Skate technique
• Equipment needed: Skate skis and poles (nose height). Combi boots can be used. Limited number of rentals available as a registration add-on for $75.

Session 2: Monday/Wednesday 5-Week Skate Ski Session

• Dates: February 9th – March 11th (no practice Presidents Day)
• Days/Time: Mondays/Wednesdays 6PM – 7:30PM
• Where: The Trailhead (meet at team flags east of the Trailhead)
• Type of instruction: Skate technique
• Equipment needed: Skate skis and poles (nose height). Combi boots can be used. Limited number of rentals available as a registration add-on for $75.

Session 2: Tuesday/Thursday 5-Week Classic Ski Session

• Dates: February 10th – March 12th
• Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 6PM – 7:30PM
• Where: The Trailhead (meet at team flags east of the Trailhead)
• Type of instruction: Classic technique
• Equipment needed: Classic skis (skin skis or kickwax skis) and poles (shoulder height). Combi boots can be used. Limited number of rentals available as a registration add-on for $75.

Trail Kids offers two five-week sessions for families that want a shorter time commitment and/or to focus on one discipline. The sessions will teach either skate or classic technique, so only one type of ski equipment is needed to participate. Please read all equipment and registration information before registering.

Session 1: Tuesday/Thursday 5-Week Classic Ski Session

• Dates: January 6th – February 5th
• Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 6PM – 7:30PM
• Where: Hyland Lake Park in Bloomington
• Type of instruction: Classic technique
• Equipment needed: Classic skis (skin skis or kickwax skis) and poles (shoulder height). Combi boots can be used. Rentals are not offered for the Hyland location.

Session 2: Tuesday/Thursday 5-Week Skate Ski Session

• Dates: February 10th – March 12th
• Days/Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 6PM – 7:30PM
• Where: Hyland Lake Park in Bloomington
• Type of instruction: Skate technique
• Equipment needed: Skate skis and poles (nose height). Combi boots can be used. Rentals are not offered for the Hyland location.

Financial Assistance and Sibling Discounts

Financial Assistance: Trail Kids provides financial assistance for those in need, up to 100% of the registration cost. To apply, please fill out our Trail Kids Financial Assistance Application. We will follow up with you with instructions on how to register at a price that is manageable for your family. Applications for programs that start two weeks or less from the date of submission will not be approved.

Sibling Discount: For those families who have three or more kids in the same Trail Kids offering we can provide a fifteen percent discount code. Please email trailkids@loppet.org for more information.

Refund Policy

The Loppet will issue a full refund of the program fee (or rental fee) minus the original processing fee up until 6 weeks before the program starts. Between 6 weeks and 4 weeks from the program start date, a 50% refund will be issued. Between 4 and 3 weeks from the program start date, a 25% refund will be issued. There are no refunds for any cancellations within less than 3 weeks of the start of a program. During the program, if your child has a medical issue that makes it impossible to participate, we will issue a prorated refund minus the processing fee. If the Loppet cancels a program, a full refund will be issued. For instructions on how to request a refund, click here.