Two-Week Long Skills Clinics

Beginner Two Week Cross-Country Ski Skill Classes

We know that learning to ski doesn’t happen in a day. We’d like to invite you to join our two week workshops where you can spend a little more time learning the basic techniques of both skate and classic skiing.  We hope that this format will give you a stronger foundation from which to continue your pursuit of skiing!

Skiers must be at least 16 years old to participate. Those between the ages of 7-13 should check out the Loppet Foundation’s TRAIL KIDS Program.

Beginner Skill Level– For our 2 week sessions, we have athletes who have never skied before, as well as those who have skied a few times (2-10 times) with little or no instruction. Each group will split up into groups of “never having skied” and “skied a few times”.

Classic – If you have never skied before – classic skiing is the best place to start. Our classic ski workshops will cover the basics of striding, herringbone, double pole, and kick-double pole.  We will also teach snow-plow, how to navigate downhills, and how to fall and get up safely.

Skate – If you have some experience with classic skiing (or with related movements like hockey/inline skating) you can sign up for our skate workshop.  We’ll cover V1, V2, and V2 alternate, the 3 main techniques used in skate skiing.  We will also teach snow-plow, how to navigate downhills, and how to fall and get up safely.

Location: We meet at The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park: 1221 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Minneapolis

Trail passes: The 2 Week Beginner Lessons do INCLUDE a Wirth Ski Pass for the duration of your lesson. If you wish to ski the groomed trails at other times you need to purchase either All- Access Pass or a Day Pass and enjoy skiing from Dec – mid- March! Season passes can be purchased here – Ski Pass Purchase

Equipment: Please note that you must provided your own ski equipment. We highly recommend you purchase your own equipment (ski swaps are quite inexpensive, and retailers often have used equipment as well). If you prefer to rent, ski rentals are available from the Trailhead adventure shop. You will need to arrive 40 min ahead of time to rent equipment at the Trailhead.