Ski a kilometer to put more skis on Juneau youth
- Klas Stolpe
- Feb 25
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 26
Juneau Nordic Ski Club’s annual fundraiser, plus Border2Border and much more await Sunday skiers
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
Sunday skiers have their choice of two cross-country ski adventures, or can combine both, as the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Nordic Ski Team and Juneau Nordic Ski Club will host their 9th Annual CommuniSki on Sunday, March 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to raise money for putting more Juneau kids on skis and coincide it with the annual Border2Border adventure along most of Juneau's Nordic trails.
Location for the CommuniSki is set for Mendenhall Campground as recent snowfall has confirmed that Juneau skiers can get back outside. The Mendenhall Lake Campground will feature the campground 3-kilometer loop and the lake 6-kilometer loop. Border2Border begins with Pioneer Road 11-km start at 8:30-10a.m. and moves on to Eaglecrest's 6-km Lower and 4-km Upper Loops, 'waxes' over to the 6.5-km Montana Creek portion and then Mendenhall Lake Campground (see times below).
“We are hoping for the campground,” JNSC executive director Tristan Knutson-Lombardo said on Tuesday. “Waiting on this weather to push through. Ideally we are at the lake, but if it stays warm and it turns to water out there, we will pivot somewhere else. We have been telling people to watch the website (jnski.org) and socials. We will probably know by Thursday.”
Those hopes were bolstered with a decision Wednesday to featured the campground as the place to be Sunday.
If the public feels a little "under the weather" and cannot participate, JDHS Nordic Ski team members can be "hired" to ski laps for a dollar or more a kilometer. Community skiers are welcome to do the same.
“This is the annual fundraiser for the entire Nordic Ski Club,” JDHS Nordic coach Abby McAllister said. “It funds all of the Junior Nordic, middle school and high school programs. It is, like, how many kilometers can we ski collectively as a club. We ask for pledges for kilometers skied.”
The event is a celebration of all things kids on skis and is also the JNSC’s biggest fundraiser to support Juneau youth programs.
The middle and high school skiers are fundraising $31,572 — one dollar for every Juneau resident — with pledges supporting their effort to log as many kilometers as possible in one day. The community is invited to donate to their effort and join in on the skiing.
“We will have music, food, a fire, and good cheer to keep folks logging the kilometers,” Knutson-Lombardo said. “We will also have demos available for young skiers from 1-3 p.m. Kids can try on some boots and skis, play a game, and come see what cross-country skiing is all about.”
Sunday also marks the return of the Border2Border Juneau.
"This Juneau Nordic Ski Team event, inspired by the now deceased one in Finland - climate change - has returned after a hiatus as we celebrate Nordic without borders all across Juneau," Border2Border coordinator Merry Ellefson said. She works with Colleen Jones to organize the event. "Join us for one or all of the ski locations. And bring your international hat, we will award prizes, and enjoy aid stations full of pickles, juice and chocolate!"
Keep an eye out for the finishing pop-up gathering at Mendenhall Lake. Event details will be shown on the ski club website, jnski.org.
“This is Juneau's version of the now-defunct ski across Finland,” Knutson-Lombardo said. “Ski every groomed trail in Juneau, and celebrate with a party at Skaters Cabin at the Mendenhall Lake Campground.”
This celebration of Spring sking in the Border2Border begins with start times of 8:30-10 a.m. on the 11-kilometer North Douglas Pioneer Road; followed by the 10:30-noon Eaglecrest 6-km Lower Loop and 4-km Upper Loop; then a 12:30-2 p.m. Montana Creek 6-km section; and 2-4 p.m. finish on the 9.5-km Mendenhall Campground and Lake.
"B2B skiers will conclude with the Communiski celebration near Skater's Cabin," Ellefson said. "Adding their personal kilometer tally to this larger event and earning a Brat with their Bib shown at the campfire. Join the nordic fun across our borders!"
Ideally Border2Border skiers will finish their trail portions in time to join the CommuniSki.
"For extra credit try to tack on the Eagle Beach Campground," Ellefson said. "But be back in time to join the CommuniSki."
Also noted is the extension until March 1 of the Planetary Ski. Designed by the Marie Drake Planetarium, Juneauites can ski, walk, snowshoe or fat bike the entire solar system at the Mendenhall Campground.
According to Knutson-Lombardo, there is also the Women's Ski Ups for women to connect with other women skiers, play games on skis, hone skills, and enjoy the evening air. This is not a learn-to-ski group; skiers should be able to comfortably ski at least three kilometers. To register, visit jnski.org/adult-programs. Session dates will be announced for the month of March.
“It has been an incredible winter of skiing,” Knutson-Lombardo said. “We have groomed snow for skiing at multiple trail locations throughout Juneau for 82 straight days this winter — so far. While many Juneauites now know the Mendenhall Lake is finally strong enough to support our grooming equipment, we also — after many volunteer hours clearing downed trees and packing snow — have groomed Salmon Creek. Also, Montana Creek, the Mendenhall Campground, and Eagle Beach continue to churn out reliably solid conditions, and we're hoping this fresh dump of snow will bring the North Douglas Pioneer Road back online.”
The JNSC is a volunteer-driven nonprofit and relies on the passionate work of roughly 100 volunteers, which includes more than 30 volunteer trail groomers, to make cross-country skiing in Juneau possible.
“So next time you are out on a trail, make sure to give a tip of the toque to that person wrapping up their trail groom for the day,” Knutson-Lombardo said. “There would not be skiing without them.”
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
