Skiwerx La Crosse

Venue:

Hixon Forest

Greyed out options are no longer available.

Details:

Registration:	Open • Apply To Volunteer • Register Skier
Meets:	Sunday, Thursday 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Starts:	Dec. 1, 2023
Dates:	Dec 1, Dec 2, Dec 3, Dec 4, Dec 5, Dec 6, Dec 7, Dec 8, Dec 9, Dec 10, Dec 11, Dec 12, Dec 13, Dec 14, Dec 15, Dec 16, Dec 17, Dec 18, Dec 19, Dec 20, Dec 21, Dec 22, Dec 23, Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 26, Dec 27, Dec 28, Dec 29, Dec 30, Dec 31, Jan 1, Jan 2, Jan 3, Jan 4, Jan 5, Jan 6, Jan 7, Jan 8, Jan 9, Jan 10, Jan 11, Jan 12, Jan 13, Jan 14, Jan 15, Jan 16, Jan 17, Jan 18, Jan 19, Jan 20, Jan 21, Jan 22, Jan 23, Jan 24, Jan 25, Jan 26, Jan 27, Jan 28, Jan 29, Jan 30, Jan 31, Feb 1, Feb 2, Feb 3, Feb 4, Feb 5, Feb 6, Feb 7, Feb 8, Feb 9, Feb 10, Feb 11, Feb 12, Feb 13, Feb 14, Feb 15, Feb 16, Feb 17, Feb 18, Feb 19, Feb 20, Feb 21, Feb 22, Feb 23, Feb 24, Feb 25, Feb 26, Feb 27, Feb 28, Feb 29, Mar 1, Mar 2, Mar 3, Mar 4, Mar 5, Mar 6, Mar 7, Mar 8, Mar 9, Mar 10, Mar 11, Mar 12, Mar 13, Mar 14, Mar 15, Mar 16, Mar 17, Mar 18, Mar 19, Mar 20, Mar 21, Mar 22, Mar 23, Mar 24, Mar 25, Mar 26, Mar 27, Mar 28, Mar 29, Mar 30, Mar 31
Classic Rentals:	See next option Skiers must have their own equipment
Skate Rentals:	See next option Skiers must have their own equipment
Membership:	$60.00
Ski Pass Required:
Leader:	Sara Strassman
Email:	skiwerxlacrosse@myxc.org
Skill Levels Offered:

updated 12/10/2023

Welcome to the Second Year of Skiwerx La Crosse!!

Registration: Through SkiWerx, a Minnesota Youth XC program, which offers insurance for our club and organizational development. The La Crosse club is here

Cost: $60 for registration

Equipment: We do not currently have sufficient gear in the larger youth sizes to offer rentals through this group, though we aspire to in future years! Please reach out if you are looking for gear, as we could have a smaller group discussion about swaps, seasonal rentals or other options that might help us get kids outfitted. There is an annual MYXC swap in November that offers a great opportunity to pick up used gear.

Techniques: We will offer skate & classic techniques, likely alternating practices based on snow conditions, similar to the Winona club.

Location: Practices will be primarily held at Hixon Forest City Park, though we may take 1-2 trips to Winona if we have a long snowless stretch. Our plan is to have this group meet at the Forest Hills Golf Course parking lot and head out from there.

Practice times & dates: Dec 31st, Jan 4, Jan 7, Jan 11, Jan 14, Jan 18, Jan 21, Jan 25, Jan 28, Feb 1, Feb 4, Feb 8, Feb 11, Feb 15, Feb 18, Feb 29, Mar 3. No practice Feb 22nd for Birkie week. Thursday practices are 4-5:30. Sunday practices are 3-4:30.

Races: SkiWerx registration gives our club access to any of the SkiWerx racing series events, held primarily around the Twin Cities. However, in light of the travel distance to events and the feedback we received from all of you, we are not committing our club to participating in any of those events this year. Youth & families are welcome to participate in any of those events that fit their individual interest & schedule.

Weather and cancellation policy

For Sunday's practices: We will make a preliminary weather call on Thursdays before we meet and post it right here. Look for language such as (likely/unlikely). We will make a final weather or conditions call on Sunday morning by noon and post it here and send an email to all of the families. Assume practice is on if you do not hear!

We will not ski if the air temperature is below -2˚ F or the wind chill is below -10˚ F, or at the leader’s discretion. Because the kids ski out in the open, wind is a big factor on the golf course at Forest Hills. Always check the website or email skiwerxlacrosse@myxc.org with questions. Cancellations will be posted on Facebook and this webpage.

Clothing

Dress warmly, but dress to move! It's best to dress in layers and avoid cotton or cotton-blends. Suggested layers*:

Base layer (underwear layer) wicks sweat off your skin: polypropylene or lightweight wool long underwear tops and bottoms
Middle layer (insulating layer) retains body heat to protect you from the cold: a second long-underwear top, a long-sleeve (non-cotton) t-shirt or a lightweight fleece
Outer layer (shell layer) shields you from wind and snow: heavy fleece or jacket on top and fleece pants/leggings or pants designed for xc skiing on bottom

*Please use your discretion and take into account activity level and the outside temperature/wind chill. Often winter jackets and snow pants or a snowsuits are too warm once children get moving. However, kids in levels 1 and 2 and older beginners don't move as much and generally wear winter coats and snow pants/snowsuits.

Other tips for staying warm:

Wool socks: Invest in a pair of wool (or non-cotton wool-alternative) socks that come up to mid-calf.
Cover the head, ears and neck: We lose a lot of heat through our heads, so cover up with hats (that cover the ears), neck warmers, balaclavas or headbands.
Dry boots: Cold, wet boots are no fun to put on. Bring ski boots in from the car and let them dry out between uses. Before driving to SkiSparks, have your kids put their boots on at home where it's warm.
Mitten/gloves: Mittens will keep fingers warmer than gloves. Most kids where their waterproof snow gloves, but more advanced skiers may be more comfortable wearing breathable gloves designed for cross-country skiing.
Hand/Foot warmers: For when it is really cold, hand and foot warmers are helpful. These are oxygen activated and you can “turn them off” by putting them in an airtight container (such as a glass jar) to get multiple uses.
Calories: A skier who is low on calories will have a hard time staying warm. Bring extra snacks and drinks.

Equipment

Rental equipment is not available for our Skiwerx group. Once we have registrations from our prospective skiers, we will have more information to determine how we will be handling practices and equipment needs.

Annual Ski Swap sales can be found at Mt La Crosse (typically the first weekend in November), through the myXC organization (second weekend in November), or up in Winona, Rochester, or the Twin Cities (e.g. GearWest, FinnSisu, Pioneer Midwest). Make sure you ask if a particular ski shop offers deals for kids in the myXC organization -- many have substantial discounts!

Other resources:

Skinnyski.com

A great guide to selecting skis for your kids:

https://www.thecrazyoutdoormama.com/7-best-kids-cross-country-skis-2022-buying-guide/

https://pioneermidwest.com/pages/cross-country-skiing-equipment-guide

https://pioneermidwest.com/pages/high-school-and-junior-trade-in-trade-up-program

Waxing

Waxing guides / videos will be posted here once we find good resources!

Communications

We will be communicating with Skiwerx families via email. When you register please include an active e-mail address. You would be contacted for the following reasons:

In the event we cancel practice because of weather.
To let you know if we have to shift the time we are meeting because of weather or event.
To be given periodic updates with news and information about the team.

Coaches:

Our head coaches are JP Ericsson and Michele Ericsson, an all-star husband/wife team with years of skiing experience

We can always use more coaches and assistant coaches to help meet all abilities! Please reach out to Sara Strassman (skiwerxlacrosse@myxc.org) or directly to JP or Michele for more information.