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Team USA made waves at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with standout performances in cross‑country skiing that inspired fans everywhere. Now it’s our turn to cheer on our own hard‑working MSSC athletes as they compete in Junior Nationals and AWG over spring break!

Come celebrate the season with us at Apreś Ski and our Annual Meeting—fun, community, and ski stories guaranteed! Recap the season with us and celebrate and appreciate our amazing volunteers and athlete accomplishments.

Apreś Ski: Celebrate the Season’s Volunteer Heroes

Join us to celebrate another fantastic season at the GPRA Chalet on Friday, March 27th from 6–8 pm! We’ll have food, drinks, and plenty of fun, plus a chance to connect with fellow skiers, volunteers, and supporters of the club.

We’ll start with a quick check-in on club business, then shift to celebrating the people who make our programs and trails possible—from coaches and groomers to volunteers of all kinds.

Please RSVP by March 25th so we can plan enough food and drinks for everyone. Come share stories, see season highlights, and enjoy a well-deserved evening of fun! This event is family friendly and open to all.

Help Shape the Future of the Mat-Su Ski Club!

Love Nordic skiing? Love our trails and community? Here’s your chance to get involved in a bigger way—join the Mat-Su Ski Club Board!

We’re looking for passionate people to bring ideas, energy, and support to our club. Maybe you’re a pro at fundraising or finance, or maybe you just love Nordic skiing and want to help make our events even better—either way, we’d love to have you!

Important Dates:

• Apply by: March 18

• Online voting: March 19–26

• Results announced at: Après Ski Celebration, Friday, March 27

Check out the application for full details or reach out to chat with a current board member to see what it’s really like. Step up, get involved, and help keep Mat-Su Nordic skiing thriving!

MSN Hits the National Stage

The 2026 Cross Country Junior National Championships are underway in Cable, Wisconsin and Team Alaska is off to a strong start, as of March 9th, leading the Alaska Cup standings. MSN is proud to have Clara Sensabaugh, Kyndle LaRousse, Elliot Sensabaugh, Banyan Smyth, Gabe Black, Raven Spangler, and Weston Sensabaugh representing Alaska on the national stage. competing at this year’s championships, proudly representing Alaska on the national stage. Racing kicked off under beautiful skies and warm spring trail conditions. In the U18 Boys 7.5K freestyle race, Gabe Black delivered an outstanding performance, finishing 3rd place. Gabe shared that he was “very excited” about his race and the strong start to the week.

We’re proud to see our Mat-Su athletes competing at this level and representing our community so well. We’ll be cheering them on as the races continue! Stay tuned—our next newsletter will include more highlights and pictures as the competition continues!

Left: Coach Eric Strabel, Gabe Black and Coach Tegan Thorley thrilled to represent MSN! Right: Team Alaska!

Mat-Su Athletes Shine at Arctic Winter Games

MSN’s Amelia Parker and Wren Spangler, are off to a strong start at the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. Despite subzero temperatures and a brisk 12 mph breeze, Amelia placed 2nd in the U18 5K freestyle, and Wren placed 7th in the U14 3.75K freestyle.

Also on the podium were Siril Vars-Larsstuen representing Sapmi in 1st and Amelia Bochenek representing Alaska in 3rd (see photo). Team Alaska is representing very well so far and enjoying the chance to compete with some of the best young athletes from across the circumpolar North. Pictured below, Amelia Parker (left) and Raven Spangler (center) hit their stride and 2nd place podium finish for Amelia Parker (right).

Another season of Junior Nordics wrapped up just ahead of spring break! We ended the season with sun and frigid temps! Our hardy coach crew kept the kids skiing and having fun. Our annual end of season ice cream party was a big hit as usual and according to the kids “it’s never too cold for ice cream!”

Upper groups went on a fun scavenger hunt while the Polar Cubs and Families had tons of fun playing stadium games.

Special thanks to Coach Ed Strabel who built a jump and tunnel for the kids and to Beau and Louis LaRousse that helped set it up! We definitely have some kids interested in ski jumping! 

Thank You to all the parents that took charge in so many ways to make the last week a success, from scooping hundreds of ice cream scoops to stadium crowd control! All essential to the whole!!! 

I am grateful for the amazing community support for this program and the many thoughtful and kind words that were exchanged at our last sessions! I will be reaching out with more opportunities for our JN community to come together! I hope to see you on the trails soon. Reminder that final ski returns April 26th 11am-1pm @ GPRA.

Let’s go ski! Stephanie LaRousse, Junior Nordics Program Manager

Got thoughts on Junior Nordics? We’d love to hear them—Click here to take our quick survey and share your ideas!

Junior Nordics donated some of our older ski fleet to Fronteras Elementary. PE teacher Guinn Hill says the kids are thrilled to have skis they can learn to skate on and they will be shared among other schools!

Trails and Grooming

Have you checked out Mud Lake yet? Our team has been creating some fantastic tracks on the east side of the Valley. Mud Lake is located in the Knik River Public Use Area (KRPUA) at the end of Plumly Maud Road off the Old Glenn Highway.

Parking is limited, and the area is multi-use, so please be mindful of other visitors. To stay ahead of snowmachines and walkers and catch first tracks, be sure to visit our trail reports page for the latest updates and conditions.

March is delivering some incredible skiing opportunities, and the longer days with warm sunshine make it all worth the wait. If you haven’t already, consider supporting the club by making a donation or joining as a member to help sustain these volunteer-driven efforts.