Mountaineering and Outdoor Education

141 Cross-Country Ski School

Want to experience Colorado's finest snow, away from the crowds and away from expensive lift tickets? Come join us this January and learn to cross-country ski and prepare for the backcountry. The Colorado Mountain Club's Denver Group presents you with an excellent opportunity to learn a new winter sport or to reacquaint you with an old one. In December, we start with a lecture on such subjects as safety, avalanche awareness, and selection of skis. In January, we offer three full days on snow with lessons geared to your level of skill and endurance. Each year we have students who range from folks who have skied for years to those who have never stood on skis. You will be in a small class, often less than ten students with two instructors, taught by Club volunteers who, annually, enhance their own skills through lessons from local Professional Ski Instructor Association instructors.

The first on-snow day is held at a Summit County Nordic center where you will become comfortable on skis and learn basic flat track and uphill techniques. The second is spent at a Nordic center, in the backcountry on easy trails or at a lift-assisted area, depending on group skills, learning basic downhill techniques. Finally, the day students look forward to; a trip into the backcountry to apply your newly learned skills and advance your technique.

A recent addition to the traditional Cross-Country Ski School is the Backcountry Downhill and Backcountry Huts classes. Backcountry Downhill offers instruction designed to teach how to ski downhill in untracked snow at your own comfort level. Emphasis is on improving downhill skills, including transition maneuvers, judging snow conditions, handling terrain and slope angles, and learning how to use tree positions to your advantage in turning. This class is a transition between the Cross-Country Ski School and the Telemark Ski school. Backcountry Huts is for students who wish to learn more about skiing into and out of backcountry huts.

As with all CMC schools, the Cross-Country Ski School is open to CMC MEMBERS ONLY. See our Membership page for information on becomming a member. See Membership Application for the Denver Group of the CMC.

To register for the school, print the School Registration Form (PDF), return with your membership application and dues/tuition to the Colorado Mountain Club, 710 Tenth St #200, Golden, CO, 80401. Or include your credit card information and fax to 303-279-9690, ext. 2.

The cost of tuition is $65 for Denver members and $75 for members from other CMC Groups and includes the lecture, three days of lessons and a trail pass for the first day. Where else can you find this value in today's ski market? Don't have skis? Don't worry. We will tell you what to rent and where to rent them.