Carter Street

As most of us know – who love the snow – this winter has been wonderful with the amount of snow Rochester received, a critical ingredient for Nordic skiing! Good snow made our third year introducing cross country skiing to kids at Rochester City Recreation Centers (R-Centers) a great experience for the kids as there was no need to fall back on “dry land training” or pretend skiing.

We returned for a third year to work at the Carter Street R-Center and much to our delight the Humboldt Street R-Center asked to be included in the program. After discussions with both R- Center leaders we decided on a series of six sessions, January through to just before President’s week break in February, convening on Wednesdays, 3pm at Humboldt and 5pm at Carter. Between the two sites we had 10-20 participants each session including R-Center staff members who had never been on cross country skis but were equally game to try as well.  

It became apparent that to run this type of program we had to seriously review our equipment inventory. Fortunately, a generous donor (thank you) contributed substantially to an equipment investment and we were able to acquire twenty-five sets of gently used skis, boots and poles working with High Peaks Cyclery in Lake Placid (thank you). We had to make guestimates of the sizes we would need, particularly the boots, and for the most part we guessed correctly.

Carter Street

The ski lessons are basic to accommodate inconsistent attendance. In spite of this limitation, the kids really enjoy the experience as we focus on:

• General body agility and dexterity
• Coordinating leg and arm movement to move through the snow on skis without and eventually with ski poles
• Spending time outdoors and handling the cold
• Learning to persevere when the going is challenging
• Developing self-confidence by virtue of facing winter conditions and the challenges of skiing
• Most importantly having fun and enjoying snow

The terrain at Humbolt Street is a wide-open flat field with one small bump for a little downhill practice. With the generous snow the adult volunteers skied in tracks the kids could use. Perhaps next year we will do some grooming if we have deep snow again. At Carter Street in addition to a flat field there is a nice berm slope that provides great fun as the kids quickly learn to ski up and down.

During Presidents week break we were able to organize a Bristol Nordic trip for the Humboldt group. Amiel’s Subs provided the food (thank you Amiel), RXSCF paid for the day passes, and the R-center transported the kids. Skiing on groomed snow is so nice after a field of deep fluffy snow. Hale Bop and the hill at the end by the lift was a major introduction to hills, frustrations and laughter for the Humbolt group and just about every one skied around Aries one time.

Humboldt Street

As word has spread people have reached out to help, this season we were blessed with four adult volunteers which we paired up giving each pair a specific Wednesday location. There are a few more waiting in the wings we can call up on next year. With out doubt having the extra man power is very helpful as the kids almost need one on one guidance. Thank you to those that came to help and please continue to offer help.

What RXCSF is pioneering jigsaws with the April 2021 Rochester Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBOR)  a City of Rochester pledge to ensure all children, regardless of race or income, have equitable access to nature, aiming to close the “nature gap”. Developed with youth input, it promotes healthy lifestyles through activities like hiking, paddling, and exploring local parks. 

We intend to continue to do this fun work.

 

Hello RXCSF Community, I hope this finds everyone healthy, safe and enjoying what is left of winter. Spring is just about here.

Our season started off very good and we were able to get some early grooming in at some of the parks. However, as we all know that was short lived. Mother Nature suddenly changed her mind and decided to warm things up and take back that early snow she gave us. Then once again she suddenly changed her mind and decided to give us some real winter weather.

Harriet Hollister started off well this season. Early snow and cold temps allowed for grooming to start once deer season was over in December. We are not allowed to be grooming during deer season. Tom, Andy, Stephen and Mike, the groomers, all do a great job.

Mendon Ponds also experienced an earlier start to grooming than normal this season. It was not as good a start as Harriet was, but it was still good. Matt, with his crew from the county, do a great job maintaining the heavily trafficked trails this park receives. It’s not easy to do. Most if not all the parks experience some level of trail damage throughout the season due to non skiers. I have envisioned being able to give the non skiers their own groomed path to use instead of our ski trails. Maybe someday we will have a place that will allow us to do that.

Shadow Pines is shaping up to be very good. Due to the construction project, the storage area inside of the old cart barn was not an option that the town could give us as in the past. We ended up having to rent a Conex box to store the equipment in for the season which worked out just fine. We were given permission this season to start grooming trails on the south side of the park which has been great. We wanted to be able to groom the whole park right from the beginning but things take time. I’m very excited for the relationship that we are building with the Town of Penfield. We have established a very good group of groomers and have brought in new ones this year. Greg, John, Doug, Eric, Nate and Steve are doing a good job at making Shadow Pines continue to become a great location.

Webster Park wasn’t as fortunate as the other three locations to get a real early start. Being close to the lake did not have the advantages that we would normally have with the lake effect snow. Once the weather changed though, Chris and Robert did a great job getting the trails groomed and maintained.

Durand was off to a normal start this season. That is to say the restrictions in place from the County for grooming definitely leaves us more weather dependent than any of the other locations. There were times that we met the frost restrictions but not the snow amount and vice versa. Once grooming was allowed to start, we were able to stay steady with it. February was a good month. We bought a new Conex box at the beginning of the season. We traded in the two we had there on the new one. The floors on both of the old ones were rotted and it would not have made sense to spend the money to repair them. Nic and I, the groomers, do our best for you when we have the opportunity to be out there grooming. Nic had to pick up the slack for me this season. Due to health reasons, I have not been able to groom. He has done a great job. Robert, from Webster, came over when needed to help out also.

Overall, I think the season was very successful. Once things got going, the weather provided good snow cover that allowed for some steady grooming. A lot goes into grooming.  Air and snow temperature, snow depth, ground conditions, current and forecasted weather conditions can all vary drastically from location to location, and day to day. All of these conditions must be considered when making decisions to groom. And most importantly, groomer safety must be considered. Groomers are not expected to groom in extreme wind chill temperatures. It may take a day or so to groom after major snow storms to reduce the risk of groomers getting stuck or tipping over in new deep snow.

I don’t know of too many places that have five different locations within 40 miles of each other that are groomed for cross country skiing. That’s just the locations where RXCSF grooms. Throw in Bristol and Cummings Nature Center to make it seven locations. RXCSF has been able to provide grooming, expand its vision for the future, and promote cross country skiing within our communities because of committed and dedicated supporters. Keep up your commitment.

We as groomers take pride in the work we do. We are dedicated to being out there and grooming the trails whenever we can. Our commitment is firstly to you, the RXCSF skiing community. Everything else comes second. We have a dedicated group of people that are ready, willing and able. I needed to call upon them this season to help me out with grooming stuff that I normally take care of but couldn’t. There was no hesitation to step up and help out. Thanks guys!!

Enjoy the rest of the ski season and the off season. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or comments, good or bad. My email is groomingcoordinatorrxcsf@yahoo.com. Stay healthy. Stay safe.

Darren Leach- Grooming Coordinator

RXCSF’s youth program had an incredible season this winter. With 85 kids registered, the future of Nordic skiing in the Rochester area is here, and their interest is contagious. We met weekly from December 6th through February 28th, and every practice was on snow. We dealt with a few bitterly cold weeks, but the quality of the snow was worth it! 

RXCSF also hosted NYSSRA’s Winterfest at Bristol, and had a great weekend of racing. We celebrated the Olympics, played games, challenged ourselves, and built a lot of skills and resilience.  

Skiing is not an individual sport, it is a community sport, and I’d like to thank everyone who volunteered in any capacity, coached, brought hot chocolate and snacks, made chili, challenged their own comfort zones by skiing with us, and modeled for our kids a way to participate in this lifelong sport that is not predicated on cuts, travel, year-round commitment, or competition. It is special and it only exists because of communal effort. 

RXCSF is already planning ways to keep our momentum going into next year, and seeking additional volunteers and coaches. If our coaching ranks do not grow into next year, we will need to strongly consider capping our registration at 100 kids.  We also need to expand our gear, as a critical piece of our success has been the ability to reduce barriers to entry by including seasonal loans of skis, boots and poles for registrants at no additional cost. 

If anyone would like to volunteer next season or donate skis/boots/poles to the youth program, please reach out. We are only accepting NNN gear in good or better condition. 

Hopefully the season isn’t over quite yet! 

Chris Kvam

RXCSF Youth Director 

The Road to Junior Nationals 2026
Hosted at the historic American Birkebeiner Trails, Cable, WI

The journey to the 2026 Junior National Championships begins this December at another iconic venue—Mount Van Hoevenberg. The first Mid-A Junior National Qualifier (JNQ) will take place on Sunday, December 14, in conjunction with the ADK Tour de Ski.
Full event details and the complete Tour de Ski race schedule can be found at: https://www.adktourdeski.com/

Although not part of the Mid-A JNQ schedule, it’s worth noting that U.S. Ski & Snowboard Senior Nationals will also be held at Mount Van Hoevenberg from January 5–8. This event brings together the nation’s top senior and junior athletes competing for World Cup and Olympic qualification, as well as Junior World Championships and U18 Trip selection.

The second JNQ weekend will return to the Tug Hill Plateau at Osceola Ski and Sport Center on January 10–11. It’s been many years since Osceola last hosted a JNQ, and Dustin and the CNY Nordic crew are eager to welcome athletes for what promises to be an exciting weekend of racing.

The final JNQ weekend will take place at the Gore Mountain Ski Bowl in North Creek, NY, on January 24–25. The Gore crew consistently delivers exceptional race experiences, and this event offers a great opportunity for athletes aiming to qualify for the NENSA Eastern High School Championships in March to preview the updated race courses.

We look forward to seeing a strong contingent of athletes and coaches from the greater Rochester area competing throughout the season and representing our region proudly.

For the most up-to-date schedule and qualification criteria for Junior Nationals and the Eastern High School Championships, please visit: www.midaxc.com

• Junior National Championships: https://www.birkie.com/ski/events/junior-national-championships/
• Eastern High School Championships: https://nensa.net/eastern-hs-championships/

If you have any questions, please contact:
Jason Hettenbaugh
jason@rochesternordicracing.com

The RXCSF youth program is gearing up for our 2025-26 season.  Our SkiReg page is live, https://www.skireg.com/8488, and we already have 44 kids registered.  Our program is designed for kids in 8^th grade and younger, dedicated to having fun on skis in the snow and building a life-long love of the sport.  All skill levels are welcome, and we have enough coaching support to meet the needs of beginner, intermediate, and advanced skiers. 

Our practices will be every Saturday from December 6, 2025 through February 28, 2025 at 1:00pm, location to be determined weekly based on snow conditions. We are holding an informational session on November 15, 2025 at 4:00pm at the West Lodge in Mendon Ponds Park.  Please pass along this information to any interested families!  No registration is required. 

The RXCSF youth program strives to reduce barriers to entry for XC skiing.  We are a volunteer led organization, and have skis, boots and poles available in most sizes for families who need them at no additional charge. Our program fee this year is $54 for the season plus the cost of Bristol passes for the days we are at the Summit Center.   We do encourage our families to check out the HFL ski swap on November 22, 2026 to ensure we have enough gear to go around. 

Mark your calendars for January 17-18, 2026.  RXCSF will be hosting NYSRAA Nordic’s 2026 BKYSL Winterfest at the Bristol Summit Center. We look forward to having the volunteer support of the broader RXCSF community to have a successful event. 

Think snow!!

Chris Kvam

youth@rxcsf.org

RXCSF Youth Director

This will be the third season that RXCSF will be running a program to introduce cross country skiing to Rochester city youth. This initiative kinks the RXCSF Mission statement to  “increase opportunities for cross country skiing in urban areas and West Side communities “with the Rochester City Outdoor Bill of Rights. (https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/department-recreation-and-human-services/childrens-outdoor-bill-rights).

We will once again work with the Carter St. R-Center. And we have a new venue at the Humboldt St. R-Center. The latter opportunity comes from a staff person who participated last season at Carter St. She now runs a city program called After School in the Park (ASIP). There may be as many as 20-25 kids participating across both venues. 

With growing participation, RXCSF will be in need of more Junior sized equipment. Your donations of money and/or equipment in good condition will be greatly appreciated. We can always use more volunteers to help with the sessions that will take place across the two venues in late afternoon and early evening, starting in January through mid February. The kids have a great experience as do the volunteers. Contact us if you are interested in volunteering.

Anna Gorbold membership@rxcsf.org

Bob Kuehl treasurer@rxcsf.org

We wrapped up our 2024-25 Bill Koch season on March 1, 2025 at Bristol.  We had 54 registered skiers, with attendance regularly over 30 kids each week. 

We made the most of our amazing conditions this winter, with sessions at Mendon, Durand, Harriett Hollister, and Bristol. We hosted RXCSF Winterfest, and participated in the Rochester Orienteering Ski-o try it event at Mendon.  

Our club was able to provide ski equipment to approximately 25 skiers.  

We had amazing support from parents and volunteer coaches, without whom our success this year would not have been possible. Many thanks to all involved! 

Goal 6 of the RXCSF strategic plan states: “Increase opportunities or support for cross country skiing in urban areas and West Side communities by the beginning of the 2024-2025 season …” In fulfilling this goal, RXCSF started a pilot program in 2024 in partnership with the City of Rochester Carter Street Recreation Center (R-Center), a facility that provides a safe after school venue for school aged children, . This winter, under the leadership of Board members Anna Gorbold and Bob Kuehl, RXCSF followed up with a second series of Nordic ski sessions at the R-Center.

RXCSF committed to five Wednesday sessions starting mid-January, at approximately 4:00 pm, and running about 2-3 hours each. Eight students ranging in ages from 8-11 signed up, one was repeating from last year, the others were total novices. In addition to Joe the lead R-Center supervisor of the group, we were joined by several other employees, all young women, that volunteered to help in the program and enthusiastically wanted to ski as well.

After last year’s dearth of snow, this year we were unbelievably fortunate as the snow came and stayed. The Carter Street R-Center has a perfect outdoor venue, a large field bounded on one side by a nice gentle slopping berm. RXCSF provides the boots, skis and poles. The Center encourages correct clothing for skiing, but has back up clothing such as gloves and hats.

The kids had an amazing time. While they are all very excited the first day, they become tentative and hesitant at first in learning how to put on Nordic boots and then clipping into the skis that they have no idea how to control. But being young they quickly learn. Time was spent instructing basic Nordic skills focusing on classic technique. The first couple of lessons were free of poles but they were introduced by the 3rd session. This was interesting and amusing learning in itself, figuring out how to coordinate your body with skis and poles to move in the snow. Some of the skiers preferred to use the poles while others chose not to use them.

The program had several highlights. The berm slope at the center provided perfect downhill ski skill learning. It was hard getting the kids off the slope as they were having so much fun. Supervisor Joe modeled beginner technique well, both in staying upright and falling! Learning how to get back up onto Nordic skis is a skill set all of its own. While we were not going to develop expert Nordic skiers in this short time frame, we were able to provide a unique experience that enhanced personal physical skills and exposed young people to a sport that they would not otherwise experience. You never know where that may lead.

The last session was held at the Bristol Nordic Center. The R-Center has a van available for field trip transportation. RXCSF paid for day passes and instruction continued. After the ungroomed terrain at the R-Center, the kids enjoyed the set tracks and the groomed snow at Bristol. Skiing around the Aries loop was a thrill and so different from the flat ground at the Center. You could see their enthusiasm and confidence on skis grow. Lunch was generously provided by Amiel of Amiel’s Subs with enough extra food to take home.

RXCSF plans to continue bringing Nordic skiing into the City. After a review of this year’s program, we have decided to include some of the older kids at the R-Center. as they expressed curiosity and desire inspired by what they saw the younger kids enjoying. We will be searching for and collecting winter gloves and over pants for next winter, to provided better weather protection for participants which in turn will increase their ‘stickability”! Exciting prospects for winter 2026.

Furthering RXCSF’s goal to introduce Nordic skiing to kids in Rochester was an equipment loan of eight sets of skis, boots and poles to John O’Brien who leads the Edison Tech Outdoor Club. He introduced his kids to Nordic skiing for the first time. They had a blast but unfortunately by the time John started this venture the snow conditions were deteriorating preventing repeated sessions. The intention is for RXCSF to support this venture next winter.

The objectives of RXCSF’s strategic plan Goal #6 are coming to fruition. Your support contributes to not just grooming at our local ski venues but makes it possible for RXCSF to expand the Nordic ski experience to those who may not otherwise be able to try it. This was a very positive experience for Board Members Bob Kuehl and Anna Gorbold. We welcome and encourage additional volunteers from the skiing community to join us as we work to sustain and grow the program. It is an experience well worth the time.

Rochester Nordic Racing (RNR) is an affiliate program of RXCSF, dedicated to providing year-round support for U14 to U20 ski racers aiming to compete at the national level. Our primary goal is to help athletes qualify for the Junior National Championships.

This winter, our athletes experienced another successful season, competing across three weekends of qualification races. These included the Gore Mid-A JNQ, the USSS Super Tour / NENSA Eastern Cup in Lake Placid, and the Empire State Games. Following the qualification events, 10 RNR athletes earned the opportunity to represent the Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team in Utah this March.

The Junior National Championships were held at Soldier Hollow, a venue that hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and will again serve as a host in 2034.

In addition to their Junior National qualification, RNR athletes also enjoyed a successful high school season. Of the 24 athletes who qualified for the NYSPHSAA Championships, 15 were RNR members. Notably, Marianne Spyra of Pittsford Sutherland was crowned Sectional Champion, continuing a streak of Section 5 Championship wins by RNR athletes dating back to 2009.

Several RNR athletes will be graduating this year and are planning to continue their skiing careers at the next level. It will be exciting to watch them further develop and compete at the highest level.

Looking forward to another great summer of training with the area’s top athletes. If you are interested or know someone who might you can check out www.rochesternordicracing.com .