The ski club is trying something new this year. This clinic is for skiers who already feel fairly comfortable skate skiing and want to learn finer points of technique and improve their speed and efficiency. If you are considering taking up ski racing (or already have and want to get better at it), this clinic would be a good option for you.

The clinic will consist of five sessions, each building on the previous. We ask that you not sign up for the clinic unless you expect to be able to make it to all the sessions. However if you do need to miss one you are still welcome to attend the rest of the clinic since there will be some overlap in the topics covered at each session. Registration opens at 8 AM on December 26 and is through RunSignup.

All sessions will take place on Mondays from 3:30 to around 4:30, but the location will alternate between the Pattee Canyon and golf course trails since some topics are more easily covered at each place. We'll spend the first 30-40 minutes of each session going over the key points and conclude with a period of skiing during which you can get specific advice from the instructor. The schedule will be as follows:

January 9: Golf course. Review different ski techniques including V1, V1 alternate/open field, and V2. Practice weight transfer.
January 16: Pattee Canyon. Work on hill climbing technique, including doing V1 on both the right and left side.
January 23: Golf course. Focus on V2. Also practice making step turns on flat ground.
January 30: Pattee Canyon. More practice with hill climbing including using V2 on gentle climbs. Learn how to make effective transitions as the grade of the trail changes.
February 6: Pattee Canyon. Increase comfort with downhills including step turns, plus instructor and participant's choice.

Elizabeth Paddock and Christi Richards will alternate as instructors. Sessions at the UM Golf Course will meet next to the Iron Griz and move to the practice loop. Sessions at Pattee will meet at the main parking area then migrate to an area on the trails that is most appropriate to practice skills for that day.