2015-2016 Ski Season  (First class Nov 3)

Membership drive for the upcoming Winter Season begins after Labor Day.  Registration web page

• Note from R&G : Keep the faith.  Winter will return.  We'll get snow.  Even if we don't we've now got three major snowmaking operations in the TwinCities   We can always find places to ski.  And there's always roadtrips.  True they may be a hassle, but they always provide excellent skiing and skiing  is a much better alternative than sitting in your basement on a trainer.  So join us this year.  We'll help you find the snow and turn you into a "Lover of Winter"  and you'll come out next spring fitter than ever.  And if we have a normal Winter for a change you won't want to miss out on all the fun.  Remember skiing is not just about racing.  Whether you're a racer or a tourist; We'll make you a better skier so you can go further and longer with less effort.  Read on below.

Club Description : Ride and Glide Bike and Ski Club offers cross country ski instruction and workouts to cyclists and other fitness minded individuals.  Our local bike shop Now Bikes and Fitness  and HED Cycling Products also helps us contact cyclists. We also want to attract existing skiers in the area and introduce them to the benefits of cycling in their off season. By exposing cyclists to the skiing community and skiers to the cycling community we hope to increase participation in both sports. Cycling and skiing make great cross-training activities for their respective participants.

We will teach both Classical and Skating Techniques for beginner through advanced. We believe that even advanced skiers can benefit from basic technique reviews.  We have a workout group that many of the more proficient skier participate in on class night, which is a mix of technique work and work-out session.   Many of our advanced skiers use the club as a way to find skiers to work out with. Most of our instructors (we have 15 total)  have received their training through the Sisu Skier program at Finn Sisu and have attended the PSIA Nordic Fundamentals Clinic and other various instructor clinics.   Click on the previous link to see more info on the PSIA clinic and here for instructors bio's.   We are always looking for more good coaches however, so if you are a student of the game and would like to help us in the instructional area please contact me at the e-mail below. We normally have an Student to Instructor Ratio of less than 8 to 1.

Our favorite local ski area (William O'Brien) waiting for some "Fall Color" pole hiking (aka Dryland)

In the past we've had 130-150 members coming from bike clubs like St. Paul Bicycle Racing Club , Gopher Wheelmen, and TCBC, Ski programs: like Sisu Skiers and Gear West Skiers, plus runners and rowers. So if you're a cyclist looking for a winter cross-training activity to maintain and improve your fitness, or a skier looking for instruction and an introduction to some serious cyclists, or any fitness minded individual looking for a fun and challenging winter activity (Never-evers and Beginners welcome), join us. XC Skiing is a great way to stay fit in the Winter.  Fees are  $70 for new members and $60 for returning members. See discounts for early registration and refunds for volunteering at local ski events on Registration web page

We will meet every Tuesday, starting the first Tuesday in November (Nov 3 ) and going through Feb, at Lake Elmo and Elm Creek at 6:30 for two to three hours of instruction in either dryland or on-snow workouts. Participants will be broken out into groups based on technique and expertise levels. The advanced group will concentrate mostly on getting a workout while using certain technique drills. So at the higher levels we will be a workout group with attention to fine tuning your technique.  The instructors will determine if you belong in the workout group.  But don't worry there is a workout aspect to all levels of the club. We plan on at least one video taping session so we can view and analyze your technique. We also meet at various locations around the Twin Cities on weekends for optional group workouts or road trips. Many of the participants race in events such as the Vasaloppet and the Birke, but anyone interested in becoming a more efficient skier is welcome; racing is not required. We also have many casual skiers who join the club to get more efficient so they can go further and longer with less effort and this enjoy the sport even more.

The Internet and e-mail will be the MAIN method of communication for this club. This web page will be the repository for club rosters, announcements, training and technique tips, and a bulletin board for want-ads, road trips, and general member communication.  Each weeks activities will be announced here by Monday or early Tuesday.

Click on the link below to learn more about the program. You'll find a membership application as well. We will be starting early November. During the months of September and October we will be roller skiing on the Gateway on Tuesday nights and will have informal weekend workouts including pole hiking and roller skiing and joining Finn Sisu on their Saturday morning workouts at Battle Creek. Roller skis are not required for the formal club sessions. Drop me an e-mail if you want to get on the e-mail list for early season workouts. If you don't have equipment we will have an equipment buying session at local ski shops with good prices and good information on what to buy. This is an excellent opportunity to get fit with the right equipment.  

If you'd like to try skating but are not sure you will like it we have some loaner skate equipment that you can try for the first two nights on snow.  If after that time you decide it's not your "cup of tea" you can quit the club and get a refund.  Otherwise you can buy the equipment you used at FinnSisu for a good price

Not sure if you fit in?  If you're worried that you're just a beginner, consider the fact that this club was formed to teach cyclists who don't ski how to ski.  So if you're fit no problem, not fit?, we can work on that too.  Send any questions to: Steve Thatcher   Last year we had to turn people away because we filled up, so sign up early.