LOCAL SOCIAL SKI CLUBS

Social ski clubs are a great way to ski, get exercise, and have fun with friends.

Fairbanks has many informal ski clubs. Some are aimed at training, while others are just friends getting out to have fun. Some are a little of both. Below are a couple of long-time social ski clubs in the Fairbanks area (and a newer group that sometimes incorporates skiing).

Note: If you want to join other adults who are focused on training for fitness and improvement for regular outings, consider our FXC Masters classes. These cost but are so popular they often max out. They have become a type of social club.

LOL (Ladies of Leisure)

Ladies of Leisure (LOL) is a group of cross-country skiers made up of women of all ages with varying levels of fitness and skiing skills. The LOL philosophy is Fun, Fitness, Friendship and Food. The group encourages and supports women to push themselves a little beyond their individual expectations by skiing new trails, improving their ski skills, and meeting new women. During the sessions there are usually several mini-groups that ski at various speeds, from a relaxed pace to a faster tempo, depending on ability levels and group desires. The ski always ends with tea, chat, and snack time inside. LOL is non-competitive and offers a supportive environment with an emphasis on fun.

Group Details

  • Meet place: Birch Hill Recreation Area
  • Meet times: Mondays 1 p.m. (Be ready to ski right away!)
  • Session duration: 90 minutes (but you can modify that) with tea, snacks and chat in the lodge afterward
  • Contact info: Sarah Garland at dsarahgarland (at) gmail.com

Membership Criteria:

  • Be a current NSCF member.
  • Make a Trail Fund donation to NSCF. Trail donations make it possible to continue providing the high-quality trails we ski on.
  • Know how to stop on skis. (Don’t know how? Let us teach you; we’d love to.)
  • Show up and ski with the LOL group.
  • Ski with someone. One doesn’t show up at a group ski to ski alone.

SCUM

SCUM is a group of adult cross-country skiers open to all genders and ages (but if you’re younger than 65, you’ll be considered “a kid”). Members have varying levels of fitness and skiing skills, but their goal is to train all winter (regardless of temperature) and to ski in the Frank Soos Distance Series races and some version of the Sonot Kkaazoot, the premiere Fairbanks ski marathon, held each March. The ultimate is to do the 50-kilometer version, but as the race has gotten harder (and long-time members have aged) most members usually aim for the 30k or 10k versions of the race.

SCUM is made up of mostly older men, but it has some female participants (including Mother SCUM Susan) and some members have hardly any gray hairs at all! A typical SCUM session involves skiing mixed with lots of stops to socialize (including involved discussions about where to go next). The group typically starts together and breaks into different groups that sometimes meet back up again. Some ski longer and harder than others. These are not tightly organized and focused training sessions. If you want that, best to check out the FXC Masters.

(SCUM, by the way, began as Susan’s Class of Uncoachable Men, though many other U words have been substituted, such as Unorganized, Undisciplined, and Untrainable. And as women began joining the group the M now can stand for Misfits.)

You can follow some of the SCUM exploits on the Sonot Kkaazoot blog (scroll down).

Group Details

  • Meet place: Birch Hill Recreation Area (though they meet in other places occasionally; you need to be a regular and get on the email list to find out about those)
  • Meet times: Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m., and Sundays at 10 a.m.
    • Start times may vary as members of the SCUM often participate in training classes. Check with Susan (below) to make sure you know the correct start time.
  • Session duration: About 2 hours, but participants are free to ski as long or as short as they want
  • Contact info: Susan Sugai at contact (at) sonotkkaazoot.org

Membership Criteria:

  • Be a current NSCF member.
  • Make a Trail Fund donation to NSCF. Trail donations make it possible to continue providing the high-quality trails we ski on.
  • SCUM are also highly encouraged to be a NSCF race volunteer, especially helping with preparation for the Sonot.

Rove Co

This newer local group hosts a variety of outings throughout the year, including some that include cross-country skiing. The outings are open to all, including families with young children. Most of the offerings are free, but the group does occasionally offer events that cost money. If an outing costs, that information is made clear.

Pedals, Pints, and Poles

Tuesday bi-weekly social skis (and fatbike rides) on the Chena River from Latitude 65 Brewing Company (150 Eagle Avenue). Co-hosted by Bankstown Bike and Ski. Ski-joring is permitted. Easy out-and-back. Turn around when you want. Lights are encouraged. Event starts at 6 p.m. but Bankstown will be there at 5 p.m. with rentals. Contact either business for more details. Event is weather and river ice dependent.