About

About NSAA

Sustaining trails year-round and providing Nordic skiing programs that encourage healthy activities and lifestyles for all Alaskans.

From the early beginnings of building Anchorage’s trail system and first community races to operating today’s modern snowmaking and grooming equipment and hosting races that draw thousands of participants, the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage is the driver of healthy outdoor activities and cross-country skiing access for all Alaskans and visitors. 

NSAA:

  • Grooms and maintains Anchorage’s world-class trail system through the winter, summer, and all seasons. 
  • Hosts local, statewide, national and international events. 
  • Offers programs that teach and inspire skiers of all skill levels. 

Fueled today by passionate staff, volunteers, members, and community partners and built on a foundation with more than 60 years of history and leadership, NSAA is committed to promoting healthy outdoor activities and lifestyles and protecting Anchorage’s trails for years to come.

Become a Member

Our History

Since the 1960’s NSAA has been dedicated to maintaining trails year-round and promoting all forms of Nordic skiing as a healthy lifestyle.  

The Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage (NSAA) will be 60 years old in 2024.  When the club began as The Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage, there were no dedicated cross country ski trails, no ski jumps, and no biathlon range in Anchorage.  The founders saw a need for organized winter recreation in Anchorage and cross-country skiing seemed a perfect fit.  With their “can-do” frontier spirit and energy the club was born with 40 members in 1964.  

Today the club has a total family/individual membership of 3726 and has developed, maintained, and groomed over 160 km of ski trails at Kincaid Park, Hillside Park, Bartlett High School, and Beach Lake Park.  The club has built a ski jump complex at Hillside Park with year-round jumping and a state-of-the-art biathlon range at Kincaid.  NSAA has active club divisions including racing, touring, junior Nordic, ski jumping, biathlon, lessons, and cabins.  Snowmaking at Kincaid and at the ski jumps has also been a recent addition to NSAA’s winter operations.

“On Track” is a book that was written by Alice Knapp to chronicle the organization’s history, the 160 km of ski trails it has built and maintains, the people who made it happen, the club divisions, events, and all the working parts of the club.

All proceeds benefit NSAA’s history project.

History Book

Our Mission

TRAILS

NSAA grooms and maintains over 160km of trails in Anchorage, Eagle River, and Chugiak.  The trail work happens year-round: Grooming in the winter and grading, brushing and clearing in the summer.

PROGRAMS

NSAA Hosts a myriad of programs to enhance the participation in nordic skiing.  Anchorage Junior Nordic is our signature youth program for children ages 6 to 14 and we offer lessons for adults too!

NSAA oversees the Biathlon Range at Kincaid Park and the Karl Eid Ski Jumping Complex.

RACES

NSAA is the host organizer of all Anchorage School District racing for High School and Middle School teams.  We also host our own community fun race series called the AMH Anchorage Cup.  In March, the Tour of Anchorage challenges skiers and snow bikers across 25, 40 and 50km distances on a course that goes point-to-point across town.

EVENTS

NSAA hosts a handful of community events throughout the year.  We kick off the season with a NSAA Ski Swap and a couple weeks later, the Annual Celebration.  In December, the Solstice Tree Tour welcomes all to the ski trails for a festive night of decorated trees and tasty treats.  February brings The Alaska Ski for Women is the nation’s oldest womens-only ski race.  The Ski-4-Kids introduces skiing and other winter activities to over 500 kids each year and makes grants to local schools for ski equipment.

NSAA Staff

Kikkan Randall

Executive Director

Kalysta Schmidt

Program Manager

Elly Maurer

Events and Office Administrator

Art Harmon

Junior Nordic Sport Director

Ida Gullet

Race Director 

Grooming and Maintenance Staff:

    • Craig Norman, Head of Operations
    • Annette Brion, Operations Administrator
    • Bill Brion, Operations
    • Tyler Norman, Operations
    • Matt Pauli, Operations

Will Earnhart

Board President
president@anchoragenordicski.com
Read more

Will Earnhart

Board President
president@anchoragenordicski.com
Will has been a part of the Nordic skiing community since 1974.  He grew up in Anchorage skiing competitively at Central Junior High and less competitively for Dimond High School.  He coached Junior Nordic for the Eagle River Nordic Ski Club when his kids were younger and has completed the Tour of Anchorage a number of times.  As a local attorney with Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot specializing in litigation and employment advice, Will likes to assist non-profits like NSAA on legal matters.  Will and his wife are proud parents of 2 kids, one of which is a competitive Junior National racer. Will enjoys time outdoors with his family and his Labrador.

Close

✖

Mike Miller

Vice President
Read more

Mike Miller

Vice President
Mike, a long time Alaskan, lives in Anchorage with his wife Rita and has two grown daughters, Heather and Sara.  His interest in Nordic skiing was sparked when his daughters began skiing in Jr. High.  After attending all of their races he decided that he might as well join them on the trails.  Mike has been an NSAA board member for over 25 years and was first drafted to join by his friend Earl Kari.  He is involved in all aspects of NSAA and is particularly devoted to the continued excellence of the trails.  In his free time, Mike enjoys cycling, fixing things and spending time with his grand kids.

Close

✖

Josh Niva

Board Secretary
Read more

Josh Niva

Board Secretary
A lifelong Alaskan originally from Fairbanks, Josh lives to ski, hike and take outdoor adventures with his friends and dog, Ricky. He is a longtime NSAA Trail Meister member and editor of The Alaska Nordic Skier, which spotlights the work and members of Alaska’s Nordic ski clubs. Professionally, Josh has a background in journalism (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Anchorage Daily News) and communications (United Way of Anchorage, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company). He works with the NSAA board and staff to grow membership and elevate the organization’s marketing, communications and fundraising efforts.

Close

✖

Barbara Amy

Treasurer
Read more

Barbara Amy

Treasurer
Barbara Amy is SVP and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at NANA Regional Corporation.  She was formerly the CFO at Alaska Railroad where she worked since 2006. She began her career in finance as a securities fraud investigator for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) in New York City and later in Washington, D.C. She has since spent the past 27 years working in various aspects of corporate finance. She spent several years working as an investment banker, specializing in the transportation sector. She spent several years as a principal in a private equity firm in Chicago before moving to Alaska in 2002. In Alaska, she has pursued roles in corporate finance, working for a native corporation in Anchorage, as a consultant, and finally for the Alaska Railroad. Barbara earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut, and a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago. She serves on the Boards of ALPAR and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, in addition to serving on NSAA's Board. She is the proud mother of a ski jumper and a nordic combined athlete, both of whom have been enrolled in NSAA's ski jumping program for the last six years.

Close

✖

Joey Caterinichio

Board Member
Read more

Joey Caterinichio

Board Member
Joey is a lifelong Alaskan who lives in Anchorage with her husband and 3 children. She raced at West High School where many of the same amazing green grunts we love were officiating the races. Joey than went on to compete in college and at the national level. The inspiration of NSAA, the Alaska ski community and the years skiing at Kincaid inspired Joey to come back to Anchorage post college and start coaching. She coached at Chugiak High School for 10 years with her husband Ja Dorris and then helped create the Alaska Nordic Racing Club for over 20 years. Most recently, Joey worked for USSA as the Nordic Program Manager and attended the Sochi, Olympics as a Team Leader for all the Nordic sports. She has a personal mission to help inspire all ages to be active, participate and enjoy, and as well as volunteer, giving back to this great community.

Close

✖

Chris Seaman

Board Member
Read more

Chris Seaman

Board Member
Chris was born and raised in Alaska and now lives in Anchorage with his wife and daughter. As a geophysicist his career has moved him around the world, allowing him to ski all over, but after each assignment he has always managed to return home to Anchorage and the people, skiing and trails he loves. Chris began skiing in the back yard at an early age, then progressed to competitive racing in high school and college. That has since morphed into a love of all types of skiing from backcountry skiing, racing the Tour of Anchorage, to pulling his daughter around the trails in a pulk. As a member of the board, Chris wants to give back to the community that gave him so much as a young skier, by helping to ensure NSAA’s grooming, maintenance and excellent programs are around and improved for the next generation and by encouraging more people to fall in love with Nordic skiing. When they aren’t skiing, Chris and his family can be found hiking, fishing, hunting, or flying around Alaska.

Close

✖

Sara Miller

Board Member
Read more

Sara Miller

Board Member
Sara lives in Anchorage with her husband, two kids (ages 3 and 6) and their dog. She is a school counselor and coach and has been skiing for over 30 years. “I grew up recreating and racing in Anchorage. After skiing in college, I started coaching for all levels and ages. Once I had my own kids, I didn’t have as much time to coach but still wanted to give back to the amazing Nordic ski community…so I ran for a spot on the NSAA Board. I hope to help increase membership and visibility of NSAA and promote the great sport of cross-country skiing.” In her free time, Sara enjoys biking, triathlons, running and shopping.

Close

✖

Tim Miller

Board Member
Read more

Tim Miller

Board Member
Tim moved to Anchorage with his family in 1981 and has since stayed for the outdoor opportunities. He knows that skiing is a life-long sport and Alaska is the place to be on skis. Tim and his family got involved in the Nordic Ski Club in the 80s, which has led to a lifelong love of skiing. Tim skied at Bartlett High School and raced in college at University of Vermont and internationally as part of the US Ski Team Development Team. Although he spent his early years focused on racing, Tim and his family ski regularly for enjoyment including multi-day backcountry ski trips in the Brooks Range and the Kobuk 440 sled dog trail. Tim works as a computer analyst and spends his spare time commercial fishing in Bristol Bay with his family, moose hunting, and flying as a private pilot. Tim looks forward to crust skiing every year.

Close

✖

Elizabeth Knapp

Board Member
Read more

Elizabeth Knapp

Board Member
Elizabeth was raised by an avid nordic skiing family and grew up skiing on the trails in Anchorage. Inspired by her parents involvement in NSAA and other ski organizations she has volunteered at Ski for Kids and the Solstice Ski, worked as a race official for the high school ski races, competed in AMH cup races and the annual Tour of Anchorage, and serves as the race director for the Ski for Women. Elizabeth works as a classroom music teacher at Bowman Elementary School and is involved with the Alaska Orff Chapter, a group that promotes music education and professional development for teachers. In addition to skiing, Elizabeth enjoys trips to her family cabin in Talkeetna, hiking, biking, and running with her husband Mike and dog Theo, and playing board games.

Close

✖

Committees

NSAA is a diverse and active organization that relies on the generous hearts and skills of volunteers.  To get involved with one of our many Committees, please write to: info@anchoragenordicski.com.

  • TRAILS AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
  • MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
  • VOLUNTEER RELATIONS COMMITTEE
  • MEMORIAL & HISTORY COMMITTEE
  • TIMING COMMITTEE
  • CABINS COMMITTEE
  • ANNUAL CELEBRATION COMMITTEE
  • SOLSTICE TREE TOUR COMMITTEE
  • SKI FOR WOMEN COMMITTEE
  • SKI-4-KIDS COMMITTEE
  • SKI TRAIN COMMITTEE
  • JUNIOR NORDIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
  • SKI JUMPING BOOSTERS
  • FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
  • FINANCE, AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE

Bylaws

NSAA Bylaws can be found HERE.

Last revised in November 2014

Meeting Notices

Meetings are open to public and all are welcome!

Fourth Thursday of the month, 6:30pm at the NSAA Office and via Zoom. If you would like to attend, please email Kikkan at kikkan@anchoragenordicski.com for the monthly link.

Upcoming Meetings

  • Thursday October 27, 2022 (Rescheduled to Nov. 1st, 2022)
  • Thursday November 17, 2022
  • Thursday December 15, 2022
  • Thursday January 26, 2023
  • Thursday February 23, 2023
  • Wednesday, March 29, 2023
  • Thursday, April 27, 2023
  • Thursday, May 25, 2023
  • Thursday, June 22, 2023

Run for the Board

Interested in joining the NSAA Board of Directors?

The Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage (NSAA) Board of Directors is actively seeking individuals to join our team that are:

  • Motivated, diverse, experienced
  • Passionate about Nordic skiing
  • Have the time and energy to spend 4-6 hours a month to attend meetings, participate in committees, and be an ambassador in our community
  • Eager to help NSAA raise money and continue growing to best serve Anchorage’s Nordic ski and trail user community

We’re especially interested in individuals who:

  • Have been leaders of nonprofit boards before and are ready to bring their skills and insights to another organization
  • Have expertise in accounting or finance, especially nonprofit accounting practices
  • Are experienced fundraisers
  • Have nonprofit management or business management experience

Email us at president@anchoragenordicski.com if you are interested in joining us!

Since the 1960’s NSAA has been dedicated to maintaining trails year-round and promoting all forms of Nordic skiing as a healthy lifestyle.

The Alaska Nordic Skier Newsletter

The Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage publishes a newsletter called the “Alaska Nordic Skier”. It is a state wide publication representing the Nordic ski clubs of Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Girdwood, Homer, Juneau, Salcha, Seward, Soldotna, Kenai, Talkeetna and Valdez. The Nordic Skier has a wealth of information, articles, tips, calendars and much more each month! The newsletter is available electronically or a paper version mailed via USPS.

The snow is melting. Skiing is harder. So here’s a special edition of the Nordic Skier to close the season!

As we transition to spring skiing to summer running and hiking, the May issue of the Alaska Nordic Skier recaps the truly special 2022-2023 ski season across Alaska with reports from clubs and skiers across our state. In this issue:

* Thank you to all of the groomers, volunteers, members and leaders who made the season spectacular
* Epic hill climb, epic good times in Girdwood
* Remembering Ann Mize: Teacher, athlete, friend
* Alaska biathletes aim for success on state, national and world stages
* Fairbanks rocks! 2023 Junior Nationals recap
* NordicX sends skinny skiers flying
* Sea to Ski Triathlon returns in Homer
* And much more!
Click here to read the 2023 May issue.

Find more issues of the Alaska Nordic Skier, and learn how to connect with Alaska’s ski community, on the newsletter archive page.

Special Season Ending Offer

NSAA Scholarship

Scholarship application period opens Feb. 5, 2024 and closes March 31, 2024. 

The Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage scholarship program recognizes scholastic achievement, participation in cross-country skiing, and community service. Individual awards provided up to $1,500 toward educational expenses at an accredited college or university to Alaskan residents who are graduating high school seniors.

NSAA has proudly awarded college scholarships to Anchorage high school skiers for 30 years.

Application Requirements:

  • NSAA membership for the current and preceding ski season. Contact the NSAA office to verify your membership status before applying. Please note: Chugiak – Eagle River Nordic Ski Club, Cross Country Alaska, and NSAA are separate organizations.
  • Member of a high school cross-country ski team in the applicant’s junior and senior years.
  • Resident of the state of Alaska.
  • 2024 graduating high school senior in the Municipality of Anchorage.
  • Cumulative grade point average of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale.
  • Enrollment for a minimum of 8 semester hours of coursework during the semester in which the scholarship is recorded.
  • Family members of NSAA Board members and/or scholarship selection committee members are ineligible for consideration.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Academic performance.
  • Participation in cross-country skiing activities.
  • Community service performed while in high school.
  • Essay (500-word maximum) on the “benefits you have received from skiing.”
  • Volunteer service to the NSAA and the Nordic skiing community by the applicant and/or his/her family.
  • Two (2) letters of recommendation from 1) a teacher or counselor and 2) a ski coach.

Important: Successful applicants must submit their college or university student ID number and program information by June 30, 2024 to NSAA before their award can be disbursed. Please contact NSAA if you cannot send in the information by this date.

Scholarship Application

2023 NSAA Scholarship Winners:

West High School:

  • Benjamin Goltz who will be attending Dartmouth College.
  • Nora Hulse who is headed to Northern Arizona in the Fall.

Bettye Davis East High School:

  • Marley Ireland who will be attending University of New Hampshire.

Dimond High School:

  • Emily Erickson is headed to The College of Saint Scholastica this fall.

Service High School:

  • Aaron Power who will be attending Dartmouth College.
  • Meredith Schwartz who will be matriculating to Harvard College.

Congratulations and best wishes to this year’s scholarship winners and many thanks to all who applied!

Questions or comments about the NSAA Scholarship Program?
Email: program@anchoragenordicski.com, 907-276-7609

Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage

9170 JEWEL LAKE RD
ANCHORAGE, AK 99502
(907) 276-7609

© Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage