By Stowe Nordic board members past and present

The Stowe Nordic Outing Club (“SNOC,” as longtime members called it) was officially established as a nonprofit on November 28, 1995. Over the past three decades, the club, rebranded as “Stowe Nordic” in 2015, has grown into a vibrant community institution serving hundreds of skiers each year in Stowe and surrounding towns.

A few years before its official founding, local skiers Greg Speer, Dave Freeman, and Paul and Biff Arnot started working on a plan to get Stowe’s children more involved in cross-country skiing. And 30 years later, true to their vision, the club still believes that “no kid should grow up in Vermont without learning to cross-country ski.” In 1995, with support from Jim Roy, John Higgins (who later became director of the Stowe Mountain Cross-Country Center), Gale Shaw, and Jeff Baldwin (who is still grooming the trails at Stowe Mountain Resort today), the club was established.

From the start, youth programming was central with an organized weekly children’s program as part of New England’s Bill Koch Ski League (BKL), named for Vermont’s own 1976 Olympic silver medalist. Each winter since, up to 80 kids have learned to ski through games, fun, and romping in the woods on skis with friends – a practice that has been carried on by a succession of pied pipers like Carol Van Dyke, Becky McGovern, Deb Miller, Peg Lackey, and more.

As the club expanded, adult skiers embraced New England’s lively racing scene. For years, many competed on a “SNOC” team in the Zak Cup series, led by Nat Goodhue, as well as in a fun local Wednesday night race series rotating between Stowe’s touring centers (4 at the time). Many high- level race events were also hosted here in Stowe through a terrific partnership between the club, von Trapp Family Outdoor Center and NENSA, including Eastern Cups, UVM Carnivals, State HS Championships, Jr. Nationals, and NCAA’s.

Although racing has waned somewhat, members’ enthusiasm for fitness and skiing together led to the development of new instructional programs, group ski trips, social events, recreational ski events like the Tour de Stowe (3rd running this coming February 8th), and grooming the Recreation Path to provide a low-key free ski destination in Stowe. Adult instruction to locals was launched in 2005 when Olympian and Stowe resident Trina Hosmer created the Stowe Nordic Women’s Ski Program. Her husband, Dave, subsequently added a men’s program. Both aimed to build skills in a fun, welcoming

environment. In 2015 those programs evolved into the Stowe Nordic Masters Ski Program, which serves both women and men of intermediate+ ability, and has sold out every year since.

In 2017, master skier Gina Campoli, joined shortly after by certified coach Carol Van Dyke, launched Stowe Nordic’s Women’s Group. The weekly program is specially geared to advanced beginner and intermediate women skiers focusing on relaxed instruction and supportive camaraderie. And most recently, for the 2024–25 season, Kevin Bracey rounded out the club’s program offerings by introducing Nordic Skiing Basics, designed for newcomers and developing skiers aiming to improve their technique—an extension of the club’s goal to make skiing accessible at every level.

Youth engagement has remained a central theme. Beyond teaching, Stowe Nordic has long provided grants to support young competitors. Notable recipients include Olympian Kaitlynn Miller and World Cup biathlete Bjorn Westervelt, an Olympic hopeful, both of whom started in Stowe Nordic’s BKL program. The club also awards yearly grants to local middle and high school teams as well as organizations that help underprivileged children in Vermont get outdoors in the winter and experience cross-country skiing.

Over 30 years much has changed in programs and membership (over 300 adults and 100+ kids today). Still, the mission stays the same: to promote the passion for and pursuit of Nordic skiing as a lifelong sport in Stowe and nearby communities, while encouraging fitness, friendship, and fun outdoors.

Learn more at: www.stowenordic.org