Registration

2026-27 registration opens October 1st @ 12 PM ET

https://www.skireg.com/emxcyouth-2026

Returning families: starts Oct 1

New families: starts Oct 8

We encourage you to register early to avoid being waitlisted.

Eligibility: EMXC Youth is for children who are 7-14 by December 31, 2026. High school students, please check out the EMXC Juniors program.

Fall rollerski (register by Oct 15): Returning skiers who will be at least 11 years old on December 31, 2026, are eligible to participate in Fall Rollerski. Choose the "Returning Skiers ages 11-14 (as of December 31, 2026) + Fall Rollerski" category during registration.

How to register:

  1. Purchase a NENSA youth membership for the SKIER, $35 annually. Register under the Bill Koch Youth League; our club is Eastern Mass Cross Country (EMXC). Make a note of the membership number — you'll need it to register for EMXC Youth.

  2. Register for EMXC Youth. 2026 club fees are:
  • Team USA: $105
    • Eligibility: Age 7 on December 31, 2026
    • 1 practice per week (Saturday)
  • Team North America (beginner): $210
    • Eligibility: Return skiers Age 8 on December 31, 2026
    • Eligibility: New EMXC skiers age 8-14 on December 31, 2026
    • 2 practices per week (Wednesday, Saturday)
  • Team Western Europe (recreation): $210
    • Eligibility: Return or new skiers age 9-14 on December 31, 2026
    • 2 practices per week (Wednesday, Saturday)
  • Team Scandinavia (racing): $250
    • Eligibility: Return skiers age 9-14 on December 31, 2026
    • 3 practices per week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday)
  • Fall Rollerski: add $50
    • Eligibility: Returning skiers age 11-14 on December 31, 2026. Please review equipment requirements. Ski boot rentals are not available for rollerski.

If you received an error “NENSA Number cannot be verified,” please double check that the birth date + YEAR in the registration matches the NENSA membership. Any further issues please email [email protected]
Purchase a trail pass — this is not included in EMXC registration (more details below).

Schedule a rental appointment early (read more about equipment below).

Communication

  1. Weekly practice information is always available on our youth news website page.
  2. Check your email for a welcome note, a practice schedule, and our New Parent Checklist.
  3. Club emails are sent via Google Groups. Once you register, we will add you to our Google Group (EMXC Youth). Your settings must allow your email to be added. Check your spam folder for club emails and be sure to add youth-families[at]lists.emxc.org to your address book so that you will receive club communications.
  4. Prior to each practice, check Youth News for Coach Sarah's technique call (classic or skate), which is often weather related.
  5. Reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

Season Opener

  1. Takes place on the Sunday before Thanksgiving at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School.
  2. Skiers participate in a dryland practice and games.
  3. Families learn about equipment, clothing, waxing and the overall season.
  4. Whole club clothing and used gear swap.
  5. Great opportunity to meet other families in the program.

Trail Passes

Each skier needs a trail pass to ski at the Leo J. Martin Ski Track.

Passes are available for purchase from the DCR Leo J. Martin Ski Track webpage starting mid-November. In recent seasons, a youth season pass costs $80, and a family season pass costs $300.

Equipment

Equipment rental packages start at $255 (2026 price) for the season and are available at the ski track. We highly encourage first-year families to rent, as it is often cheaper and takes the guesswork out of choosing the right equipment.

Learn more about equipment here, and check out our 'used gear swap'. You'll find it in the "members only" section of the website.

Training

We divide skiers into three regions based on age, experience and ability.

  1. North America (USA, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario) is for skiers who are new to the program. Skiers starting in USA spend two seasons in North America.
  2. Western Europe (Switzerland, Austria, Germany) is for returning skiers who want to improve their recreational skiing.
  3. Scandinavia (Sweden, Finland, Norway) is for returning skiers who want to improve their skiing and focus on racing.

In all groups, we use three main approaches to teaching skiing:

  1. Skiing (of course) and providing feedback
  2. Drills and exercises focusing on ski-specific skills for classic and skate techniques
  3. Games! Every practice ends with games. In addition to being fun, games allow athletes to naturally explore new ways of moving on their skis, which helps improve their technique

Practices

All practices take place at the Leo J. Martin Ski Track (also known as the Weston Ski Track).

The season runs from early December through mid-March.

Regular attendance is crucial for development.

General Practice Schedule

SaturdayWednesdayThursday

Scandinavia

8:30am - 10am6:30pm - 7:30pm6:30pm - 7:30pm
Western Europe8:30am - 10am6:30pm - 7:30pmNo Practice
North America (except USA)8:30am - 10am6:30pm - 7:30pmNo Practice
USA (7-year-olds)8:45am - 9:45amNo PracticeNo Practice

Coaches

We welcome coaches at all levels. All coaches participate in SafeSport training and go through a background check.

Clothing

  • Layers are key for cross-country skiing
  • We encourage new families to buy cross-country ski pants (like Swix Universal)
  • Get some club spirit with a team hat or buff
  • Race suits and team clothing can be purchased in the fall, but are not mandatory. Many skiers do not own team clothing.
  • Learn more about clothing using the sidebar link

Waxing

Cross-country skis require waxing and cleaning. We know can be intimidating — we have many coaches and volunteers to teach you the basics.

  • There are two basic components: glide and kick.
  • Glide wax helps the ski slide over the snow effortlessly.
  • On skate skis, the entire base of the ski is glide waxed.
  • On classic skis, glide wax is applied to the tips and tails; kick wax and klister are applied to the middle portion of the ski — this is what creates traction. The type of wax used for kick depends on the conditions.
  • Glide waxing is done at home or in our wax tent before/after practice. Typically skiers will apply kick wax with their countries prior to classic practices.
  • First steps are to learn glide wax application and cleaning skis.
  • Check out these videos for helpful hints: Glide Wax 101, apply kick wax, remove kick wax.
  • Check out waxing on our website for more info.

Racing

We host a skate sprint-format race at the Weston Ski Track in late January/early February as part of our annual EMXC Youth Carnival. We have games and activities, and encourage all our athletes to try racing in a low-pressure environment. The race lasts between 1.5 and 4 minutes, depending on age.

EMXC Juniors host "Race for Snow" at the Weston Ski Track to raise awareness and money to combat climate change.

We travel as a group to the NENSA Bill Koch Festival held in early March. This Festival-format race offers opportunities for athletes to race with others in clubs from New York through Maine, with both skate and classic formats.

For older youth who want more racing opportunities, coaches can advise on appropriate races throughout New England.

In the warmer months, we offer summer U14 rollerskiing and a 5-week fall rollerskiing for skiers who are 11+ on December 31st. Please visit our rollerskiing page to learn more.

Community

Our club also provides social opportunities for athletes and their families, making connections that we hope will last for years.

We host an opening celebration and a closing celebration each season, with a chance to share club information, recognize our graduating athletes and volunteers, share a meal together, and get a workout.

Other social events include an annual Ski-Away, visits from elite skiers, and watching the Olympics together.