Cross Country Kids Young, Skinny Skiers Blooming On Slopes At Mount Spokane

The peace and tranquility that lured many skiers into cross-country is difficult to find at Mount Spokane for at least three hours a week.

The Inland Empire Nordic Club’s youth ski program has exploded in the past three years. Last Saturday, the Selkirk Lodge rocked to the clamor of 120 kids ages 5-12, plus their parents and siblings.

The potty lines were long. At least one mitten was always lost. Cookies were devoured and most kids proudly wore a hot chocolate mustache along with the distinctive red Bill Koch Youth Ski League (BKYSL) bib.

This year, the BKYSL has about 110 clubs with 3,000 members in the nation. The largest club in the country is in South Hampton, Mass., with 160 kids, according officials at U.S. Ski Team headquarters in Park City, Utah.

Spokane is one of only five clubs with more than 100 kids.

The league is named after Bill Koch, the only American to win an Olympic medal in nordic ski racing. But the emphasis is not on serious instruction, but rather serious fun.

Kids are taught ski techniques through games and group tours on and off the trails.

Fleeta Holcomb was one of several parents who founded the youth ski group in Spokane when her children were coming of ski age about 15 years ago.

At that time, the entire group could be transported into two station wagons.

Mount Spokane’s trail system was not yet developed, and the kids’ program kept a low profile.

“The new trail system and the warming lodge are the biggest factor for the growth,” she said. “Once we had a place to get the kids in out of the cold, we had a visible group that people would see and say, “Hey, how can I get my kid involved.”

The other key in to the program’s success is organization.

Spokane businessman Bob Hyslop discovered the BKYSL when his children showed an interest in cross-country skiing five years ago.

“I didn’t know how to ski, but I figured I could run the program if I could get knowledgable parents to help,” he said.

Since then, the program has nearly doubled every year.

“Last winter, we realized the physical limitations of the lodge and the ski trail system were going to force us to limit on the number of kids in the program,” Hyslop said. “That’s the only downside to it. It’s really a shame to have to turn kids away.”

Tom and Theresa Frost, who volunteered to take over the mushrooming program, said they had to turn away about 30 kids who applied after the club’s quota was reached.

“This program has been so good for our two kids, we decided to plunge in up to our eyeballs this year,” Theresa said.

The program is driven by parents, Tom said. “I’m amazed at the caliber of parents we have out there. My boy showed so much improvement and enthusiasm after just one session.”

The kids are put into one of 15 groups based on age and ability.

“We had 30 leaders and assistant leaders on the snow and six in the lodge,” he said. “Some of the helpers don’t even have kids. They just like the idea of teaching kids to ski.”

“Everything went remarkably smooth,” Theresa said. “Mostly, we saw a bunch of smiles, although one little boy got cold feet after a half an hour and spent the rest of the time drinking hot chocolate and reading me a book about whales.”

The youth ski program will continue virtually every Saturday through February.

MEMO: See sidebar that ran with this story under the headline: ‘Look mom! No poles!’ Tactic puts kids on the fast track