Join us on Wednesday, November 19, from 6–9 PM at Savage Tap for a fun-filled kickoff to the Ski Challenge season!
Reconnect with f
ellow racers and bring your whole team for an evening of camaraderie, ski movies, and great food and drinks. We’ll be showing several ski films, including “Return of the Turn,” featuring Ski Challenge at Buck Hill!
🍔 Food & Drinks: Savage Tap will have a food truck on-site along with their full selection of beer, seltzers, cocktails, and NA beverages.
🎁 Food Shelf Drive & T-Shirt Giveaway: Bring a packaged or canned food item to donate to a local food shelf. When you do, you’ll get a chance to grab a Ski Challenge T-shirt from past seasons—perfect for replacing an old favorite or adding to your collection!
Let’s celebrate the start of the season together—see you there!
Savage Tap is located at: 12925 Eagle Creek Pkwy, Savage, MN 55378
www.thesavagetap.com
Welcome back Joe’s Ski Shop as a sponsor for the 2025-26 season!
Registration for the 2025–26 Season is Now Open! Secure your spot for the upcoming season—register today as an individual or sign up your team! You can conveniently pay online or mail in a check. When you register online, you will automatically complete your Ski Challenge waiver. You will also be able to complete the Buck Hill waiver for the season online.
Get Ready for Race Camp in Jackson Hole this December! Thursday – Saturday, December 11, 12, 13, 2025. This 3-day camp is the perfect way to kick off your ski season. You’ll experience a dynamic mix of drills, free skiing, race gate training, and comprehensive coaching—all designed to elevate your skills and confidence on the mountain. It’s also an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow skiers, hang out, and enjoy the camaraderie that makes this camp so special.
Stay up to date on the upcoming season schedule. Find sales, swaps, race dates, special events, and sponsor happenings. Tentative Schedule for the 2025-26 is posted now
September 26-28, 2025
The Midwest Alpine Challenge started as an idea over two years ago, and it is coming up quickly on Saturday, January 25th, at Welch Village! This race aims to bring together all the different racing communities in the Midwest for one fun day. The planning has been a collaboration between several of the biggest racing communities in the area (Ski Challenge, Midwest Masters, and Midwest Race League), and the race format combines elements of NASTAR, High School, and USSS racing to create a unique experience for racers. This will be a GS race, with one run in the morning and one in the afternoon. The team portion of the race will be scored similar to a Ski Challenge race. There will be teams of 6 where the top 5 will count on each run. The fastest person in the race will be the ‘0’ handicap, and everyone will be scored off that person. Medal points will be tallied up to determine the winners. Cash prizes will also be awarded to the top 5 men and women in the race! Individual results will be based on combined times. Photographers will be on-site taking action photos, and Midwest Skiers will be filming to put together a video. There are still a few team spots open, and there is still time to sign up! Get your team of 6 together, or sign up as an individual where you can join a waitlist to be added to a team (as spots are available). Head to midwestalpinechallenge.com for more information and to register!
2025 marks the 40th season of Ski Challenge! The Ski Challenge began in 1985 as a Twin Cities Metro Area recreational ski racing program founded by Patricia Lecy. Patricia enjoyed racing through NASTAR courses and thought it would be fun to turn a simple NASTAR type of race into a grand, team event. The program began with four teams (approximately 35 people) roving each week to different ski areas. After a couple of years, the program began to grow and Patricia decided to keep each league at its own venue. In time, Buck Hill, Afton Alps, Hyland Hills, Trollhaugen, and Welch Village were involved with the Twin Cities Ski Challenge. As the years went on, the Challenge grew and grew. In 1988, Patricia and her business partner at the time decided to split the Twin Cities Ski Challenge into two groups. Patricia kept leagues at Buck Hill and Hyland Hills and added Powder Ridge and Wild Mountain to the list. She also changed the name to “The Ski Challenge”. In 1997, Dave and Barb Everson purchased The Ski Challenge from Patricia and Roger Lecy, who retired to Tucson for the winters. Sadly, Patricia Lecy passed away in 2006 from Cancer. But we will always be grateful for her creativity and passion for the sport that started all the “Serious Fun!”
With the start of the new season, there may be questions about the program. Follow the link below where you will find everything you need to know for the upcoming season.
Ski Challenge is the premiere Recreational Ski Racing league in the state, with more members than any other group. Last season was a little tricky with the unseasonably warm winter, but with the state-of-the-art snowmaking at Buck Hill, we could get all our races in! We are looking forward to a great year, and are crossing our fingers for cooler temperatures! We know our racers are die-hards, no matter what! The members of the Ski Challenge make our program a success. You are enthusiastic about the sport and can’t seem to get enough!
Early Registration fees of $175 increase to $180 on November 1. Register now to avoid the higher rate!
NASTAR is under new ownership for the 2024-25 season. The first thing the new ownership has done is remove the paywall. All results, rankings, and race records are freely accessible to everyone. They believe your achievements and progress should be available without restriction, empowering all participants to engage fully with their NASTAR experience.
You don’t need to be a seasoned racer. Coaches help each participant work toward individual goals. You need to be able to ski on Blue and possibly blue/black runs. All runs will be groomed.