Minneapolis Alpine Ski Team 2025-26 Season

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FACT SHEET: 
Alpine skiing is a sanctioned winter sport of the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) offers alpine ski racing as a varsity and junior varsity sport for boys and girls in grades 7th through 12th grades who attend a Minneapolis Public School (MPS). Most students and parents who participate in alpine skiing are unfamiliar with how the sport is administered. This “Fact Sheet” provides a quick overview of high school alpine ski racing with Minneapolis Public Schools.   
Organization
  • Minneapolis Alpine Ski Team (MAST) is an incorporated non-profit 501c3, governed by a Board of Directors.
  • MAST has been providing organizational and financial support as an MPS sanctioned team since 2000.
  • MAST is funded through a combination of sources: Minneapolis Public Schools, Club Membership Fees, MPS activity fees, and fundraising.
Coaching Staff
  • The MAST coaching staff consists of  Joel Hedrick, Eleanor Goodnow, Mathew Polland, Paige Alampi  and Andrea Savage.
  • Assistant coaches will be added for for the ‘25-‘26 season. 

​All the coaches work hard to maximize skill development for all athletes and to teach sage skiing habits and maintain safe training environments at all times. 

Training 
  • Season officially opens on Monday, November 10th, 2025, and closes on February 10, 2026.
  • Start the season with dryland training at Washburn HS Stadium from 4:30-6:00pm on Oct. 27.
  • Training on snow starts when Hyland Hills opens.
  • Practices are held at Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area in Bloomington.
    • Monday-Friday after school. Training sessions are: 3:30-5:45; 5-7:15; and
      sometimes 6:30-8:45.
      ○ Saturday mornings- 7:45-10:30AM
      ○ Supplemental Training sessions - held at Wild Mountain or Welch, dates TBD
      ■ Cost is approx $60 per supplemental session.
    • Finalized training schedule published on TeamSnap in late October.
  • MAST Alpine Ski Athlete Retreat and Tuning Clinic- November 15th.
    ● Winter Break Training
    ○ Daily practices at Hyland Hills- schedule to be published on TeamSnap.
    ○ Giants Ridge Training Camp December 31st 6AM- January 3rd 10PM.

Commitment and Expectations
MAST welcomes students of all ability levels, from beginner to expert. Our coaching staff will work with you to help you improve whatever skills you bring to the slopes.
  • Athletes are expected to attend a minimum of four practices a week if in senior high and three practices a week if in middle school.  Most athletes easily meet these requirements and actually attend five or six practices a week.  If you aspire to ski on varsity, a higher level of commitments is necessary.
  • MAST is not a ski club. It is a competitive athletic team. The coaches strive to help you become the best ski racer you can be, no matter how much previous experience you have in the the sport. The coaches expect athletes to come to the hill each day with singular focus: to develop and improve their technical and tactical skills in the sport of ski racing. The coaches put together a training plan for each practice and expect athletes to participate fully in that plan.
  • Use of the chalet is limited to warming up and using the bathroom. If you need to eat during practice, bring something from home and eat it on the hill during a chairlift ride. Bring a water bottle out on the hill to hydrate while training.
  • We realize the aesthete conditions and highway traffic loads cans impact driving, but we expect athletes to be on time for practice and to stay for the duration of practice.
  • At the end of practice, all athletes are needed to help with cleaning up the hill and storing away the equipment.

Competition
  • During the season, students from all Minneapolis high schools compete on three teams, each also consisting of a Boys and Girls team.  Each team also fields a Varsity Boy and Girls.  Middle school racers race for their pathway high school
    • ​Southwest
    • Washburn
    • MAST: South, Roosevelt, Edison, North and Camden.
    • MAST sets its own competition schedule.
      • Hyland Hills Races: 3-4 races
        • Race included JV and Varsity
        • VS Wayzata, Mounds, West Tonka, Bloomington Jefferson, Academy of Holy Angels, De LaSalle and/or Benilde-St. Margarets
        • Starts at 4:30- early school release
      • Metro East Conference- 3 Races
        • Race includes Varsity (10 athletes per boys and girls team) and JV
          ■ Vs Hastings, Hill-Murray, Mahtomedi, St. Thomas Academy, and
          Visitation.
          ■ Location: varies, Welch, Buck Hill, Wild Mt.
          ■ Start at 4:30 pm- early school release.
          ○ Invitational Meet: 2-3 Races
          ■ Varsity only- team of 6 per Boys and Girls team.
          ■ Location: varies, Wild Mt, Giants Ridge, Welch
          ■ Held during school day- full day release.
          ○ Minnesota State High School Section IV Championships
          ■ Varsity only- 6 per team.
          ■ Location: Wild Mountain on Wednesday- February 4th, 2026
          ■ Held during school day- full day release.
          ○ MN State High School Alpine Championships.
          ■ For those who qualify
          ■ Location: Giants Ridge on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026
          ■ 2 day school release- one day of trainers, next day is race.
  • Varsity: The varsity roster is determined by time trials and race results and can change at any time, depending on who is skiing fast that week.
  • Those designated “varsity” score in the varsity race and everyone else competes as “junior varsity” and scores in the junior varsity race. 
  • All MAST athletes have the opportunity to earn high school letters and athletic honors in alpine skiing.

Transportation
  • Athletes are responsible for securing transportation to and from Hyland for practices and races. Many families set up carpools.
  • MAST will charter a bus to transport athletes to supplemental training sessions, camps and “away” competitions.

Parent Involvement
Parent involvement is critical to the success of MAST.  Parents are encouraged to become involved with the team in a variety of volunteer roles. Ski racing could not exist for Minneapolis students without the active involvement and support of parents.
  • Race workers- pre season training sessions with coaches and seasoned parent volunteers.
  • Practice help- parents will be on hill during team practices, helping coaches, giving guidance. Coaches will hold training sessions for this.
  • MAST Board roles: accounting, marketing, fundraising, website management, statistics, equipment, registration and administration, photography, cooking, race tent management, etc.
  • Available openings for parent involvement: MAST Volunteer/Task Group Openings
  • New Racer Information Night- Lynnhurst Community Center-September 29th at 7 pm.
  • Skier retreat, Saturday, Nov 15.
  • MAST Parent Social at Dual Citizen Brewing Company- December 7th 5pm-7pm.

Costs 
  • $300: Suggested and optional MAST Team Membership Fee  
  • $75 MPS Activity Fee (helps fund additional coaches).
  • $499 for an unlimited season pass at Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area if purchased through MAST through October 2025.
    ○ All athletes are required to purchase an unlimited season pass to Hyland Hills.
    ○ Athletes can purchase the pass directly through MAST until October 24 th and save the expense of paying MN state sales tax or you can purchase directly from Three Rivers Parks/Hyland Hills.
  • Hyland Pass price goes up to $524 on November 1, 2025.
  • $60 for MAST supplemental training opportunities at more challenging training venues
    (optional; approximate cost per training session). 
  • $30-35 to help cover the cost of a lift ticket at competition venues other than Hyland
    Hills.
  • Approximately $650 for our optional four day, three night winter break camp at Giants
    Ridge.
  •  $??? for all ski equipment. 
  •  End of Year Banquet- $15 per person, max $60 per family. Payment by families TBD.

​MPS partially funds six paid coaches and bus transportation to away races. Team fees help to fund additional coaches and cover a portion of the other costs associated with operating a ski team (i.e. race entry fees, training equipment and services such as gates, drills, two-way radios, timing system, online video sharing, etc. No student will be turned away for non-payment of the
team membership fee. 

Equipment
  • Athletes need to secure the following equipment:
    ● Slalom race skis and bindings
    ● Boots
    ● Poles with pole guards
    ● Alpine race helmet
    ● Shin guards
    ● Warm winter outdoor clothing
    ● Basic ski tuning supplies (edge tuning system, wax, iron, scraper).

Optional equipment as athletes improve and they become more competitive: GS suit (to enhance aerodynamics), additional tuning equipment/waxes.   

Used race equipment can be purchased during September and October when local ski teams hold “ski swaps” at their home ski areas (Buck Hill, Hyland, Wild Mountain, Powder Ridge, AftonAlps, etc). Used race equipment can also be found on various online websites. Please be advised to review any online purchases with your coaches before making the purchase. They are happy
to assist you to make sure you are getting the proper equipment in the correct size and for a fair price. Pierce Skate and Ski offers deeper discounts to MAST athletes on new equipment when purchased in September through mid-October. The MAST website offers detailed information on how to buy used equipment at ski swaps. MAST also has a ski swap inventory. MAST coaches and parents hold tuning seminars to help you learn how to keep your edges sharp and bases waxed.

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Communications
All of our communication is done by email and Team Snap (TS) to parents and athletes. 
  • Consequently, be sure that we have your correct email addresses and that you check your email daily once the season is underway. TS is used primarily for registration and to provide you a calendar of events. The bulk of communication is through e-mail.
  • Athletes and parents and guardians can get on the MAST Update distribution e-mail list by filling out a simple form here: New Athlete Inquiry Form.
  •  Once you are on our MAST Update distribution list, you will receive all communications regarding the registration process, pre-season orientations and trainings, equipment, sales, fundraising, MAST apparel, and volunteer opportunities. Once our season opens, the MAST Updates will keep you informed about training, racing, camps, results, and everything else you need to know in order to make the most of your involvement.
  • The MAST Website address is: www.mplsalpineski.org.  Please check out our website carefully. Not only will you find current and in-depth information about MAST, but also useful information about ski racing, ski tuning, gate judging, equipment, etc.

For Immediate Questions, Contact your school Core Member: 
Washburn/Paige                     
Erik Addy                                                         
[email protected]                   
952-270-0934                                            

 Southwest/Anthony
Bill Bray  
[email protected]
507-301-7109 

MAST- All other schools
Owen Moldow
[email protected]
612-730-4818