About

Skaters climbing up Pine Drops | Photo by Meissner Nordic

About

The Meissner Nordic Community Ski Area is located entirely within the Deschutes National Forest and operates under a Grooming Agreement issued by the United States Forest Service (USFS). Partnering together for over 25 years, Meissner Nordic Ski Club and the USFS provide winter recreation December 1st through March 31st to cross-country skiers and snowshoers. The groomed ski trails and snowshoe trails start at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park, located west of Bend on Cascade Lakes Highway near mile marker 14. The high point in the trail system is at 5,860 feet and the low point is at 5,020 feet. Meissner Nordic’s stewardship of the winter trails provides “XC Skiing for the Community, by the Community”.

Non-Profit Status And Bylaws

Meissner Nordic Ski Club is an exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and our EIN is 46-3255513. The Bylaws of Meissner Nordic Ski Club are the governing document for our non-profit organization.

Mission Statement

Meissner Nordic promotes cross-country skiing for the health and enjoyment of individuals, families, and the community.

Focus

The focus of the club shall be on: providing groomed trails for community use and education on using groomed trails; facilitating access to the sport of cross-country skiing; conducting social and skiing activities for the Central Oregon community; and supporting and cooperating with other organizations sharing the Meissner Nordic mission.

Successes

In recent years the Meissner Nordic Ski Club has made major achievements at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park by:

  • starting a new ski ambassador program where volunteers assist skiers on the trails
  • working with app developer James Montemagno on the Meissner Nordic app
  • expanding the Meissner community ski trail system to 47 km
  • increasing grooming frequency from 4 days/week in 2016 to 7 days/week in 2022
  • providing real-time reports on grooming activity using Nordic Pulse
  • building of the new Meissner Shelter
  • purchasing a PistenBully 100 snowcat to provide us with exceptional, consistent grooming
  • building of the permanent lodge near the parking lot, complete with tables and a wood stove
  • working with the Forest Service to install the double CXT toilets
  • building of winter recreation information kiosk
  • working with the Forest Service in the design and approval process to enlarge the parking lot

Meissner Nordic has also given back to the community by:

  • hosting events like Learn to Ski Day, Waffle Feed, and piano concerts by Paula Dreyer
  • hosting of high school ski races
  • hosting of ski tour events including the Tour of Meissner
  • donating $3,000 from the 2023 Tour of Meissner to Deschutes County Search And Rescue (SAR)
  • providing an accessible venue for community groups across Central Oregon to use to grow the lifelong sport of cross-country skiing

Vision

Our vision for the next several years includes:

  • improving the lodge
  • adding more groomed trails at the upper end of the Meissner trail system
  • growing our base of supporters to ensure our sustainability

History

The Tumalo Langlauf Club (TLC) was organized in October of 1996. Local elite skiers Justin Wadsworth, Ben Husaby, Dick Hunt, and Scott Johnston proposed the idea, patterning the club after ski clubs in Europe where each town has its own Nordic ski group. The response from the cross-country ski community was positive. The name, Tumalo Langlauf Club, was chosen by popular vote: “Tumalo” for Tumalo Mountain a local landmark and “Langlauf,” the German word meaning “long run” often used to describe cross-country skiing. In 2011 the name was changed to Meissner Nordic Ski Club. Today the club boasts a large and vibrant community of cross-country skiers in Central Oregon.