Girls Alpine Skiing

Program
Located in northwestern Massachusetts just minutes from Vermont and New Hampshire, Northfield Mount Hermon
is ideally situated to provide a strong alpine skiing program together with one of the nation’s top college-preparatory academic programs. NMH alpine skiing provides an ideal balance between high level, competitive ski racing and a rigorous academic program that stands among the best in the nation's college preparatory schools.

We enable academically motivated students with a passion for ski racing to develop both of these interests through a strong ski program that features both interscholastic and USSA racing. We have won two recent New England championships (2003 & 2005), and as one of very few traditional college preparatory secondary schools that offer a USSA race program, we fully support students who wish to pursue higher level competition through weekend races.

At NMH the academic program is clearly the first priority, yet our program allows alpine ski racers a chance to compete at high levels while maintaining an appropriate balance between skiing and academics. There is a long tradition of excellence in the ski program at NMH, and we continue to further develop into one of the best among New England independent schools.

Interscholastic Competition
NMH competes in the Mount Institute Ski League, a regional league within the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. The MISL consists of independent and public schools primarily from western Massachusetts, including Deerfield, Williston-Northampton, Eaglebrook, Miss Halls, Bement, and Charlemont. League races are held at Berkshire East Ski Area in Charlemont, which is NMH’s home training site. Towards the conclusion of the MISL season, NMH sends a select team of boys and girls to the New England Prep School Alpine Skiing Championships where they compete against the best racers in eastern independent schools.

Recent Success
The 2010 season was one of the most successful in recent years.  The NMH boys' varsity alpine ski team won the MISL championship title with a record of 31-1, and the girls placed second with a record of 27-3.  The boys and girls have consistently been among the very best teams in the MISL over the past fifteen years. The boys placed second of 15 teams at the Class A New England Prep School Alpine Championships, an event hosted by NMH.  The NMH boys have won two recent New England championship titles, first in 2003 and again in 2005.  The girls placed in the top four teams at the NEPSAC championships twice since 2003.  Our JV team has historically dominated the MISL junior varsity division, winning six titles since 1997, and they now race in the varsity division.

USSA Competition
In addition to interscholastic racing, NMH offers its ski racers the opportunity to compete independently in races sanctioned by the Eastern Division of the United States Ski Association. Through these races, NMH athletes have a chance to compete at a higher level, and to race against some of the best junior racers at the regional and national level. NMH fully supports these initiatives, providing transportation and coaching for these events. As part of our plan for athlete development, all members of the team are encouraged to consider participating in the weekend USSA races, which are entirely optional. We typically travel to one such race each weekend, competing primarily in the Tri-State Alpine Racing Association of USSA, with occasional additional trips to races in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Our USSA program distinguishes us among boarding schools with skiing programs. Very few traditional, academically
rigorous college-preparatory schools offer a fully-supported USSA program in combination with an interscholastic ski
team, and we proudly offer both.

2012 Alpine Ski Team Schedule - revised Jan. 4, 2012