Up North: DXC raises funds for local youth skiers

Ski season is almost here, but before the slopes open the Duluth Cross Country Ski Club (DXC) raised funds for youth ski programs in the Northland.

This past weekend the DXV hosted their Winter Warmup event at the Grand Avenue Nordic Center.

Celebrating skiers and the sport, with a focus on funding youth ski programming in the area.

“This event is just to raise money largely for youth skiing in the area. The money will go to scholarships for youth skiing and for junior skiing and to just get everybody back together in kind of a social way in the ski community, because it’s been a little while,” said Jake Morgan, President of DXC.

Supporters at the event were treated with a variety of food, drinks and silent auction prizes from simple gifts, sailing excursions, hockey tickets and much more.

“We had the Band Boxcar playing, we’ve got our Baptism River Barbecue from up the shore came down to cater for us. We got cookies from Johnson Bakery, Whole food co-ops, Great Harvest. We’ve got Super One all helping us out with our food,” exclaimed DXC board member Jonathan Rova.

The event has been going on for the last eight years, originally meant to raise money for the Nordic Center, but has since grown to support even the local high schools.

“[We support] Duluth Denfeld and Duluth East, then there’s also a junior club in town called North XC. The money raised here will go to sports scholarships that allow kids who may not otherwise be on skis at all or who would like to, but can’t afford the programs around here, be able to participate in those programs and get in the skiing. Hopefully make it kind of a lifelong sport,” added Morgan.

“We see each other on the trails as a ski club, but we haven’t been together like this to talk about skiing, and rediscover each other for about three years, so it’s great to be back. It’s really a great community and we’re just supporting the young ones like we’ve done for over a hundred years,” concluded Rova.