OUR STORY

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• UNR Ski Team is one of the oldest NCAA ski programs, created in 1936 by Wayne  Poulsen, founder of Palisades Tahoe, formerly Squaw Valley USA. 

• By 1947 skiing was a major sport at the university, placing athletes on the US Ski Team  and hosting a citywide winter carnival and parade, for its home race. The ski team had  reached such popularity that in 1954 when the NCAA decided to add skiing, Nevada was  selected as the host for its championship. 

• There were 18 Reno/Tahoe athletes who competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.  Reno/Tahoe has always been a breeding ground for elite level skiers and snowboarders.  

• UNR is the only NCAA ski program in the Sierra Nevada region. 

• There are 22 ski areas within a two-hour drive of Reno, each of which has ski team. Almost all these ski teams are located within the Tahoe Basin and Mammoth, representing the Far West Region of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, or USSA. 

• Both alpine and nordic athletes representing the FW Region will ski and train over 250 days a year, on snow, or off snow. The training regime of these athletes is rigorous,  alpine skiers will attend camps in the off season on glaciers or ski in the southern  hemisphere, for example. Nordic skiers work with coaches to create a yearlong conditioning schedule to peak physically in competition season. These athletes set goals  to ski NCAA, be selected on the national team, race World Cup and eventually qualify for  the Olympics.  

• Athletes that make up a NCAA Ski Team generally have the highest GPA of any athletic  program at the university. 

• Booster and Alumni support. The group that helped bring the ski team back in 1994 to  NCAA status is ready again to help support a comeback. 

• Ski resorts and ski racing programs around the lake want UNR to build a sustainable  NCAA ski program. The newly formed Nevada Skiing Advisory Committee is partnering  with resort operators and program directors at Palisades Tahoe, Sugar Bowl Ski Resort,  Auburn Ski Club, Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak, and Sky Tavern, to solidify free training for  the UNR Ski Team. This is a huge cost savings when building the team’s operating  budget. 

• All NCAA ski programs representing the RMISA are excited to see UNR come back.  Many head coaches have been in contact with the Nevada Skiing Advisory Committee to  offer support any way they can. 

• It’s what your student body does! 70% of students at UNR say they chose to attend UNR  because of skiing or snowboarding.