Skiers head under the arch at the Rendezvous Ski Trails, where a November pass is required for festival week. (Courtesy photo)
Hello, XC skiers!
Excitement is building in West Yellowstone after our first snow. It won’t be long before we’re back out on the trails, enjoying the fresh air, great skiing and the start of another season. Now is the time to make your plans for the 2026 Yellowstone Ski Festival, Nov. 21 through 28 on the Rendezvous Ski Trails.
Our trail crew has been working hard to get the trails ready, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to regular grooming and miles of outstanding skiing. From first tracks in the morning to an easy ski with friends in the afternoon, there’s nothing better than getting out on the snow and enjoying everything West Yellowstone has to offer.
A skier strides through fresh classic tracks on the Rendezvous Ski Trails during the 2014 festival. (Photo: Lander Karath)
Eight Days on Early Snow
Thanksgiving week in West Yellowstone has belonged to skiers for a long time. Competitive athletes, first-timers and whole families come from all over to get on snow while most of the country is still waiting for winter. There is skiing every day of the festival, clinics for every level, biathlon on the range and a race to close out the week.
The tradition reaches back to 1979, when the U.S. Ski Team began bringing coaches to West Yellowstone each November to train them. FasterSkier told that story last fall in a look inside the festival and its clinics, and it is worth a read before you come.
A November trail pass is required for all of November and during the festival, and it is good through Nov. 30. From Dec. 1 through March 31, season and day passes are sold by the U.S. Forest Service at the Hebgen Lake Ranger Station, at Freeheel and Wheel, and at the Rendezvous Trailhead.
Clinic skiers sort into ability groups with coaches in red jackets at the Rendezvous Ski Trails. (Courtesy photo)
Clinics With Top Coaches
Looking to improve your skiing this season? Our clinics feature top coaches who can help you build skills, clean up your technique and get even more enjoyment out of your time on skis.
This year’s staff of 16 coaches includes Jack Hart and Todd Eastman. Every skier is placed in a group of similar ability, six to eight skiers per coach, and the coaches rotate through the groups each half day so you hear more than one voice over the week. Advanced groups also work on speed, endurance, strength, agility and race tactics.
The three-day Skate and Classic XC Fundamentals for Performance and the two-day Skate and Classic Tune Up both begin Tuesday, Nov. 24, with classic in the morning and skate in the afternoon. One-day technique clinics follow later in the week: skate on Thursday, Nov. 26 or Saturday, Nov. 28, and classic on Friday, Nov. 27.
Don’t wait to sign up. Any clinic with fewer than six skiers registered by Nov. 19 will be canceled. Find clinic details here and register here.
The stadium and biathlon range at the Rendezvous Ski Trails, seen from above. (Photo: WYSEF)
Biathlon, a Race and Après-Ski
Biathlon newcomers get a proper start. A Try-It clinic on Tuesday runs two sessions of up to 50 skiers each, and anyone planning to race the novice biathlon for the first time needs to attend it. The biathlon sprint and novice races follow on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at the stadium and range.
Friday afternoon brings après-ski at the Rendezvous Trailhead. On Saturday, Nov. 28, the week wraps up with a fun 5 km and 10 km freestyle mass start, open to all ages and abilities and capped at 200 skiers. Watch for race registration to open in the coming weeks.
Wax clinics, a mindful movement class and an evening speaker round out the week. Everything depends on snow: low snow means modified courses, and no snow means races and clinics are canceled, with clinic fees refunded less a small administrative fee. The full festival schedule is online and will be updated as November gets closer.
Young skiers warm up together in the sun at the Rendezvous Ski Trails. (Photo: WYSEF)
Places to Stay and Visit
When booking your stay, please consider our festival sponsors. They support our ski community, and we appreciate your support of their businesses.
While you’re in town, stop by Freeheel and Wheel for the latest ski gear, great coffee and a chance to catch up with fellow skiers before heading out on the trails.
If the snow is slow to arrive, there are still great ways to get outside: roller ski or bike the road into Yellowstone National Park, or head out on the nine miles of paved Shortline Trail. Destination Yellowstone has more on what to do around town.
Racers push off the start in the stadium at the Rendezvous Ski Trails. (Courtesy photo)
Back in March for the Rendezvous
The season in West Yellowstone ends the way it starts, with a crowd on the trails. The Yellowstone Rendezvous Race, part of the American Ski Marathon Series, brings more than 600 skiers to town and is set for Saturday, March 6, 2027. Registration opens in November.
Festival skiers raise their poles on the Rendezvous Ski Trails during Thanksgiving week in 2018. (Courtesy photo)
See You on the Trails
The Yellowstone Ski Festival is a great way to kick off winter, catch up with old friends, meet new ones and get some real Nordic skiing in before December. Whether you’re joining a clinic, taking first tracks on fresh corduroy or just heading out for a relaxing ski, we can’t wait to see you. Start planning your trip, book your room and get ready for another great season in West Yellowstone.
For the latest festival information, visit skirunbikemt.com. Follow @RendezvousSkiTrails on Facebook and @Rendezvousskitrails1 on Instagram for updates and trail news.
Think snow, get excited, and we’ll see you in November!
The Yellowstone Ski Festival Committee
Clinic coaches line up on skis at the Rendezvous Ski Trails. (Courtesy photo)
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