United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association -
​A Historical Overview

​ The formation of the National Collegiate Ski Association (NCSA)-- known today as the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA)-- and its continued success can be traced to the long-term dedication and personal contribution of President Emeritus Holger Petersen.

It all started in 1967 when Petersen established the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Ski Association (WISA). By late 1970, colleges from Minnesota and Michigan had joined together to form the Tri-State Collegiate Ski Association, with Petersen directing the new organization. After combining the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan racing divisions, the Tri-State organization realized that several other colleges were skiing in the Central Intercollegiate Ski Association (CISA), a regional program of the NCAA. With a look toward the future, Petersen came up with an alternate solution: the establishment of another organization, the Intercollegiate Ski Racing of North America (ISRA of NA). The invitational championship of February 1971 at Indianhead Mountain in Wakefield, Michigan consisted of CISA and ISRA of NA athletes. The performances of these all-star teams underscored the region’s  desire for a larger platform to host great competitions and tout athlete accomplishments.

In 1974, Petersen petitioned the NCAA Ski Rules Committee to change their rules to permit more U.S. colleges to participate in a national competition. His request did not gain approval from NCAA, and so Petersen concluded that a rival program had to be established to challenge the NCAA into action. Petersen contacted all non-NCAA regional conferences and established the National Collegiate Ski Association (NCSA) in Wisconsin. That year, NCSA was officially incorporated.

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1967

Holger Petersen established the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Ski Association (WISA)

1970

Tri-State Collegiate Ski Association was formed by MN, MI and WI

1971

​The Intercollegiate Ski Racing of North America (ISRA of NA) was formed

DID YOU KNOW?

USCSA was the first (and still only) organization to offer collegiate snowboard and freeski competition, with the first snowboard events held in 1999 and the first freeski events held in 2009.
1970s Skiers from the College of Idaho
1981 Men's NCSA National Team, College of Idaho
1980s Ladies Ski Champions, College of Idaho
1980 Men's NCSA National Champions, College of Idaho
1991 College of Idaho Ski Team
Ernie Meissner, College of Idaho Coach
1984 Women's Ski Team, College of Idaho
The Border to Border Race Fundraiser across Idaho
Skiing in the 80s
“I've spent my entire life skiing, but had never raced in a giant slalom or slalom prior to college. I joined the ski team at Lafayette on the premise of being able to ski multiple days a week... I consistently finished near the bottom of the field my first season, but stuck with it because of the friendships I made and committed to getting better through practice, coaching, and better equipment. Fast forward to senior year and I captured my first Top 10 finish... Even though it wasn't a win, that Top 10 finish was such a special moment in my USCSA career and validated my decision to stick with a sport I knew little about 4 years earlier. It just speaks to how truly everyone has a place in the USCSA.”
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- Chris S.


"What more could I have asked for than to get better at skiing, travel to new places, compete (in a friendly way) against peers from other schools, and have a great time doing all of this? Without being a part of USCSA, my college experience would have been "fine". Being a part of the USCSA made my college experience extraordinary. 

After graduation, many of my good friends from the Penn State Ski Team moved to Colorado, and I did as well. By skiing together in Colorado, I found that I could use my passion and knowledge of weather forecasting to better understand mountain weather patterns, and after a few years of forecasting just for friends, I started a business called OpenSnow. Now 20 years after graduating from Penn State, OpenSnow is a thriving company, helping hundreds of thousands of people find great snow across the globe, and I am still skiing with my best friends from the Penn State Ski Team. So in a sense, racing in college with USCSA was the start of everything that I've accomplished after graduation."

- Joel Gratz, Founder of OpenSnow

1974

Holger Petersen established the National Collegiate Ski Association (NCSA)

1976

The first National Ski Championship of Collegiate Women was held at Boyne Mountain, MI ​

1982 

The NCSA was consolidated and established its office in Milwaukee
At this time, women had not been able to participate in any national championship. Up until 1975, no national championship existed for women collegiate ski teams. Petersen decided to organize the first national ski championship of collegiate women in 1975. Invitations and program information were sent to all U.S. colleges with varsity or club standing and four-year or junior college status. The event was held at Boyne Mountain, Michigan the first weekend of March 1976 and included alpine and cross-country events, with teams able to go for separate Nordic, alpine or combined titles. This was the first true cooperation among regional leagues. For the next few years, annual women’s events were run under the auspices of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), then a relatively new and growing organization.
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Through 1981, NCSA national championships only included male teams; women continued to compete through the AIAW. When the NCAA took over women’s sports in 1982, this led to the demise of the AIAW; as such, the NCSA decided to create a combined national championship for separate male and female teams. The first such event took place in McCall, Idaho, in March of 1982, and NCSA leagues sent teams from all over the country. That championship format continues today. Later in 1982, the NCSA consolidated its administrative functions and formally established its office in Milwaukee.

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DID YOU KNOW?

USCSA was formerly known as the National Collegiate Ski Association (NCSA) and changed its name to USCSA in 1992 

Share Your USCSA Stories & Memorable Moments

For our 50th Anniversary season, we are gathering stories about your time with the USCSA and how it inspired your life path.

Student athletes, alumni and volunteers: we want to hear your most memorable USCSA experiences— whether that is a story about a specific event, a relationship you made, a lifelong friend found, a connection that turned into a job, or any memorable moment from your time with the USCSA.

As we collect these stories and photos, we will be sharing them on our website and social channels throughout the year… and beyond!
“I met my husband at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry welcome party. He was wearing a USCSA Western Regionals shirt and I immediately introduced myself because I also competed in USCSA but in the Midwest Region. He asked me to be his pong partner that night and we were engaged a year later, married two years later. We still are heavily involved volunteering for USCSA.”

- Jenna U.
By the mid 1980’s, the NCSA still was not officially an affiliate of the United States Ski Association (USSA). Instead, it was considered an “allied organization” that shared office space with USSA in Park City, Utah. The two organizations began to discuss the possibility of merging, which was thought to create a more stable future for the NCSA. The NCSA Board of Directors and USSA leadership discussed this concept for years, but little progress or consensus was achieved. After Chris Tapfer took over from Petersen as President of NCSA, the organization decided to change its name to United States Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA). Following this change, at its Spring 1992 Board Meeting, the USSA Board voted down the possible merger. The main sentiment was that, if they were to merge with any collegiate program, it should be the NCAA, not the USCSA. Both organizations subsequently moved forward with their own vision for the future of collegiate skiing.
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The USCSA worked with earnest diligence in the 1990’s and first two decades of the 2000’s to offer a quality experience for all student athletes who had the desire to compete. The snowboard discipline was introduced in 1998, and in 1999 snowboarding was officially accepted at the USCSA National Championships and freeski was introduced in 2009. Also in 1999, the USCSA became the first U.S. collegiate league to offer equal distances in Nordic for men and women: 7.5km for the individual start and 15km for the mass start. Two years later, in 2001, the USCSA added a sprint to our events, and a team sprint was added in 2015.
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In 2018, the USCSA voted to restructure its Board of Directors to nurture committee and subcommittee dialogue, and provide more supported autonomy to the Conferences and Divisions.

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​1992

​The NCSA changed its name to United States Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA)

​1999

The snowboarding discipline was introduced and Nordic offered equal distances for men and women

​2009

The freeski discipline was introduced

DID YOU KNOW?

USCSA was the first organization to offer women’s collegiate ski competition, with the first women’s championships held in 1976

In September 2022, the USCSA released a five year strategic plan, which can be found here. This plan incorporates input from many different stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, former members, and both local and national USCSA leadership. The USCSA has set one, three, and five year targeted goals in the plan, allowing us to implement changes immediately while striving for and refining others.

Today, the USCSA is taking the lead in promoting collegiate skiing with the Alpine and Nordic Pathways initiative. We are proud to work closely with US Ski & Snowboard (formerly the USSA) and the NCAA to promote pathways for high school athletes and encourage participation in snowsports through a variety of available organizations and disciplines. 

The USCSA is the preeminent governing body for collegiate team ski racing and snowboarding in North America. We are an inclusive organization, with 5,000 student athlete members who represent over 140 institutions from 35 states. T​he USCSA hosts competitions across 11 Conferences in the U.S., culminating in six Regional Competitions and the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships in March of each year. Programs range from fully funded varsity teams to club teams, highlighting talent from elite level national team athletes to individuals who are competing for the first time. One of the organization’s unique strengths is its promotion of team competition first and foremost, with camaraderie and fellowship at the heart of our organization. 
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Many people deserve recognition for their major contributions toward the establishment and success of the NCSA, in support of Holger Petersen’s vision: Michael Hanus, technical and administrative support, Marquette University; Robert Von Bereghy, legal advice and council, Marquette University; Ernie Meissner, creating support for the NCSA concept, The College of Idaho; Bill Toof, convincing the East that there is something else and his national leadership, Boston College; and Larry Ozzello, for developing initial rules and setting standards for race quality, UW Eau Claire.

​2022

The USCSA released a five year strategic plan

​Today

The USCSA has 5,000 student athletes who represent over 175 institutions from 35 states

DID YOU KNOW?

The 2008 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at Blue Mountain, Pennsylvania were featured as part of the short-lived TruTV reality show, Ski Patrol.