ASC Training Center Celebrates Expanded Nordic Night Skiing
ASC, the historic Auburn Ski Club, kicks off a season of expanded Nordic night skiing trails lit with community support. The organization, which offers Nordic, biathlon, alpine, and snowboarding programs on Donner Summit, instituted the first Nordic night skiing in California and within 600 miles in 2023. In May of 2025, they issued a community call to bridge a $50,000 funding gap to execute Phase II of their “A Place to Shine” campaign. Community members stepped up with the necessary funds before June 1st. ASC installed fourteen new permanent, high-efficiency LED light posts this summer to illuminate 2 km of trails in varied terrain with multiple looping options. Every week, more than 200 local children, working parents, and high school student-athletes from Reno to Colfax and beyond benefit from ASC’s extension of short winter days. The community’s buy-in to make Phase II possible proved that this region’s skiers value the gift of skiing for all.
The ASC mission is to provide affordable year-round mountain sport experiences through programs, events, and facilities for all snow sport enthusiasts. ASC's vision is to be the West’s premier high-altitude training center and to inspire a life-long love of snow sports. One of the oldest ski areas in California and in the Tahoe Sierra, ASC was founded as Auburn Ski Club in 1928 with its first ski area at Cisco Grove. ASC has been a leader in the growth of winter sports in the state and lobbied the California State Legislature in 1932 to keep Highway 40 (the predecessor of Interstate 80) open year-round so visitors could access winter recreation. The current cross-country ski area, ASC Training Center, opened in 1989 on Donner Summit next to Boreal Mountain. The high-altitude training center offers programs in Nordic, biathlon, alpine, and snowboarding. Delivering excellence as well as accessibility, ASC sends athletes to national and international competitions, including the Olympics.
“In 2023, the first season of our permanent lights, we saw how lit trails changed Nordic ski culture within our region,” said Nordic Program Director Gus Johnson. “More skiers got on snow for training and racing, expanding the pipeline and raising the level of competitive skiing for generations of Nordic skiers. Now our Phase II expansion allows for a true training experience and opens up the possibility for national-level night racing.” Extended time on snow benefits skiers from Truckee, Tahoe City, Reno, Colfax, Grass Valley, Auburn, Sacramento, and even the Bay Area.
To celebrate the lights project’s completion, ASC is hosting a New Year’s Eve Freestyle Night Race, sponsored by Pacos California, on December 31st– snow conditions permitting. In its fourth year, the race is a new Truckee holiday tradition that has seen more than 120 community members, ranging from five-year-olds to septuagenarians, cross-country ski racing on the lit loop. Historically, proceeds from the race have gone towards completing the lights project. Now, the community can celebrate what they made possible.
“As ASC’s new Executive Director, I’m honored to carry the torch of this organization’s century-long commitment to expanding access to snow sports,” said Amy Warren.“We’re thrilled to offer opportunities to cross-country skiing and biathlon athletes that alpine and snowboard teams enjoy, extending on-snow time for newcomers and long-time enthusiasts alike.”
On January 16th, don’t miss the spectator-favorite high school and middle school CNISSF Truckee Sprints under the lights. Night skiing is offered to the public until 7:30 pm Tuesdays through Thursdays (conditions permitting).
Donate to the lights project at https://asclegacyfoundation.app.neoncrm.com/forms/lights-project- Learn more at asctrainingcenter.org.
