BOULDER, Colo.—The Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association announced today the complete 2024 schedule, which features the University of Colorado hosting the NCAA Championships on March 6-8 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
CU is hosting the national championships for the 10th time in program history, and this is the seventh time the Buffaloes have led the event in Steamboat Springs. Overall, this is the ninth occurrence of Steamboat serving as the site of nationals.
The 2024 campaign gets underway in Utah after the New Year, with RMISA's Nordic squads competing at the U.S. Cross Country National Championships at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway. The American championships will also double as the Westminster Invitational and a RMISA Nordic Qualifier race.
The Westminster Invite opens the season with the 10K classic on Jan. 2 at the U.S. Nationals before freestyle sprints two days later on Jan. 4. RMISA squads will also race in classic sprints on Jan. 7 at Soldier Hollow as an extra Nordic race for NCAA qualification.
The RMISA circuit stays in Utah after the U.S. Nationals as the Nordic teams begin the Utah Invitational with the 7.5K freestyle interval and 10K classic pursuit on Jan. 12-13 at Solider Hollow. Alpine opens their season in Utah soon after at Olympic Park in Park City with giant slalom and slalom events to conclude the Westminster Invitational on Jan. 17-19 and Utah Invitational on Jan. 18-20.
Teams will then shift to the other side of the Rocky Mountains for two weeks of races with the Colorado and Denver Invitationals. CU's Spencer James Nelson Invite is in Steamboat Springs on Feb. 2-3 and will serve as a preview and test event for the athletes for the 2024 NCAA Championships a month later. The alpine giant slalom and Nordic 7.5K freestyle begins the Colorado Invitational on Feb. 2 before the 20K classic and night slalom races conclude the invitational the next day at the town's historic Howelsen Hill Ski Area. There will also be an extra giant slalom qualifier race for the alpine athletes at Steamboat Resort on Feb. 1.
The University of Denver hosts its meet two days later with a pair of slalom races on Feb. 5-6 at Loveland Ski Area before the Nordic event the ensuing weekend at Maloit Park in Minturn, Colorado. The classical 10K mass start is Friday, Feb. 9 and the freestyle 5K interval start is Saturday, Feb. 10, at the ski area in the Vail Valley.
Montana State University is this year's host of the RMISA Championships at Big Sky Resort (alpine) and Crosscut Mountain Sports Center (Nordic) in Bozeman, Montana, in late February. Alpine begins the conference championships, which also doubles as the NCAA West Regional Championship, with giant slalom and slalom events on Feb. 23-24 before the Nordic 7.5K freestyle (interval) and 20K classic (mass start) on Feb. 24-25.
RMISA looks to be home of the NCAA National Champion for an 11th straight year starting with alpine giant slalom at Steamboat Resort on March 6. The Nordic squads open their championships at Steamboat Springs on March 7 at Howelsen Hill Ski Area before the alpiners race in a night slalom at Howelsen Hill on March 8. The 2024 championships conclude on Saturday, March 8 with the Nordic 20K classic.
The University of Utah has won each of the last four NCAA Championships and five in the last 10 years, while Denver has won three and Colorado has won two in that time period.