FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks Nordic ski team will welcome Elsie Weiss to the women's team for the start of the 2023-24. She will join the 'Nooks from Aspen, Colo.

"Elsie is our first American recruit to commit for the 2023-24 season." Said assistant coach Ben Buck, "After following her results all year long, we had the opportunity to watch her race here in Fairbanks at Junior Nationals where she placed sixth among U18 skiers in the 10k freestyle mass start. In addition to being impressed with her results, we were excited to see her thriving in the Fairbanks cold with a smile on her face, helping to lead and support her Rocky Mountain Division teammates. Elsie is a high-quality skier with experience racing and training at altitude, and her career shows plenty of room for continued growth here in Fairbanks."

Weiss is a 5'4" incoming freshman who attended Aspen High School and was a part of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club who has grown a list of accolades over the past four years. In 2020 she was the Colorado Individual State Champion in classic and skate while also taking home a First Place All-State award. In 2021, she was yet again the Colorado Individual State Champion in skate while also placing fifth in the U16 classic sprint and third in the U16 5km skate at the Soldier Hollow Super JNQ. She took third in the U16 skate spring and fourth in the U16 5km skate at the Western Regional Championship before qualifying for the NNF Western U16 Camp. In 2022 she placed first in the U18 10k skate and third in the U18 8k skate at the RMN JNQ. She also qualified for the JNS Minneapolis at the RMN U18/20 before taking fifth in the U18 10k at the Swiss Nationals.

Finally, in the past year, she's placed second and third in the U18 10k classic and skate at the Sun Valley Super Tour. She was the 22nd junior qualifier in the skate sprint at the Houghton Super Tour before taking sixth in the U18/20 skate sprint at the Soldier Hollow Super JNQ. Additionally, she added a third-place finish in the 5k skate in the U18 division at the RMN JNQ and qualified for JNS Fairbanks where she'd take 21st in the U18 division in the 7.5k classic and sixth in the U18 10k skate. Finally, she earned the second alternate spot for Western REG Bozeman. In both 2022 and 2023, Weiss earned an academic letter while competing. 

Weiss is the daughter of Austin and Rebecca Weiss and has one sibling, Anders, who skis for Montana State University. 

Additional signees for Nordic ski and all Nanooks sports will come throughout the summer months. 

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks Nordic ski team, follow @NanookSkiing on Instagram, @NanooksSki on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks XC page on Facebook.