Established in 1965, Team Duluth, formerly known as the Duluth Alpine Club, is celebrating 60 years dedicated to introducing alpine skiing as a life-long sport. During the 2025-26 season, Team Duluth will showcase some of the club members who’ve left a lasting impact on Team Duluth.

Megan Schneider, formerly Megan Danelski, started skiing at age three and joined Team Duluth at age six. The 2012 Minnesota State High School champion qualified for the Minnesota State meet all six years of her high school eligibility; she attended Hermantown High School.

“Ski racing taught me independence, hard work, humility, teamwork, communication, and how to take criticism and turn it into something constructive”, said Schneider. “The biggest lesson, though, was that your effort determines your outcome—whether it was dryland, hours of practice, or pushing through brutally cold days on the hill. It instilled a deep sense of mental toughness.”

Schneider participated in the Rocky/Central U14 and U16 Junior Olympics/Championships and JR and US Nationals. At Junior championships, she earned second and third place in slalom, third in GS, and seven top 10 finishes in all events.

“I always loved the variety that Team Duluth offered—the chance to race at a high level while still enjoying fun Team Duluth events with my teammates, along with high school and local USSA races,” said Schneider. “A few of my favorite events were the Atmore, where I once placed third, which is another huge highlight of my career; I also really enjoyed traveling and racing at La Crosse, and the Chuck Stone Memorial at Buck Hill just before Christmas.” 

One of Schneider’s favorite memories from her time with Team Duluth is fall camp at Winter Park. “I learned so much about myself there and really understood what it meant to work as part of a team. I met some of the greatest people through ski racing. I also loved dryland training.  It instilled a love for exercise that I carry with me to this day.  Ski racing with Team Duluth was incredible - no matter what someone’s abilities were, everyone was supported, and you were encouraged to give your full effort. There was no favoritism; you truly got out of skiing what you put into it, which became such an important life lesson,” said Schneider. 

Schneider went on to attend St. Olaf College, where she continued to ski at the D3/USCSA level. She was part of the National Team all four years and helped her team earn multiple podium finishes.

Schneider, a Nurse Practitioner with Essentia, has also coached with Team Duluth.

The Duluth Alpine Club was founded in 1965 by Wes Neustel, Don Salo, Paul Vesterstein, George Hovland, Melvin Cohen, P.A. Briglia, John Haavik, William Atmore and others. Team Duluth is one of ten clubs in Minnesota devoted to alpine skiing as a life-long sport and participating in USSA and FIS programs.