The newly formed Squamish Nordic Ski Club is laying fresh tracks for local residents to pursue the area's fastest-growing winter sports.The club is hosting an All Things Nordic event at Brennan Park on Saturday (Dec. 8) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Although it's the club's first official membership drive the Nordic contingent is already 100 members strong gliding on word of mouth alone.
The new Callaghan Valley ski venue is setting the scene for Squamish to turn into a hub for everything Nordic, said Callaghan Valley Local Organizing Committee and club executive member Nancy Hamilton.
"It's just incredible the amount of impact the Nordic venue and the prospect of the Olympics brought to this town," she said. "The legacy is already starting to build right now with families moving here and the ski club growing with huge interest."
The event will feature vendors, films and information booths along with biathlon rifle demonstrations and the chance to try rollerskiing, which is a training method cross-country skiers use during the dry season. Think inline skates, only with skis.The club will be offering Nordic Sport Skill Development Programs to local youth. The Bunnyrabbit (ages 3-5) and Jackrabbit (ages 6-12) cross-country ski programs will teach kids the fundamentals at Callaghan Valley.
After all, cross-country skiing is the heart of the other Nordic sports - biathlon and ski jumping - said Hamilton."Cross-country skiing is a sport for life . . . it's kind of your beginning step and your final step. Little kids get into it and they do it all their lives and then you see older people doing it and it's amazing, they're just so fit."
It's easy for families to ski cross-country together, said executive member Brian Hughes.Passes and equipment are less expensive than many other sports.
And while the number of young families grow in Squamish so close to a world-class venue, so too will local ski talent.Cross-country skiing is the perfect crossover sport for mountain biking, Squamish's summer endurance activity, said VANOC Director of Nordic Sports John Aalberg. He moved to Squamish three years ago and has been busy designing and managing the Callaghan Valley venue ever since.
"I think this venue is perhaps the best legacy of the games because it's something everybody can use," said the former cross-country Olympian. The Olympic venue is expected to be constructed by the end of the month and open to the public by mid-December. The Bunnyrabbit, Jackrabbit and Biathlon Bears programs will run this winter from January to March.With most of the elbow grease dished out, it's just up to the weather to follow suit.
After taking advantage of the recent snowfall and the pre-season grooming done by Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures, Aalberg was able to hit parts of the Callaghan Mainline trails.Callaghan Country reported receiving over a metre of snow in one week of mid-November, a promising start to the season, said Aalberg.
"So far this is a great start. You know this is cold weather for Squamish anyhow and it's almost like mid-winter snow out there."The Canadian National Ski Jump Championships and the North American Junior Championships make up Callaghan Valley's inaugural events from Jan. 1-5. In the meantime there are still available spaces for the biathlon officials' level one course Sunday (Dec. 2) at Capilano College, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fun course includes classroom activities, and a mock biathlon competition with air rifles.No previous experience necessary, cost is $20, lunch included. Anyone interested please contact Rosanne Sones at [email protected] or 604-898-4709.
