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_{Post by Ella Fuller of the Fernie Nordic Racers}

This past month, I travelled from World Juniors in Norway to take part in the Cross Country BC B-Tour in Sweden. A total of 10 BC Ski Team members qualified for the trip based on their race results during the season. It gave us the opportunity to train and race in northern Sweden while experiencing local culture. We collaborated with the Gällivare Skidgymnasium, which means the athletes there will come and train with us in Whistler this September. Over the two weeks, we had plenty of time to connect with the Swedish athletes and experience what daily life looks like for them.

I met the team at the Stockholm airport before we flew to Kiruna, which is above the Arctic Circle. There we stayed in small cabins and prepared meals together. After a couple of days of training, we drove 5 hours to Lycksele to compete in three races. All the races were classic technique, which was new to us because normally a race weekend involves both skate and classic disciplines. That weekend, we stayed an hour’s drive away at a small community centre where we slept on air mattresses and used the microwave to heat up our food! Also at this community centre, there was a pool, strength room, gymnasium and saunas which kept us all entertained during the rest of the time we were not racing.

The competition part of the trip was a super cool experience. In Sweden, all the nordic ski athletes are very talented, so there was no shortage of competition. The team had some really great results considering the challenging snow and waxing conditions. My favourite race was the 5 km Interval Start race. It was super warm out and the snow was really soft. I achieved a 5^th place result in the Junior Girls (17-18 years of age). This meant that I was able to stand on the podium with some of the Swedish girls! On one of the days, we had a team relay. What this meant is that we had four different Canadian teams, all with one girl and 2 boys each. And because we weren’t considered official teams because we aren’t Swedish, we had to start at the very back of the mass start behind 60 other teams. The girls had the starting leg!  It was a unique experience having to work our way through as many skiers as possible over the 5 km course. I started in 63^rd and tagged my teammate in 10^th !

After the races, we travelled back to Gällivare for the remainder of the trip. On our first day back, we visited the famous ice hotel in Kiruna, a hotel made entirely from ice, with rooms you can actually stay in. Unfortunately, we didn’t spend the night there due to the cost ($2,000-$4,000/night)! The following days were filled with skiing on beautiful trails and connecting as a team, as well as with the Swedish athletes. One day, we skied 35 km along a snowmobile track over frozen lakes and past some idyllic homes. After finishing the ski, we tried ice fishing and cooked our lunch over a fire. Although we didn’t catch anything, we still had an amazing time. One thing we did have was a very popular treat in Sweden, called ‘grillad banan med choklad’, which is a banana filled with chocolate and marshmallows wrapped in tinfoil, cooked over an open fire, and then eaten with ice cream. 

Our ski training usually took place in the mornings, while afternoons were spent doing homework, preparing dinner, and then watching a movie or playing games together before bed. Sometimes we would walk downtown in the afternoons to have Fika, a cultural tradition of taking a mindful and intentional break – usually with coffee and a sweet treat. Another thing that we made sure to make the most of was the candy! In every grocery store or convenience store in Sweden there are walls of candy, both bulk and in bags. This meant that we all spent a lot of money just on candy! On the final night with the Swedish athletes, we went for dinner at the Nordic Centre. We got to try a traditional northern Swedish dish: cooked dried reindeer over an open fire. The Swedish athletes had to fundraise separately just for this meal because of how expensive reindeer is – over $500 for a small-sized box of meat! The night ended with a group snowball fight, and back at our cabins, we enjoyed crêpes with lemon and sugar while watching a movie.

For our very last day in Sweden, we flew from Kiruna to Stockholm. Once there, we checked into our hotel for the night and then took the bus into the city. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening exploring, shopping and eating our way through the town. We were all very tired by the end of the day, and really sad that the trip had come to an end. The next morning, we headed to the airport after a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel, and flew back to Canada.

This trip taught me so much and gave me so many amazing things to look forward to in the future! I am so thankful for all the support that not only the Fernie Nordic Society has given me, but also to the rest of the community of Fernie. A special shout-out should go out to my coaches for their never-ending guidance! And of course, to my parents for everything they do to get me to where I am today.