Kids Activities

Race Team

Race Team

The Fernie Nordic Racers is our own ski racing team. Aged from 9 and up, the team members follow a regular training before and during the ski season. They aim to improve their skills in a fun way.

Racers logo

The main goal of the Fernie Nordic Racers program is to establish a healthy, nurturing competitive environment. We feel that competition provides one of the best opportunities for children to be exposed to rules and social values as well as defining the need to get along well with others and be accepted as part of a team. The team will put a strong emphasis on promoting values such as tolerance, fairness and responsibility.

Improving skills while having fun!

One of our key initiatives is to have fun while learning to ski fast on nordic skis. We believe nordic skiing is a lifelong sport that promotes a well-rounded physical fitness base. Team members establish friendships with kids of different ages, from different schools and from various communities. These friendships play a positive role in their social development and add to the primary focus of having fun while skiing. Skiers learn both skate and classic nordic ski techniques. Positive attitude and sportsmanship are stressed.

Individual goals

Some team members seek high-level competition while others take a recreational approach to the sport and may not compete in races. Regardless of their level of competition, kids will have a lot of fun and develop healthy, life-long skiing skills and an appreciation of the beautiful mountain outdoors. Team members are encouraged to learn to be responsible for themselves in term of keeping track of all their gear, having appropriate clothing, water and snacks, and learning to maintain their own skis.

Any questions? Get in touch with a volunteer.

Join our team!

The 2023-2024 season of the Fernie Nordic Society will be the tenth year of the Fernie Nordic Racers. Our race team is for skiers 9 years or older who have been previously enrolled in nordic ski lessons for at least one season. If your child is interested in joining the team, please contact the Coach Johnny before September 30, 2023 through the Contact Us page on this site.
Visit this page at Zone4.ca to join the team!

For a more detailed explanation on this program, please follow this link to the excellent site of Nordiq Canada.

Becky Scott with 2015 winners
2019 winners
Our fourth time winners!
racers training
Dry-land off season training
racers training
Indoor summer training

Skill Development Program

sdp session

The ski lessons of the SDP program are going ahead for the 2023 – 2024 season. Lessons are expected to start in early January. Enroll today as the program fills up quickly!

Meet our team of volunteer coaches
(click image to open)

Ccc logo

The Skill Development Program offered to our young skiers by the Fernie Nordic Society was actually developed by the nation-wide organization Nordiq Canada. The program is standardized across the country. All our volunteer coaches are trained according to the established structure to provide a consistent level of training to our skiers.

The levels in the program are aimed at the various age groups:

  • Bunnyrabbit Program for children 5 years and younger
  • Jackrabbit Program for children from 6 to 9 years old
  • Track Attack Program for children 10 years and older

The Fernie Nordic Society provides training at these levels at our weekly Saturday morning and Tuesday or Thrursday after school sessions. Lessons run from January to March all at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre. We also have additional training at other times of the year such as dry-land training during summer and autumn. Events may combine the efforts of other clubs nearby. This is a great opportunity for young skiers to improve their skills in a fun atmosphere and to challenge themselves.


Saturday Lessons

10:30 – 11:30 am
 


Tuesday After School
Lessons
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
 


Thursday After School
Lessons
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
  

Cost of lessons

Bunnyrabbit     $60 for either the Saturday, Tuesday or Thursday sessions
Jackrabbit         $70 for either the Saturday, Tuesday or Thursday sessions
TrackAttack      $80 for either the Saturday or Tuesday sessions

Please note that enrollment into the program is done ONLINE for the 2023-2024 season. Please visit the online Zone4.ca page to register your child. Ski rentals can also be reserved online at the same time. For more information about our program, or to register your child, you may also use our Contact Us page.

Any questions? Get in touch with a volunteer.

Important Documents

The documents attached below are our basic guidelines for running a fair training program for our young skiers. They are aimed at our parents and our volunteer coaches. We ask all parents and coaches of the 2023-2024 season to read them, to sign the relevant release forms and return to the coaches at the first ski lesson.
 
Documents  (click to open and/or save):
Coaching Code of Conduct
Parents Responsibilities
Parents Fair Play & Photo Release

KALTIRE has sponsored the province-wide SDP program for the last few years

Kal-Tire sponsor

Volunteer Seasonal Opportunities

volunteer

Welcome! You will find on this page several rewarding opportunities to lend the club a hand. Or would you prefer to choose a single or short-term task ?

Yes, I want to volunteer!
Volunteer Coach

Volunteer coaches are needed for the popular children’s SDP ski lessons on Saturday mornings, Thursday and Tuesday afternoons. Standardized and free training sessions are provided early in the season for new coaches. Volunteers are expected to be available for most of the planned ten 60-minutes lessons during the season. The head coach oversees the scheduling and the training of coaches. We plan to have one coach for every five kids at the lessons. So the more coaches are available, the more kids may be enrolled in the program.

Trail Ambassador

The role of the Trail Ambassadors is to support and enhance the experience of the members and guests who visit the Elk Valley Nordic Centre. Responsibilities include opening and readying the hut, greeting guests at the hut or on the trails, providing them with the information they need to have a safe and enjoyable ski experience, and closing up at the end of the day. The Ambassadors are in the hut or on the trails Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as well as during Christmas and Spring Breaks and there are two shifts available each day from 10 AM – 1:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. It is up to you to decide how much time you would like to commit. We would be really happy to have you join the team!

Fundraising Leader

Organize activities to raise funds for the Society with the help of board members. This may include the design and production of materials such as flyers and online promotional messages.

Events Coordinator

The Coordinator plans the few events during the ski season, typically three or four. This is done in cooperation with the board of directors and also with assistance from volunteer helpers.

Gear Manager

(This position is now occupied) Assists in the recruitment of inventory helpers and manages the distribution and collection of ski gear. This task includes a few hours before the ski season starts and a few more later in the Spring.

Website manager

This task consists of updating the website with new content and doing the regular security maintenance of the website which is based on WordPress. Most of the work is done through the web browser. Some basic knowledge of FTP and HTML is useful. During the ski season, the volunteer will update the website several times a week with event information and trail condition updates. Time commitment: 1 to 2 hours weekly during the season.

Master Den Parent

Recruits and organizes Den Parents, assigning weekly roles such as parking/traffic control. Time commitment: 1-2 hours each Saturday during the season.

Bookkeeper

This volunteer position is for someone with basic accounting skills and who can dedicate some time each month to this task. The volunteer will enter all receipts and expenses online in order to generate reports useful to the treasurer and the rest of the board of directors. This person is not expected to attend any board meeting. Total time commitment: 2 hours per month.

Director-at-large

(This position is now occupied) Would you like to have a say in the decisions that will guide the club during the next twelve months? This is your chance! The board meets once a month for a quick meeting to take care of business. Your suggestions and input will be much appreciated and you will see the improvements to our activities and infrastructure as a result.

Yes, I want to volunteer!

Volunteer Single Opportunities

volunteer

Welcome! You will find on this page several single or short term opportunities to lend the club a hand. Or would you prefer to choose a task with more leadership ?

Yes, I want to volunteer!

Junior Reporter / Writer

The club is looking for a young person with an interest in writing about activities of the club from their own point of view. Stories could include winter or summer activities, a report on a recent ski race or participation in a local event. Your short stories will be published on the website or in the club monthly newsletter. The reporter is free to choose a topic. To volunteer, please contact us through this website.

Trail Maintenance and Work Party Volunteers
work party

In the Fall and Spring, volunteers are needed to support the Director of Trails in preparing and maintaining trails at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre. Work parties are organized in advance and announced on Facebook and through the website mailing lists. Volunteers are asked to respond when available and assist in tasks identified by the Director of Trails. Typically we have two outings per season.

Signage Artiste

One volunteer to oversee the design and production of signage along the trails, on the kiosks and at the warming hut. Directional signs and other useful signage are updated and/or replaced when needed under the direction of one board member.

Saturday Morning Helper – Den Parent

This is a non-coaching task. The role of a Den Parent is to be available during JackRabbits lessons to ensure that young skiers are monitored and kept safe. At least two Den Parents must be present at each Saturday lesson.
Time commitment: Saturdays during winter for 1 hour (not including a short training session prior to season)

Gear Distribution Helper

This volunteer helps with allocating ski equipment to jackrabbit skiers. This usually involves one or two sessions in November. The serial numbers of the equipment are recorded on individual cards for each lessons participant. Total time commitment: 2-3 hours.

Inventory Helper

All boots, skis and poles are listed on a spreadsheet. The list is updated at the beginning of the season, at the end of the season and also whenever new equipment is added. This volunteer is also involved in assigning the gear to young skiers during the gear fitting session. This task is for someone familiar with simple spreadsheets. Total time commitment: 2-3 hours.

Event Helpers

Several volunteers will be needed to support the Events Coordinator before or during each event. This could be lending a hand in organizing and fundraising events, or assisting with event details like set up and day-of tasks. Total time commitment: a few hours per event.

Yes, I want to volunteer!