Last Saturday was another Skill Development Program lesson for 46 young skiers at the Nordic Centre.
The new Family Friendly Ski event followed on Sunday afternoon at 4 pm. We inaugurated the new and very long string of lights along the kids loop by the staging area. A fun place to ski after dark! About twenty adult skiers participated in the event as well as a few children either on dad’s back or in a chariot. The trails were well groomed and the skiing was great!
The January 25-26 weekend was also the time for our Fernie Nordic Racers to shine at the Teck Kootenay Cup in Nipika.
7.5k classic with Kai, Finn & Wes at the start
Abi starting her 30k classic race
Anie is going for 15k
Susan, Dave and Matthieu are off! 15k to go!
Kai on the podium 7.5k classic
Coach Naomi at the finish line
Skate 7.5k with Wes and Kai
Kai on his way to the finish
Wes had two great races
Twenty racers from Fernie completed the classic races on Saturday and 17 did the skate races on Sunday. In total the racers received 9 podium positions. Three young racers did amazingly well in their first cross country ski race ever. The trails were well groomed and track set although hard and very icy. Good participation by our young racing team and several adults from Fernie.
The results of the classic races are HERE and the ones from the skate races are HERE. The current standings in the Kootenay Cup are on this page. Go Fernie Racers!
The Family Friendly Ski is coming up! This Sunday is an opportunity for anyone, kids, adults, families, to ski on the trails of the Nordic Centre. Meet at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre at 4 pm for a group ski for all ages. Headlamps may not be needed! Free for members, day pass required for non-members.
This popular event is open to children and it is appropriate to kids up to 9 year old. Only a small entry fee for each pumpkin hunter. Participants are not required to be a club member. The Great Pumpkin Hunt is usually held each year on the third Saturday in October at the Warming Hut of the Elk Valley Nordic Centre. Come and have a look at the trails before the snow falls! Full details will be announced early in the Fall. Tickets are sold in advance of the event.
The hunt is followed by marshmallows by the fire pits as well as hot chocolate, coffee and hot dogs for the participants – by donation. There is also a photo booth – also by donation – which proves to be very popular with the pumpkin hunters. The event is one of the club fundraiser events.
UPDATE: Great fall weather on a cool Saturday morning. Plenty of mud also! Many families came to enjoy the wooded surroundings of the Nordic Centre while the young ones looked for pumpkins. About 500 hot dogs were served!
Join the Fernie Nordic Society for Fernie’s 5th Great Pumpkin Hunt, our annual autumn fundraiser event! Children 9 years and under (you don’t need to be a Fernie Nordic Member) are invited to scour the forests surrounding the Warming Hut at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre for their own pumpkin. When the search is finished, each pumpkin hunter can enjoy hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows by the bonfires. It promises to be a great morning of autumn fun!
New this year: Tickets to the event will be sold ahead of time. Come by Heaven Boutique on 2nd Avenue in Fernie to get tickets for your prefered time slot. For more details, check our Facebook page.
Two pumpkin hunters
This is an outdoor event, so please dress your children appropriately and bring camping chairs or blankets if desired. We’re tough Fernie folks so a little rain (or snow!) won’t deter us – but if the weather turns really gnarly, we may postpone it – check our Facebook page the day of for an update. In the past many families chose to bring wienies to roast on the bonfires and enjoyed a walk on the trails around the Warming Hut after the Hunt. Please plan to do this again! The Fernie Nordic Society thanks Our Sponsors for supporting this great annual event!
Our 5th Annual Great Pumpkin Hunt is planned for Saturday October 19, 2019 starting at 11:00 am at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre near the Mt. Fernie Provincial Park. The event should end by 3:00 pm.
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.
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.
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 classical nordic ski techniques. Positive attitude and sportsmanship are stressed. 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.
The 2019-2020 season of the the Nordic Society will be the sixth year of the Fernie Racers. Our Racing Team is for kids 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 Jeff before October 1 through the Contact Us page on this site.
For a more detailed explanation on this program, please follow this link to the excellent site of Nordiq Canada.
Hello Skill Development Program families! Sorry for the long email, please bear with me!! On Saturday February 22nd, we are holding the 8th Annual Community Fun Race. This is a purely fun event meant to bring the entire community together.
The Skill Development Program offered to our young skiers by the Fernie Nordic Society was actually developed by the nation-wide organization Cross Country 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 10 years old
Track Attack Program for children 11 years and older
The Fernie Nordic Society provides training at these levels at our weekly Saturday morning and Tuesday after school sessions. Lessons run from January to March. 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 pm – 5 pm
Cost of lessons
Bunnyrabbit $60 for either the Saturday or Tuesday sessions Jackrabbit $70 for either the Saturday or Tuesday sessions TrackAttack $75 for both the Saturday and Tuesday sessions
Important Documents
Please note that enrollment into the program will be done ONLINE for the 2019-2020 season. We invite you go to the Zone4.ca webpage 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.
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 2019-2020 season to read them, to sign the relevant release forms and return to our head coach Jeff Williams.
