kootenay Archives - Fernie Nordic Society

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.

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 10th 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.

2019 winners — Becky Scott with 2015 winners

Fernie Racers at the last Kootenay Cup race

Nordic Skier home, kids activities, Latest Posts, RSS Feb 12, 2022Oct 10, 2022events, kootenay, race, racers

A few photos from the race event in Nelson on February 5 & 6. The Fernie Nordic Racers and several parents joined the fun and earned more points toward the 2022 Teck Kootenay Cup. This was the last event of the season in this series.

Several Fernie racers ended with podium finishes and all had a good time. Well done!

The result of the races in Nelson are on the website of the Nelson Ski Club. The Fernie Nordic Racers finished in 4th place out of eight clubs in the Teck Kootenay Cup series – see the rankings at CrosscountryBC.

Fernie Racers compete in Kimberley

Nordic Skier home, Latest Posts, RSS Jan 25, 2022Oct 10, 2022events, Kids Activities, kootenay, race, racers

The Fernie Nordic Racers had a great weekend at the Kootenay Championships Tier 2 race in Kimberley competing against the best skiers in the Kootenays and southern Alberta. Great efforts were put in by numerous Fernie racers with several making the podium for their age group.

Podium finishers

Isla Sauve – 2012 girls – 2^nd skate, 3^rd classic
Graham Etue – 2010 boys – 3^rd skate,
Ella Fuller – 2009 girls – 1^st skate, 2^nd classic
Noah Glickman – 2009 boys – 3rd skate, 3^rd classic
Louison Dubief – 2006 girls – 2^nd skate, 2^nd classic
Aurélie Smithson – 2007 girls – 3^rd skate, 3^rd classic
Wes Robinson-Shaw – 2005 boys – 2^nd skate, 1^st classic

The team will be taking part in a training camp here in Fernie this weekend January 29-30 with National team technician and Cross Country BC coach Graham Maclean, then off to Nelson February 5^th and 6^th for Kootenay cup # 6 and 7.

submitted by coach Johnny

Louison Dubief at the Kootenay Cup race in Kimberley BC

Read the Free Press article about these races HERE.

The full results are displayed at the Zone4 website.

The Fernie Racers in action

Nordic Skier home, Latest Posts, RSS Jan 15, 2022Oct 10, 2022events, kootenay, race, racers

The races of the season started in December 2021, for the first time since COVID-19 began. There are still COVID-19 protocols to make sure everyone stays safe while racing. The Fernie Nordic Racers participate mostly in the Teck Kootenay Cup races and in some bigger races. Race weekends are really fun, and it’s very good practice. Races are competitive but friendly and enjoyable.

Kootenay Cups are happening in Rossland and Golden (in December 2021), Kimberley (in January), and Nelson (in February). We had a bigger race in Canmore for the Alberta Cups 3 and 4, and some athletes will also participate in the BC Cups/Championships and Track Attack Championships.

Race weekends usually start on Fridays with a training day and the races are on Saturdays and Sundays. Races are either with an interval start (one by one every 15 or 30 seconds) or mass start (everyone at the same time). For athletes, coaches or parents who want to do it, we have a warm-up routine before the start of the race and then a cool down after the race. There are also amazing volunteers to help organize the race and to help competitors at the end of their races by giving them drinks.

Cross country skiing is a sport for everyone. All ages and abilities can participate. On our team, we have athletes from U10 to U18. Coaches and parents race in the Masters category. Adults can race in the Masters category and win points for the team! Each race completed brings two points for the team. Racing is fun and you can even win chocolate medals! We encourage everybody to participate to these events, it is competitive only if you want it to be competitive, other than that it is only for fun! Races can make you feel nervous and excited, but it is always a very fun experience, and it feels satisfying to finish a race even if it took a lot of effort! We would be very happy if you joined us to race!

Article by Louison Dubief and Aurélie Smithson

Our Team of Racers in Canmore

We had a great weekend of racing at the Olympic, World Juniors, U23 Trials and AB Cup in Canmore, racing with some of the best XC skiers in the country. All of the Fernie Nordic Racer athletes that attended finished in the top 10 in their age group for both skate and classic.

Ella Fuller – 2009 girls – 5^th classic, 2^nd skate
Noah Glickman – 2009 Boys -1^st classic, 1^st skate
Louison Dubief – 2006 Girls -9^th classic, 9^th skate
Wes Robinson-Shaw – 2005 boys – 4^th classic, 5^th skate
Cameron Etue qualified for the BC winter games

Great results!

All results for the January 8-9 weekend are at Zone4.ca

submitted by coach John Shaw

Weekend highlights

Nordic Skier Latest Posts Feb 12, 2020Jan 17, 2021Adult Activities, events, EVNC, kootenay

Fernie skiers were very active in the past weekend of February 8-9 with a few events.

Full Moon Ski on Saturday

On Saturday twenty skiers gathered in the hut before starting on the trails under a very bright moon. The evening ended back at the hut for snacks, refreshments and a good time.

Morrisey Ridge at full moon — Morrisey Ridge seen from the Runt trail

Kootenay Cup races in Kimberley

The race weekend in Kimberley was the Teck Kootenay Championships, a tier 2 points qualifying race, so it was a higher level event than usual races for the team. The Fernie racers competed against other racers from several clubs, including Telemark, Sovereign Lake, Revelstoke, Canmore, Foothills, the Kootenay teams – Nelson, Kimberley, Black Jack and Toby Creek – plus Montana teams, Glacier Nordic and Seeley Lake. The weather was perfect and excellent snow conditions.

Eleven young skiers from the Fernie Nordic Racers team took part in the two-day event together with nine adult skiers from Fernie. Our team is coached by Jeff Williams. Overall the team had 28 starts in the classic and skate races. Race results may be found HERE. The current cup standings are HERE.

Meanwhile in Edmonton

Saturday was also the day of the 2020 Canadian Birkebeiner in Edmonton. Two skiers from Fernie completed the challenging course. Ron Lentz finished the 31 km tour race while Naomi Lentz did the 55 km race with a 12 lbs pack (5.4 kg) on her back. Congratulations to both!

Naomi at the 2020 Birkebeiner in Edmonton — A second place in her category for Naomi

More photos

from the Full Moon Ski:

from the Kootenay Cup races:

Kai on start line Kimberley sprint — Classic 1350 m sprint with Kai Fait – 5th from left

Makaela and Adele at Kimberley sprints — Makaela Burt and Adele Stahl (U14 girls) in a classic sprint heat together

Anouk double poling — Anouk Burt (U14 girls) powering her double-poling for a strong sprint heat

Ella on start line Kimberley sprint — Ella trying to stay warm before the start of the mass start Freestyle technique event

Johnny Kimberley Sprint — Coach Johnny showing perfect pacing through 15km of the skate race

Dave Kimberley sprint — Dave Fuller at the start of the 15km skate event

Johnny at Kimberley sprints — Johnny and racers watching the sprints

A good weekend on the trails!

Nordic Skier home, Latest Posts Jan 28, 2020Jan 17, 2021events, Kids Activities, kootenay, racers

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

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!

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