Super amazing day! Thanks everyone for coming out for our first Birkie Fernie Flying Viking Challenge! 13 racers total, 8 doing 50 km and 5 doing the first lap of 25 km. The participants skied on the trails of the Elk Valley Nordic Centre and the Fernie Alpine Resort including a brief rest on a chairlift of the resort. Check the costumes out in the photos. Thank you to our partners at Fernie Alpine Resort for giving our racers a lift on the Deer chair. Special thanks to Wild Wolves Design for very cool medals and Erika Sowchuk for our new FFVC logo.
Last weekend was a great time for the Fernie Nordic Winterfest. It
all started at the end of the regular ski lesson on Saturday morning.
Megan Lohmann said a few words in a short presentation about the 2018 Teck Kootenay Cup. This year the Cup was won by the young racers of our racing team with the help of many other club members and adults who have participated in the six races of the series: two races here in Fernie, two more in Kimberley, one at Nipika and the last one in Nelson. It is a great achievement as this is the third time in the last four seasons that Fernie takes the Cup home. Big smiles all around.
Next the young skiers participated in the annual Racing Rocks! event. The very young ones were busy with a scavenger hunt while the older kids skied the trails in a Barkley Marathon style event where each one had to bring a specific page from five books placed along the way. Lots of fun for all!
Presentation of the Teck Kootenay Cup
The Winterfest continued on Sunday February 18 at 11 a.m. with the 6th Annual Community Fun Race ski event. Twenty-four participants joined in several categories: a short distance for an easy-going ski and a longer one for the more competitive skiers. Some chose the skate style ski for speed while others went with the classic style. Coach Naomi did her run with the other skiers, then returned on the course pulling a chariot. The small passenger did not seem to mind the ride. And what about that best costume category?
Presentation of the Teck Kootenay Cup
Skate skiers at the start line
Classic skiers at the start line
Winners of the Best Costume category
Naomi and her chariot at the finish line
A BIG Thank you! to Sam, the organizer of the Winterfest, and to the group of volunteers including Robert Holmes who made this weekend a success. Check out the event results are on this page
The next nordic event in Fernie is the SNOW TO ICE(cream) challenge during the Griz Days from March 1 to 4. Get set! Ready? All the details HERE
Held on 30 – 31 December 2017. The Nordic Centre was a very busy place last weekend with two days of races of the Kootenay Cup series. Sixty-one racers braved the cold on Saturday and forty-nine did it again on Sunday in even more frigid temperatures. The young and adult racers came from Rossland, Nelson, Invermere, Golden, Canmore, Montana and Fernie for the event. Can you recognize the local participants and racers from Fernie?
Big thanks to photographer Ryan Schultz for the great pictures taken during both races days. The photos may be found HERE, HERE and HERE. Check out his Facebook page too.
The event could not have happened without the numerous volunteers from the club. Huge thanks to them! We also had support from these great sponsors: Teck, Fernie Auto Parts, Happy Cow Ice Cream, Fernie Mountain Bike Club, EK Zone Canadian Ski Patrol, Fernie Rentals, Super 8 Fernie, Fernie Lodging Company, The Cedars, Starbucks, Clawhammer, Galloway Lumber Co. and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.
The Elk Valley Nordic Centre near Fernie was again this year the site of our 3rd Annual Great Pumpkin Hunt event. An event open to the community just ahead of the ski season. The weather was very favorable on this Saturday morning of October 21. Three hundred pumpkins had been hidden in the bushes and among the fallen leaves by club volunteers. At 11:30 the hunt was on for a great number of boys and girls aged up to 9. Two firepits were set up on the site for roasting marshmallows and wieners. Hot chocolate and coffee kept the young pumpkin hunters and their parents warm. All appeared to enjoy the event. Several photos of the event appeared on Facebook later that weekend.
The Fernie Nordic Society wishes to thank our sponsors for their support: Grow Children”s Boutique, Save-On-Foods, Teck, Giv’er Shirts, Starbucks and Mr Allan Phillips
On December 28, 29 and 30 at 2 pm, join us for guided ski tours of the new Interpretive signage along the Cedar trail. Cider will be waiting for you in the warming hut after your ski! Free for members, day pass required for non-members
What fun! Thank you to everyone who came out to the 2nd Fernie Pumpkin Hunt on Saturday morning at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre. By 10:45 am, the hunt was on. Many volunteers had hidden 275 pumpkins, more than double than last year! We even had to go for a last-minute run to replenish the pumpkins after the first 200 were claimed at 11:20 am! Thanks to those who waited for round 2 to get hidden. We”ll aim for 400 pumpkins next year!
We believed that no pumpkin were harmed abandoned in the woods. The forest was well searched. The hunt was followed by marshmallows by the fire pits as well as hot chocolate and coffee for the participants. The photo booth proved very popular with the pumpkin hunters.
To all volunteers, pumpkin hiders, pumpkin transporters, Emily Park Photography, Starbucks and Ann”s independent – thank you! Finally, Mother Nature, we owe you one. Thanks for pulling through! We also wish to thank Columbis Power for their generous support of this community event.
Watch for our next events when the white stuff comes down. Our first Toonie Race and Full Moon Ski events are to take place in December. Visit our Events page, or stay in touch at Facebook for details.
Read the short report about the event in The Free Press here.
