Season 2018 – 2019 starts

The season got to a good start even considering how little snow is on the ground. Volunteers began grooming the trails of the Elk Valley Nordic Centre in late November and many skiers have taken to the trails since.

– – – Ski Lessons
The ski lessons program for children is now fully booked. Several coaches, all volunteers, will lead the lessons on Saturdays and Tuesdays starting in January. This year, fourteen young skiers are part of the Fernie Racers. Their training started back in September and their goal is to enter all eight Teck Kootenay Cup races this season with the first ones in Rossland on December 15-16.

Ski lessons for adults will be available again this year starting in January. Amy Wyatt and Tarah Leggott will be coaching to groups on weekday mornings as well as at other times for private lessons. There is more information on the this website.

– – – Trail Ambassadors and Volunteers
Many of the club members are volunteering their time to be at the Nordic Centre for a few hours during the weekends. The program started this past weekend and will run to the end of the season on Friday afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays between 10 am and 4 pm. The warming hut will be open during most of the Holidays period as well. There are additional volunteering opportunities for the upcoming Kootenay Cup event that the Fernie Nordic Society hosts on January 5 & 6. Let us know at volunteers[at]fernienordic.com

– – – Upcoming Activities
The Fernie Nordic Society has planned several events during the season. There is an early start this week with the first Toonie race on Tuesday Dec 11 at 7 pm at the Nordic Centre. No booking is necessary. Participants gather at the hut, drop their toonie and go for a fun ski. It all ends inside the warming hut by the woodstove. This event is aimed at older teens and adults.

On December 17, is the first activity planned for kids. Participants in the fun Little Critter race do as many short laps in a given time. Sign up starts at 5:30 – free to enter – and the event starts at 6 pm at the Nordic Centre.

And just before the Holidays an event for adults, the first Full Moon Ski and Social at the Nordic Centre on Saturday, December 22 starting at 7 pm. A headlamp is useful to have for this outing under the moonlight. Then end the evening inside the warm hut.

Non club members only need a day pass to participate in these events

– – – Fundraiser
The fundraiser for our newly acquired – and good looking – snowcat is still running. The official page is at https://chuffed.org/project/welcome-home

– – – Buy and Sell
There is Facebook page HERE to use for looking to buy or sell gear locally.

Ad from Heaven Boutique on 2nd Ave
Fernie Nordic Society members get a 10% discount on these brands: **Skhoop (skirts)  **NOSO (adhesive patches)  **Turtle Fur (hats/headbands)  **Auclair (gloves/mitts)  **Goodr (sunglasses)  Club members MUST show their actual membership card with the 2018/19 sticker on it for the discount to be valid.

Trail passes are now available from any of our kiosks at the trails and at the warming hut – single $10 or family $20. They are good stocking stuffers for anyone!
Enjoy the many trails that Fernie has to offer!

Our membership drive is on!

This year it is so easy to purchase your membership that you can do it at work or at home … just kidding – about registering at work that is! We’ve been working with Zone4 Registration to get our membership online this year and now you can join the Fernie Nordic Society from the comfort of your couch. Visit us HERE (click link) to register now. Your annual membership assists in meeting grooming expenses so be sure to get yours and your family’s online now! Our early bird prices end this Wednesday November 15.

There are only a few days left to get savings off at LAST YEAR”S membership prices! So make sure you and your friends are ready … because the trail prep has begun!!

We still have several spots left in our lessons program for kids aged 3 to 16. This Saturday Nov 18 is the time to get the kids sized up for rental gear. The Skill Development Program (SDP) 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. Would you like to see your little ones learning to ski? You can register for the SDP Program online HERE (click link) together with your membership and rental gear if desired.

Get your skis ready!

Get your skis ready!

SNOW! Yay, it’s so good to see that white stuff falling from the sky and accumulating on the ground. Our volunteer groomers are going to be busy this week both at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre and at the Fernie Golf and Country Club – not yet open for skiing – packing and grooming for both classic and skate skiing.
Would you like to start receiving our Grooming Report regularly? Just sign up for them here!

Our next planned events

Monday Dec 18: Little Critter Ski
Criterium style ski event where competitors complete as many laps of a short course as possible in the 40 minute time limit. For every lap of the course completed, the skier puts his/her name in for draw prizes. Geared to skiers 12 and under. Meet at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre: sign up begins at 5:30 pm and ski begins at 6:00. Headlamps will be needed! Free for members, day ticket required for non-members.

Saturday Dec 23:  Family Social Ski
Join us for a fun Family Social Ski on Saturday, December 23 at 10:30am. It will be a great chance for the kids to try their skis, meet other families and maybe finish with roasting hot dogs or marshmallows on the fire! 

Teck Kootenay Cup December 30 & 31
You absolutely HAVE to pre-register for this amazing community event! Everyone is welcome, doesn’t matter your ski ability, this is a fun event for the entire community. When you register as a Fernie Nordic Society club member, you can even earn points for the club toward the overall Teck Kootenay Cup! Sign up right away and get a free lunch for either or both days. Find all the information you need here. To register go here. For additional halo points, one can volunteer to make this community event a success – contact volunteers[at]fernienordic.com

Dinner on Saturday evening Dec 30
On the evening of December 30, the Teck Kootenay Cup and Fernie Nordic Society have arranged a dinner at the wonderful Red Tree Lodge restaurant with musical guest Red Girl. Everyone is welcome to come to the dinner! You can purchase tickets at the door, or when you sign up for the Teck Kootenay Cup event.

Monday Jan 1:   Full Moon Ski & Social
Adults only. On the night of the full moon, meet at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre 19:00 – 22:00. Bring a snack to share & your headlamp, then ski under the full moon and enjoy the fire and food with friends! Free for members, day ticket required for non-members.

Wednesday Jan 3:   Toonie Race
Meet at the Elk Valley Nordic Centre for 19:00. Pre-registration is available. Headlamps will be needed. Course and format will be announced prior to each race. $2 per participant plus day ticket if not a member.

Next gear fitting session

There will be a gear fitting session on Saturday, November 18 for the kids registered in the SDP lesson program. Stay tuned for more details by subscribing to our emails on this page. The fitting session will take place between 10:00 and 11:30 am in the basement below BoardStiff. Access to the basement is through the back alley. There will be several volunteers to do the fitting. We will also have the stickers to update your membership cards, so bring them with you if you are a returning family. The distribution of the gear will happen on Saturday December 2 from the same location.

3rd Annual Great Pumpkin Hunt

pumpkin hunt

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

Second Annual Pumpkin Hunt

Second Annual Pumpkin Hunt

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.