A community group is aiming to get more people out to enjoy cross country skiing this winter.
The Boundary Trails Nordic Club and Country Cycle are holding weekly community ski nights at the Burwalde Nordic Centre on Highway 3.
They are especially hoping to get more adults out skiing, but the ski nights that started last Thursday at 8 p.m. are open to all ages.
“We’ve been wanting to get more adults into skiing and kind of grow our community. The thought was if we have a night where people felt safe and welcome to learn,” said Luke Broadland, shop manager at Country Cycle and a board member of the Boundary Trails Nordic Club. “A lot of time, there’s kid’s programs, but there isn’t a lot of programming in sports for adults.”
They hope it will be an easy and welcoming environment for people to learn or improve their skiing skills.
“It’s a place where people can ask questions, and we’ll have a bit of a structured time at the start to give some skill-based instruction and do some things to help people learn and improve,” said Broadland. “We’ll go for a ski together and then have snacks in the cabin by fireside and candlelight, because it’s an off-grid cabin.
“There’s lots of people out there who have skied for years … maybe they would like to improve but they don’t really have the space to do it,” he said. “It’s completely wide open to the community. All ages are definitely welcome.”
He suggested Burwalde is an ideal place for people to learn or develop their skiing skills.
“It has about 20 kilometres of trail, so it’s definitely a really good place to start,” said Broadland, who noted people might want to bring along a head lamp for light.
“There’s very few hills … there’s a few creek crossings and that kind of thing, but it’s nice and flat, so it’s a great starting place,” he said. “It’s all very close; the main trail system is all pretty close to the yard site, so as far as safety, it’s really good.”
The ski nights could also provide a boost for the nordic club by further increasing its membership.
“It’s always dependent a little bit on snow and the conditions, but there is a good skiing community here,” said Broadland, who pointed out that people can rent equipment at Country Cycle in Winkler and call there for more information.
He encourages people to come out some evening if they are at all interested.
“We’re going to be doing it every week now. The plan is for the rest of the winter, unless there may be the odd week we miss because of the weather perhaps,” he concluded. “It’s good for motivation, to get out in winter. It’s often kind of hard for us all to get motivated when it’s a little cooler out.”
