Ski season begins now!
Two downhill resorts and two cross-country areas launched their 2016-17 seasons during the past two weeks, so it is time for the Ski Sheriff to take over this Making Tracks column. Physio on his second total hip replacement ends in the coming week, when he will hit the slopes and report on conditions.
On Wednesday, Big White Ski Resort experienced its largest mid-week opening in the company’s history with more than 1,000 people scanning through the lift gates before 10 a.m.
During the previous seven days, the mountain east of Kelowna received 42 centimetres of fresh snow building its alpine snow base to 70 cm. Lifts started spinning at 8:45 a.m. but keeners arrived at the bottom of the Ridge Rocket Express Quad at 5:15 a.m., crawling into sleeping bags to stay warm. They included three kids from the Big White Community School who skipped their classes to be the first ones on the mountain.
“This is my fourth season getting first chair,” said 13-year-old Owen. “We were all so excited for the ski season to start. We love Big White because it has lots of different types of terrain.”
With more snow in the forecast, the resort will reassess snow conditions, and open more lifts and terrain as soon as they are cleared by the ski patrol.
“This is just the start to what’s shaping up to be a great season,” said Michael Ballingall, senior VP.
“With only six runs open, it was a bit crowded out there (Wednesday) but more snow means more runs, so keep an eye on the snow report.”
The resort has made a number of investments to make the upcoming season memorable, including a newly expanded Kids Centre, a brand new coffee shop in the Village Centre Mall and a handful of new events on the calendar, including the World Para Snowboard Championships in February.
Big White kicked off Christmas events this weekend with the Big White Light Up on Saturday night featuring DJs, a laser show, fire dancers, carolers, a spectacular fireworks display and, of course, thousands of LED lights across the Village.
For a full list of holiday events and more, check out bigwhite.com.
*** In the South Okanagan, Nickel Plate Nordic Centre is off and running after its official opening day on Nov. 23.
The season-opener race was Saturday with a mass start - classic or skate. All entrants received a free day pass for today (Sunday Dec. 4). Results are posted in the lodge and on the website: nickelplatenordic.org.
Note that Nickel Plate’s annual loppet originally scheduled for Feb. 4, 2017 has been cancelled. For more information, contact general manager Murray Farbridge at: mfarbridge@hotmail.com or John Wilkie at: wilkiejohn@hotmail.com.
Registration for season passes is also open. Go to: http://nickelplatenordic.org/fees-rentals/ for more information and register online at Zone4. If you are looking for a gift idea, Nickel Plate has gift certificates. Inquire at the ticket office.
Nickel Plate’s annual Welcome Day is on Dec. 11 with free lessons 10 a.m.-noon, free ski and snowshoe rentals, and a barbecue and other snacks will be available. Go to the website for more information. And mark your calendars for the Ski Demo Day hosted by Fresh Air Experience on Jan. 8.
Farbridge is coaching the junior racer team this season. The team first participated in dryland sessions once or twice each week, including roller ski sessions to work on technique. A fun and challenging dryland camp was held in September with their first on-snow camp over two days on Nov. 18-19. A dozen junior racers ages 12-15 skied more than 50 kilometres. Former Olympian and World Cup medalist Perianne Jones was also in attendance.
Thanks to fundraising efforts, Nickel Plate has collected $14,000 towards the purchase of new parking lot grooming, light grooming and regular grooming equipment. The club is acknowledging and thanking those who organized and attended the Banff Mountain Film Festival ($6,135 raised); who made donations to Nickel Plate when registering during the past two seasons; and who just generally donated.
“The Youth Skills Development Program at Nickel Plate is an excellent way to get your children involved in the great sport of cross-country skiing,” said public relations director Kathryn Golbeck. “From ages three to teen, skills, technique and competition are taught at a progressive level. Children will learn both classic and skate skiing at the appropriate lesson levels.” This 12-week program runs Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, Dec.10-March 11. For more information, go to: http://nickelplatenordic.org/programs/youth-programs/.
Nickel Plate hosted the NCCP Community Coaching course in November with eight coaches in attendance, she noted.
If you are wondering about snow and weather conditions at Nickel Plate, daily reports on grooming, snow and real-time weather are posted at: nickelplatenordic.org by clicking on Snow Report and Current Weather, she said.
“We have a 33-centimetre base with half our trail system open and in good condition,” Farbridge reported on Wednesday.
Nickel Plate is also on Facebook (under Nickel Plate Nordic Centre) and Twitter 9@NickelPlateXC) where regular updates are posted. *** In cross-country skiing, the road to the Olympics and the World Cup is paved with NorAm and SuperTour podiums.
The combined NorAm/SuperTour event at Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre in the North Okanagan on Dec. 10-11 will feature the best skiers from Canada and the U.S. as they battle for series points and the chance to represent their country on the world stage.
At least four of the racers at Sovereign Lake that weekend will race in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. Every one of the Canadians who competed in Torino 2006, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 raced at Sovereign Lake on their way.
More than 300 racers are entered in three age categories. Almost all are dreaming of glory with the junior athletes aiming at the 2022 and 2026 Olympics.
Sovereign Lake is open for public skiing on both race days and entry to the spectator zones is free. Racing will start at 9 a.m. each day On Saturday, the stadium will be closed to skiing for sprint races. The sprints are very spectator-friendly with heats of six racers fighting for a top-two finish to move to the next round. On Sunday, the Upper World Cup loop will be closed for four hours.
Details on the combined NorAm/SuperTour event are available at: https://www.sovereignlake.com/event/ 2016-haywood-noram-buff-sprints/.