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Yellowknife Ski Club celebrates World Snow Day with fudge and free skiing

Covid-19 or no Covid-19, World Snow Day was scheduled for Jan. 16 with the slogan, Bring Children To The Snow, as per the International Ski Federation.
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Ruari Tastad Coolly skis her way through the grandstand section of the Yellowknife Ski Club during World Snow Day this past Sunday, Jan. 16. James McCarthy/NNSL photo

Covid-19 or no Covid-19, World Snow Day was scheduled for Jan. 16 with the slogan, Bring Children To The Snow, as per the International Ski Federation.

The Yellowknife Ski Club was in on the act this past Sunday: it was one of dozens of events scheduled in 44 countries and was probably the busiest spot in the city outside of either grocery stores or Wal-Mart.

The club opened its doors to the public and waived trail fees for the day, giving everyone a chance to get out and do something on Nordic skis.

Kerry Wheler, the club’s events manager, said the club was buzzing for most of the day.

“We had people coming and going from the time the sun came up until it went down,” she said. “There were quite a few people trying out skiing for the first time and it was a great way for families to come out and spend a Sunday afternoon. Big smiles and a wonderful day.”

As has been the case in the past, Overlander Sports offered up some of its gear to rent for half-price and Wheler said she could see plenty of that equipment out on the trails. Instructor Rob Mathews also had his adult learn-to-ski crew out for the day.

“The partnership with Overlander Sports is essential for our outreach to the community,” said Wheler. “You get to try it out without buying the gear and we always appreciate everything they do for us.”

In addition to that, there was free fudge from Sundog Trading Post on Latham Island for everyone to enjoy, all packaged in single-serve compostable containers.

“We put the fudge out for about 10 a.m. because the high-performance skiers were planning to head out,” said Wheler. “That was a perfect snack because it doesn’t freeze quickly and it’s the perfect pick-me-up for for the skiers. We had to refill them all day long.”

The club’s 1-km course was turned into a scavenger hunt of sorts where people could go around and find pictures of animals, such as moose, lynx, barren-ground caribou and muskox. Once all of the animals were found — nine in total — people could visit the club’s Facebook page, where a link to a special page was put up. Each animal had a number attached to it and people could only move on to the next animal if they had the correct number corresponding to the right animal.

Once everything was inputted correctly, there was the chance of a prize.

“I set that up as an incentive of sorts to get people to go around the loop,” said Wheler.

The event received the go-ahead from the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer as it was an outdoor event but there were precautions put in place, such as sign-in sheets in case of contact tracing.

Wheler said the wonderful thing about cross-country skiing is that it’s a sport where distancing can easily be achieved.

“The skis themselves have a natural distance and it’s been proven to be a safe activity,” she said. “There was never a large gathering (near the chalet) at one time and groups were hitting the trail all the time. Being that we are a safe sport means we can continue hosting ongoing day-long events like this one.”

As mentioned, the club was one of many around the globe that held an event of some sort on Sunday and Wheler said it’s something that’s embraced.

“It’s an international celebration and a day where people get out and enjoy the surroundings,” she said.

The Yellowknife Ultimate Club usually hosts an outdoor game to co-incide with World Snow Day but the club’s board announced the day before that it would be canceling this year’s game for safety reasons. Instead, the club asked its members to post photos of their families enjoying the snow with a Frisbee toss.

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Instructor Rob Mathews shows his class of students how to properly push while skate-skiing during an adult lesson at the Yellowknife Ski Club during World Snow Day on Sunday, Jan. 16. James McCarthy/NNSL photo
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Hawk Doherty, left, and Sanaa Doherty crush some fudge from Sundog Trading Post during World Snow Day activities at the Yellowknife Ski Club on Sunday, Jan. 16. James McCarthy/NNSL photo