The Kimberley Nordic Racers spent four days cross country skiing in Canmore last week on Frozen Thunder. Man-made snow from last season is stored under a blanket of wood chips for the summer and then unveiled in October and spread over a 2km loop at the Canmore Nordic Centre to allow the best skiers in Canada to get on the white stuff early in the year.
The Kimberley skiers took advantage of this, and spent long hours skiing last weekend, readjusting their technique to adapt from their roller skiing to on-snow skiing. The days were warm in the afternoon, and the best skiing was at dawn, resulting in very early morning workouts for the team.
The team trains throughout the year, and with the cancellation of all races last year, they are keen to start this season strong and race-ready. There are 11 skiers on the Racing Team this year, which is one of the largest teams the Kimberley Nordic Club has ever had. With the addition of new head coach, Nicole Gilman, the team is primed for some excellent results again this year.