Photo: Brent Reid. Coastal Cup 2009, Racer and officials.

Coastal Cup #4/5

You can view the Race Notice here and register using this link to Zone 4. Note: The deadline for registration is Thursday, February 10 at 6pm, and there will be absolutely no late entries.

As we approach the third weekend of our ski season, we hope everyone is finding their “ski legs” and enjoying their ski groups. It looks like it may be warm again this weekend. Perhaps it’s time to have our rabbits do the cold weather dance for us. You can get the scoop on rabbits, coaching, racing, videos, a new sponsor, and more below!

Rabbits in the Coastal Cup #4. photo: Brent Reid

Coaching opportunity!

This is a great opportunity to meet awesome coach Maria Lundgren from Whistler Nordic Ski Club,

My name is Maria Lundgren, and I am originally from Sweden. I started to cross-country ski when I was 5 years old, and since that day I have loved the sport. I was on the Swedish Junior National Team, and thanks to the sport I experienced not only good ski results, but also during these years I met some of my best friends that I still keep in touch with today. Skiing is so much more than a sport for me it is a lifestyle.

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we are pleased to host a visiting NCCP coach who will give the Community Coaching (CC) course. We are in need of a room for this visiting coach. Please email Doug herch@shaw.ca if you have a spare room.

Coastal Cup #4

The Race Notice is posted and registration is open on Zone 4! This year, we are pleased to offer two race events at our Coastal Cup.

On Saturday February 12, there is a Team Sprint Race. A team sprints consist of:
• relay team of two skiers
• freestyle skiing a short sprint distance
• “handing off” to their teammate in the transition zone
• repeating this process three times, so each team member sprints the course three times
• teams can be “mixed” across genders and ages, in which case mixed gender teams will compete in the male category, and mixed age teams will compete up/down toward the open (men’s or women’s) category

Please remember to email your team name and team members to info@StrathconaNordics.com by registration close, Thursday February 10, 2011.

On Sunday, February 13, racers can compete in a more traditional individual start classic race. This is very popular race event for all ages. We hope to have good club participation on both days!

Rabbits

Another great week of Rabbits – thanks to all the coaches and parents who make sure the program runs smoothly! Any final changes were made last week, and Rabbits won’t be shuffled around anymore. Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this process!

Coming up this weekend we have our new coaches participating in the Community Coaching (CC) course. Saturday Rabbits with new coaches should expect some news regarding who will be substitute coaching for them, whereas Sunday groups will not be affected.

Video contest

We hope you are all busy shooting and editing video for our exciting video contest! Remember to bring your camera skiing this weekend (but keep it dry in case of rain), and also remember to edit it down to 3-minutes or less. Next, upload it to YouTube, and send us a link! See our Video Contest webpage for more details.

New sponsor!

We are pleased to announce that Skadi Nordic is sponsoring our racing team! Skadi is a company in Washington with a creative solution for keeping the snow out of the bottom of our ski boots–Boot Buddies!

You may have seen Boot Buddies for sale in Raven Retail. Soon you will see them being used by all of our racing team.

Laura Valaas is the brains behind Boot Buddies, “If I could change the world,” she thought, “I would make something to keep the snow out of the soles of cross country ski boots. And then I would create world peace and preserve the wilderness.” She still has a long way to go to make the world more peaceful and green, but that snow-in-the-boot problem? Solved!

Learn more about Boot buddies and Skadi Nordic’s products (which are made from 100% recycled plastic) and philosophy the Skadi website.

BC Cup #1

14 members of our racing team braved frosty -20 C temperatures and an epic drive to race in the BC Cup #1 in Prince George last weekend. The team skied hard and represented us well at the first race in the highly competitive BC Cup series. The team also brought home medals.

• Brian Stamp (Campbell River) — Gold (Masters Skate technique 5 km), Gold (Masters Classic technique 10 km)
• Sylvia Watkins (Royston) — Gold (JF1 Skate technique 5 km), Gold (JF1 Classic technique 7.5 km)
• Ariel Becherer (Black Creek) — Gold (JV2 Classic technique 5 km), Bronze (JVG2 Skate technique 3.5 km),
• Alec Stapff (Campbell River) — Bronze (MB2 Skate technique 2.5 km)
• Malia Irvine (Comox) — Bronze (JVG1 Skate technique 3.5 km)
• Avalon Wasteneys (Campbell River) — Silver (MG2 Classic technique 3.5 km)

Masters World Cup

Here’s an exciting opportunity for skiers 30 years of age and older, “Sparkling Hills Masters World Cup!” March 5-11, 2011.

Points to consider:

• You race within a 5-year cohort, ages range up into the 90s.
• Every race is a mass wave start.
• Short, medium, and long distance races, and you choose the technique.
• This is an international event and celebrates “active for life.”
• Participants from 21 countries have registered so far.
• Typically over 1000 participants register.
• The event is in Canada once in eight years and has never been in BC before.

The deadline for registration is February 14, 2011. Visit their website for more details Masters World Cup.

Coastal Cup #4

The Coastal Cup #4 Race Notice is available here for viewing and download. We are pleased to offer a new race format this year for Saturday, February 12–Team Sprint.

Team sprints:
• relay team of two skiers
• freestyle skiing a short sprint distance
• “handing off” to their teammate in the transition zone
• repeating this process three times, so each team member sprints the course three times
• teams can be “mixed” across genders and ages, in which case mixed gender teams will compete in the male category, and mixed age teams will compete up/down toward the open (men’s or women’s) category

Please remember to email your team name and team members to info@StrathconaNordics.com by registration close, Thursday February 10, 2011.

On Sunday, February 13, racers can compete in a more traditional individual start classic race.

Registration for the Coastal Cup race is open on Zone 4.

Opening Day
We kicked off our 2011 recreational season with glorious conditions on Mount Washington last weekend. We hope everyone enjoyed their first program day. Remember, You can find the nordic weather report in the sidebar of our website and also on the Mount Washington website. The road conditions are available on the Drive BC website. Click on the road icon for Mount Washington.  Look for the new Video Contest and other exciting club news below. See you on the mountain!

Rabbits
The first days of the 2011 Rabbits season was a big hit! Huge thanks go out to all the coaches who commit lots of time and effort to ensure all the kids have fun on their skis! Big news on the volunteer front–We now have a Sunday session coordinator: Jean Munro. A warm welcome to Jean and many thanks for taking this position.

Many coaches made changes to their groups to ensure that they are well balanced. Please keep in mind that final changes may occur after this week’s session if the coaches feel it is necessary. We thank all parents in advance for their understanding  – we all want to ensure that our kids are getting the most out of their Rabbits sessions.

There are a few volunteer positions that still need filling: Campbell River Prize collector, Tourney Sound System Tech, Tourney Ski Technique Judge, Tourney Food Coordinator, and Sunday Skier Evaluator. Please email Alix (alibedali@shaw.ca) if you can help fill any of these positions.

Playground
This year’s ski playground is slated to be outstanding with a team of volunteers out with shovels creating all sorts of fun features for Rabbits to enjoy. You can find it near the stadium. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Lynn Swift (swiftys@telus.net)

Video Contest!
Calling all club members, get your cameras and i-devices ready for the first-ever Strathcona Nordic Ski Club Video Contest! We’ll have monthly prizes and a grand prize winner that we’ll announce at the Loppet. You’ll need to edit your homemade cross-country ski video down to 3-minutes or less. Look for more contest details on our new webpage.

Coastal Cup #4
Our Race Secretary is busy finalizing the Race Notice and entry form, so you can mark February 12 and 13 on your calendar, and get ready for some fun race action. The Coastal Cup #4 is our home race and the 4th in the series that we share with Whistler and Hollyburn ski clubs. We are pleased to be offering two race days this year and an exciting, new race event. The race notice will be published soon.

Gear page
We have many items for sale and many items wanted on the Gear page of our website. Check it out, and send us any of your items for buy/sale/trade.

Junior Racing Team thank you!
A big “Thank You” to everyone who supported the Junior Racing team in their waxing fundraiser last weekend. With your support last weekend, the team more than $600 towards their trip to the Canadian National Championships in Canmore in March.

BC Cup #1 race
Good luck to the large team of Strathcona Nordics racers as they travel to Prince George this weekend for the BC Cup #1 race. Go team!

Happy New Year! It looks like it’s going to be another great year for cross-country skiing on Mount Washington. Just look at more of those Backcountry tour photos in the link below!

Our season opening, this Saturday and Sunday, is forecast for clear, cold, sunny weather. Remember to give yourself lots of time to make your way up the busy parkway and through the busy parking lot. Dress for the weather with lots of layers, warm gloves or mitts–and it looks like we’ll definitely need our sunscreen and sunglasses this weekend (along with toques and warm socks!)

You can find the nordic weather report in the sidebar and also on the Mount Washington website. The road conditions are available on the Drive BC website.

SNSC Performance Shirts

Club shirts will be on sale this weekend (January 8 & 9) in the Raven Lodge.  Sample shirts will be available for sizing. The deadline for orders is this Monday, January 10. Payment must accompany your order, so please be sure to bring along the correct amount of cash or cheque.  Long sleeve $35, short-sleeve $25, youth $20. You can also see the sizing chart and view photos on the Gear page.

Rabbits and Masters

Both Saturday and Sunday programs are ready to go! Give yourself lots of time to get up to the Raven Lodge and to find your group and be ready to ski at 10am. Click here to view the Masters program 2011 Introductory letter

Wax your Skis!

The Junior Racing Team will wax your classic skis and skate skis for you on Saturday! Find the team with their wax benches in front of the Raven Lodge starting at 9am on Saturday. Ski better with a fresh hot wax! $8 per pair. Look for their bake sale table too!

Junior Racing Team members waxing fundraiser

Mount Brooks Backcountry Ski Trip

With excellent “Roger’s Pass” calibre snow conditions, a group of 20 people from Strathcona Nordics and the Alpine Club of Canada – VI Section skied up Mount Brooks on January 2  Following some instruction and practice, Andrew led a group of beginners to just below the saddle before the summit climb. The instruction included basics on equipment, climbing, avalanche awareness, and rescue.  They also practiced locating an avalanche transceiver that Andrew buried in the snow.  The second group made the summit in just over two hours and enjoyed fantastic turns on the open slopes and glades in nearly perfect powder.  The sun was shining all day. See some photos here.

The next backcountry ski tour is scheduled for February 27 up Mount Becher near Forbidden Plateau.  Contact Andrew if you haven’t already signed up: andrewpapesalmon@shaw.ca

Coaching Course!

January 21-23 you can sharpen your skills, improve your technique, and take  Step 2 on the NCCP Coaching progression! Contact Doug at herch@shaw.ca for more details.

If you have a spare room, we are looking for a billet the NCCP instructor coming in to teach the course! Contact herch@shaw.ca

Day 4 of last week's Race Camp.