January 27 update: race, volunteers, safety, Spirit North, and more!

Hi everyone! How's the ski season going for you? The club has had a busy month overall, in between the dumps of snow that sometimes temporarily stifled our ski adventures! Right now the roads are good and the trails are great, thanks to our intrepid team of groomers who keep the trails ready for all of us to get out and enjoy the winter. Snow Valley Open on Saturday, Jan. 29. Yes, this Saturday! Registration is by email (see race notice for details), and you have until Friday night to get on the list. If you are over 20 and don't want to do the 7.5 high-intensity race for Olympians and other ultra-fit crazy skiers, try the 5 km "recreational" ski category, which is a more inclusive fun category for those who don't want to perish on the trails. Note that this race is classic technique only. Everyone who crosses the finish line will be rewarded with a chocolate bar. RACE NOTICE IS HERE. Can you help out with collecting race bibs or passing out chocolate bars? Sign up to volunteer here. Please note that some of the trails may be closed for non-race skiing until the event is over, usually around 12:30 p.m. The Doggy Trail will be unaffected by the race. McBike and Sport (Smithers) will be at this event, ready to demo some gear and will have waxes, gloves, etc. for sale. Peter is great at answering all your questions about Nordic gear. VOLUNTEERS Our club has grown an incredible amount over the past few years, both in membership and also in the services we offer and infrastructure we maintain! We have grown beyond the abilities of the small, core group of volunteers who was once able to sustain all of this. Our amazing volunteers maintain the website, groom the trails, rent you your skis, teach your children how to ski, chop the firewood for the lodge, schedule bookings for the Moose Hut, write grant applications, bake cookies for other volunteers, clean the outhouses, issue your seasons passes, repair machines, signs, and buildings, and so much more! And we are now asking for a few hours of your time this winter to help with some of this! Please sign up for a shift or two via the sign-up list below. All job descriptions and the time commitment needed are clearly outlined. You will receive a reminder email when your shift is coming up. Volunteering builds community, in a time when community connections are becoming more tenuous! Volunteering brings a sense of belonging and satisfaction, builds new skills, helps you meet new people (especially if you sign up to be a greeter) and you'll learn more about our awesome organization! Here's the link to your volunteer experience! Check it out! Safety Around Grooming Machines (The message is from Dean, so listen up!) Due to a close call we had with the big grooming machine and a skier, we have now embarked on a program to standardize the safe operation procedures between the operators and the skiing public. When skiers, in either direction, are coming towards the machine, Operators are adopting the policy of stopping direction of travel AND the tiller rotation. Skiers are to move to the DRIVER'S side ALWAYS, and WAIT for direction from the Operator before proceeding past the machine. That will be by a wave of the hand or a short 'toot' of the horn. The smaller machines will be following some of these same operating principals so we all stay safe out there on the trails. We need the skiers to help us institute this new policy and suggestions are always welcome! Unstoppable: Beckie Scott and Spirit North Spirit North has very recently been featured on FasterSkier.com. We are very fortunate to have this program in Kitsumkalum and a few other local schools, and Spirit North kids ski on our trails! Read this inspiring article , and watch a video about the program. And our local Spirit North organizer (another Becky!) could use a few more adults who can ski with kids during the week--are you able to help? Email Becky here.

THANK YOU Royden's Mechanical, for doing some much-needed maintenance on the SnowKitti, on a Sunday, and then he didn't charge us! Josh (from Finning) has also been doing work on the SnowKitti, installing some safety features. It's a work in progress so Dean will let us know the extent of this mechanical work soon. Rob Long, for welding us up another heavy duty moveable fire pit! Reminder: Rental shed hours Saturdays 10-4, Sundays 11-4 Adult instruction on Saturdays at 1 p.m. Email Cathy to register. $20 for a lesson.

All this news could come to you inbox if you aren't already on our mailing list. Please email Cathy (above) if you want to be on that list to get the club news and updates hot off the press!

Snow Valley Open on January 29, 2022!

Hello members of SVNSC. Little last minute request for help to run the Snow Valley Open Ski Race next Sat. Jan. 29th. This event is open for both the Bunny, Jack Rabbit and Track Attack kids but members of the public can race as well. Race Notice is here.

We will need some volunteer help that day with most positions time commitments served from about 9 am and done by 1 pm. Most jobs don't take that whole time to complete. So if you are available that day please let me know at travisluvsbikes@gmail.com, tell me if you have time commitments and we will sign you up for a job. If you have helped before and wish too in the same capacity just let me know.

Travis

Snow Valley Open Race Notice

December 2021 update etc.

Hi everyone!

So much can happen in one week! Last week we were wondering if/when we could officially open. Now we have everything in place and the skiing has been great! I have tidbits of information from a variety of people, so please scroll through these separate messages from the people who work hard to keep the club running (and skiing!).

Liz Thorne, Club President

Merry Christmas to Skiers near and far (you’d be amazed at where these newsletters go!) We thought it would never get here but ski season is on! And it’s a perfect start – cold, clear and dry! With more of the same on the way as I write. How great is that?!

We seek your input into the club's future; with so many new members and the changes in the world (I'm looking at you, COVID!), the Board of our club wants to know what members think about how this Club is doing, what needs to be changed or improved, input about a new lodge, kids' and adult programs, etc. Please give us 10 minutes of your time to tell us what you think. Whether you have been members for 40 years, or are a brand new member and haven't put your skis on this season, we want to hear from you. The link to the club survey is here.

The Groomers are out and doing a fantastic job (MANY, MANY thanks to them). Please be careful around the machines. Stay where you can see the driver so he can see you. Climb the snowbank if necessary to get out of the way and DO NOT attempt to overtake and pass the machines. So either follow the groomer or choose a different trail.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and wonderful ski season!

and…… Think snow!!

Liz Thorne (Pres. SVNSC)

Oh yeah, Happy New Year too!

Pat Mouland, Membership Coordinator:

Woot woot!

We are 800+ skiers strong in our fabulous club and still growing. Please be sure to read the attached welcome letter with some useful info. Follow proper ski etiquette, found on the back of your pass and some tips in the letter.

If you don't have your pass, shoot me an email and I will check into it. If you think you filled out your form on Zone 4 and didn't get a confirmation email, check your junk mail. If it is not there, there is a good chance you didn't complete your online registration. So best to email me so I can check into it.

And remember, this is OUR club, all volunteer run. If we all contribute a little, we will only get stronger! Also, griping about things without stepping up to help out is not a contribution :)

See you on the trails! Read the membership letter here.

Dean Bergstrom, Grooming boss:

NEW!! Nordic Pulse Grooming reports can be found here; this is a new GPS-based system which monitors the groomers as they go about their hours of trail preparation. Right now, we have to access the information from the website, for free, and in the future, there will be a phone app (and not free). So bookmark the site and check it frequently, get used to looking at our map and trail information. Note the sponsor of the Onion Lake Ski Trails report is White Bear Industries. And if you ever want to ski in Smithers or Houston or Prince George, or beyond, you have access to their trail updates as well!

We are also looking for a few people who will take on the task of clearing snow from around the lodge after a snowfall. We have a snowblower for the task, just need some person-power to power it up and run it. Email Dean if you might be interested in helping with this. Jim can't do it all, and the groomers are out grooming! For those handy with small machines, this is your invitation to help out! And the rest of you: grab a shovel and clear walkways and decks, and shovel out the access to the wood shed, etc!

Amy Klepetar, JackRabbits Coach and Excellent Volunteer Recruiter:

Hi Club Members:

Our club executive and super-volunteers are looking at ways to get more of the members involved in the day to day small volunteer jobs that help us to keep running. None of these require skiing or machinery skills, but they are ones that will burn our super-volunteers out if they have to do them 5 days a week. We have decided to purchase a membership with signup.com to help schedule and manage volunteers and we are looking for a coordinator for the sign-up process.

The coordinator for this would:

-Become familiar with the software (https://signup.com/)

-Work with executive board members and frequent club volunteers to get thorough volunteer role descriptions that can be filled into the online sign-up sheet

-Work with the executive board members and frequent club volunteers to decide on how many shifts and roles are needed on which days

-Schedule in the shifts and role descriptions for the season (most would be recurring on a weekly basis)

-Via membership coordinator and through the facebook group, communicate to members that the sign-up is available and that they should sign up!

-For races and special events, there may be additional roles to input on separate sign-ups that are above and beyond the usual (usual roles: shovel snow off the deck and steps, set up ski racks, start and maintain the fire, fill the woodbox, sweep the lodge, clean high-touch surfaces, clean outhouses be a greeter, etc.)

-Depending on uptake, there may be a need for a reminder email every now and then to get shifts filled.

-For now the rental shed and coaching volunteers will not be using this software.

The software includes things like email reminders when you have a shift coming up, and also can facilitate switches with other volunteers. So-really, once the information is inputted, the coordinator would mostly be done for the season. If this is a position that you would be interested in exploring and setting up this volunteer software for the ski club, please contact Amy.

Message from Becky, local Spirit North Coordinator:

Spirit North is an organization committed to improving the lives of Indigenous children and youth through the transformative power of sport and play, and is recognized as one of Canada’s leading sport-for-social-development organizations. It's founder and CEO is Beckie Scott, the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in cross country skiing, in 2002. She had a total of 17 World Cup podium finishes. Now she's bringing her love of Nordic skiing to kids all over western Canada through ski programs in schools and communities. Kitsumkalum school was one of two schools that started the program in BC several years ago. The local program has now grown to include after-school ski adventures for teens (in collaboration with Kermode Friendship Society), and children from Suwilaaks and Caledonia schools in Terrace. Becky is the organizer of this program, and is seeking help with school groups on Tuesday mornings and Fridays (morning and afternoon groups), starting January 7th. If there's anyone out there who can help Becky and her small crew of teachers/coaches with on-snow skiing supervision and fun, please contact Cathy. Read more about Spirit North here. This program is making a difference in kids' lives.

Thank you's

The Executive acknowledges the following businesses that have donated (financially and/or service) so early in this ski season:

Josh Bruni (Primerica) made a generous contribution.

Silvertip Signs donated all the new signs you will see around the lodge.

NAPA donated enough hand sanitizer to keep us stocked for several years!

White Bear Industries is the sponsor for the new Nordic Pulse grooming website/app.

If you know these people and these businesses, please let them know how much we appreciate their kindness and generosity.

Sunday, Dec. 19:

Rental shed open 1-4

Waxing clinic starts at 2:00 p.m., in the lodge. Bring your mask and all your questions. Terry Brown has the expertise to get you started on waxing your skate skis or your waxless skis!

The rental shed's Christmas holiday (December 20-Jan 3) hours will be:

Monday-Friday from 1-4

Saturdays from 10-4 (closed on Christmas Day)

Sundays from 11-4.

also posted on the website (snowvalleynordics.com) and on the FB page.