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.

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