Hundreds of people took part in the P.A. Nordic Ski Club's Classic Loppet on Sunday. (Ian Gustafson/paNOW Staff)

By Ian Gustafson

Hit the trails

Classic Loppet brings out the crowds

Jan 26, 2020 | 4:47 PM

Local residents of all ages as well as groups from afar strapped on their ski’s Sunday.

The Prince Albert Nordic Ski Club’s 2020 Classic Loppet had a large outing and hundreds of cross-country skiers came out to enjoy the trails at Little Red River Park.

Roy Fremont who is on the board of directors for the club told paNOW said he was happy with the participation rate.

“It was a great turnout and we have a great day and the snow conditions are excellent,” Fremont said. “The venue is absolutely perfect for our event.”

Participants were able to tackle multiple different distances between 5 km to 35 km. Fremont said in past years the Loppet has received good back from the public.

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“The comments have been very positive in all of the years,” he said. “We’ve had a new board of directors in the last two years and so we’re trying to make our loppet more of an event and social occasion.

“We had one lady come through and she said her age was in the ‘80s and we’ve got children being pulled in sleighs by there parents,” Fremont added.

He said it was a friendly event and there was no pressure to get a fast time unless skiers wanted to.

“For the most part people come out just for the fun of it,” he explained.

The event had attendees not just from Prince Albert, but also from out of town. The Regina Ski Club brought a bus full of people.

“It is a great event for the out-of-towners to come to and get introduced to our trails,” he said. “We’ve seen that a lot in previous years; we also get a lot of participation from the north.”

Participants prepare for the Loppet at Little Red River Park on Sunday. (Ian Gustafson/paNOW Staff)

Laurie Blondeau, from the 600-member Regina Ski Club made the trip up on the bus. She said many came up for the weekend to do other trails as well as the Classic Loppet.

Blondeau has been skiing since she was 12-year-old. She started doing it with her family.

“Cross country skiing is probably one of the biggest family sports you can ever entertain,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful thing because you can take them to various parts of the country and ski.”

And the physical exercise is great because it works almost all of your muscles.

“To do cross country skiing is physically demanding so you have to be in shape,” she said.

She also used to compete in races as her mother – who is now 85 – did. It’s all about the fun now.

“I did it with my son and it’s a family event throughout generations; something that really is something for [everyone] to participate in,” Blondeau said.

Editor’s note: this story was amended to reflect the event happened on Sunday, not on Saturday as initially reported.

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Ian,gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12