The Prince Albert Nordic Ski Club maintains an over 40 km network of trails at Little Red River Park. (Facebook/Prince Albert Nordic Ski Club)

By Alison Sandstrom

Winter sports

Interest in nordic skiing snowballs during pandemic

Dec 8, 2020 | 12:05 PM

The Prince Albert Nordic Ski Club saw a major boost in membership this year, with around 100 new joiners bringing its numbers up to over 400 people — a record for the group.

Meanwhile a new partnership between the City of P.A. and the ski club hopes to get even more skiers, particularly young ones out on the trails.

Anne Charles, a club executive member, attributes the considerable increase in membership to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Skiing is the perfect activity to do during a pandemic because it allows you to practice social distancing,” she told paNOW. “But it still gives you a sense of community passing other skiers by and just saying ‘hello.'”

Charles said the club officials hope to see even more members join in the coming months. The ski club grooms and maintains the over 40 km of trails at Little Red River Park, which Charles said are among the best ski trails in the province. Membership fees go toward the cost of upkeeping the network and a fleet of grooming equipment valued at $108,000.

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“We’re looking to have an increase in club membership by citizens who use the Little Red so we can uphold the quality of the trails we currently have,” she said.

Support for young skiers

The ski club is also working with the City of Prince Albert on a new program that aims to get even more people, particularly kids, involved in the sport.

Parks manager, Tim Yeaman told paNOW details of the program are still being worked out, but one proposal involves a series of half-day camps at Little Red for kids aged four to 12. Sessions would include ski lessons from instructors with the ski club’s Jack Rabbit program and Indigenous storytelling with an Elder. Snacks and equipment rentals would be provided free of charge.

The program will be funded by Sask Lotteries through the Association of Saskatchewan Urban Parks and Conservation Areas (SUPCA). The city receives $6,500 annually from the association. The money is normally invested in summer programming, this year however, skiing has been chosen as the focus.

Yeaman said access to winter sports is particularly important this year in light of the pandemic.

“We know that outdoor space is at a premium right now,” he said. “You just have to go out to Little Red any day and see how crazy busy it is.”

Details on the program will be announced in the near future.

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Editor’s note: This article has been amended to include comment from Tim Yeaman and information on the upcoming kid’s ski program.

alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom