The Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club welcomed 109 athletes ages four and up to the Chris Dahlie Open / Teck Northern Cup #2 Classic race on Sunday, Feb. 11.
With 35 cm of fresh snow in the week prior to the race, snow groomers had plenty to work with and ski conditions were just about perfect. The youngest skiers skied 0.77 km while Masters skiers skied 7.5 km.
Some of Track Attack and Junior age skiers are off to Kelowna for the BC Cup Championships next weekend, so this race was good preparation. There were some pretty good climbs and curvy downhill stretches on course, making it a challenging event.
An impressively large contingent of Masters skiers made up the roster, especially in the men’s categories. Hopefully next year will see equal growth in the women’s categories. After all, Nordic skiing is truly a “sport for life.”
Some of the older skiers commented that the race “really cleaned the pipes.”
While chocolate is awarded to the top three finishers in each age category, it seemed like everyone was a winner just by taking part.
This event would not be possible without the support of Teck Resources and our wonderful ski community of volunteers who do just about everything, including making soup and treats, set the race course, look after timing, organize everyone, coach and generally support our northern skiers.
–Submitted article
