The Fernie Nordic Racers Competed in classic and skate races on December 15th and 16th at the Black Jack Ski Trails in Rossland. The races were a great success with great skiing and an excellent turnout with 117 skiers competing.

Saturday’s races were interval start classic, with racers starting 15 seconds apart under great snow conditions and sunshine. Sunday’s mass start skate races saw falling snow which made for more great skiing. See the results here.

The Kootenay Cup program is a series of races held each year in the East and West Kootenays with one team taking the cup based on overall participation. Fernie has won the Kootenay Cup several times!

The next Kootenay Cup races will be hosted by the Fernie Nordic Society on January 5th and 6th, 2019. All nordic skiers are welcome to participate and volunteers are needed.

About the Fernie Nordic Racers
The Fernie Nordic Racers is our own ski racing team. Aged from 9 and up, the team members follow a regular training before and during the ski season. They aim to improve their skills in a fun way.

The main goal of the Fernie Nordic Racers program is to establish a healthy, nurturing competitive environment. We feel that competition provides one of the best opportunities for children to be exposed to rules and social values as well as defining the need to get along well with others and be accepted as part of a team. The team will put a strong emphasis on promoting values such as tolerance, fairness and responsibility.

One of our key initiatives is to have fun while learning to ski fast on nordic skis. We believe nordic skiing is a lifelong sport that promotes a well-rounded physical fitness base. Team members establish friendships with kids of different ages, from different schools and from various communities. These friendships play a positive role in their social development and add to the primary focus of having fun while skiing. Skiers learn both skate and classical nordic ski techniques. Positive attitude and sportsmanship are stressed. Some team members seek high-level competition while others take a recreational approach to the sport and may not compete in races. Regardless of their level of competition, kids will have a lot of fun and develop healthy, life-long skiing skills and an appreciation of the beautiful mountain outdoors. Team members are encouraged to learn to be responsible for themselves in term of keeping track of all their gear, having appropriate clothing, water and snacks, and learning to maintain their own skis.