Denny has been on the Pisten Bulley since before 6 am slowly grinding through the rock hard surface left by the freezing rain, mild, and flash freeze. The trails are going to be incredible shape once the Pisten Bulley has worked its magic. Ski the Black extension first to give Denny more time to get ahead of you.

 

Welcome to the Special Olympian skiers and snowshoers, their coaches and families from all over the province. As a club we are honoured to be a part of their provincial competition. They are a great group. Thanks to all the volunteers from the club who are involved today and tomorrow.

 

Skiing today and tomorrow

To avoid congestion in the parking today try to finish your ski by 12:30 and return after 4 pm. On Sunday everything will be finished by noon. If you want to ski during the event., no problem. Keep your eyes open for competitors and step aside. The snowshoeing will be centred in the stadium while the skiing will be mostly on the Blue with a few events bringing the skiers on the Red and Green

 

CCNL tickets

Make sure you have purchased yours. $5 each and remember the first prize  came to our club a couple of times including  last year. Pick them up in the hut.

 

Junior program,

Sunday 2 pm   Chocolate Races, fun games

For this Sunday’s Junior Program  there’s a special Valentine’s event.. The Challenge group is welcome to come out, too, and eat candy.

 

The Chocolate Races. No first place and everyone gets a chocolate. Friendly competition and then some fun games.

 

 

Weather is looking good for Sunday Any questions, contact Julia 

The hut is closed today and the trails have not been groomed. The temps are rising quickly and are forecast to reach +5 or + 6 for a few hours so we want people off  the trails. Denny will be grooming tomorrow morning.

SO Provincials on Saturday and Sunday

To relieve pressure on the parking lot finish your skiing on Saturday before 12:30 or wait till after 4 pm. On Sunday everything will be finished by noon. Meanwhile during the event there will be no problem skiing. Thanks to those who have volunteered to help out with the SO this weekend.

Snowbreak 2017

On Feb. 25 for Snowbreak 2017 the Club is offering free skiing and free ski lessons for beginners. If you can help out in the hut for a couple of hours or with instruction, please reply.

Please forward the following to anyone who might be interested

SnoBreak 2017 Free skiing and beginners lessons

 

On Saturday, Feb 25 the Airport Nordic Ski Club is offering free skiing from 10 am till 4 pm with hot chocolate in the Ski Hut. There will also be free ski lessons for beginners between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Some ski equipment is available for loan. The Airport Nordic Ski Club ski trails are 3km West of Gander on the TCH. Go to www.airportnordic.ca to find out more about the ski trails.

Conditions should be excellent today for both classic and skating. The mix of precipitation over night was perfect for helping the trails set up.

Special Olympics Provincials Feb 11 and 12

Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning we are proud to be hosting the SO Championships. The event will not prevent skiing.  Nevertheless, skiers should be aware that a SO athlete might be on a trail and of course yield to the competitor. The event is from 1-4 pm Saturday and 8:30 to noon on Sunday so for most of the weekend the trails will not be affected.

The snowshoeing will be centred in the stadium while the skiing will be mostly on the Blue with a few events bringing the skiers on the Red and Green. Our Sarah Brown is doing the 10k  Saturday and that will take her on the GI route Blue, Red, Purple and Red Extension. She is the lone athlete in this event

Social and night ski Feb 18

We are looking at a social and night ski/snowshoe for next Saturday Feb 18. This is an adult event and all members and friends are invited. If you are interested in getting involved contact Nancy Hurley Goodyear  at nancyhurleygoodyear@icloud.com

 

Loppet month away

 

Today is a great day to get in the distance.  Prepare for the  Lakeside Loppet which is just a month away, March 11. In the Loppet, you ski as far as you can and we add up everyone’s distance to get an event total. Let’s see if we can set a record for the event.

Everything groomed last night

11 pm last night Terry finished grooming with the Pisten Bulley. With the overnight cold, the trails should have had a chance to set up.

 

Challenge group tonight

Wednesday, from 730 to 9pm            The challenge group session, which was cancelled Monday night, has been rescheduled to tonight .

 

Help out with SO provincials

The Newfoundland and Labrador Special Olympics 2017 Snowshoeing and Cross Country Skiing Championships is on this weekend February 11-12 at the club.

If you can help with the cross country skiing event, please reply.  It would involve Saturday from 1:00 to 4 pm and Sunday from 8:30 to 11:30 or if you are god for one of theses days that might be good.

9:30 Terry has just begin grooming the 22+ cm of new snow. He should have most of the trails done by noon. By 10 there’ll be decent classic skiing on a few trails. If skaters can wait till this afternoon, they’ll find the trails firmer but the new snow will mean softer trails today. The parking lot has been plowed.

 

Sprints this evening

Sprints             7pm, today. All levels of ability and both skate and classic are welcomed. 

 

Challenge group tomorrow evening

Wednesday, from 730 to 9pm            The challenge group session, which was cancelled last night, has been rescheduled to tomorrow.. 

 

Night trails from the sky

Considering our plans to extend lighting it’s interesting to see what we have from a unique perspective. Thanks to Brianna Ricketts for her ski trails from the sky. Speaking of lights and night there’s a high bright moon this week. Get out and enjoy it.

 

Junior Program

Thanks to Judy May and to all our coaches who completed the coaching courses this weekend.  Nine coaches, including two from the Exploits club, completed the Community Coaching on Saturday and Sunday. Three of them had already done the Introductory course so there were 6 coaches taking the ICC course from Judy on Friday night.

 

Progress and Chocolate Ski

Judy was impressed with how well the children in the Junior Program are doing. But there’s lots of fun too. The kids might be in for a treat next Sunday. Julia will forward details. The club is also looking to formally name the children’s trail from the garage to the Blue and the choice will be up to the children

 

Extra mitts/ hats

The Junior program needs some extra kids mitts/ hats in case someone comes unprepared or gets wet. If you have any that your children have outgrown and which would be good for children skiing drop them off at the hut or to Julia or me.