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Golden Nordic Ski Club enjoying a banner 2019-2020 season so far

The Golden Nordic Ski Club 2019-2020 season has gotten off to a terrific start, with the recent snow fall contributing to the already stellar conditions they’ve been experiencing.
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A crisp blue sky and clear white snow greets skiers who came to the chalet at the Golden Nordic Ski Club. Photo submitted.

The Golden Nordic Ski Club 2019-2020 season has gotten off to a terrific start, with the recent snow fall contributing to the already stellar conditions they’ve been experiencing.

“We’ve had a fabulous year, the conditions are excellent,” said Annette Boelman, the secretary for the Golden Nordic Ski Club. “Plenty of people don’t downhill ski, and so they come cross country skiing, so we get a good tourist influx too, from Calgary and [all across] Alberta. We had a very busy Christmas season.”

Cross country skiing is one of the best forms of exercise, according to Boelman, as it’s a total body workout as well as a cardio workout.

According to her, one hour of skiing can burn up to 1,000 calories, with the added benefit that participants can enjoy being out in nature, rather than on a treadmill during the winter months.

“Next to swimming, it’s one of the best overall sport workouts,” said Boelman. “For me, it’s a sport for life and for most of our members. To go out and get your cardio workout, get your full body workout, while being in nature, it’s amazing.”

The Club operates on the power of volunteers, with everything from the chalet to trail building being done by a small army of good Samaritans who keep the course up and running.

The Golden Nordic Ski Club also provides programming for its members, from private to group lessons, and programs for kids and adults.

Their children’s programming has three age groups, with Bunnies being the program for the ‘little folks’ as Boelman puts it, the Jack Rabbits for those aged six to 9, and Track Attack for kids aged 9-12.

There’s also a women’s ski group that meets every Wednesday at 10 a.m. for a quick ski together, which was started around eight years ago by a local woman who was looking for a community to help her keep fit.

“She saw a need for ladies in the older age category to get out and exercise in the winter, so she got some ladies together to get some lessons and created this program,” said Boelman. “I’ve been there since the start, teaching the lessons. It’s a great way to meet new people to ski with and get some exercise.”

The Golden Nordic Ski Club also has a program that brings local school kids up the course a few times a year to get lessons and give cross country skiing a try.

Registration for any of their programming can be done online through their website.

Coming up, the Golden Nordic Ski Club will be hosting the 2020 Dawn Mt. Huckleberry Loppet race, with the classic ski events held on Saturday, February 1 at 11 a.m. and the skate ski event held the following day at the same time.

Registration for the race is due by Friday, January 31 at 8 p.m. There are multiple distances available in both events.

Rentals are available at the chalet, for those who are interested in giving cross country skiing a try. There are options to either skate ski or classic ski on the course.



Claire Palmer

About the Author: Claire Palmer

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