World Snow Day brought free ski rentals, free trail use, free pancakes and free mini lessons for anyone in Yellowknife who wanted to try out cross-country skiing or improve their skills.
The Yellowknife Ski Club hosted a special event on Jan. 21 as part of a global initiative to promote snow sports and winter fun.
“We want to introduce people to this amazing sport that we have here in Yellowknife, and show them how much fun it is, how healthy it is, and how accessible it is,”said Yvonne Pike, the events director for the Yellowknife Ski Club. “The ski club is all volunteer-based, so everyone that you see out here giving lessons, helping sign out the rentals, hosting the pancake breakfast, is all ski club members helping out for free.”
She estimated that about 15 volunteers and at least 100 participants took part in the event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event was supported by several local sponsors, including Overlander Sports, which provided the ski equipment; Ecole Allain St. Cyr, which lent some of its youth skis; Barren Ground Coffee Co-op, which donated coffee; and Cross-Country NWT, which assisted with the logistics.
Pike said the event has been going on for several years, and even continued through the pandemic, with some modifications.
The ski club has more events planned for the future, she added, such as a free Valentine’s ski, the Yellowknife ski races, and various lessons and programs for adults and kids.
Feedback from the participants on Sunday was very positive, according to Pike, and many people expressed interest in joining the ski club or signing up for additional lessons.
“People are really enjoying themselves, and they’re really surprised by how easy it is to learn and how much fun it is to be out here,” she said.
Volunteer Megan Lowry, who was helping with the ski rentals, said she was happy to see so many people interested in skiing. Lowry, who moved to Yellowknife from Boston a few years ago, said skiing is the best way to enjoy the winter in the North.
“It’s just a great chance for people who don’t normally ski to get a chance to try it out,” she said. “We’ve probably sent out maybe 25 people so far, and we have lots of people waiting for skis to come back so that they can give it a try.”
Tossing the disc
The Yellowknife Ultimate Club did not let the freezing temperatures stop them from celebrating World Snow Day, though there were far fewer participants compared to previous years.
The club organized a pickup ultimate Frisbee game in the snow at Somba Ke park. The game was open to anyone who wanted to join.
Ewen Fauvel-Burns, a member of the club’s board, said the game was a way to introduce people to the sport and to have some fun with friends.
“We are doing a kind of a pickup ultimate game in the snow, and it’s usually a lot of fun because you can kind of jump around and go wild. You’re not going to get hurt. You can go crazy,” he said.
Burns said the game attracted some young athletes last year, who got to learn the basics of the sport and join the action. However, this year, the turnout was much lower than expected due to the extremely cold weather. Burns said the temperature was -40 C with the wind hill, which discouraged many people from coming out.
He said only three people showed up for the game — himself and two other club members.
Regardless, he said the club tries to hold the event every year as part of the World Snow Day celebration.
“Any time you can get together with people and throw a disc around, you know that’s just part of the social aspect of playing Frisbee,” said Fauvel-Burns. It’s always a good time.”