Free races, wax clinics and a national team announcement will kick off the cross-country ski season at the Canmore Nordic Centre, Oct. 28-30.
In an effort to generate excitement around the upcoming ski season, Cross Country Canada is hosting a series of activities at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
“With Frozen Thunder, we have the opportunity to do something special. This is not just about the national team. It’s about the 2022 and 2026 teams and the Canmore ski community,” said CCC executive director Pierre Lafontaine. “This is such a great ski community and this will kick off skiing in the region this year. This is something hopefully we can do across the nation next year.”
Following the first of three Frozen Thunder high performance races, the Alberta World Cup Academy will host a gourmet dinner to kick the weekend off on Oct. 28, compliments of chefs Gerard Garnier, Stefan Kuhn and Patrick Stettler. Tickets are still available for the event at www.albertaworldcup.com.
On Saturday (Oct. 29) from 2-4 p.m., Cross Country Canada will host a kids race on Frozen Thunder, complete with a barbecue sponsored by Save-On Foods, costumes and candy consistent with the Halloween theme. Foothills Nordic and Canmore Nordic Ski Club skiers have been invited, and the races hope to expand to the entire community for next year.
At 4 p.m., the Canadian National Ski Team will be introduced to the public, hosted by Swix. The entire team, minus Alex Harvey, is expected to attend, and will sign autographs after the announcement.
Several members of Canada’s ParaNordic event are also expected to attend, as they plan to host a Para World Cup in Canmore in December 2017.
On Sunday (Oct. 30), the day will begin with the Canmore Nordic Ski Club ski swap at the Canmore Nordic Centre at 9 a.m. CCC and Swix technicians will then provide a waxing demo, beginning at 11 a.m.
The event has also partnered with the Banff Mountain Film Festival, and will provide participants with discounts for BMFF events.
Lafontaine said the event will celebrate past successes, and hopefully spark future skiers at the community and high performance level. Frozen Thunder is the perfect venue for such an event, he believes.
“Frozen Thunder is a joint venture and we’ve had too much success to let it go. Own the Podium believes in what we are doing and we are engaging the entire ski community,” Lafontaine said. Visit cccski.com for more details.
