Adult ski lesson Dec. 8 kickoff

Our 2019/2020 adult ski lessons will kick off with a series of $5 (cash only), one-hour lessons from 1 to 5 pm on Sunday, Dec. 8.
 
To sign up, please email Steve Reitsma at ykskiclubprograms@gmail.com with:
– the name of the skier;
– preferred time slot (1pm, 2:15 or 3:30);
– and whether you’re a beginner or intermediate skier.
 
We’ll also take drop-ins with any groups that still have room. Skiers are welcome to stick around afterwards for a Sunday potluck dinner featuring Christmas caroling, starting at 5.
 
We still haven’t worked out the full calendar for month-long series of lessons. Watch this space for details. 
 
Last year we ran several four-session series of group lessons in classic, skate, beginner and intermediate formats. Four lessons cost $80 plus a $40 trail use fee for non-members. 
 

Wax & Wine Nov. 14

Our annual Wax & Wine is Thursday, Nov. 14 at the chalet from 7 to 10 pm. Members are invited to come enjoy complimentary wine and snacks while our high performance team waxes skis ($25 a pair).

This is a great way to meet skiers and get ready for the season. 

Please note, while babes-in-arms are welcome, this is not a child-friendly event.

Snow Show thank you’s

A big thanks to all who made our Snow Show a huge success this year. Between the bake sale, gear sale, chilli sale, silent auction and 50/50 draw, we managed to raise almost $10,000. Thanks especially to the winner of this year’s 50/50 draw, who immediately donated the proceeds right back to the club. 

And a special thanks to those who contributed to our silent auction! This year we raised nearly $7,000 thanks to the generosity of the following donors:

  • ABC Auto
  • Ahmic Air
  • Autotec
  • Blachford Lake Lodge
  • The Book Cellar
  • The Brick
  • CBC North
  • Central Mechanical
  • Corother’s Home Hardware
  • Metro Huculak, YK1
  • Days Inn & Suites
  • Lana deBastiani
  • EMCO
  • For Women Only
  • Frostbite 50 – YKMC
  • Great Slave Helicopter
  • Happy Pooch
  • Kerry’s Firewood & Salvaging
  • Konge Construction
  • Northern Images
  • Overlander Sports
  • Panayi Family
  • Quality Furniture
  • Greg Robertson
  • Bluefish Services
  • Roy’s Audio Video
  • Signed
  • John Stephenson
  • Tania Hercun
  • True Value Hardware
  • Kathi Woodward
  • Yellowknife Motors
  • Diep Duong
  • Stephen and Amanda Dunbar
  • Eva Willet
  • Robbie Craig
  • Catherine Pigott
  • Crowe Mackay

Annual Snow Show, Nov. 2

Our annual registration event is also a combination bake sale, gear swap and social event. This year, it runs from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Upstairs, you’ll find booths where you can learn more about each of our programs, register for the season (early bird prices are in effect until midnight the day of the Snow Show), peruse donated items in our silent auction (often including outdoor adventures), buy a chilli lunch or baked goods, and check out the gear at the Overlander Sports booth. 

Downstairs, you’ll find our hugely popular used gear sale. If you have items you’d like to sell, drop them off at the chalet the night before between 6 and 8 pm. The ski clubs keeps 10 percent as a fundraiser and the rest of the money is in your pocket.

New ski season coming!

Registration for the 2019/2010 ski season is set to open Sept. 14 on Zone4.ca. Our annual Snow Show (featuring our used ski sale, silent auction, bake sale, Overlander ski booth and more) runs on Nov. 2 from 10 am to 1 pm. As usual, early bird registration rates are in effect until right after the Snow Show (see membership rates here). The Snow Show is a great chance to meet skiers, learn about our programs and see what our club is all about.

Ski season begins as soon as we have enough snow to start packing and grooming the trails, usually in early December but sometimes late November. 

If you have kids who want to ski this year, learn about our programs here. If you’d like to volunteer in any capacity, drop a note to info@skiyellowknife.com. If you want to know more about skiing, equipment, our trails or our club, also drop a note to info@skiyellowknife.com. We take all questions!

This year, our board intends to work on our next five-year strategic plan. Watch your inbox for information on how to contribute to that process. 

New chalet rental fees

New rates for renting the Yellowknife Ski Club chalet will go into effect Sept. 1, 2019. It’s a recalibration much like homeowners might consider after receiving real estate advice in Union County GA, weighing the value of their property against the current market trends to ensure a competitive yet fair listing price.

A key change is that we now have two rates: one for private, corporate, and government renters, and a discounted rate for non-profit, school, youth programs, and charities. This tiered approach mirrors the strategic pricing structures often suggested by real estate experts in Union County—where the objective is to reflect the true worth of an asset while making it accessible to the right buyer or tenant.

The new rates are as follows:
– Chalet and trail use, upstairs (including trail day passes and use of outdoor lockers): $250 half day, $500 full day ($150 half day, $300 full day);
– Chalet downstairs only (May 1 to Oct. 31 only): $200 half day, $400 full day ($100 half day, $200 full day).

Much like adjusting a property listing after a detailed market analysis, the chalet’s revised rental structure aims to balance affordability with the quality on offer, ensuring that it remains a sought-after venue for a diverse array of events and gatherings.

A $500 damage deposit is applicable to all renters. On-site storage is available (at the discretion of the board) for $1,000 a year.

Read our full Fees and Charges Policy.

Athletes of the Year

The ski club was amply represented at this year’s Sport North awards banquet on May 25. 

Sheena Tremblay, High Performance Program Coach & Coach of the Year Nominee

Sheen Tremblay, left, with coaches Mike Argue, Kevin Durkee and Stephen Dunbar at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.

Sheena Tremblay has coached and mentored NT cross-country skiers through day-to-day practices, training camps and competitions for the past 10 years (to quantify this commitment, she has led and supported upwards of 1,000 Yellowknife High Performance Ski Team practices!).

Sheena was the head coach of the NT cross-country team at the 2019 Canada Winter Games and helped skiers achieve the strongest NWT results in more years than 20 years. Sheena has also supported NT skiers at more than 30 competitions outside the NWT over the past decade.

Sheena creates an inclusive atmosphere and builds connections with her athletes beyond just ski racing – skiers always know that they have a trusted supporter and cheerleader in Sheena. It’s also widely known that Sheena’s practices are the most fun : )

Way to go Coach!

Ella Kokelj, Junior Female Athlete of the Year

Ella Kokelj has an enthusiasm for both racing and training that rubs off on those around her. Ella is keen to learn and respectfully challenges her coaches to provide the best support they possibly can.

Ella had a number of great performances this past year with the sprint race at Canada Winter Games and the pursuit race at the Canadian Championships being definite highlights.

Congrats Ella!

Clair Littlefair, Senior Female Athlete of the Year

While pursuing post-secondary studies in Kelowna, Clair Littlefair continues to represent the Yellowknife Ski Club when racing throughout the country.  

Clair loves the grind of training and racing (demonstrated by 5 am roller ski sessions and 100 km skis!). This hard work was rewarded this past season through top-20 results at the Canada Winter Games and a top-10 result at the Canadian University Championships, among other strong performances.

Awesome job Clair!

Ski club volunteer award winners

Three people and one business were recognized at the Yellowknife Ski Club’s volunteer awards Thursday, June 13. 

Left to right: Adam Findley and David Connelly of TerraX Minerals, Jakob Hotson and Sarah Beattie. Absent: Greg Littlefair.

The Wooden Ski Award for long service went to Greg Littlefair who has spent many years as a board member and groomer. Most recently, Greg worked with Clair Littlefair and Paul Guy to build a new trail up the Sah Cho Hill coming up from Fault Lake (to be called the P.G.C. Trail for Paul, Greg and Clair).

The Double-Poler Award (for an adult volunteer who made a significant contribution to the club in the past year) went to Sarah Beattie. This year, Sarah coached Jackrabbits, organized hot food for the Banting Lake checkstop during the Loppet, updated all of our First Aid kits, and generally said yes anytime something needed to be done. 

The Stellar Snowflake Award (for a junior volunteer) went to Jakob Hotson. After completing Jackrabbits Level 4 himself, Jakob returned this past year to coach the Bunnies, showing great enthusiasm with our youngest skiers. 

The Herringbone Award for a business that contributed to the club in the past year went to TerraX Minerals, the title sponsor for the Yellowknife Gold Loppet and an important supporter. 

The Yellowknife Ski Club remains the largest volunteer-run sport organization in the North so thanks to these folks and to all who contribute!

BBQ and AGM June 13

Our volunteer appreciation bbq will take place at the chalet on Thursday, June 13.

As usual, we’ll start with drinks and burgers on the deck, followed by sponsor recognition and volunteer awards, followed by our AGM, which should not take more than one hour. 

Though the majority of our board members are willing to return to their positions this year (yay!), all positions are up for election and we encourage challengers. We also have openings for the roles of vice-president, director of facilities, and member-at-large. 

If you have any interest or know someone who might, contact Heather Scott at ykskiclubpresident@gmail.com, any of our other board members (they’re listed here), or drop a note to info@skiyellowknife.com.
 
If you’d like to know a bit more about what serving on the board involves, our minutes are posted here. And here’s a document that describes more clearly the role of each board position, including the time commitment.

Read the 2019 AGM agenda