From now until January 8, 2023 fill out your SKIGO BINGO card and enter to win great prizes!

There’s even a SKIGO BINGO Junior Edition so kids can play too!

Fun for the whole family!

Adult Ski Lessons are here! To view the full list of adult ski lessons being offered this season, click here!

To register, click here.

If you would like to be put on a waitlist, email ykskiclubprograms@gmail.com 

For a full list of adult lessons this season, click here.

It’s back, the Wax and Wine will be Thursday November 10th from 7-10pm! Get your skis waxed for $25/pair and relax and enjoy a complimentary drink and snacks while you wait.

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All proceeds go to the High Performance ski team.

According to our groomers, this is possibly the earliest we have ever had groomed trails! So get out there and enjoy some early season skiing, thanks to our spectacular groomers.

YKSC Remembers Ski Club Founder

Jetmund Bendiksen
1931 to 2022

Patricia Bendiksen reported on her Facebook:
“Today, March 20, 2022, my beloved husband, Jetmund, passed away quietly and peacefully at Kvaefjordheimen Hospital at Borkenes, Norway.  Jetmund was almost 91 years old and was a fantastic husband, father and grandfather.  He will be deeply missed by his entire family.”

Jetmund was a founding member of the Yellowknife Ski Club. Pat and Jetmund arrived in Yellowknife in 1967 to teach at Sir John Franklin High School.  In early 1968, Jetmund put a notice on the Hudson’s Bay bulletin board for anyone interested in a ski club to call him and the response was terrific.  Jetmund started teaching downhill lessons in February 1968 at the Jackfish Lake Hill and the Yellowknife Ski Club was formed in May1968 with Al Gamble as the first president. Jetmund wanted to be technical director and focus on ski lessons.  Jetmund’s real passion was cross country skiing.  He and others cleared the first trails around Jackfish and Frame Lakes and packed them with their skis.  The trails moved across the highway to the Niven Lake area in 1972 with both downhill and cross country skiing.
 
Jetmund was a force behind skiing in Yellowknife, contributing to the sport as president, technical director, coach, newspaper columnist, ski rentals and sales outlet and Chief of Race for the inaugural 1970 Arctic Winter Games to name some of his contributions.
 
Jetmund and Pat departed Yellowknife in 1982 and retired to their family farm in Flesnes Norway.  They last visited Yellowknife in 2015 and were impressed with the facilities and trails.
 
The Bendiksens are celebrated on our trails with the corner called Bendiksen’s Bend.

Congratulations to Frostbite 50 Participants!

A big congratulations to the winners:
Men’s 50km solo: Thomsen D’Hont
Women’s 50km solo: Julia Gyapay
Team ski: Heather Scott and Julian Kanigan
Team snowshoe: Javarunners

And here are a few photos from the Frostbite 50!

Photos by: Heather Scott, Katrina Kierstead, Ben Linaker, Erin O’Rourke and Ashley Janes

Yellowknife Gold Loppet Volunteer Opportunities! 

More start/finish line volunteers are needed for the 2022 Yellowknife Gold Loppet! Please reach out to sabeattie23@gmail.com or alyssa.f.titus@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering for the big event. Even a 2-hour commitment helps!

The 2022 Yellowknife Gold Loppet is also looking for wood donations for the Banting tent (priority) and for the finish line (a nice-to-have). If you have wood to spare, please reach out to sabeattie23@gmail.com or alyssa.f.titus@gmail.com for more information.

Need the best possible glide for the upcoming Yellowknife Gold Loppet (April 3)? 

Let the HP Ski Team set you up for success with a just-in-time hot waxing service.

WHEN: Thursday, March 31 (drop off between 5 and 7 pm) – pick up at 9:00 pm (or by arrangement)
HOW: You must make an appointment by emailing roxanepoulin@gmail.com before noon Wednesday, March 30.  *** spots are limited, so don’t wait ***

COST: $25 or use your punch pass 

NWT Territorial Championships

The  NWT Territorial Championships are taking place Saturday & Sunday April 9 & 10. Racers from across the north will participate in this fun event.  Register by Wednesday, March 9th on zone4.ca. Read the race notice for full details here.

Only a couple weeks left for SKIGO BINGO

Have fun setting new goals and checking off your card for activities you have completed between January 25th to April 11, for a chance to win some exciting prizes donated by Overlander Sports and Canadian Tire!! 

Download your card here and the junior card here, then get outdoors and get skiing!! 1line = 1 entry, 2 lines = 2 entries, etc… blackout = 10 entries!!! Submit your card to skigoyellowknife@gmail.com by April 11. Share your fun on social media and use #skigo @ykskiclub.

Some more trailvia for you…

The Wolverine Trail has some sections with extra history. Take Elevator for example. Very few signed trails officially use that steep climb, although Wolverine does. But did you know that earlier on Elevator was a downhill section, not an uphill? Think  about it the next time you’re at Caribou Crossing looking down. And be thankful for that small mercy. In addition, the Wolverine section after Elevator down to Back Bay Ramp is only officially signed for that trail.  A unique experience, but you’re allowed to use it even if you’re not chasing the wolverine. Great views!

YKSC Welcomes Baby Annie

Handy Dates to keep in mind:

• Sunday, April 3, 2022 – Yellowknife Gold Loppet
• Saturday, April 9, 2022 – Nordic Cross
• Saturday & Sunday, April 9 & 10 – NWT Ski Races 
• January 11 to  April 11 – SKIGO BINGO #2

Frostbite 50 this Weekend!

Important Notice to Our Ski Community!

Please note and be careful on Saturday between 9AM-9:30AM as the Frostbite 50 participants will be rerouting through the ski club trails due to icy conditions on the regular route. This means they will be at times skiing in the opposite direction. Please see map for details. We appreciate your cooperation and patience. Happy Skiing!

Yellowknife Spring Break Ski Camp – Space Still Available! Sign-up today!!

Dates: March 21-25, 2022
Hours: 12:00 pm to 5 pm
Age range: 8-12 
Number of participants: 16
Cost: $250
Register on zone4
Check out an example of a day at ski camp here!

Come and join us March 21-25, 2022 from 12 to 5 pm at the Yellowknife ski club for a week of fun! We will be hosting a ski camp focusing on teaching the proper care of skis, technique and especially fun and games! The camp will be led by Nordiq Canada with coaching certified high-performance skiers. 

Food will not be provided, so we ask that your child eats lunch or has one packed before they arrive and bring a water bottle and snacks for the day, no nuts please! We will be doing a mix of classic and skate skiing, but it is fine if your child only has classic skis. Do not worry if your child only has one set of skis!

The program is open to all kids from any skill level between the ages 8 and 12. We ask that you please drop off and pick up your child within 15 minutes of the specified times, if this is not met, there will be an extra $10 charge for every extra 10 minutes. 

During the camp we ask that your child behaves in a respectful manner towards each other, the camp leaders and the club as well as its trails. We will be operating with a three strike policy, if necessary, we will call for a parent to come pick up their child. We ask that guardians drop off their children and remain outside the club.  We ask everyone to have a mask and fill out a few COVID-19 screening questions upon arrival. Additional information will be emailed the week before the start of the program.

Children attending the camp will require a Yellowknife ski club membership.

NWT Territorial Championships

The  NWT Territorial Championships are taking place Saturday & Sunday April 9 & 10. Racers from across the north will participate in this fun event.  Register by Wednesday, March 9th on zone4.ca. Read the race notice for full details here.

Volunteers are still needed, check out opportunities to lend a hand on our sign-up sheet here.

Yellowknife Gold Loppet April 3rd

Did you register for Yellowknife’s most popular ski event? Well you now can on zone4 as registration is open!! If you are not wanting to ski that Sunday, but still be involved there are lots of volunteering opportunities: just email ykskiclubvolunteerdirector@gmail.com (Alyssa Titus and Sarah Beattie, Loppet Co-Coordinators)

Trailvia time….

Have you been goosed? Answer yes if you’ve skied up Goose Neck Climb after doing Zoom, turned on Goose Beak and got down Goose Back Slide without hitting those birch trees.

But why a goose? Ya gotta look at the trail map. Yep, that sure looks like a goose. And there’s lots of water at the bottom too, for the goose to waddle or do whatever in.

(Base map from Windy.com.)

Just a suggestion…

We received a lot of messages from members about lost items. One suggestion you might want to consider is writing your name on your ski items in case during ski lessons and other events items get taken by accident.

That’s all for this week, ski you later!! 

Thanks to our coaches!

The Beijing 2022 Olympics are happening this month.  We all get a front row seat to watch the best athletes in a multitude of winter sports. The Olympic Team for Cross Country Skiing includes athletes, coaches, managers and wax technicians. All of those incredible skiers started at their community ski club as youngsters. Dahria Beatty, from Whitehorse, started with Jackrabbits at age 3 shuffling around without poles just like all the kids at the Yellowknife Ski Club. Behind Dahria and all those kids are parents and sport volunteers especially coaches. 

CCNWT organized two National Coach Certification Program (NCCP) coaching courses at the end of January in Yellowknife. NCCP certifies progressive levels  of coaching from introductory Community Coaching to High Level Competitive Coaching.

The weeknight sessions of Community Coaching (CC) gave nine participants tools to use for their volunteer coaching at Jackrabbits and Ski-at-School. One learning facilitator was also trained so that we can offer the CC course with a local instructor in the future. Nine different coaches received training and certification on the weekend in the Learn to Train (L2T) Program with a focus on athletes in the ages of 8 – 12 participating in our Track Attack Program.

 A big thanks to the contributors to this training session. 

• Cross Country NWT (CCNWT) is the Territorial Sport Organization for cross and provided funding for this training along with funding for a myriad of events throughout the year.
• GNWT Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), Sport and Recreation provides the funding to CCNWT for these purposes.
• Cross Country NWT staff person, Sarah Pruys, provided support for logistics and registration.
• Allison McArdle was the capable instructor from Calgary, Alberta.
• YKSC volunteers helping to make it all happen were Kerry Wheler and Bernadette Knox.

Coaches not only teach fundamental ski skills. They also promote positive attitude, teach organization skills, build relationships and otherwise mentor the athletes in many ways. Mahsi cho to our coaches throughout the club programs. You make a difference in the lives of our children.

Community Coach participants
Christine Lewandowski:
Sophie Mahon
Kelly Slack
Paul Clyne
Jay Mauchan
Meghan Schnurr
Oyuka Bernabe
Karin Taylor
 
L2T participants:
Mike Palmer
Julie Ward
Julian Kanigan
Meghan Beveridge
Kerry Wheler
Brett Wheler
Julia Gyapay
Rosy Tutton
Rosie Benning

More info on Coaching – https://nordiqcanada.ca/coaches-and-wax-techs/coaches/coaching-development/#

Parking lot update!

With the increased number of skiers in the Jackrabbits and Bunnyrabbits programs, we would like to improve the safety of the parking lot by having designated areas for pedestrians. Below, you will find a traffic flow proposal that we will try out in the next couple of weeks.

There will be pylons to help identify where to walk. We ask that you park behind them so that there is room for pedestrians. Please use these designated walking lanes and educate your children to do so as well. Hopefully this will allow drop-off to be safer and make it easier for people to get in and out of the parking lot.

Please keep in mind that this traffic flow proposal is still in the trial stage. We will communicate the final changes once we have ironed out the details. We thank you for your cooperation! 

We would also like to take this time to acknowledge and thank the City of Yellowknife for providing snow clearing on our access road and parking lot!

Frostbite 50

Whether it’s your first or your fifteenth, the Frostbite 50 offers an exciting endurance challenge! A 50km ungroomed track that meanders through some of Yellowknife’s most scenic lakes. Support, checkstops, and safety is provided.

Sign up today as an individual or convince a group of friends to join your relay of pain! http://www.frostbite50.com/

Thebacha Loppet – March 5th

Registration for the 49th Annual Thebacha Loppet – scheduled for Saturday March 5, 2022 – is now open. Interested folks can register by following the links at https://fortsmithskiclub.ca/.

Your weekly dose of Trailvia…

Fact: in the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake City, the ENTIRE Canadian biathlon team learned to ski at the Yellowknife Ski Club.  Yup, no lie. Of course only one person, Robin Clegg, qualified for the Sprint, Pursuit and Individual Biathlon events. The Cleggs were pioneers of skiing in YK and developed many of the trails we use today. So, their kids were some of the first to try them out!

Google “2002 Olympics Canada Biathlon”.  Also, try “Robin Clegg Olympics”. He made the team again in 2006 (same events) and 2010 (just the relay but with another NWTer, Brendan Green).  No medals, but we are so proud!

Here are some photos that capture the fun activities that took place last weekend at the Club:

There is still so much more happening this ski season, so don’t fret if you missed out last weekend! We have more coming up:

• Sunday, February 13, 2022 – NWT Ski Day – Free Ski
• Saturday & Sunday March 12 & 13, 2022 – YK Ski Races
• Sunday, April 3, 2022 – Yellowknife Gold Loppet
• Saturday, April 9, 2022 – Nordic Cross

Monday, April 11, 2022 – SKINGO BINGO Cards are Due

Are you ready for round 2 of SKIGO BINGO?

We are so excited to announce the second round of SKIGO BINGO!

Have fun setting new goals and checking off your card for activities you have completed between January 25th to April 11, for a chance to win some exciting prizes donated by Overlander Sports and Canadian Tire!! 

Download your card here and the junior card here, then get outdoors and get skiing!! 1line = 1 entry, 2 lines = 2 entries, etc… blackout = 10 entries!!! Submit your card to skigoyellowknife@gmail.com by April 11. Share your fun on social media and use #skigo @ykskiclub 

Intro to Cross Country Skiing Course added for February

One more course is added this month due to popular demand! This course is for adults who are relatively new to skiing. The course will cover fundamental techniques that will quickly improve your comfort on skis and your skiing ability. The course will take place from 1-3pm over four Sundays starting on Feb. 6, 2022. Sign-up today on zone4. 

NWT Ski Day February 13th

NWT Ski Day is coming up, Sunday February 13th! Bring a friend to the Club to enjoy free skiing for the whole day. Stay tuned for more!

Frostbite 50 March 19!

This year’s Frostbite 50 is scheduled for Saturday, March 19th, and they’re on the lookout for volunteers to make the day a huge success!

Many different roles are needed including lots of people throughout the day at check-stops, people willing to cheer their friends and family on to support their endurance efforts! For those early birds, there’s also support needed before the event!

Check out our volunteer website for more details http://www.frostbite50.com/p/volunteers.html or reach out directly by email to sign-up as a volunteer today ykfrostbite50@gmail.com.

That is all for this week! We hope to see you out on the trail!

Happy Skiing!!

Ashley Janes
Volunteer Communications Director

Upcoming events to mark in your calendars! 

• Sunday, January 30, 2022 – All Ages Costume Ski
• Sunday, February 13, 2022 – NWT Ski Day – Free Ski
• Saturday & Sunday March 12 & 13, 2022 – YK Ski Races
• Saturday, March 19, 2022 – Frostbite 50
• Sunday, April 3, 2022 – Yellowknife Gold Loppet
• Saturday, April 9, 2022 – Nordic Cross

Do your skies need waxing?

Are you finding you don’t quite have the glide you need? We have just the thing for you!
The HP ski team is offering a waxing service at the end of January as a fundraiser. 

When: Saturday, January 29 (from 1:30 – 4:00 pm) and Sunday, January 30 (from noon to 3 pm)
How: By appointment, wax while you wait or same day pick up
Cost: $20 or use your punch pass 
Who to contact: email roxanepoulin@gmail.com by Friday, January 28 at 4pm

Event Update: We wanted to let you know that we have changed this weekend’s event to be an all-ages costume ski, for everyone. The gender-specificity and binary naming of our historic group-skis and events “Chix on Stix” and “Boys on Boards” no longer reflect the inclusive environment we wish to create at the Yellowknife Ski Club. We thank those of you who reached out with your concerns; we agree and we apologize. We can, and hope to, do better. Don’t miss out on the All Ages Costume Ski event at the YK Ski Club this weekend!!

Virtual Canadian Birkie

Join people from around the world participating in the Canadian Birkie virtually from February 14 to 28, 2022. You can classic ski, skate ski, snowshoe, skate, or skijor. If the snow gods aren’t shining down on your part of the planet, you can roller-ski, cycle, run or walk. You choose your day and your Birkie distance: 2, 4, 8, 13, 31 or 55 kilometres. You also pick your pace and your place!!

For more information check out the Canadian Birkie Website

Frostbite 50 Training Group

The cold weather is not slowing down this dedicated group of skiers training for the Frostbite 50 taking place March 19th. This past week Program Director, Bernadette Knox showed some members of the group how to hot wax their skies.

Photo by Merilie Reynolds. Bernadette Knox teaching Ashley Janes (left) and Rebecca Canam (Right) how to hot wax their skies

With temperatures reaching -42 with wind chill the group geared up for their longest ski yet. Approximately 18km ski from Cassidy Point to the Government Dock. 

Photo by Steve Schwarz. Sara Wong leading the FB50 Training Group on a long ski