Hello Trakkers,
Winter is on our doorstep – there are flurries in the forecast for next week!
Hope to See You at the Open House
Reminder that our Open House is next Friday, November 21, at Swansea Town Hall, 95 Lavinia Avenue, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Come out to renew your membership, meet our ski instructors, schmooze with new and returning members, and sign up for any of our Weekend Trips. Registration for Weekend Trips starts at the Open House on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you’re interested please bring payment to the Open House to reserve your spot! Here’s our confirmed roster of Weekend Trips for this year; full details on our web site.
January 16-18 — Farmhouse at Highlands Nordic in the Collingwood area
February 6-8 — Blue Spruce Resort in the Dwight / Huntsville area
February 20-22 – Pine Vista Resort in the Lakefield / Kawartha area
Training Dates for Potential Instructors
Trakkers members consistently tell us that free lessons by instructors certified by the Canadian Alliance of Nordic Ski Instructors (CANSI) are a big drawing card for new and returning members and we continue to do active promotion to expand the number of our instructors.
While we’ve had a few members express interest in becoming instructors, if you’d like to consider giving the gift of skiing to others as a volunteer with the club there’s still time to let us know.
CANSI will be offering their one-day pre-Level 1 preparation course on December 20 at Highlands Nordic. The Level 1 certification course will be offered in January. The certification requires successful completion of a 2-day weekend course, and will take your own skiing to a whole new level! You don’t need to know how to do both skate and classic ski techniques as CANSI offers Level I certification for classic instruction only as well. More information about the CANSI courses can be found on their web site.
For anyone who completes the Level I training and commits to teach with Trakkers for a period of time, the club reimburses the costs of the CANSI training and certification, and covers trail/bus fees while teaching as an incentive. If you’re interested, please contact Steve Favell, Ski School Coordinator, at lessons@trakkers.ca or 416-233-5324.
Ever Thought of Doing a Loppet?
Want to discover a new ski area and maybe want to challenge yourself? There are a number of ski races and loppets to offer fun and motivation to get out on the trails:
Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) in Gatineau – February 7-8, 2015
The CSM is not a race, but a distance event (160km). It is not required to ski the whole distance so there is a category for everyone, depending on how many sections/stages you want to ski. Most importantly, each section checkpoint offers food and refreshments and is served by a shuttle bus to allow skiers to start and finish skiing at any checkpoint of their choosing, or to call it a day whenever they want.
This year the CSM is offering an extended discount for groups: if 10 or more people sign up before end of November their early bird rates apply. We’ll have info at the Open House and potentially be looking to send a Trakkers contingent to the event!
Gatineau Loppet – February 15-16, 2015
Classic race distances include 5, 15, 27 and 51 km; the freestyle (skate) day on Sunday offers 10, 27 and 51 km races, as well as snowshoe races of 2.5, 5 and 10 km. Hosted on the Family Day weekend, this loppet always has a big draw with Ontarians looking to take advantage of the long weekend!
Sleeping Giant Loppet in Thunder Bay – March 7, 2015
Later in the season and much farther north, this loppet is a mass participation ski festival held in beautiful Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The event offers 8, 20, 35 and 50 km distances in both classic and skate styles.
Next Deadline for Discounted Membership
Annual membership fee is $75 until November 30, at which point it increases to $80 – renew soon! Need a reminder of your username or password to log in to renew? – email Trish, our Membership Coordinator, at membership@trakkers.ca.
Don’t Forget to Follow Us on Social Media!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get all the latest Trakkers news and updates as we head into the new season!
Keep on trakkin!
Jen Liptrot
President of Trakkers
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