Cross-country skiing enthusiasts enjoyed an in-depth ski lesson and are now ready to hit the trails just as the weather is warming up.
The River Ridge Nordic Ski Club hosted its inaugural learn to cross-country ski clinic on February 20 at the River Ridge Trails park, which was a success.
Cross-country skiing is a sport that all ages can enjoy and according to vice president of the River Ridge Nordic Ski Club, Kira Nelson, the youngest participant at the clinic was four years old while the oldest was 70 years old.
“It’s a sport you can do from being a toddler all the way in to your 90s,” said Nelson. “I think it’s something people should do and get involved in.”
Even though the clinic was geared toward beginner skiers it was also open to those who were familiar with the sport and wanted to learn proper techniques.
“There were some people that have skied before and there were people that have never been out,” said Nelson. “I think it went really well and I hope people come back and hit the trails.”
There were three separate sessions during the clinic, and there were no more than 10 people in each session because of the provincial COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines the club had to adhere to.
Equipment such as skis, poles, and boots were provided through Cross Country Saskatchewan but Nelson encouraged the participants to bring their own equipment because that is what they will be using when they experience the trails on their own time.
During each session of the clinic, the participants learned the basics of cross-country skiing such as putting on the skis, and the easiest way to get up if they happen to fall down.
There was a section of the park that was specifically groomed for the ski clinic, where the participants learned different cross country skiing techniques.
Once the skiers were comfortable with what they had learned, each session concluded with a hike along the trails of the park where they put those newly-learned skills to use.
One of the instructors at the clinic, Delaia Koetze, was glad to see family members participate in the clinic together because she believes that cross-country skiing is a perfect family activity.
“It was really nice to see them working together and hear them say ‘we can do this as a family, and maybe we can come out and enjoy this more often’,” she said.
The clinic was scheduled to happen earlier in February but it was postponed multiple times because of a stretch of extreme cold weather.
“There was a lot of prep and rescheduling to make this happen,” said Nelson.
There is also another ski clinic on February 27, as there were 50 people registered between the two clinics. Both Koetze and Nelson were happy to see that many people were interested in the sport.
“What helps a lot is because of COVID-19 people are looking for new activities that maybe they know about but haven’t tried before,” said Koetze.
