THUNDER BAY — Dozens of cross-country skiers hit the trails in Thunder Bay at Lappe Ski Centre this weekend.
These skiers are not only local. Many were training for the Lakehead Superior Nordic Association, hosting the Nordiq Canada Selection Trials and the second Ontario Cup of the season.
The trial races will feature the nation’s top skiers vying for a position on Team Canada for the World Junior, World U23 and World Championships. The Ontario Cup series will also bring in the best Junior Skiers in the province.
However, the weather is forecasted to go downhill only days before the races.
Timo Puiras, one of the owner-operators of Lappe Ski Centre, said the conditions at the centre right now are ‘fairly good.’
“Luckily, it’s cloudy. The sun hasn’t come out yet, but we are really hoping it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” said Purias. “There are teams putting tarps out today to try to help save the snow for the trials event, but right now, we’re really hoping for some snow.”
The World Junior under 23 and senior championship trials will be held at Lappe from Jan. 2 to 6.
“There will be lots of people from all across Canada coming here trying to qualify for these championships in Europe later in the year,” said Puiras.
Puiras said Lappe Ski Centre has 14 kilometres of cross-country ski trail, six kilometres of snowshoe trail and about six kilometres under the lights open for skiing.
“So far, we’ve had really good skiing. The trails have been open. The sauna has been hot. The kitchen’s been on with Finn pancakes. We’re just hoping for a bit of snow and so that can continue,” said Purias.
However, the warm weather and slight rain may still pose problems for the trails.
It’s ‘right on the edge’ for them, he added.
“If it rains (Saturday), we’ll have to close down for the day, but we have a lot of teams out there shovelling and keeping the trails open. So, hopefully, if it rains (Saturday), it’ll just be a one-day shutdown and then we’ll be back in business,” said Purias.
Graham Ritchie, a national cross-country skier and Canadian Olympic athlete, has skied with the Georgian Nordic Outdoor Activity Centre and the National Team Development Centre (NTDC) Thunder Bay. He trained on the centre’s trails and hills on Friday.
“We’re going to be out here every day. Every day, it’s open. If they have to close down because of the rain, we’d have to find alternatives for training, but we’re hoping to be out here, rain or shine, ice or snow, so we kind of have to do what we got to do sometimes,” said Ritchie.
Ritchie has lived in Thunder Bay for seven years now and Lappe has been his stomping ground.
“Yeah, it’s a little moody out here. Honestly, it’s not bad. It looks worse than it is, just hopefully, it doesn’t rain anymore. That would be worse, but it’s not bad out here actually,” said Ritchie.
However, training under these conditions is not new for him and his team.
“Typically, our World Cup season is in Europe from November until March, so we spend a lot of the winter actually overseas in Europe, so we’re used to this foggy and rainy mild weather,” said Ritchie.
Max Hollmann, a cross-country skier born and raised in Thunder Bay, has skied with the Big Thunder Nordic Ski Club and the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA).
For the first 20 years of his life, Hollmann said he’d skied at the centre and for the past two years, he was out in Canmore, Alta.
He agreed the weather conditions for now were ‘pretty fine.’
“The air looks foggy and wet, but the snow is still fairly cold and firm, so it’s still fine to ski on. If we get more rain, though, it could be less than ideal,” said Hollmann.
