It was the Inuvik Ski Club’s first year back in action, and they definitely made up for a few slow years with plenty of events over the 2020-21 season.
One of the highlights this year was that the club was able to hire ‘winter students’ to run the clubhouse a few times a week for a couple of hours to loan out equipment to skiers. This proved very popular, and made skiing accessible to the broader community who might not have tried skiing previously due to lack of equipment.
On February 13, the club held a Family Valentine’s Day Ski where it invited families to ski through an enchanted forest and look for Valentine’s treats along the way. Later that evening, the club held an Evening Valentine’s Ski at sunset for couples – but encouraged solo skiers to come too, saying “it just means more hot chocolate for you!”
On February 23, the club held a small Ski Waxing Clinic.
Heading into March and April, the calendar filled up as the weather warmed, with Adult Skis on Wednesday nights, Family Skis on Friday afternoons, school ski lessons, adult ski lessons, youth snow adventures, and a variety of events.
On March 7 there was a Ladies’ Ski and March 14 there was a Pi Day Ski-O (“Come complete our 3.14 km ski orienteering course for a chance to win pie!” Encouraged the club).
In April, starting over Easter, Spirit North was in town to hold a week of programming, including an Easter Ski Festival (complete with an Easter egg hunt), introduction to skiing workshops, a coaching workshop, skiing with high school students workshops, and to celebrate the return of the Inuvik Loppet.
“Thank-you to everyone who came out to enjoy the trails. We had hundreds of people participate in events at the Inuvik Ski Club this year and we hope to see you all back next season,” wrote the club on Facebook.
“Thank-you to our students who ran the hut this season, Darcie, Brooklyn and Parker, for being dependable and adaptable…we couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks to Jay, Michael and Emma for all of your trail grooming time and expertise. Thanks to the Inuvik Ski Club Executive Board for your dedication towards the ski club…Faye, Tess, Myrah, Jay and Michael. It wouldn’t have been a successful season without your ideas, enthusiasm and time. And finally thank-you to all of our event volunteers who helped us make every event a success!”
