The Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club has been busy prepping for a ski season, with the added push now to host the Zone 8 BC Winter Games Trials Dec. 30.
While snow is still needed the club has been busy preparing as much as possible. Local volunteers attended an officials course earlier in the fall, the new daylodge was officially opened to the community for an open house, and now firewood will be sold as a fundraiser for the club.
Other season preparations include planning by coaches and officials to host the regional trial events.
Zone 8 includes skiers from all of north-central B.C., excluding the northwest. Racers from as far north as Fort Nelson and as far south as 100 Mile House will be coming to Bull Mountain to attempt to qualify for the BC Winter Games.
Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club will hold 3.5 km classic races as well as 5 km skate ski races.
Skiers who qualify at the Dec. 30 events will then be able to compete in Quesnel on February 22-25, 2024. More than 1,800 athletes, coaches, officials, and family members are expected to head to Quesnel for the events.
On Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the club will be helping load vehicles with pre-split, mostly dry fir firewood as a way to help get some operating funds for the club. On a first-c0me-first serve basis, about 30 loads of split wood will be for sale for $150 for a six-foot truck box and $200 for an eight-foot truck box.
A firewood-splitting day on Nov. 26 saw 10 volunteers split wood felled two years ago when clearing the site for their new buildings at the Bull Mountain Cross Country Ski Area. Thanks to the generous support of Gordo’s Rentals, Broadway Rentals, Compax Rentals, in providing wood splitters, the club was able to split all the wood.
Another event to prep for the season was a ski waxing and scraping work bee and tutorial, which saw around 16 members scrape and prep all of the rental skis and some newly purchased skis for the season. Some young skiers were able to help out and learn how to scrape skis.
Season passes for Bull Mountain Ski Area are also available through the Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club website. Pass sales go towards trail grooming, facility operations such as night skiing lights, and trail signs and maps.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club cuts the ribbon on new facility
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