Fort Saskatchewan Nordic Ski Club
1875 River Valley Drive Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada

Hi, Here's an update on some of the happenings with the Fort Saskatchewan Nordic Ski Club as we start to come out of the deep freeze. We have several items to get people out on their skis as we head into the best part of the ski season. Generally the best skiing occurs in mid-February to the end of March as you have the best combination of snow conditions, warmer weather and longer daylight hours. This year looks to follow that trend and we'll see how long the snow stays. ...Continue reading

Not to be too Captain obvious here but... All ski lessons are cancelled this weekend for all programs. Part of our cold weather policy states we will post on Facebook. If you must get out and ski (like me) classic tracks are in good shape across the network. Skate lanes will be cleaned up as weather warms...

Hi. The Moonlight Ski is happening tonight. The weather is warm enough and the ski conditions are very good with the fresh snow. Please check in with me (Craig) in front of the WRE between 6:45 and 7:15pm tonight. Happy Skiing!!

Moonlight Ski on January 30 at 7pm at West Rivers Edge We are going to run a Moonlight Ski event on January 30 which will be different than previous years. We aren't able to have our much beloved pot-luck dinner this year. Instead we invite everyone to come out and ski under the moonlight in small groups of 10 people or less. We just ask that you maintain social distancing of 2m between anyone outside of your household cohort AND that you meet all the conditions outlined ...in the Nordiq Alberta Screening Questions (which are attached). Please have one person from your group sign in with a club volunteer who will be at one of the fire pits on the side of the WRE Pavilion between 6:45pm and 7:15pm. We need to keep track of who is participating in our event and confirm that everyone has reviewed the COVID screening questions. Definitely plan to wear a headlamp or other lights if you have them. If you don't, that is fine too as there is a fair bit of light in the area (especially with the lights on the skating pond now). Feel free to bring your own snacks and hot beverages. You are welcome to invite non-club members to this ski night. Also, you may want to bring your skates and finish the night with a few laps on the pond. NOTE: if the temperature is below -17C then we will postpone the event to the following Saturday.

FSNSC Lessons cancellation for Sunday, Jan. 24. Due to the cold weather we are cancelling today’s adult and youth ski lessons. We will be offering a makeup lesson once the weather warms up. Stay warm everyone. See you next weekend.

Well after much frustration and countless hours spent searching Facebook I finally figured out why we cannot have member discussions on this Page (which makes our ski club look kinda lifeless when it's not). This is a work in progress but please join us in our Facebook Group and lets start the conversations over there... https://www.facebook.com/groups/502241640740515

What a great article. Thank you Mix 107.9 FM!

Happy New Year to our ski family! We’ve loved seeing new faces on the trails over the past year - 2021 can only get better! We start out the new year with a bang! Some of our trails we've been skiing on for well over a month now and even thought there's no snow in the forecast the temperature means the trails should stay in decent shape. The New Year means the beginning of our lessons on January 3rd. They filled up so quickly this year that we barely had time to advertise... them and they were full. It's unfortunate as we know there is a HUGE demand out there for skiing this year. One of our big bottle necks is helpers and/or instructors so please feel free to give us a shout if that interest you (there is an honorarium provided also). The bigger the pool of folks we have the more programs we can offer in the future. Lastly a shout out to President Craig Lukie, Ski for Life director Janice Stolz and Youth Program director Linda Toope. To meet all of the Covid Protocols (policies and procedures setup), setting up lessons and handing out gear in this era has been a MOMUMENTAL task. Thanks to the hard work of these three and other members of the club (Kelly & Wendi come to mind) we are now ready to go. Feel free to check out our new Facebook Group - created so that winter outdoor activities have a place to call home in Fort Saskatchewan. Anyone may join and unlike this "page" anyone can join or create a discussion.... https://www.facebook.com/groups/fortsasknordic That's all I got to mention tonight. Happy new year and look forward to seeing everyone on the trails...

Hello to all FSNSC members, I hope you're doing well and enjoying the holiday season this year. For myself, I'm enjoying the warm weather and time with my family as well as getting a bit of skiing in. Here are some updates for activities happening in January....Continue reading

I went for a lunchtime ski today. Saw some skiers and a whole bunch o skaters. What a nice day to get out and enjoy the outdoors! Can't wait until we get more snow and have more folks cruising around on skis!!!!

Hey Fort Saskatchewan Nordic ski club fans! Do you have questions about what activities the clubs running this winter? Do you want to see what the trail conditions look like and when was the last time your favorite Fort Trail had some love?... Check out our website for these activities and many more... http://www.fortsasknordic.ca/ski-conditions.html

Looks like we got new Neighbors at WRE!!!

I must say we had a TERRIFFIC meeting with the city of Fort Saskatchewan Yesterday. I'm not sure it's our place to say but I think most residents of Fort Saskatchewan will love what the city is planning for the WRE area in the upcoming winter months!

Grooming Update: This is from our grooming team yesterday before the little bit of rain we had this morning... I would say the best all round conditions are in Wetlands, Chabot, the Hairpin, and the North leg of Oxbow. Quite a bit of grass showing through on other sections of the Oxbow, but it is skiable. My choice for the weekend would be skating as it will be warm, and the skate lanes should be fast after they set up tonight. Website has been updated.... Groomers Jack andJim

LAST CHANCE FOR KID'S SKIS EQUIPMENT!! We have inventoried our remaining equipment and have some kid's gear left (no adults). Note size restrictions - UP TO 50" (~4-feet) with a BOOT SIZE OF 4.5T OR SMALLER (We are OUT of size 3 and 3.5). Update: We are now also out of size 1, 1.5 and 2. Still have size 2.5 and boots smaller than 1 and larger than 3.5. We do not have room to add more kids to lessons because of limited coaches and the requirement to keep class sizes very small... so this is for EQUIPMENT ONLY. If you would like to try to get kids equipment click on the link and fill out the form. You will be notified by email if we can provide equipment. Contact Ski For Life Director if you have any questions ([email protected]) Link to form: https://forms.gle/sznoZ6fSy1qPaj3C7

It was great to see the trails getting so much use on Sunday! From my limited conversations we had 2 small cohort groups from Strathcona county and a couple from Edmonton among the folks out for a ski. And of course several of our own club members trying out there new gear!

Just a reminder... Family Ski Event this Sunday Nov. 29 from 1:30 to 2:30pm is modified. Family cohorts and individuals are encouraged to come down and go for a ski. In addition, if you have questions on ski equipment, waxing or the ski trails network, come down to the West Rivers Edge building and we will have a few club members wearing RED FSNSC Coach jackets who can answer your questions. We will be standing outside the building and will be happy to answer any questions you have.

A Big THANK YOU to our equipment coordinators and friends. They have handed out over 60 sets of skis in the last week. Amazing work! It was also great to see so much excitement and eagerness to get the gear. Lets hit the trails and go ski!

Hey Fellow skiers! The Nordic ski club is trying to get as much gear out to as many folks as possible. The demand has been HUGE this year. If you happen to have any SNS boots or skies laying around and may wish to sell them let us know. WE are running short in the "teen sizes, generally Euro 34-40 type size range. Thanks...

Hi. The club announced some new exciting changes for the upcoming season. These include: - 40% reduction in our fees for this year!! - collaborating on some events with the Strathcona Wilderness Centre and the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club. - developing COVID-19 protocols to allow our programs to run this Fall and Winter... Details can be found on our club website (fortsasknordic.ca).

Just a reminder... This is a FREE event and open to all (you do not need to be a member). Sunday, Nov. 1, 1:30pm Geocaching Event - MODIFIED It should be a wonderful warm afternoon on Sunday. ... Krystal and I set out the Geocaching targets last weekend. However we have been unsuccessful in getting our targets approved to be placed onto the Geocaching app due to too many other targets in the vicinity (we'll keep working on this into November). So, as an alternate plan we will be using the Orienteering maps from the Orienteering event 2 weeks ago with our new Geocaching targets shown on the map. So, please show up at the West Rivers Edge at 1:30pm where we will give you a map and you'll have 2 hours to see if you can find all 6 of our targets. It's also fine if you show up later and do a smaller portion of the course. I'd also encourage you to put the Geocaching app on your phone and you can also search for the other targets that have been placed in the WRE park area by other people. Everyone is welcome to come to this. We will give you full instructions and answer any questions you may have. Come try Geocaching with a new set of Geocaching targets that FSNSC is placing out near our ski trails. All ages and families are welcome to try this. You need to have the Geocaching app (from Groundspeak Inc.) installed on your cell phone to do this. It is available for Free on the Google and Apple App stores.

We had a fun time today for our Halloween costume run and walk at the WRE. Lots of great costumes. My personal favourite was my beautiful wife’s chicken costume (great yellow legs!!). Although some angry birds weren’t appreciative of it and pooped on her chicken hat while we were running on the River Trail to Sherwood Park.

Good evening all, WE NEED COACHES! I thought I would take a moment to mention that the Fort Saskatchewan Nordic Ski Club are STILL in need of coaches for this upcoming season. We are seeing an increase in registration for cross country lessons this season and may soon have to unfortunately limit registration of kids lessons... As a result, we are seeking to add to our roster of Jackrabbits coaches and hopefully avoid restricting lessons. Lessons take place at West Rivers Ed...ge on Sunday afternoons (1:30pm to 3:00). Coaches receive a modest financial honorarium, Club funded coaching certification, and a rewarding opportunity to make Nordic Skiing available for our City's little skiers! Other than being somewhat comfortable on skies there is no restrictions on who can sign up. Lessons start January 3 and run until mid March. Contact us via this add or [email protected]. Thank you...

The Fort Saskatchewan Nordic Ski Club reviewed all of our grooming equipment this weekend. As a grooming team we've decided to make redundant an "Advance Track" Renovating Leveler as pictured. Please contact [email protected] for more details. Thank you.

A couple of Grooming team members set up some more equipment today for the club. The picture is of us transporting the main ski rack to its winter home! We're ready for winter!

It’s a Canadian Geese takeover down at the club today!!!

Hi, Here are a couple of updates for this weekend and next weekend's events with the Fort Saskatchewan Nordic Ski Club. You are welcome to invite non-members to join you in any of these events. Sunday, Oct. 25 1pm Riverside Nature Trail Interpretive Hike with Activities... There is a family hike being run by Strathcona County at the Riverside Nature Trail. There will be stations set up with various activities to participate in. No pre-registration required but you do need to register at the table at the trailhead. The Riverside Nature Trail runs from Fort Saskatchewan all the way to Sherwood Park. The meeting point is to the west of the Legends Golf Course and the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Info at: https://www.strathcona.ca///free-recreation-opportunities/ Thursday, Oct. 29 @ 7pm - Adults Training Group - meet at a different location (the Westpark Road entrance to William Casey Park). Come prepared for a hill running workout. All adults (all ability levels) are invited to come out. image.png Saturday, Oct. 31 9am Family Run - Halloween Special For Halloween let's all plan to run or walk in a costume!! We'll take a group picture before we head out. Everyone is welcome to hike, walk or run as much as they would like. You do not need to complete any specific distance for this. All ages are welcome to join! Meet at West Rivers Edge at 9am. Sunday, Nov. 1, 1:30pm Geocaching Event Come try Geocaching with a new set of Geocaching targets that FSNSC is placing out near our ski trails. All ages and families are welcome to try this. You need to have the Geocaching app (from Groundspeak Inc.) installed on your cell phone to do this. It is available for Free on the Google and Apple App stores. image.png Thanks, Craig Lukie President, FSNSC

www.fortsasknordic.ca has a NEW LOOK and an updated LOGO! Check it out and let us know what you think (throw a "like" or "dislike" on this post, and please comment)!

Thanks to our friends from the Edmonton Overlanders Orienteering Club for running a great set of orienteering courses today in Fort Saskatchewan. It was a chilly day but still was quite enjoyable to be outside exploring through our river valley park area. Thanks to Marilyn, Geraint and Dorothy for making it happen today!

GENTLY USED SKI GEAR WANTED!!! Now that we've got your attention... The Fort Saskatchewan Nordic Ski club is looking for youth (12+) and adult gear to purchase that still has some more mileage to go. If we can purchase some used gear it will make our club $$$ go further and perhaps we can outfit a few more Club members with cross country skis to come out and participate this winter.... The club is looking for any gear in the age categories of roughly 12 years+ including adult gear. Cross country skies should be classic waxless skies. Bindings should be triple NNN along with boots. If you may have some skies for sale please don't hesitate to contact Chris at [email protected]. Questions or inquiry about gear are also welcome. Thank you... Chris

Not sure this was the right year to promise myself a set of Skate Ski gear... https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/the-snow-hasn-t-hit-edmonton-ye

It’ll be a fun event so come out. It’ll be a bit cool outside but this’ll start to get us ready for ski season.