The annual Snow Valley Open, hosted by the Snow Valley Nordic Ski Club at Onion Lake Ski Trails, happens this Saturday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. and is open to all skiers who want to race – and want the chocolate bar that comes with race completion.
“It’s quite a formal race designed to be exactly the same as provincial, national and international races and it introduces our youngsters to the way things are done at those events,” said club president Liz Thorne, noting that racers can register online, and have to know how to ski fast – a more relaxed event is the marathon held at the end of February.
It has individual start times at 30 second intervals and distances range from 400m to 6.5 km depending on age and gender.
And there is plenty of room for spectators, she said, with soup and a bun available for a small fee. “Our lodge has a large woodstove and seating for quite a lot of people – we expect it to be packed,” she said.