NorAm Weekend: Volunteers made it Super

| Gerry Furseth
US rising star Julia Kern leads two-time Canadian Olympian Dahria Beatty over the bridge in Saturday's sprint.
Rising US star Julia Kern (bib 101) and two-time Canadian Olympian Dahria Beatty (right) lead the pack over the bridge in Saturday’s sprint. (Photo: Peggy Hung)

Sovereign Lake hosted a major cross country skiing event last weekend, thanks to more than 100 volunteers who put in the time and effort to create a successful race weekend for hundreds of visiting racers.

The NorAm series is one step below the World Cup and is used to qualify racers to move up to the World Cup, the World Championships, and the national team. The US SuperTour series is the same level, but for American racers.

Both series came to Sovereign Lake last weekend, along with every top skier in North America. 8 PyeongChang Olympians were spotted on the trails, among the 450 skiers who raced each day. Athletes from Alaska, Québec, Vermont, California, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Alberta made their way onto the podium, while over 200 young BC skiers got to ski the same courses as the top stars.

Want to know more about the races and what the athletes thought about their visit to our trails? FasterSkier was covering the event and has video interviews and photo galleries here.

This event helps develop young athletes, earns money for the club, and attracts interest from cross country skiers all over North America. Without our volunteers, none of this would be possible.

The event features future Olympians too. Since 2002, every Canadian who has raced at the Olympics raced at Sovereign Lake first. (Photo: Kent Murdoch)

All Action Weekend

| Gerry Furseth
Zen late morning after the elite skiers head home.
Peaceful late morning after the elite skiers are finished for the day.

Sovereign Lake is busy with elite racers this week. Each weekday morning, more than a hundred of the best skiers in North America are here training for this weekend’s racing. Each weekday at around 11am, they all leave to rest and recover.

The Sovereign team getting ready for the weekend.

All of the top skiers in North America are here for a combined NorAm and SuperTour race weekend. Come out on Saturday to see the sprints and Sunday for the distance races, and then go out for your own ski.

The stadium, dog trails, World Cup, Passmore, and Aberdeen will be closed both Saturday and Sunday for the races. That leaves about 30km of ski trails and all the snowshoe trails for non-racers.

Sovereign Lake Wednesday Night Race Series

| Troy Hudson

Sovereign Lake Presents: 

SLNC will host a Wednesday Night Race Series running throughout the 2018/19 ski season. What a fantastic opportunity for seasoned racers and newbies alike, looking to improve, test themselves, and just have a pile of fun out on the skinny skis. These races have distances and are geared towards all ages.

We are 1 race into the series with last weeks event seeing 26 racers of all abilities come out and test themselves on a 3 lap, 2km course. For race #2, we are hoping to see greater numbers out giving themselves that pre-xmas burn. The second race will be a pursuit start race based on your time from race #1. If however, you didn’t get the chance to come out to the first race and secure yourself a time, you are still able to participate in race #2 – we’ll just slot you in!

Second Race: Next Wednesday, Dec. 12th, 2018

Race Details:                                                                                            

Registration & Bib Pick Up: 5:50 PM – 6:15 PM

Cash only: $3.00/race or $20 for the series (7 races)

Race Start: 6:30 PM (Sharp-ish)

Please register in the Chalet upstairs

Results from the 1st race can be found here: Race 1 Results

See our Facebook event page for more details, and for the complete race schedule.

Record Opening Weekend

| Gerry Furseth
Day 8 of the new season. November 12, 2018
Day 8 of the new season. November 12, 2018

Sovereign Lake had a record opening weekend, with 1,001 day tickets sold, and all three days of the long weekend setting records.

As usual in the early season, there are visiting teams. The BC Talent Squad was here for the weekend, along with Telemark and Larch Hills.  The Alberta World Cup Academy arrived on Monday for a week of skiing.

The ski trail conditions are great. Snowshoers are still waiting for a bit more snow. Do your snow dance!

WE ARE OPEN!!

| Troy Hudson
The masters are out early. November 5, 2018
The masters are out early. November 5, 2018

Get ready to be inundated with ski pictures in your social media feeds because SLNC is open for business for the 2018-19 ski season.  With 15km of great skiing for classic and skate skiers, there is something for everyone. Check out our Webcams for current images as well as our Trail Report Page for the latest trail offerings. More trail will be opened as snow conditions permit.

Please be aware that our snowshoe trails are not yet open due to a shallow snowpack in the trees.

Season Passes are still on sale HERE. If you have kids in Programs there is a high chance that they will be getting onto snow very soon. Check your child’s Program Notification page on the website for the latest news.

 

Opening day corduroy on Passmore. November 5, 2018

Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club to host 2020 Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships

| Troy Hudson

PRESS RELEASE: September 27, 2018

Cross Country Ski de fond Canada’s Events Committee is pleased to announce the Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club in Vernon, B.C. will play host to the 2020 Canadian Ski Championships in March 2020.
“Sovereign Lake Nordic has played a critical role in providing Canadian cross-country skiers access to snow early in the season as the anchor to our NorAm program,” said Dave Dyer, CCC’s events director. “It was time we finished the season off in the same style as we have become accustomed to every December by going back to the Vernon region for our national championships.”
Dyer added the Selection Committee was especially impressed with the evolution of the leadership group and dedicated staff at Sovereign Lake Nordic.
The premier event on the 2020 domestic race calendar will fall immediately after the World Cup Finals in Canmore, Alta., March 20, 2020.
Homologated in 2005 to meet FIS standards in preparation for the return of the FIS World Cup to Canada, the trails at Sovereign Lake will provide a variety of options for both senior and junior skiers at the 94th running of the Canadian Ski Championships event.
“SLNC last hosted the Canadian Ski Championships in 1995 making the 2020 Nationals Campaign the 25th Anniversary of that event. An annual stop on the Haywood NorAm circuit each December, hosting other world-class events such as the 2005 World Cup and 2011 World Masters Championships, SLNC is poised to once again welcome our country’s top athletes during these eight days of racing,” said Pat Pearce, Chair of the Bid Committee. “The Organizing Committee is excited to get to work on its tasks to host the 2020 Canadian Ski National Championships.”
Located just 22 km from downtown Vernon, and 50 minutes from Kelowna International Airport, at an elevation of 1667m, Sovereign Lake Nordic Club and Silver Star Mountain Resort together provide over 105km of daily groomed Nordic ski trails. Its high elevation, moderate winter temperatures, world-class grooming, and outstanding early and late season ski conditions provide some of the best cross-country skiing in the world.
SLNC is the largest not-for-profit ski club in North America, founded in 1974, with backcountry skiing roots dating back to the early 1930’s. With over 1850 members and a thriving Youth and Master’s program of over 340, Sovereign operates a full-service facility with night skiing, large rental/retail shop and tuning services. We host over 29,000 visitors annually and offer a busy S’Cool Ski Program for more than 1700 local children across three school districts.
The 2019 Canadian Ski Championships will be held at the Nakkertok Nordic Centre, March 13 – 20, 2019. A two-day pursuit will lead off an action-packed week of domestic racing prior to the World Cup Finals slated for Quebec City.

2018/19 Season Passes Available NOW!

| Troy Hudson

Let Sovereign Lake be your next winter escape. Get a jump start on the season by purchasing your Individual or Family Season Passes now and be entered to win an $850 Thule Ski Box, donated by club sponsor Cap-It Vernon. There are a few exciting new Season Pass options this year including an all-new FAMILY SNOWSHOE PASS for just $120 (for up to 4 Family Members). We can’t wait to see you out enjoying our ski, snowshoe and backcountry trails.

Skiing Season Pass Pricing: https://www.sovereignlake.com/season-passes-2/skiing-season-passes/

Snowshoeing Season Pass Pricing: https://www.sovereignlake.com/season-passes-2/skiing-season-passes/snowshoe-season-passes/

Register Here: https://zone4.ca/reg.asp?id=18415

 

Contact Troy Hudson (SLNC General Manager) for more information on any of our programs, season pass options or registration issues at [email protected] or (250) 558-8916.

2018/19 Programs Registration OPEN!

| jladmin

While we are in the heat of summer we never really stop dreaming about snowy days at Sovereign Lake. 2018/19 Program Registrations are now open. There are many new and exciting program options for this season so have a read through the program details and let us know if you have any questions prior to registering.

  • Youth Programs:
    • Bunnies
    • JackRabbits
    • Track Attack
    • Junior Development Team
    • Junior Biathlon Team
    • WinterFit
    • Academy
  • Adult Programs:
    • U35’s
    • Masters
    • Masters High Performance
    • Masters Biathlon

Join us today!

Website Programs Link: https://www.sovereignlake.com/programs/

Zone4 Registration Page: https://zone4.ca/reg.asp?id=18415

Contact our Programs Director Eric de Nys for more information at [email protected]