A small, but mighty group of Junior Race Team athletes representing Larch Hills Nordic Society have just returned home from a week of competing against Canada’s best skiers at the 97^th Nordiq Canada Ski Nationals in Canmore, Alberta.  The Nordiq Canada Ski Nationals are a Tier 1 FIS sanctioned event and saw over 800 skiers from across Canada and around the world competing in sprint, distance and relay events. 

Competing at Ski Nationals is the culmination of 10 months of dryland and on-snow training.  Stella Bollans, Étoile Brown, Madeleine Wilkie, Gideon Breugem, Keiran Parker, and Kynan Dicker competed in 4 races over 5 days including a distance free technique interval start, classic sprints, a long distance classic mass start, and a mixed relay.

These skiers represented LHNS exceptionally well and there were multiple personal bests, including 38th and 39th place for Stella; 11th and 25th place for Étoile; silver, bronze, and two fourth place finishes for Madeleine; 44th and 85th for Gideon; and 36th and 52nd for Kynan. Kynan also had the 6^th overall fastest downhill time in his 5km skate race! Madeleine also won first place for the National U18 2007 Girls Overall Aggregate Award.

Also competing at Ski Nationals were local LHNS para skiers Kaden Baum, who triumphed with three bronze medals, and Natalie Wilkie, who podiumed with 5th and 6th place finishes in the able-bodied sprints and 30km classic long distance.
 
The competition was some of the biggest our athletes have experienced, with each race having between 93-126 skiers competing.  The courses were technical and challenging, with numerous uphill climbs that seemed never ending, but our athletes skied their hearts out and handled each race with perseverance, focus, skill and determination.  The outstanding efforts of these athletes resulted in Larch Hills Nordic Society being ranked the 17^th club in Canada, coming in ahead of many other bigger clubs and training centers across Canada! British Columbia also won the most aggregate points in the country!
 
In between races, Larch Hills athletes spent time getting to know other participants, meeting event sponsors and National Team athletes, and bonding as a team.
 
Athletes who attended the 2025 Nordiq Canada Ski Nationals are grateful to our parents, coaches, and Larch Hills Nordic Society members who made it possible for us to compete and represent our local ski club at the largest competitive national ski event in Canada! 
 
A big thank you to our 2025 Ski Nationals Support Team who attended with us – Glenn Bond, Angela Parker, Tim Bollans, Karin Huster, Ty Brown, Kristin Maddox-Brown, Robyn Anderson and Fearghus Dicker! 

 

1.  First study the map HERE
2.  Make your best prediction on how long it will take you to ski 2 laps. Pro tip: Nice to ski second lap in opposite direction.
3.  Note predicted time prior to skiing the course in log sheet provided on table outside of office.
4.  Next fill out survey to see if our AI assisted team can more accurately predict your actual ski time.
5.  Place your survey in the tray provided.
6.  Ski the two laps at your average speed.
7.  Finally, at the end of your ski, document your actual time next to your predicted time.