The Apex cross country ski area will be busy and crowded on Sunday, March 1, for the annual Teck Kootenay Cup Race organized by the Nelson Nordic Ski Club.
Organizer Kaj Gyr calls it the perfect family recreational event.
“It is upbeat, parents and kids, lots of fun, prizes, lots of good food,” he says. “It's like-minded outdoorsy families getting together. People from other communities make a weekend of it, stay with friends, meet new people.”
There are races all day, starting with the Bunnies, age 5 and under, whose race course is a half kilometer.
“They can compete, after a fashion,” says Gyr. “It's good fun.”
Then come the Atoms, age 7 and under, followed by more age categories and longer courses up to the juniors, age 15 to 19, whose course is 7.5 kilometers. There will be an all-ages race for recreational skiers as well.
The races are a mix of skate-skiing and classic, although most people older than the Atoms will be skating, Gyr says.
There will be a podium with medals, ribbons, and chocolate.
“It's good if you don't take it too seriously,” he says, “although some people will. Some of the juniors are really focused on that. It's the flavour you get when you have a mix of people who want to do their very best and others who want to just go out and have fun.”
Gyr says it's worth it just for the food.
“Although our warming hut is very small, we fill it with tables of food and the parents bring desserts. The kids love that, of course.”
To register for the race go to zone4.ca and click the Teck Kootenay Cup #7 link. Bib pick up is at 10 a.m. Bunnies and Atoms (7 and under) start at 10:30 a.m. Start times then go sequentially from youngest to oldest.
The Teck Kootenay Cup Ski race has been running for more than a decade in various communities across the region each year.