By Marcia Beckner
Contributor
How wonderful it is to get a blast from the past unexpectedly, especially when it has to do with a nordic ski experience that ranks among the most memorable.
Mid-January I received an email from our very own para nordic skier, Natalie Wilkie. Excitedly she reported that she was in Italy with the Para Nordic team doing a camp in Val di Femme before the World Cup starts.
“Today I got to ski your trail, the Marcialonga!”
Natalie remembered me telling her about the 70-kilometre marathon they host there, closing with how it is “such a beautiful area to ski!”
Beautiful, indeed, situated at the base of the Dolomites which rise dramatically just north of the Val di Femme.
Back in 2006, having chosen the Marcialonga as one of the Worldloppets we would like to ski, Jim and I headed to Italy for the 70-km event.
After all, I figured if they are going to name a loppet after me, I had better ski it!
Kind of fun to absorb all the swag with my name on it at an event that attracts 5,000 skiers! A classic event, the Marcialonga winds its way through a number of towns en route up the river valley to the turning point, and then back the
other side. Most memorable is the final 144-metre climb up to the finish line in Cavalese. At the bottom of the hill, Toko had set up a vat of klister with a rolling drum. Each skier was offered a klister to manage the upcoming 12 per cent grade hill. We welcomed the idea, especially at the end of a 70-km ski!
Efficiently, the techs took off our skis right as we stood in the track, ran the grip area over the rolling klister drum, set them back in the track, and off we went, passing those poor souls who were struggling up this hill because they had passed on the klister offer.
How wonderful it is to finish in the middle of a mountain town!
I can just imagine Natalie on the Marcialonga loppet route – brought back great memories.
Closer to home, the annual Pirate Loppet in the Larch Hills was a great success. A very foggy day, which is akin to the thoughts of pirate ships sailing into view through the fog. Ahoy matey! Great day for the kids, and thanks to the many volunteers, many dressed as pirates.
Read more: PHOTOS: Foggy morning ahead for young Shuswap pirates
Read more: In photos: Young pirates find their ski legs at Shuswap’s Larch Hills
These recent dumps of snow bode well for a continued wonderful ski season in the Larch Hills. Keeping in mind that the temperature on the hill is predictably three degrees lower than in Salmon Arm, even the melting of the snow here in the valley will not affect the snow base in the Larch Hills.
The Larch Hills Nordic Society is hosting the BC Championships March 1-3. Expecting upwards of 500 skiers, the organizers are busy rounding up volunteers for the many positions that make such a large event run smoothly.
Happily, I get my favourite volunteer position – as herder in the start area.
As the skiers come into the start area, I get to sort them out, and send them in order to the start line. This is after they have been given an electronic ankle device for electronic timing by the crew of volunteers at the start area entrance. Then there is the crew at the start line, the starter, the course marshals, the timing crew at the finish, the calculations folks, the food crew – then there is the Saturday night gathering/banquet. Makes for a wonderful weekend.
Larch Hills Road, up past John’s Ski Shack, has been a challenge in these freezing-then-thawing-then-freezing conditions. The LHNS is working hard to help make things improve.
LHNS meeting Tuesday tonight. Always interesting to hear the reports of folks involved in all organizing all the events on the hill, plus those who make the organization tick.
Think snow!