UBC Nordic Skiing is open to a variety of athletes, who desire to compete or push their fitness and strength to higher levels. We are also a group of students with various outdoor interests, thus our training sessions vary from running, hiking, and skiing, to indoor sessions, with some individuals getting together to mountain bike, rock climb, ski tour, and other modes of exercise.

Interested skiers can contact us at nordicski.sc@ubc.ca or find the TSC booth and Nordic Skiing Representative on Imagine Day. We are also on social media at @ubcnordicskiing on Instagram. Logistical information pertaining to the information meeting and practice schedule will be posted on our website and social media in the coming weeks.

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Tuesday, Sept 12th: Casual run and core (Meet at Macinnes field, 6:30 pm)
• Thursday, Sept 14th: Team Info Session (Room TBD 6:00 pm)
• Thursday, Sept 21st: Tryouts/ First practice (Meet at Macinnes field, 6:00 pm)

Eligibility Requirements:

We expect athletes to be dedicated team members and students in order to participate in high-performance racing. Though prior racing experience is encouraged, it is not required. Athletes should be highly motivated and able to attend bi-weekly practices on weeknights, weekend races, and National Championships in March. Weekend practices on Saturday mornings are encouraged, but not strictly mandatory. Exceptions will be made for varsity athletes and athleteswith injuries.

Equipment Requirements:

• Basic Running Gear
• Properly fitted skate skis, boots, and poles
• Properly fitted classic skis, boots, and poles
• Basic wax setup (glide and kick)
• Rollerskis optional (helmet mandatory if choosing to rollerski)
• Bike optional (helmet mandatory if choosing to bike)

Try Outs and Recruitment:

Come find us at Imagine Day in September 2023 for our 2023-24 team on Tuesday, September 5th.

Tryouts for the 2023/2024 season will take place in late September. The tryout format goes as followed:

Attend 1 of 2 Tryout sessions:

• Sept 19th, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
• Sept 20th 6:00 – 7:30 PM

• Prospective athlete must attend all three to be rostered

Phase 1: Info Night

• Criteria to pass to the next phase: fill out the waiver

Phase 2: Tryout runs

• Must attend 1 of 2 sessions

Phase 3: Athlete Check-ins

Criteria to be rostered:

• Commitment to the team/ability to show up to practices and races
• Congruent understanding in where the prospective athlete would fit into the team.
• Will be a positive and contributing member of the community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact an executive at nordicski.sc@ubc.ca, or Instagram!

Team Fees:

Team costs for theseason are around $300. This fee covers a fall training camp, an away race, and team wax. If you are facing financial barriers and are unable to pay the team fee, please reach out to the exec team. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all folks interested in our team.

Practice and Training Schedule:

Practices take place from September to March and are on weekday evenings from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm (nights to be determined through a team poll in September). A strength session is available on Sunday evenings from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm.

Competition Schedule 2023/24:

• Reading Break Training Camp – Silverstar, B.C: November 10th-15th
• Teck Coast Cup #1 – Whistler, B.C – December 17th
• Teck Coast Cup #2 – Whistler, B.C. – December 30th
• Western Championships – Canmore, A.B. – January 12th-14th
• Teck Coast Cup #3 – Whistler, B.C. – January 20th
• Reino Keski Salmi Loppet – Salmon Arm, B.C. – January 20th
• Cascade Cup – Manning Park, B.C. – January 27th
• Teck BC Cup #1 – Prince George, B.C. – January 27th-28th
• Teck Coast Cup #4 & #5 – Mt. Washington, B.C. – February 3rd to 4th
• Spud Valley Loppet – Pemberton, B.C. – February 4th
• Teck BC Cup #2 – Whistler, B.C. – February 10th to 11th
• P’ayak Loppet – Whistler, B.C. – February 24th
• Teck BC Championships – Salmon Arm, B.C. – March 1st-3rd
• National Championships – Gatineau, Q.C. – March 10th to 16th

A full list of events can be found on both Cross Country BC’s website. Additional Races to be attended will be decided later in the season when team member availability is determined.

The start of our 2022-23 race season was marked by BC Cup #1 in January, the first of 3 in our provincial race series. We came out of the weekend with 15 top 5 finishes in the Saturday classic sprint and Sunday skate distance race, including podiums from Maggie Beckner, Isaac Lowenthal-Walsh, and Anna Chatterton. This success would set us off on a record-breaking season of results over 6 weekends and 12 races. For the remainder of our season, our athletes showed growth in both results and team camaraderie. From going head to head with the best in the country at Western Championships, to competing in the 50 km P’ayak loppet in banana suits, it was a season for the books. Overall, we came out of our race season with provincial UBC sweep, with 7 athletes awarded the top 3 University Aggregate Awards and approximately 5000 kilometres of collective skiing. 

We are incredibly thankful for our amazing coach Carrie Pomeroy, with whom our training and race logistics would not be possible! We are also proud to come away from the 2022-23 season with the ‘Executives of the Year’ Award from TSC.

Nordic skiing at UBC has had an irregular history. From existing as an amalgamation of student-athletes to a club, to a varsity sport in the early 2000s, to a TSC club in 2015, to an amalgamation of student-athletes again in 2017, and finally to our current status as a TSC club in 2018, we have certainly undergone some changes over time. What has remained constant is our tight-knit community and high level of racing and performance. Alumni still participate in races with UBC and regularly provide carpool rides to new members and rookies. Support from community stores, clubs, and organizations such as Hollyburn and Coast Outdoors, have allowed us to regularly send athletes to races near and far. Over the years, UBC has consistently sent skiers to National races, as well as Internationally to the United States and overseas. In 2011, UBC’s Jesse Heckrodt attended World University Games in Turkey, where he lead the Canadian men to a 31st-place finish.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact an executive member at nordicski.sc@ubc.ca, or via our Instagram page @ubcnordicskiing!