About 500 Grade 3 to 12 students hit the cross-country ski trails on Tuesday at River Bend Golf Course for Red Deer Public Schools’ first Ski Loppet since 2020.
Colin Christensen, Don Campbell Elementary School teacher and loppet co-ordinator, said the long-running event is an opportunity for some students to try a new sport while others are out to beat the competition in the three and five-km races.
“I like to say it’s the Dawe Run on skis,” said Christensen comparing the loppet to the annual fall run where about 5,000 students take part in a three or five-km run through the Red Deer trail system.
While most of the students are from Red Deer Public schools, some students from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools also participated in the loppet, along with some students from Innisfail and Ecole La Prairie.
Related:
Ponoka Golf Club opens new cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails
Christensen said many Red Deer Public schools have active cross-country ski clubs.
“At Don Campbell, we have over 60 kids who join us to ski over the noon hour a couple times a week.”
The loppet is held on groomed trails at the River Bend Golf Course where lights were installed in preparation for Red Deer to host the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
He said fewer daylight hours in the winter meant nighttime skiing was not possible at the site prior to the improvements. Now it’s become a popular place for skiing.
Cross-country skiing is one of those sports that people can enjoy throughout their lives if they have the skills, and it’s also a great upper and lower body workout, he added.
“Skiing is one the best things out there.”
Related:
Cross-country skiing coming to Medicine River Wildlife Centre
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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