WESTLOCK — Due to the lack of snow this past winter, Westlock Nordic Ski Club president Derrick Toporowski said they expected the annual loppet, which had been on hold since the start of the COVID pandemic, would have to miss yet another year.
However, thanks to some recent snowfall (including the storm that swept through the Westlock area the night before), a hastily-organized loppet was hosted at the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill on March 3, with a total of 52 skiers participating.
“It was very short notice, and so to get that many people, I was actually quite happy," said Toporowski, who co-organized the event with his wife and club secretary Shirley and loppet manager Reint Boelman.
A loppet is a type of cross-country skiing competition that's more informal in nature, with Toporowski likening it to a citizen road race or a fun run.
The Westlock Nordic Ski Club has hosted the loppet each year since about 1994, though there were a couple of years when it was cancelled due to the temperature falling below -40C, as well as the COVID years.
“Part of it was getting people back into the mindset that there was a race at Tawatinaw," Toporowski said, noting their usualy turnout is in the 80 to 100 range.
Despite being more informal in nature, the event drew quite a few competitive skiers, including a team from Fort McMurray preparing for the Northern Games.
This is due to the Westlock loppet being one of only a few cross-country skiing events to actually go ahead this year, as well as Tawatinaw being "quite a difficult course" due to the many hills and slopes.
"And so they came out because it was one of the few chances to ski in a competitive environment," said Toporowski.
"That being said, some people cross the finish line holding hands."
The day kicked off at about 10 a.m. with a race for the eight or so younger participants in the loppet, who only have to ski a kilometre. The remaining adults had a range of courses to choose from ranging in length from six kilometres to as much as 25 kilometres.
Those who ski the longest distances tend to be the most experienced, and so they are set along a course that is more difficult than what the others face, he indicated.
Toporowski indicated there are a couple of things set the Westlock loppet apart from other cross-country events, the first being that they can actually serve a meal due to the chalet's food services being on site.
"(That) is not typical of most places, because they just don't have a facility like that," he said. "People .... can’t believe what a great facility we have in the area. It’s really quite impressive."
Second, the loppet has a lot of support from local businesses who donate prizes for the skiers. And because participation was lower this year, just about every participant walked away with a door prize ranging from a free oil change to a toy tractor to a bag of dog food.
Toporowski said they are very grateful for the support of local businesses and also their volunteers who stand out in the cold to time the skiers.
“That’s really the key to running a loppet: all the people who give their time to come out and help," he said.
The club also has a good partner in the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill, which often does trail and track-setting for the race.
The Nordic Ski Club actually has its own trails out at the Westlock Golf Club which are not only used by cross-country skiers, but also by people who want to hike or snowshoe the countryside.
“It’s an open trail. We don’t police who are on it," he said.
That said, Toporowski encourages those who want to use the trails to purchase a membership, as it helps with the cost of track-setting (which is effectively the club's main expense).
Those who want to purchase a membership can call Toporowski at (780) 307-6836 or visit the Westlock Nordic Ski Club's website, which has a link connected to Cross-Country Canada's site where people can purchase a membership.
