Phoenix NordicAnnual cross-country Loppet!
Check out our event page for details and pictures of the fun costumes from past years.
Latest
Annual trail run
Our second annual trail run was a success. Thanks to all that made it possible. More information and race results.
Membership is open for the 2025/2026 season
The new 2025–26 registration form has now gone live. Go here to register for memberships and programs. The current early bird fee structure is valid until November 30th, after which season rates apply.
Newsletters & archive
October 2024 Newsletter
Hi Everyone;
With the new ski/snowshoe season fast approaching it’s time to let everyone know what is happening with our club and up on the mountain.
A quick word on buying your memberships: we now offer an e-transfer option for payment. This enables you to avoid the credit card charges. Also, our early bird rates are valid until the end of November, after which regular season rates will apply.
Our diligent volunteers are hard at work on a number of projects. Dacha 25 is well underway with a new floor being poured as I type. We are building a new warming hut near the trailhead at the big kiosk which we hope to be complete by the time the snow flies. Our signage project is ongoing and slated to be completed this fall. We are excited to be planning our 2nd Annual Ski Loppet for February 16th. Our head groomer Rick is now training a back-up groomer to fill in where required. This year, in collaboration with the bike club and the hiking club, we have hired a new trails manager, Don, to help expedite some of our projects. Our website is currently undergoing a facelift with a new hosting agency. Check it out!
Our junior Skill Development Program continues to grow thanks to the amazing efforts of our head coach, Tristan. Your child can enroll in these programs at our website on the same platform as you pay your membership. He also coaches our new race team with a number of out-of-town race dates throughout the season. We have an extensive inventory of ski equipment available for rental for participating skiers.
As we are a member-run organization we continue to search for volunteers from our membership in order to improve what we offer the public for nordic skiing and snowshoeing. When you pay your membership please indicate in the appropriate field how you would like to get involved.
We are currently looking for a new home for our ski inventory. If anyone has some unused space that they could offer the club, either pro bono or for a nominal fee, it would make storing, waxing and fitting ski equipment much more convenient for our members. We need about 100–200 square feet of secure space close to Grand Forks with heat as an option. If you can help out with this please email bmfletch@telus.net.
Our volunteers have built three new snowshoe trails in the past few years, yet we continue to see virtually no representation on either our board of directors, our volunteer pool or memberships purchased from the snowshoeing community. If you use our trails for snowshoeing please support our efforts by getting involved.
Ski you soon!
Brian Fletcher, Vice Chair
Phoenix XC Ski Society aka Phoenix Nordic
Your new directors (2024–25)
We are excited to announce the election of our new PCCSS Board of Directors. We thank the following volunteers that have stepped up to the following board positions:
- Lizzy Kaempffer – President
- Brian Fletcher – Vice President/Registrar
- Heidi Stiles – Secretary
- Tristan Sjoden – Treasurer
- Rocio Graham – Communications and Grants
- Dennis Graham – at large
- Jamie Stewart – at large
- Larry Hudema – at large
Seasons for Phoenix Nordic Trail Run
This is a family fun run event. All ages and abilities welcome. Prizes awarded. This is a fundraiser for our XC ski/snowshoe club.
9 am race bib pickup · 10 am mass start · Fisherman Creek Trails at Lover’s Lane, follow signs. Race course lengths are 1.5 km, 5 km and 10 km. Results.
NORDIQ CANADA DISCOUNTS
Did you know that becoming a member of Phoenix Cross Country Ski Society entitles you to great discounts from brands such as POLAR, SWIX and AUCLAIR? Pay for a membership on this site and then register with Nordiq Canada (nordiqcanada.ca) to claim your discounts. Ski you soon!!
Annual General Meeting
The Phoenix Cross Country Ski Society is holding its 2023 AGM on Wednesday, October 25th at the Grand Forks Library meeting room at 6:30 pm. Access to the meeting room is at the back of the building. Bring any ideas you may have to improve our club or stand for a position on our board of directors. See you there.
Membership Registration Form 2023-24
The new 2023-24 registration form has now gone live. You may now register for memberships and spring dryland training. The current early bird fee structure is valid until November 30, whereupon the rates will increase to regular season rates.
OPERATION – FIND YOUR WAY
The PCCSS is excited to announce that in co-operation with Nordiq Canada for 2023 we are raising funds to pay for a renewal of the signage at our Marshall Lake trail system. This project will include 60 directional signs and ‘you-are-here’ signs at trail junctions including snowshoe trails, a new enlarged, full colour trail map, trail etiquette signs, Dacha etiquette/history signs, an ‘about our club’ sign, small plaques recognizing our sponsors and signs directing efficient use of the parking area. All of the directional signs will use reflective lettering to encourage nighttime use of the system. We are calling this project OPERATION FIND YOUR WAY and the target amount is $6000.
GIFT WRAPPING FUNDRAISER
We announce our new fundraiser starting Saturday, December 3rd. Bring your gift to the GF BEER COMPANY between 2 and 5 PM and let us pretty it up. Wrapping is by suggested donation. While you wait indulge yourself with a locally brewed beer and a snack. Fundraiser continues for the following two Saturdays at the GF BEER CO. See you there!!
Nordic Ski Club Fundraiser
The PCCSS is diving into gift wrapping this season as a way to raise funds to help our club pay for operating expenses and to get the word out about our programs and memberships. So, if you would like to support our club and need something wrapped, bring your item down to Grand Forks Beer Company on December 3rd and the 12th between 2 and 5 pm. There will be a minimum suggested donation for each item wrapped. We would like to acknowledge Pharmasave for providing the wrapping paper, bows and ribbon and Thistle Pot Gifts for supplying us with boxes.
Memberships 2022-23
The new 2022-23 registration platform is now engaged. You may also register for our Skill Development Programs at the same time. Press the ‘become a member’ button to get started. Earlybird rates apply until November 14, after which regular season rates will apply.
Teck Regional Cup Program
Information courtesy of the Cross Country BC website: the Teck Regional Cup Series offers affordable, accessible competitive opportunities for developing athletes. All Regional Cup races offer age-appropriate categories for children 14 years of age and younger, and most offer the full spectrum of categories for skiers of all ages.
2021/22 Teck Kootenay Cup Series
- Dec 11–12 – Cups #1 & 2 – Rossland – individual sprint (classic), mass start (free)
- Dec 18 – Cup #3 – Golden – interval start (classic)
- Jan 22–23 – Cups #4 & 5 – Kimberley – individual sprint (free), mass start (classic)
- Feb 5–6 – Cups #6 & 7 – Nelson – individual sprint (free), interval start (classic)
Welcome
HI SKIERS AND SNOWSHOERS, our new season membership registration form for 2021-22 is now ready for action. The good news for snowshoers is the new trails that are currently being built specifically for snowshoers. So, if you are using our trail system we would urge all snowshoers to buy a membership in our club to help offset the cost of continued construction and maintenance. Skiers will be pleased to know that we are organizing work parties for ski trail maintenance.
2021 Annual General Meeting
The Phoenix Cross Country Ski Society is holding its AGM on Monday, November 8th at 7pm at Selkirk College in Grand Forks, Room 8, accessed through the front doors of the College. All are welcome.
Your newly elected PCCSS Board of Directors: Brian Fletcher (Chair), Larry Hudema (Secretary), Dennis Graham (Treasurer), Wayne Hind, Jamie Stewart, Rick Bennett, Heidi Stiles and Tristan Sjoden (Directors).
21/22 Memberships
HI CROSS COUNTRY SKIERS; our membership registration will be opening soon for the upcoming winter season. Stay tuned!!
Newsletter February 2021
Hi Nordic Skiers;
First of all I would like to thank everyone who has registered online and manually as club members this season. Thank you also for filling out the volunteer section on the form. I’d also like to acknowledge those of you who made additional unsolicited donations to the club…again THANK YOU!! Our club operation depends largely upon member dues and donations for the day-to-day operational expenses incurred. Parents who registered their children for the Skier Development Program are also to be applauded.
Our season is currently in full swing with conditions ranging from okay to excellent. The number of people using our trail system this season is unprecedented and hopefully will continue to see heavy use. During this cold snap, please remember to dress warmly in layers and bring extra gloves, water and a snack. Conditions at Phoenix Mtn can be much colder and windier than in town. Please check the weather conditions at skiphoenix.com to avoid any surprises.
We continue to encourage snowshoers to use our trail system. We would ask that they walk to one side of the classic groomed section of the trail. We would also ask them to contribute to trail maintenance by buying a membership or dropping a donation into the box at the parking lot.
Covid 19 continues to present a challenge for everyone engaging in group activities. Please be aware of your social distancing and remember to sign in at the trailhead. Also, remember that the Dacha has a limit to the number of people allowed inside at one time.
This past fall we built and launched a new website [phoenixnordic.com] which enabled members to more readily find information about our club as well as to make payment for club membership much easier. Our membership now stands at over 100 thanks in part to ease of registry. The website is a work-in-progress. Any suggestions as to content are welcome. We are also looking for a member who has knowledge of WordPress and is willing to give a few hours of advice. We are also looking to develop a logo for the club. Any suggestions are welcome.
Another step forward was becoming a club member of both Cross Country BC [CCBC] and Nordiq Canada [NC]. These two organizations are the provincial and federal sanctioning bodies for the sport of cross country skiing in Canada. The resources that are available from them are unparalleled in supporting what we are doing as a nordic ski club in BC. They range from offering training courses for coaches to platforms for member registrations [zone4.ca] to a member database to receiving grants. The training manuals that are used by our XC ski coaches are all supplied by CCBC and NC.
This new season also brought us the opportunity to begin our junior Skier Development Program [SDP] headed by our coach, Tristan Sjoden. Tristan is a certified Nordic coach who has skied from a very early age both competitively and recreationally. Currently we have 6 children enjoying the program and are hoping to enlarge our enrollment in SDP next season as well as offer an adult program if there is demand. Ski, boot and pole rentals for those children enrolled in the SDPs are now available. If there are any potential Nordic coaches out there, please contact myself or Tristan for the details of certification.
As our club continues to grow in both membership and activities it puts additional pressure on the systems we have in place and their associated costs, namely grooming, trail maintenance, coaching, website, SDPs, Dacha and ski gear. At the end of the season we will be analyzing income versus expenses and any projected new initiatives and deciding what if any member fee increases are necessary. You can be assured that your club will continue to provide you, our members, with an excellent skiing experience at the Marshall Lake trails at reasonable cost.
I would like to acknowledge the many hours that Rick Bennett, our trail groomer, unselfishly spends laying down corduroy on our trail system for everyone’s enjoyment. THANK YOU RICK!!
Some initiatives that we are looking at moving forward are: Dacha upgrade or replacement, improved liaison with Phoenix Mtn Alpine Ski Society, more secure off-season storage for our snowcat and better first-aid and emergency preparedness.
Thanks for reading, have a safe and enjoyable season.
Brian Fletcher, Chair, Phoenix Cross Country Ski Society
Phoenix Cross Country Ski Society 2020-21
Your PCCSS directors for 2020-21: Brian Fletcher (Chair), Larry Hudema (Secretary), Dennis Graham (Treasurer), Rick Bennett, Wayne Hind and Tristan Sjoden (at large).