A flood of residents rushing to the cross country ski trails in St. Albert has made the local ski club busier than ever before.
Due to COVID-19 indoor restrictions, Laurie Hunt, president of the St. Albert Nordic Ski Club (SANSC), said the club has seen an increase in demand for its classes this year.
“I think it's just a direct response to COVID-19 and the desire to have physical activity outside. And I think people are also aware that cross country skiing is a very good fitness sport – it's good for your muscles and your aerobic fitness,” Hunt said.
“It’s definitely taken off in terms of interest.”
Typically, Hunt said there are around 100 kids registered in SANSC's youth programs, but this year that has increased dramatically to 150 kids.
“And there's more demand. We basically capped it at 150 because we we include rentals with our ski programs for the youth and we don't have enough skis,” Hunt said.
“We just don't have enough equipment to have more kids in the program."
On top of the increase in kids, the program can’t even purchase more skis because of the high demand at ski shops from everyone hitting the tracks for the first time this year.
Their adult programs have also increased in popularity, having to add additional classes to meet the need of the city.
"We have added three or four sets of lessons," Hunt said.
But Hunt said they are limited in terms of how many people they can have in their classes because they are following the COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor gatherings.
Cross-country skiing is a great activity to stay in line with those restrictions, Hunt said.
"Skiing is a great way to get outside. You can ski along beside a friend and be two meters apart. So you can sort of socialize while you're outdoors.
It is also great for overall health and fitness too, Hunt said.
"It's a full body workout so you're using your arms and your legs and your lungs. You know, it burns a reasonable amount of calories and improves cardiovascular health," Hunt said.
SANSC has been in in the community for 42 years with 14 kilometres of trails groomed in the city, including trails in Riverlot 56 and along Sturgeon Road.
Hunt said the city is surrounded by other beautiful ski trails, including those out in Devon, the Strathcona Wilderness Centre and Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area.
