HUNTSVILLE - Arrowhead Provincial Park will continue to be a busy place for Nordic skiing, as the park will be home to the National Masters Cross Country Ski Championships next week.
The championships, hosted by the Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club, begin with a registration/social evening on Monday night at the Holiday Inn Express.
The actual racing starts Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., with a 10 and 20 km free technique event. On Thursday, there will be a five to 10 km classic race starting at 10:30 a.m.
The championships continue Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with five to 10 km free technique races and Sunday’s 10 to 29 km classic race will start at 9:30 a.m.
Competitors will be able to ski the park’s trails for free during the off-days on Wednesday and Friday.
Event chair Peter Briand, who is also the park superintendent at Arrowhead Provincial Park, said the park was originally awarded the Ontario master’s championships for 2013, but those plans fell apart.
“We were in discussion with the provincial board member for the Ontario masters organization a couple of years ago in Parry Sound. He suggested Arrowhead would be a good venue to host a provincial masters in the future. We followed up on that and put in a bid to host the 2013 competition. We were accepted, but there was a change in the competition schedule for the provincials and we were asked about hosting the Canadian masters instead.”
The event is open to skiers ages 30 and older and must be members of the Canadian Masters Cross Country Ski Association. More than 100 competitors were registered as of Wednesday, with the oldest registrant at 86-years-old. Organizers say the championships will bring in around 150 people to the event, including some local competitors.
Registration for the event will be open online at arrowheadnordic.ca right up until Monday night.