Amazing results with club membership drives across BC! First off, THANK YOU for all your work and leadership in building healthier communities. Despite much later snow this year, total club membership in BC is trending fairly similarly to the past 3 years; the increased popularity of our sport since Covid continues! To put this in perspective, total membership is still up ~40% compared to the pre-pandemic Dec 1st of 2019/20. A huge THANK YOU to this year’s Membership Contest sponsors for their support. Each of the sponors (listed below) readily stepped up again and are fantastic to work with. To see what they’re contributing scroll past the results table below.
And finally, the Club Membership Contest results: Remember, to win, a club needed to have the highest % of its previous winter’s total membership.
- Group A: Telemark was too strong in the end, holding off Overlander and a late surge by last year’s winner Kimberley! Shout out to Caledonia, currently with the largest membership in Canada!
- Group B: This looked to be a battle between Nelson and Black Jack (both winners last year), but Bulkley Valley accelerated past both on the homestretch! Almost 1,100 members already in a town of ~5,500 (Smithers) is amazing!
- Group C: After getting nipped on the homestretch last year, this year Hollyburn hangs on for the victory, despite relentless pressure from Strathcona. Nice work by Golden, with more members than at this time in the past couple years.
- Group D: A close battle for most of the race, but Nordic Racers sprinted away from Whiskey Jack on the homestretch. Last year’s winner Whistler finished third. Strong finish by many of the others.
- Group E: Sea to Sky stays ahead for the victory. A tie for 2nd between last year’s winner Dakota Ridge and Sun Peaks. Very strong finish by Valhalla Hills, not far behind.
- Group F: Nechako with their first win ever! Next was Spud Valley and then Fort Nelson, our most northernly club.
Winners will be contacted shortly. In the past 8 years, we’ve now had a total of 31 different winning clubs! Here are the top 3 clubs in each group (ranked by % of their previous year’s total membership), plus any club that has already achieved 80% of their previous year’s total. Current membership totals are also shown for reference.
2023-24 Club Membership Contest – Prize Giveaway!
To add a bit of extra excitement to your club’s membership drive, Cross Country BC is collecting some fantastic prizes to give away to the winning clubs.
The following have been donated so far:
- From Rossignol:
- Prize #1: A fleet of kids’ ski gear – perfect for your Skill Development Program, Ski S’Kool program, equipment rental pool… your choice!
- 15 beginner classic ski packages (various sizes of waxless skis, boots, bindings, poles). Value of $5,250.
- Plus the option to buy up to 10 more packages for only $115 each (subject to availability). Value of $3,500.
- Prize #2: A fleet of kids’ ski gear (skis/boots/bindings/poles) for only $115 per set. Max of 15 sets. Value of $5,250.
- If your club is looking to buy or expand its ski fleet, please see HERE to find out more about Rossignol’s fleet program.
- Prize #1: A fleet of kids’ ski gear – perfect for your Skill Development Program, Ski S’Kool program, equipment rental pool… your choice!
- From Fischer and Swix:
- 2 classic ski packages, each valued at ~$600
- Assorted Fisher and Swix swag
- From The Pinnacles Suites at Silver Star Mountain
- Two night stay for up to 8 people in a Suite. For anytime during the 2023-24 Ski Season excluding the Christmas Holidays and Long Weekends). Value before taxes $1280
- https://pinnacles.com/
- “With spectacular views of the slopes and mountains, spacious suites offering all the comforts of home and the charm of the original day lodge at our core, The Pinnacles Suites is a favourite among Silver Star accommodations.”
- Discount for ALL members: 15% discount on any new accommodation booked by Dec 1 with code ‘CCBC’. From Nov 4, 2023 to Apr 10, 2024, excluding Dec 16 to Jan 1 and long weekends. Book online at pinnacles.com or call 1-800-551-7466 or email reserve@pinnacles.com. (Not valid with any other offer. Restrictions apply. Direct bookings only.)
- From Sovereign Lake Nordic and SilverStar Mountain Resort:
- 3 day XC Supercamp for 2024/25 season (valued at $650)
- “From First Timer to Big Timer” Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre and Silver Star Mountain Resort offer Canada’s most established cross country ski improvement camps for all skiing abilities & fitness levels. Whether you are a competitive Master's racer, a first time skier, or somewhere in between, come and enjoy our 105km of rolling terrain, professional coaching, exceptional grooming and the best early snow in the country.
- www.xcsupercamps.com
- From Nipika Mountain Resort:
- A getaway for two, including two nights' accommodation in a private cabin. Valid for any season, subject to availability. Spring/summer/fall activties include hiking, mountain biking, trail running, and disc golf. Value of $650.
- www.nipika.com
- “Nipika Mountain Resort is the place to stay, experience and explore in the Canadian Rockies.”
- From Tin Poppy Retreat
- 2 nights stay for up to 5 people at Violet Cabin (Solar powered), see accommodation, for any time during the 2023-24 Ski Season. Value before taxes $400.
- 10 min from Larch Hills Nordic trails system
- ~14 Kms of onsite snowshoe trails
- Private sauna, pets welcome
- Tin Poppy Retreat is a solar powered retreat located in the Larch Hills between the Shuswap and the North Okanagan valley, 25 minutes from Salmon Arm and Enderby. The160 acre pet friendly property has four unique cabins all within a 5 - 10 minute walking distance from each other. The retreat has kilometers of onsite maintained hiking/snowshoes trails for guests to enjoy and is just minutes from the Larch Hills Nordic ski trails.
- This Larch Hills cabin is equipped with modern propane appliances, comfortable beds, cozy fireplace and a private sauna. This cabin does not have electricity or running water. Clean water is provided.
- https://www.tinpoppy.ca/about
Prizes can be used by clubs as they see fit: to raffle off, for a family in need, to use as a volunteer draw prize, for a kids program, for an Early-Bird prize … your choice!
To win, a club has to have the highest percentage of members registered*, as of midnight Dec 1 2023, as compared to its previous winter’s total membership. For example, a club with 200 members last year and 140 members by Dec 1 would be at 70%, and a club with 160 members last year and 120 members by Dec 1 would be at 75%.
To make things fair as well as have more winners, clubs have been divided into 6 groups and a winner will be selected from each group, for a total of 6 winners. The prizes will be randomly distributed amongst the winners. The groups, along with last winter’s club membership totals, are shown below.
In the past three winters, almost every club has broken their membership record. Amazing! What is possible this year?
*As reported in the Zone4 membership database. Minimum of 40 members to qualify.