BC Ski Team in Sweden
2025 B-Tour
* All photos are found at the bottom of the reports.
March 31st
Today was our rest day after a weekend of lots of fun racing. We began the day with a Swedish breakfast of oatmeal and jam. Shortly after we departed to go on a tour at one of the largest open mines in Sweden. When we arrived we got dressed in safety vests, shielded helmets, rubber boots, and some of us wore blue lab coats as well. We then toured the mine via vans and saw all the machinery and vehicles used in mining operations. We saw 40 ton trucks and even got to go on one. We also got to view the mine. We were told that each layer was 30m vertical and the lowest point was currently 570m down. Next we ate pasta with meat sauce, pizza salad, and many other delicious Swedish foods for lunch at the cafeteria.
It was now time for some sightseeing. Lisbeth, one of the Gällivare coaches, toured us around town. We went to Malmberget and saw some of the preparations for construction to relocate the town. Many of the people there have been moved closer to Gällivare and have shipped their house by trailer or moved to a new house in anticipation of the mine expansion. We also got to see the new location of some the houses. Then we went to see some of the old buildings that were used when the railway was being built.
Our next activity was dinner at Hellner Stadion. After dinner we quickly went outside to have a spark race. We had a lot of fun navigating an obstacle course, and we were split into two group to compete in a relay.
By Kiara Pighin (Telemark Nordic Club)
March 30th
Sunday concluded the last race of the Bauhaus Cup. We raced a tough 10km classic race and finished off with a grand tour of the famous Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi! Stepping inside of the ice hotel was breathtaking. Each room was unique and sculpted by different artists from around the world. Some rooms featured elaborate ice sculptures, while others were mythical or had a tranquil atmosphere. We ended the day at Bart’s Bar for dinner where we also met Bart! The dinner included delicious köttbullar med fetaost (feta moose meatballs), roasted vegetables, Swedish salad, lingonberry juice, and apple pie for dessert. Fun fact I learned: Swedish people love their meatballs!
By Isabella Pighin (Telemark Nordic Club)
March 29th
The second day of racing in Kiruna was a 1.5km classic sprint. With a long hour and a half drive to the venue and early qualifying start times we woke up early at 4:30 AM for a 5:15 AM departure. The 1.5km course was one of the longest sprint courses most of us had ever done. However, without any very challenging hills we found it was not as difficult as many other courses we’ve raced on. After a competitive sprint qualifier, six BC athletes qualified inside the top 30 and advanced to the heats.
The heats, which took place in the afternoon, were very competitive and had a great atmosphere with lots of people cheering on the side of the trail - including many of the BC and Gällivare athletes. Cooling down after the sprints gave us a good chance to pre-ski the 5km course for the next days race.
After packing the skis in the vans, we drove back to Gällivare. Almost every athlete fell asleep on the drive back. After we arrived at our destination we cooked a dinner of Swedish meatballs on pasta.
By Gavin Chatterton (Strathcona Nordic Ski Club)
Race Results: FIS - Kiruna (SWE) - Cross Country
Reports from March 26-28th: https://crosscountrybc.ca/bc-ski-team-sweden-2025-b-tour
Athletes
Aleah Smith (Nelson Nordic Ski Club)
Andreas Inkster (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club)
Axel Hostyn (Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club)
Gavin Chatterton (Strathcona Nordic Ski Club)
Isabella Pighin (Telemark Nordic Club)
Kiara Pighin (Telemark Nordic Club)
Koby Clark (Kimberley Nordic Club)
Lucas Gitt (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club)
Mark Shapovalov (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club)
Maya Abraham (Nelson Nordic Ski Club)
Nadia Wallin (Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club)
Xavier Wallace (Overlander Ski Club, Kamloops)
Coaches
Maria Lundgren (CCBC Assistant Coach)
Adam Elliot (BC Development Squad Coach
