CCBC Hosts Visiting Team from Sweden
Cross Country BC is currently hosting a junior team from the Gällivare Skidgymnasium, which is one of five national ski academies in Sweden. The team is visiting as part of an exchange program that includes Cross Country BC sending a team to Sweden later this winter. Below is a brief summary of their first days in Canada.
DAY 1 (Sept 10th, 2024)
First day in Canada. We woke in a hotel in Chilliwack. The breakfast was a new experience because there was so much sugar in everything. But it was fun to try it. After breakfast it was time for training. We took the car from the hotel, and on the drive we saw the city and the farm land, and it was so cozy. Then we went for a run by Cultus Lake. It was very much uphill and downhill trails. After the run we started our trip to Revelstoke. It was a very long ride, but with amazing views. We saw a desert and a lot of high mountains. When we arrived to Revelstoke, we checked in to the Basecamp Resort and then we went to bed.
DAY 2 (Sept 11th, 2024)
We started the day with an interval workout on Mount Revelstoke. It was an amazing experience!! We have never seen such a long road upwards, it was unbelievable. Our 5 km road upwards in Gällivare is nothing in compared to this one. The views were also insane!! Later we went on a run in a forest that had mountain bike trails. We had a blast even though it was pouring rain. Then we went with car to a soccer field to play with the younger kids from the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club. We were not all that pumped up before we got there because we were freezing cold, but we went out from the car and played and all of us forgot about time and room and had so much fun!! It was especially fun to play the new frisbee game! After that we went home to make dinner together at the Resort. Then we went to sleep, tired and happy and sooo ready for another amazing day in Canada.
DAY 3 (Sept 12th, 2024)
We started the day with two hours double poling on a long road. As on the other days, the views were amazing. After the session we ate some lunch, and then we went sightseeing in Revelstoke. We went shopping for some souvenirs. Very beautiful village. In the afternoon it was time for another training session. We went roller skiing again, but now it was time for short intensity workouts (much speed). A very fun session, the weather was amazing, and the sun was shining. After the training we ate some lasagna and then we get to bed.
DAY 4 (Sept 13th, 2024)
We started the day with packing the cars. Then we drove for an hour to get to Rogers Pass where we started our hike to one of the mountains. It was a quite an easy hike in the forest for about 1.5 hours, then the trees opened up, and an amazing view of big mountains appeared. After a photo stop (that is a must according to us), we continued hiking. Soon after it got very rocky and steep. We wanted to get to the top but it was brutal, because small rocks were rolling against us and we were in a cloud of fog. Some of us didn’t get to the top but it was a fun and cool hike anyways.
By: Ebba Holmgren, Ines Haggroth, Diana Soderberg, Klara Johansson
Photo Credits: Chris Manhard (CCBC Provincial Coach), Maria Lundgren (Assistant Provincial Coach), Zach Hill (Assistant BC Ski Team Coach)
NOTE: Two BC athletes are attending the Gällivare Skidgymnasium in northern Sweden this year – Eamon Wilson (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club) and Finn Redman (Telemark Nordic Club, Kelowna). In addition, Joe Kitamura (Overlander Ski Club, Kamloops) is attending Älvsby Folkhogskola, a regional ski academy that is also in Sweden.
Gällivare Skidgymnasium Athletes:
HUGO ANDERSSON
JESPER JAKOBSSON
AGNES SÄFSTRÖM NIEMI
EMMY JOHANSSON
ISABELLE JOHNSELIUS
KLARA JOHANSSON
INES HÄGGROTH
MELKER HULTDIN
LINA LANTTO
DIANA SÖDERBERG
TINDRA WIKSTEN KANGASHARJU
ANTON STERNANDER
MARCUS VUORELA
EBBA HOLMGREN
WILMA NILSSON
Coaches:
LISBET LARSSON
HAMPUS LINDBLOM
