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INUVIK
Nordic skier Dave Halpine looked deep into Inuvik's past glories to find some inspiration for what some might consider a slightly-crazy idea.

Dave Halpine of the Inuvik Ski Club is organizing an 80-km ski tour from Aklavik to Inuvik in April. - photo courtesy of Dave Halpine

Halpine, who's on the board of directors for the Inuvik Ski Club, has put together an 80-kilometre ski trek to Inuvik from Aklavik in early April to coincide with the Muskrat Jamboree.

"I guess it's an idea I've had since I've come to Inuvik and started skiing," Halpine said. "I knew that the test program we had here in the 1970s where we had 15 of 17 skiers on the national team from Inuvik, that they did that trip on a whim one day."

One of those skiers, Sharon Firth, was at East Three last year to give some motivational speeches to the students, Halpine said.

When she mentioned the Inuvik to Aklavik trip, he said he stopped her immediately to say, "I love that idea and I've thought about it."

Halpine said now the groundwork has been laid.

"After a considerable amount of time we've cleared it with the NWT ski division, our own club, and we've raised some money and (snowmobiled) the trail to understand just what we're getting ourselves into."

The event doesn't qualify as an official race, nor was it intended to be one, Halpine said. Instead, it's a tour for participants, who can go as fast or slow as they want.

"It's not a race, it's an event. We're going to do a 40-km ski from Aklavik to a cabin, and then a 40-km ski from the cabin to Inuvik the next day."

The route is over land, through the delta, Halpine said.

"It's about the shortest distance we could manage, and we're using an old Ski-Doo route, in a mostly straight line. My guide showed me just this route. It's probably the quickest way to get from here to there.

"We'll start at the school in Aklavik April 5, and ski through some coarse delta," he continued. "Then we'll pop out on the ice road at the halfway point and overnight at the camp. Then we'll shove off the next morning and hit the (Muskrat Jamboree) on April 6."

Halpine said the skill level needed for the trek is likely not as high as that for a race, but participants will still need to be comfortable on skis and in shape.

"The skill level can be a little bit lower, so we're not necessarily looking for top-shape athletes. If you're a hardened walker, you can do this kind of thing, and if you're in shape to last, that's the demographic we're looking to attract to this event.

"So far, I'm hoping to see about a dozen people. I'm hoping to see more. I'm optimistic that we'll have at least that many out, whether they do the entire route, or just sign up for one day or the other. It should be a unique experience."

The cold weather so far has likely limited some training for the event, Halpine said, even his own. He's hoping some better weather will make for a more comfortable experience.

Skiing has become increasingly popular once again in Inuvik, Halpine said. Thirty years ago, the town likely had the top program in the country, but it's dropped off since then.

"We have the advantage that you can pretty much ski here 10 months of the year," he said with a laugh.

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