INUVIK
They got a late start this season but the sun is out and the Inuvik Ski Club is back in business.

Patrick Gall, treasurer of the Inuvik Ski Club, is hoping to revitalize the sport in town. The club went quiet last fall but is back up and running with some fresh faces. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"I think it was just the turnover," said Patrick Gall, who recently became the treasurer of the club.

"The old president of the board left and I think very few people here had a lot of access to the information that's required to run it."

The club recently held its annual general meeting and elected a nearly all-new board.

Club turnover, something common among many groups in a transient town like Inuvik, and vandalism last year delayed the ski club getting on its feet this season.

But the sun is out and the club's spreading the message that it's back and running, with an eye to building up for races in the future.

Currently the club has around 30 to 35 members, plus 20 to 30 youth in the Jack Rabbits program.

"Another good advantage of a restart is we have all this new equipment," said Gall, showcasing a packed storage room.

The club got about $20,000 worth of new equipment, from skis to a new snowmobile to help with grooming.

For Gall, cross-country skiing is a great winter sport and chance to get out in nature.

He's relatively new to Inuvik, along with his partner Holly Jones, another club member. They both have skied in the south, with Jones competing for her university team.

"I was very bored during the winters," said Gall about his time in Ottawa.

"Skiing was the perfect solution to that."

From a fitness point of view, he said, cross-country skiing is a great activity. He's enjoyed exploring the local area by ski, even getting off the usual trails. During the Sunrise Festival, he and Jones skied on the river.

Gall also likes following competitive ski racing. Speaking of which, the club is hoping to hold a small race this spring and build up to a larger one next year to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Top of the World Loppet. He hopes to hold it around the same time as the Muskrat Jamboree and drum up some participation and viewership.

The club also aims to make skiing affordable for youth through use agreements for equipment with the school and youth

centre.

"I'm hoping as we get more things set up we can show how accessible all this is and get more traction based on that," said Gall.

He encourages anyone interested in skiing to contact him through the Inuvik Ski Club Facebook page.

As the temperature improves and the sun stays out longer, weekend group skis are going to be a regular thing, he said.

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