Cross Country Skiing In Miramichi
By Peter Gadd

I have thought for quite some time that the Miramichi Cross Country Ski Club (MCCSC) programs and facilities have been well kept secrets on the river. Why this is so is a real mystery. Throughout its long history the MCCSC has strived endlessly to make itself and the joy of cross-country skiing known. Perhaps the secret may soon get out!

By its 1975 constitution (Article 2, paragraph 1, none-the-less!) the club’s aim is simply stated: "To encourage participation, enjoyment and development of cross country skiing in the Miramichi area."

That aim continues to be the motivating force behind the efforts of the club executive and membership. Please read the description of the MCCSC as it exists today and prepares for an exciting 2003 – 2004 season.

The club trails have been developed in Nelson-Miramichi behind the Byron Goodin Center on highway 126. They are partly on land owned by UPM-Kymmene without whose help and cooperation we would cease to exist. It is a 4-minute drive from the new bridge between Newcastle and Chatham Head, twelve minutes from Chatham and Douglastown. Our facilities are within the city limits! Great "location, location, location!"

We have a delightfully finished clubhouse that is heated and has canteen facilities. We have 25 kilometres of groomed trails that have such great variety in terrain that skiers of all ages and abilities can ski to their hearts content. Many of the trails follow the Carding Mill Brook, which provides interesting scenery. Other portions of the trails pass around bog terrain and a variety of wood stands. Within the approximate 400 acres of woodlands occupied by the club’s trails is a diversity of habitat that has resulted in a diversity of wild life. The "naturalist" that exists in all of us is easily awakened.

On the human scale, we have a membership that is welcoming to all skiers and eager to help with lessons, waxing clinics and warm hospitality.

Trail Grooming and Maintenance –

The trails are open almost all the time during the winter months. After a heavy snowfall it might take as long as 24 hours to get the trails re-groomed but every effort is made to do that as quickly as possible. Last season 2002-2003, admittedly a little more winterish than some recent years, our trails were skied more than 112 days. That’s pretty good since winter itself is only 91 days long (one of our senior members skied 2003 kilometres during that season … clearly a club record). Trail grooming and maintenance take by far the largest portion of our annual budget.

Saturdays at 1:00 pm the Jack Rabbit instructional program is offered for children ages 4 to 12. This is a national program developed by Cross Country Canada and is named for the Canadian Ski legend Jackrabbit Johannsen. The first weekly lesson is usually the first Saturday in January and continues for 8 to 10 weeks. Lessons usually last from 60 to 90 minutes. Qualified club members offer instruction and parents may assist if they wish.

Adult Lessons – Beginning adult skiers may sign up for lessons that are held weekly, depending on demand. These are also usually at 1:00 p.m. Saturday. The groups are usually quite small and once again qualified club members provide the instruction.

Waxing Clinics –Ski waxing can be very simple, although some experienced skiers wish to fine tune their skis and make a real art of waxing. On occasion club members will offer instructional clinics in the clubhouse just to show how simple waxing can be. Some of the experienced club members are willing to give waxing advice and share tricks of the trade readily, often at the "drop of a snowflake". Some skiers prefer to use waxless skis and avoid waxing altogether but I must say again waxing can be very straightforward and simple.

Every year, usually some time in February, the MCCSC organizes a ski loppet. Loppets are non-competitive family participation ski "marathons" with distance choices of 5, 15 and 30 kilometres. The Miramichi loppet is one of a series of provincial loppets held throughout the province each winter.

Moon Light Ski’s – The MCCSC schedules a moonlight ski once a month during January, February and March. Two and one half kilometres of trails are lit by oil lamps and moonlight for a delightful ski through the woods. A social is held in the clubhouse afterwards often with live music.

The club is incorporated as a non-profit organization. Its leadership is made up entirely of volunteers. The sole motivation of each volunteer is to develop and maintain the ski facilities and encourage people to share the healthy, low cost, easy to learn, family oriented winter activity of cross country skiing. The club leadership has had a very busy 2003 summer. Major improvements were made to three bridges, sections of trail and the clubhouse.

These tasks were carried out with volunteer work from club members, contracting-out financed through membership fees and "gifts-in-kind" from local businesses, particularly in one case, Sunny Corner Enterprises. The club also received the benefit of two weeks work from the Youth in Action group sponsored by HRD-Canada and the John Howard Society.

In coming weeks some of the membership will be participating in a work party to put some finishing touches on the trail in preparation for the up-coming season. 12 young Canadians who are visiting the area with the Katimavik program will assist club members in this task.

Contributing to the busy off-season for the club is a fund raising campaign being carried out presently to purchase and install lighting on four kilometres of our trails for night skiing. We are hoping for completion for this season although we have a little way to go yet.

A Little Bit About Cross Country Skiing:

Kick and push, glide . . . kick and push, glide . . . kick and push, glide … through the snow covered trees over gentle hills . . . on a sunny afternoon. What a lovely quiet way to get outdoors in the winter for fresh air and exercise. Skiing at your own speed and getting the exercise suited to you, choosing your own pace.

Cross country skiing is recognized as the very best form of cardio-vascular exercise as the skier uses the upper and lower body and holds the body upright during low impact prolonged aerobic activity. A skier can ski as if going for a walk in the countryside or ski as if in a cross-country running marathon and workout to total exhaustion. It’s a matter of pace and the trails chosen to ski. Cross-country skiing has something for everyone. (By-the-way, some of our most active skiers are in their 60’s and 70’s and some of them can out-ski almost any other club member!)

There are two basic ski styles, both of which are accommodated at the facilities at the MCCSC. The two techniques are called classic and freestyle.

Classic cross-country skiing involves predominantly the diagonal slide, which can be compared to an exaggerated walking motion with a pole push, then a glide. This is what makes it so easy to learn because it is much like walking. Wax (or grooves on waxless skis) on the bottom of the ski gives grip in the snow as the front ski is weighted. The skier then strides forward pushing off the "gripping ski". The opposite side pole is used at the same moment giving a balanced push forward. The arms and legs swing back and forth alternately as in walking as the skier moves down the trail, gliding between strides.

Freestyle cross-country skiing involves predominantly a skating motion. As many Canadians learn to skate on ice when they are young, a ski-skating motion is also not difficult to pick up. Whereas classic skiers ski in groomed tracks, skaters ski on a groomed flat surface incorporating a glide much like a speed skater does.

The MCCSC has a minimum of 20 kilometres of trails groomed for classic skiing and 10 kilometres that are groomed for free-style.

The cost of cross-country ski equipment varies depending on the needs of the skier. The initial investment can be quite low. Equipment is often sold as a package. Skis, boots and poles. No special clothing is required although it is advisable to dress in "layers" to be able to adjust as conditions change. In Miramichi a good selection of ski equipment is available at Incline Sport.

Club members are always willing to advise on equipment purchase.

The History of the MCCSC:

The club was created in 1975. Members of the founding committee included Marilyn Boston (President), Diane White (Vice President), Bill Purtell (Treasurer), John Boston, Juanita Purtell, Diane Kethro, Jan Truka and Mike Cashin. Jan continues to be a member today. The initial "modus operandi" was to ski in various locations around the Miramichi. Trails were initially developed in the "rifle range" area of Nordin. In 1979 Boise Cascade Canada Ltd. provided a Quonset hut and it was installed as a club house on the Newcastle side of French Fort Cove.

In 1982 the club moved its center of operation to Williston Road in Douglastown with the hope of connecting with its trails in Nordin. The club grew at this new location with membership reaching 400. However a forest fire in 1986 forced the club to begin to look for a new home. In 1991 the clubhouse was re-located to Nelson Miramichi when the MCCSC amalgamated with the Nelson Ski Club.

Over the past 12 years trail development has continued. The club now can boast that its trails are amongst the best in the province and avid skiers "from away" visit just to ski our trails.

Over its 28 years the club has hosted many skiing events at the local and provincial level. From 1978 to 1985 the club co-hosted the North 100 Ski Marathon with the Bathurst Ski Club. This was a two-day event with skiers skiing between the two host communities, in a north direction one year and to the south the next. This was one of only three two-day marathons in the country at that time. Since 1986 the club has hosted a one-day "loppet", the Miramichi Loppet. Fraser Cup races, part of a provincial competitive circuit (no longer organized under that name), have also been hosted by the MCCSC. Inter-scholastic c-c-skiing events have been hosted by the club but not in recent years.

The club is presently pursuing strategies to involve a greater number of youth in its programs and hopes to be able to announce some initiatives in the near future.

Should you have any questions about the club, its programs and so forth, please feel free to get in touch by phone 622-6991 and visit our web page at www.skimiramichi.com.

Miramichi Cross Country Ski Club
P.O. Box 791
Miramichi, NB E1V 2S5