The Sea to Sky Nordics runs a cross country skiing program for children and teens. It is a volunteer-run program that follows the skill development program set out by Nordiq Canada. Our philosophy is to encourage participation and the development of technical skiing skills in a fun and motivating atmosphere.
It is based on the Long-Term Athlete Development model, where improvement within the sport is through exposure to activities that develop overall motor and sport skills. The focus is on having fun and developing a lifelong love of cross-country skiing.
Bunnyrabbit Program (ages 4-5): an introduction to cross country skiing through organized activity and active play. Generally kids are in this part of the program for two years.
Jackrabbits Program (ages 6-9): a program to develop basic cross-country ski skills in both classic and skate skiing and to instill a lifelong interest in the sport. Skate skiing starts on alternate weeks at the J3 level.
Track Attack Program (ages 10-15): for skiers to become technically competent and to utilize those skills.
Bunnyrabbits and Jackrabbits 1/2 ski on classic skis exclusively. Jackrabbits 3/4 and Track Attack practice both classic and skate techniques.
** Skill Levels – S2S Nordics will make every effort to place your child in the most appropriate group based on age, ability, and coach availability. When registering, please indicate your child’s previous experience in the program—whether they are new, continuing from a previous season, have experience skiing outside the club or moving up to the next age category. Final placement decisions are made at the discretion of the volunteer coordinators and our coaching team.**
For more details, see the XC Programs Tab.
Our coaches have completed the appropriate training through the National Coaching Certification Program run by Nordiq Canada. They are volunteers and greatly appreciated.
Our program is entirely dependent on volunteers. Volunteers are needed for coaching, tail guiding, and many other duties.
BUNNYRABBITS:
ALL parents of the Bunnyrabbits age children must accompany the program (on skis) for the full hour to help the coach and your child unless explicitly directed by the bunnies coach not to do so.
JACKRABBITS
J1/J2: Ideally, no coach is ever alone with their group at the J1/J2 level. It is the expectation that parents will help out with these groups when asked.
J3/J4: After the J3/J4 level, parents are not permitted to join or accompany their child’s training group. At this stage, athletes are expected to develop independence, connect with their peers, and work directly with their coaches without parental presence.
TRACK ATTACK
At the Track Attack level, athletes are expected to continue to participate in lessons independently.
Please note: any form of verbal harassment, rudeness, or disrespect toward our volunteer coaches will not be tolerated. This includes interrupting coaches during lessons, confronting coaches during lessons, verbal abuse, or repeated lateness that disrupts the group. If coaches report any such behaviour, the parent(s) involved will be asked to leave the club immediately.
WEATHER
Our threshold for cancellation of a program is -15C. A number of factors will play into this decision such as wind, sun, snow, etc. We will inform parents the day before. Expect at least one weather day each season.
The schedule will be posted on Teamsnap.
Please use Teamsnap to confirm attendance or let the coach know you will not be coming. Please be on time. Coaches will not wait for students who are late and are not responsible for waiting in the stadium or answering phone calls from parents and kids who are late.
Practices will meet in the cross country stadium at Whistler Olympic Park. This area is located on the the opposite side of the upper parking lot (P3) from the Day Lodge.
Each group will have a number to meet at.
Skiers should arrive 15 minutes early for their practice time to get organized and be on snow at start time (earlier if you are renting equipment, especially on the first day). If you do not have your WOP pass sorted before the first day, leave extra time for that.
Ensure your child is properly fed, hydrated, and has been to the washroom prior to practice. There is a washroom accessible from behind the XC technical building.
Get the pass here, for kids 7 and up.
Equipment can be purchased at:
All skis need to be waxed! Please see the waxing tab for more details.
If you need to rent equipment, that service is available at the WOP Day lodge, see here for details. If you are getting a season equipment rental please sort out the paperwork/get sizing prior to the first ski practice; it could take 45 minutes to an hour on the first day to sort out your rentals.
Please label your child’s skis and poles with their names or they may get mixed up during games or drills.
What your child wears for ski practice should depend on the weather for the day. Dressing in layers is a good idea as kids will get warm while skiing. They will need a jacket and under layer (not cotton). For Bunnyrabbits and younger Jackrabbits, waterproof pants are a good idea as falling is frequent.
Kids will also need waterproof mitts (younger kids) and gloves (older kids) as well as a toque or buff. Sunglasses for sunny days are also a great idea.
A good guide to dressing for nordic skiing can be found here.
Children often get thirsty during ski practice. We recommend providing them with a water bottle (a small one in their pocket, small camelback, or waist belt with bottle). Bunnyrabbit sessions are usually short enough that water is not needed.
Please ensure skis and poles are the correct height for your child and are properly waxed. This is vital and can make the difference between a fun ski day and a miserable one. Waxless skis still need glide wax (they just use skins or scales for grip instead of wax)!
1) You can drop your skis off at the WOP rental centre to be waxed.
2) To do your ski waxing yourself, you can buy wax and use our waxing trailer- ask one of our coaches for the code anytime!
* Waxing iron
* Pencil groove scraper
* Plexiglass scraper
* Brush
* Block of glide wax
* And ideally, a vise, profile, or wax table
You can get away with liquid wax between hot wax sessions, but you need to use the liquid wax fairly often.
These videos were recommended by our coaches.
As a primer, I recommend starting with this terrific step by step guide here then moving on to the appropriate video.
Glide Wax:
Kick Wax:
Advanced Waxing:
Liquid Wax:
Our Provincial Asosocation: CCBC
Our National Association: Nordiq Canada
Molly of Denali:
The Story of Jack Rabbit (For adults and older children)
Rick Mercer Report:
