Even though what winter will look like during the COVID-19 pandemic is still a big question mark, Park City Ski & Snowboard is forging ahead with program sign-ups and fundraising efforts before the winter competition season is here. Some of those programs are already underway.
Ski season in Utah is just around the corner and the Wasatch Back’s winter athletes are chomping at the bit to get back to a season that was cut short in March by COVID-19.
Despite the challenges of health restrictions and social distancing, Park City Ski & Snowboard says 600 of their athletes and 77 coaches were still able to come together for outdoor training sessions over the summer.
Executive Director Christie Hind told KPCW registration for their winter programs has been open since the end of July and year-to-year registrations are actually up. She said although racing schedules are still uncertain, Park City Ski & Snowboard offers more than just competition.
“As you can imagine and as many in the community know, the competition season is uncertain but getting kids out and training and fit and, more importantly, being with one another,” said Hind. “Being able to have peer-to-peer and team relationships is super important.”
Hind said local and regional competitions this winter are looking promising, but with national and international travel restrictions still in place, they’ve had to plan for a number of different scenarios.
“It puts us in an unusual position of having to both plan for these things and then also contemplate maybe just a really awesome training year,” she said. “We just don’t know. Word is coming out, dripping out I should say, kind of on a daily basis, but really we look to the [U.S.] ski team and to [the International Ski Federation] for our higher level athletes but we will ensure that there are local competitions at a minimum.”
With Park City Mountain Resort requiring reservations be made for recreational ski days this winter, Hind said PCMR has yet to make a decision on the club’s access to training venues this winter. She does expect athletes to be able to train throughout the winter.
The club’s fundraisers are also going to look a little different than in years past with the annual ski swap on November 6th-8th likely to take on an entirely new look: Think outdoor farmers market, but instead of fresh fruit and veggies, it’s fast skis and fresh new gear.
Another new fundraiser being put on by the club is a trail running race series held on Friday evenings at PCMR. The first race was this Friday and three more are scheduled for October 2nd, 9th, and 23rd.
Adam Loomis is the clubs new nordic combined coach. The Wisconsin native returns to Park City after spending six years as an athlete on the U.S. Ski Team and a brief stint coaching in Alaska. He said the racers of the trail series will start individually and the event will be a great opportunity to experience some socially-distanced and friendly competition.
“It’s going to be a safe environment,” he said. “We’ll definitely be out there making sure everyone has their masks on, keeps their distance. Except for on course, where if runners have separation, they can definitely put their mask down and just enjoy the moment.”
If you are interested in signing up for the trail running series or are looking for more information about the programs Park City Ski & Snowboard offers, click here.
