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About Us |
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The Omineca Ski Club is located 6 km south of the town of Burns Lake located in the heart of the Lakes District near the geographical centre of British Columbia. Burns Lake has a population of around 2700 people with a surrounding area populated by another 8000. The weather around Burns Lake is known to be unpredictable and visitors sometimes comment on the fact that there can be rain, snow and sunshine all in the same day. |
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History |
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Achievements |
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Chris Werrell trains at the National Athlete Development Training Centre in Callaghan Valley, site of the 2010 Olympics. |
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The Omineca Ski Club was founded in 1927 and can therefore lay claim to being the oldest cross-country ski club in British Columbia and possibly the oldest club in Canada. In 1927 there was a large Scandinavian community who lived and worked in the area of Burns Lake and Decker Lake. The club membership has grown as the local population has increased, especially over the past twenty years. The current club has more than 300 members annually! |
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The club is proud of its achievements in the field of competitive skiing, for example: The club has hosted four Canadian National Championships: The Canadian Seniors in 1975, 1989 and 1996 and the Canadian Juniors in 1977. We have had two local community members go the Olympics! Kari Engstad - Winter Olympics 1936 Esther Miller - Winter Olympics 1976 and 1980 We have had several community members on Canadian National teams, including Chris Werrell who is currently training at the National Athlete Development Centre in Whistler. He has also represented Canada and BC in the World Junior Ski Championships in Norway and Finland. Race team coach—Chris Paulson, is also a former national team member. We have had a number of local athletes participate on BC Ski teams. A number of community members serve as officials and organizers at the provincial level. |