Lake Louise loppet

Loppet results: Calgary ski club

Where else could you finish a race in such a beautiful setting?

A skier approaches the finish line of the Lake Louise loppet. March 7, 2010

It was a gorgeous day with good snow conditions yesterday in Lake Louise for the loppet. The lake was frozen and free of slush so we were able to do the initial 2K right on the lake. The only complaint I had was that the temperature warmed up considerably during the race, rendering my wax job insufficient for proper grip.  My friend and nemesis, Peter Neumann, passed me at the 6K point and went on to win the gold medal in our 10K race, one minute ahead of me. Hey, Olympian Chandra Crawford only beat me by 10 minutes! 

With the additional Ks on the lake, it turns out that the 10K was actually 11K and the 20K event was actually 21K. 

John Morrison approaches the finish line at the Lake Louise loppet. March 7, 2010

One of the neat things about the loppet is the “Wooden Ski event” where skiers dress the part and of course use wooden skis. It adds a lot of colour to the day: 

Skiers on wooden skis cross the finish line at the Lake Louise loppet. March 7, 2010

At the awards ceremony, some of the other participants posed for this next photo. It never fails to bring a smile to my face when I see Ian cross the finish line with that Boer War era pipe in his mouth: 

Participants in the Lake Louise loppet's "Wooden ski Race." March 7, 2010

The three of us, better known as  Team TNT  took home some hardware with Cheryl winning a silver medal in her race: 

Bob with silver, Cheryl with silver, and Peter with gold in the Lake Louise loppet. March 7, 2010

A big thanks to all the volunteers from the Calgary Ski Club who work many hours, organizing, shovelling snow to build the ramps(I know, I used to do it) and construct a fantastic course for us to ski on. 

According the weather forecast, it looks like there’s some much-needed snow on the way. Don’t forget about the Western Canadian Masters Championships at Golden, BC starting on Friday. Read more western-canadian-masters-championships. A family-friendly, more casual event will be held on Sunday at Emerald Lake. John Morrison, one of the local groomers, reports that the snow on the lake is in great shape.