The weather surely won’t be hot, but the competition will be this coming weekend at Porcupine Ski Runners, just east of Schumacher.
The club will be hosting the Canadian Masters Cross-Country Skiing Championship. Competitors over the age of 30 will be in town for the event.
“Looks to be that it is warming, just in time for the event,” observes Chief of Competition Mike Kornell.
Kornell says the long-range forecast is for daytime highs between -14C and -18C. Anything warmer than -20C is good.
In extreme cold, not only is breathing more difficult, Kornell says a skier’s muscles are also tighter.
“These are athletes who have been skiing for many years, so their bodies are conditioned to cooler temperatures. So skiing can always be in a range of temperatures, whether it be zero or -20C or colder.
“And the chalet is very close to the start area, so they go from a warm area and start quickly, and then once they start going at a race pace, then certainly the body warms up quickly.”
The event runs from Friday until Sunday.