Fresh Air Kelowna Vlog: Kelowna Nordic Raises 50k, MTBco Update, Marty’s 2022 Kit
Welcome back, everybody. We got a new vlog going on. Tons of stuff going on in the sporting world. We had the Olympics the last few weeks, we had the Super Bowl minus Tom Brady. And the Montreal Canadiens finally won their 10th game of the year. You know, there's still hope they might still make the playoffs, but keep cheering for it. And as everything kind of loosens up a bit, we’ve got tons of events going on this summer. Our calendars have been filling up pretty quick, but we’ve got our favourite cross country skier back in the ski shop today talking about Stride and Glide, the money they raised for charity. Here's Lyle.
Lyle
Hey, Lyle Nicholson here from Kelowna Nordic. I’m here for a big announcement that Kelowna Nordic successfully did the Stride and Glide on February 13, and we raised $50,000 for the cardiac care unit at Kelowna General Hospital. That was amazing. We had 120 members show up, members and guests, for cross country skiing and snowshoeing in Kelowna on February 13. You came out, you did whatever distance you liked and you had a great time. This $50,000 has gone on to purchase a special electrocardiogram machine that was on the wish list from the cardiac care unit at Kelowna General Hospital. So here's what you did, Kelowna Nordic, you made a wish come true for the Kelowna General Hospital. This is a phenomenal experience of team spirit, community spirit and was a wonderful day had by all, thank you.
Our other big win this year was our first ever master's program that we rolled out at Kelowna Nordic Club. We had 50 people throughout this year. We had classes in skate skiing and classic cross country skiing for beginners, intermediate and advanced. This was a wonderful time. First time we've ever done it. Everybody loved it. It was just magical. Seeing just what a few simple techniques can do. Just a few little things can add to the skiing enjoyment. Just one more thing. There's still lots of ski left, there's snow. I know it's a little cold, but there is lots of snow coming. There's still a good season up there. Come out and enjoy the snowshoeing in Kelowna. Come on. Enjoy the skiing. And don't forget Kelowna Nordic, come out there for next year and it's just been great.
Ryan
It's always fun having Lyle in the Fresh Air shop. It's great to see him and the passion he has for cross country skiing and just getting out and helping the community. It's always tricky this time of the year. It's like I was planning for summer in early February. The weather was so good to get ready for biking. Always had to remember it was February and man, the cold weather came and it is still winter. We have Bruce from MTBco, he's been talking about what planning they have going on for this summer. Trails are starting to melt and get ready. Here's Bruce talking about the plans for this season.
Bruce
Hi, everybody. Bruce here from MTBco, yeah, like Ryan said. Spring is almost here, but not quite. We're all excited to tune up the downhill mountain bike and get out on the trails, but please respect the fact that if they're not open yet, just hold off. If they're wet and mucky, we're probably going to do long-term damage and that's not good. Remember it's trails for all not trails for me.
First of all, a big thanks to the folks who've been on the board in the past. We had three new members who were adding just a ton of great energy and skills for things that we need going forward. As always in a volunteer-led organization like MTBco, people come and go, we are on the hunt for two additional board members. If you are a person who is highly organized and would like to volunteer your time, please get in touch with us.
Last year we reached 900 members which is fantastic. We started off with a goal of 300 and went to 600 over 900, fantastic thank you all for getting your memberships. This year. We're putting the bar high again at 1,800. With neighbouring organizations reaching over 1,000 such as Knox or in and around the Vernon area, we're quite confident we can reach 1,800 this year. So the goal is 1,800. Please get your memberships as soon as possible. The website has been updated and getting a membership is easier than ever. And please tell your friends and family if they don't have theirs yet, we really would like for them to get it. Think about the value you get for these memberships — under $50 a year. Think about all the joy you get. It's not a lot to ask. Please get your memberships as soon as you can.
And with COVID; hopefully, allowing us to move forward in a somewhat regular fashion this year, we have events planned. So like we do every year we're going to run our Cranksgiving Funduro, which we're very excited about. That of course will be in the fall. It will be in September again this year. Keep an eye on our website and social media for updates on that we have all of our trail days planned for the year those will be listed on the website as well. And in partnership with our friends over at West Kelowna Trail Crew we're going to be joining them for preseason kickoff at Redbird brewing in April. Have a look at their website for social media or ours for dates and times.
Ryan
I know these guys have been working super hard to bring advanced trail days, everything to the community. It's fantastic the work they're doing. So get out and support the club. Bruce again, thank you for coming in today. It's hard to believe the time Marty has training for Ironman, let alone he skis all the time. So, we got Marty in today talking about his new setup for this year — and he knows his ski gear, Kelowna.
Marty
Hi I'm Marty from Fresh Air. This season, I had the chance to jump on a new set of boards that are a little different from what I would normally be on. These guys don't just look fun. They've been super fun in the snow. These are the new Volkl 104s, they've been a replacement ski for what I've normally been on, which has been more like a Rossignol Soul 7, that sort of thing. We're more of a funnel mountain ski.
Truth is this actually I think really more of a park ski but I mounted it more traditional. Torsionally, this thing is super solid. It's been really fun, all-mountain, I'm having a great time on it. I see them in the park but I do see them everywhere else on the mountain too. The ski is not super hard to turn but when you get it on edge it really holds up. It's super, super fun. So I've been having a great time on this one and really been enjoying it. That's where my kick is for this 2022 season.
Ryan
It's always fun coming back to work on a Monday or Tuesday and catching up with guys. Marty's always got crazy stories of him ripping around the mountain with the family and just enjoying powder. It's great to see him out in the snow. Obviously with the temperatures right now winter is not over. Biking is coming but everybody, get out and enjoy the fresh air.
Getting stoked for the warm weather? Head to Fresh Air for the best in Kelowna bike shops. Still shredding pow? That’s okay, we’re ski, snowboard and snowshoe experts, too. See what’s in store.
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