BC Ski Team in Sweden
2025 B-Tour
* All photos found at the bottom of this report.
March 28th: Second Day in Sweden
On our second morning in Sweden we were still very jet lagged. Fortunately, we got to sleep in a bit, and had a relaxed morning compared to what was coming. Then, at around 9am, we set off for our first race in Kiruna. We arrived there after around an hour and a half drive, picked up bibs and chips, and then set up our one wax bench where we brushed our race skis.
After a bit of a struggle to find warm-up trails, I found a short, crowded loop to warm up on. However, I still managed to get in a pretty good warm up while I cheered on my teammates that started before me. The race was a short 3.75km skate, but it was still a lot of fun. The competition was tough, but our team still achieved some very good results.
After the races, we waited around a bit for our teammates that were receiving awards. After that, we headed to the train station and caught the train back to Gallivare. Once there we cooked our dinner of pasta and went to bed, exhausted from the day, but excited for the racing to come.
By Axel Hostyn (Black Jack Ski Club, Rossland)
March 27th: First Day in Sweden
We woke up in our new Swedish apartments to an array of foods for our breakfast. After quickly unpacking our gear and making breakfast we headed out to Hellner Stadion for our first ski on Swedish terrain. We got a tour of some of the Swedish courses and explored the area on skis. After our workout we returned to Gallivareskidgymnasium to have lunch and meet one of the principals of the school. S he explained the Swedish school system to us and gave us a tour of the school. After this we drove to Tallbacka to meet with a former Swedish National Team wax tech who taught us everything there is to know about waxing skis. After scraping and prepping our skis we returned home to make a delicious Swedish dinner consisting of fish, potatoes and peas.
By Andreas Inkster (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club, North Vancouver)
March 25th, Day 1: Traveling to Sweden
We met at the Vancouver Airport in the morning. Everyone boarded the nine-hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany together. We were served two meals on board, and we had lunch in the Frankfurt Airport when we arrived. The German sandwiches were really good.
Next, we flew to Stockholm and got our first glimpse of Sweden. Our next flight was from Stockholm to Luleå, where we were picked up by our hosts and driven north to Gällivare. On the way, we stopped for a traditional Swedish dinner of veal, mashed potatoes, peas, and lingonberry jam at Restaurang Roady. Following that we stopped at the edge of the Arctic Circle to stretch our legs, and then we continued travelling further into the arctic circle. When we arrived in Gällivare, the Swedish skiers were there to greet us in the parking lot with a playing of O Canada, hot chocolate, treats, and a fire.
By Aleah Smith (Nelson Nordic Ski Club)
Athletes
Aleah Smith (Nelson Nordic Ski Club)
Andreas Inkster (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club)
Axel Hostyn (Black Jack Cross Country Ski Club)
Gavin Chatterton (Strathcona Nordic Ski Club)
Isabella Pighin (Telemark Nordic Club)
Kiara Pighin (Telemark Nordic Club)
Koby Clark (Kimberley Nordic Club)
Lucas Gitt (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club)
Mark Shapovalov (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club)
Maya Abraham (Nelson Nordic Ski Club)
Nadia Wallin (Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club)
Xavier Wallace (Overlander Ski Club, Kamloops)
Coaches
Maria Lundgren (CCBC Assistant Coach)
Adam Elliot (BC Development Squad Coach
