NB Entry Closes at Noon on Friday March 8th! Sorry, no late entries. Note that for team entries, the teammates can enter separately, but the contents of the "Team Name" field must be identical in both entries (case sensitive, no extra spaces, etc) so the program can link you as a team. If you've signed up, or are going to sign up, read this: Important information for ALL participants
Join us Saturday March 9th for our first ever T-REX! It promises to be a fun event for both competitive and recreational skiers of all ages. The online entry is now live on Zone4, see below. NB All participants must be members of the Sun Peaks Nordic Club. Members of other Nordiq Canada-affiliated clubs (eg. Overlander) can join SPNC for only $4. Join SPNC here. Course descriptions here. More detailed participant info will be emailed to all registrants closer to the event date. Meanwhile, below, all your questions answered!
Q: What is the format for the T-REX, and why do it this way? A: This format is known as a “Time Limit Event”, meaning the event runs for a set time period (in this case, 3 hours), rather than a conventional race, which runs over a set distance. The advantage here is that the event ends for everyone at the same time. Faster skiers get to do more skiing, and recreational skiers can ski at their own pace and not experience the not-nice feeling of having everyone waiting for them at the finish line.
Q: Is it Skating or Classic? A: It's open technique, you can do either. Feel free to skate or ski classic, or even do some laps of one and some of the other.
Q: How do the entries work? A: You enter either as a solo skier, or as a relay team of 2. Categories are based on age and gender (see below).
Q: How exactly does it work for Relay Teams? A: The winners are everyone who gets themselves out there and skis in the event. If you’re thinking competitively, “most laps wins”. Relay team members take turns skiing laps, i.e. only one of you is out on the course at any given time. Each team member only needs to complete a minimum of one lap. Most relay teams take turns, i.e. they ski alternate laps, but it isn’t mandatory to do so. If your team mate is tired and you are full of energy, you can do 2 laps in a row, or whatever pattern you agree on, as long as you each ski a minimum of one lap during the 3 hours. It is also not mandatory that someone is skiing all the time. If you’re both tired, take a rest!
Q: I don’t have a team mate. Can you match me up with someone? A: Sorry, we don’t have the capacity to do this. But put the word out among your friends and fellow skiers. There’s probably someone out there in the same boat!
Q: How does it work for Solo Skiers? A: As the name implies, you’re on your own! This category is primarily aimed at strong endurance skiers who want to see how far they can go and how many laps they can ski on their own in 3 hours. But anyone can enter as a solo. As with teams, it’s not mandatory to be always skiing, so if you can’t find a teammate (or don’t want to!) you can enter as a solo even if you can’t ski for 3 hours. Do as many or as few laps as you like, and rest as much as you want.
What are the Categories? Categories are based on age and gender as follows (age is as of December 31st, 2024): Solo Categories:
50 and over, male and female;
Under 50 male and female
2-Person Relay Teams:
Combined age 100 and over, both male, both female, and mixed
Combined age under 100, both male, both female, and mixed
Q: What about kids? A: Kids under 14 will have their own 1.3 km course. We will not be keeping track of laps skied or times, but as an incentive to ski laps, they will receive a small edible treat for each lap done. To simplify things there will not be a team option for kids (typically they will want to ski along with their friends anyway). Older kids have the option of choosing to ski their laps on the 6.5km course, in which case they are eligible to form a relay team which could be with another kid, or an adult. (Parent & Child teams anyone?!)
Q: What if there’s a tie in the number of laps? A: Whoever does that number of laps in the least time wins.
Q: I like cross country skiing but I’m not a “racer”. Why would I want to go in this event? A: Being part of an event is an exciting adventure and a great way to connect with other cross country skiers. This particular format is fun for all levels of skier because the race ends at the same time for everyone, i.e. nobody finishes “last”. Most recreational athletes find this much less intimidating. Whether you’ve done one lap or ten, nobody really knows because everyone is just out there skiing. Plus if you’re on a relay team, there’s a social side: when your team-mate is out skiing their lap, you get to hang out in the start/finish area with everyone else who is doing the same. It’s a great way to enjoy the atmosphere and meet other people who share a love of Nordic skiing.
Q: I’m not fast. I get intimidated if there are competitive skiers around. A: In a normal race format, the fast racers take off at the start and the rest of us never see them until the end where they’ve been waiting for quite a while for the rest of us to finish. Not so in the T-REX! The fast ones can ski as many laps as they want, and while they will pass you out on the course, we encourage polite behaviour, and you get a chance to see some of these higher end athletes in action, which is impressive and inspiring. And typically the last skiers to come in are the fastest ones because they’re more likely to be able to fit in a final lap before time runs out.
Q: I’m a competitive skier. Why would I want to go in just a “fun” event. A: You can make the T-REX as competitive as you want. Go solo and ski hard for 3 hours. Or recruit a teammate and take turns doing sprint laps in a friendly rivalry out there with other competitive skiers.
Q: I want to ski the laps with my friend. Should we form a relay team? A: No. Team members take turns skiing laps so you don’t ski alongside your teammate. However, if your preference is to ski with your friend, we encourage that, and there are 2 options:
Both ski as solos. Solos do NOT have to ski the entire 3 hours, so you can ski a lap, take a rest, then ski more if you wish. Completion of the event requires only a minimum of one lap, but if you can do more than one lap it’s more fun to be skiing, and also standing around can get cold!
Find 2 other people who also want to ski together and form 2 relay teams , with the friends on opposite teams, so teammates do alternate laps, but both pairs are skiing with their friends.
Further questions? Email us at [email protected] and we'll try to help you out.