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Almost Finland: Onaping club turns 40

It all began with a small group of very dedicated and enthusiastic cross-country skiers led by Andy Ranta who saw this area as a great place to have ski trails.
It all began with a small group of very dedicated and enthusiastic cross-country skiers led by Andy Ranta who saw this area as a great place to have ski trails.

Over the years the club grew and expanded to three trail systems, one at Windy Lake, one in Dowling and one in Levack called the Tamarack trails. The Windy Lake and Dowling trails still exist today, but diamond drilling at Tamarack put an end to that trail.

The club’s main trail system is located at Windy Lake and over the years the club has hosted many events at those trails — Ontario Championships, Ontario OCups, Canadian and Ontario Masters Championship, Ontario Midget Championships, Northern Ontario Spring Series events, OFSSA and many loppets and local races.

The core of the trails at Windy Lake is on property donated to the club by Falconbridge Limited in 2001 and the rest is on Crown land and in the park. The trails at Windy Lake have been described by a Finnish-Canadian, racing in the Canadian Masters Championships, as the closest thing to the trails found in Finland that he had ever seen, referring to the trees and the rolling terrain.

The Dowling trails were the site of many Dowling Pharmacy Loppets, primary school events and a Canadian Jackrabbit Program Celebration.

The club celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Since the club is run entirely by volunteers and over the years many local people played a role as board members, we will be focusing on recognizing our volunteers during this 40th season.

The club is where two Olympians learned to ski. Darren Derochie went to the Olympics in Albertville in 1992 and competed in the 50 km and the 4x10km relay.

Devon Kershaw is going to the Olympics again this year to represent Canada on the biggest world stage. He continues to amaze us with his successes in world cup events. We wish him all the best for the coming season. He is a true champion.

Through the years the club was the recipient of Ontario Trillium Grants which allowed us to expand and improve the quality of our trails, the quality of the trail grooming equipment and the programs being offered.

At Windy Lake, the club offers its members and guests excellent trails prepared by our experienced groomers creating the ultimate cross-country skiing experience.

There are more than 15 kilometres of beautifully forested trails set for both the classic and skating enthusiast. Trails offer a wide variety of lengths and levels of difficulty from short, flat beginner loops to longer challenging loops for the experienced skier — and at our higher elevation we are known to sometimes have snow when no one else in the area does.

We know the sport of cross-country skiing not only helps you increase your physical fitness and wellbeing, but also allows you to enjoy winter in all its wondrous beauty.

That is why our mission is “to promote the sport of cross-country skiing for all as an exhilarating, enjoyable, peaceful, refreshing, healthy and challenging experience."

At Windy Lake the club has a newly renovated warm chalet, equipment rentals for youths and adults, the choice of memberships or day passes and gift cards.

In Dowling the trails are set for classic only and are very conveniently located right in town.

For information about the club and its activities you can call the ski club hotline at 705-855-0145 or check the club’s webpage at onapingfallsnordics.com or look us up on Facebook.

Lise Leblanc is the president of the Onaping Falls Nordic Ski Club.

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