The Don Allen Saskaloppet is the La Ronge Ski Club's largest event of the season. (Facebook/La Ronge Nordic Ski Club)

By Derek Cornet

premier event

Registration hitting pre-COVID levels for Don Allen Saskaloppet

Feb 27, 2023 | 5:23 PM

Registration for the upcoming Don Allen Saskaloppet has already reached approximately 150 skiers.

That’s according to organizer Nichole Robinson, who explained that’s a good number to be at and even better than last year. While those interested in signing up have until Thursday at 9 a.m. to do so, the early bird cut off is tonight at 11 p.m. for regular pricing.

“We were cancelled in 2021 and then 2022 we got some people up, but definitely we are starting to get back to our pre-COVID numbers, which is really exciting,” she said.

“We see quite a few people from down South and we also sent out invitations to all the schools throughout the North. We would expect to hopefully see some kids showing up from up North too, so it’s a good draw to show people all the hospitality that La Ronge has to offer.”

The first day of the Saskaloppet is March 3 and all events except the two-kilometre and the 55 km races start at 10 a.m. sharp on the ice in front of the La Ronge Legion Hall. The 55 km race starts at 8:30 a.m. at the hall and the two km event starts at 11 a.m. sharp at the Nut Point Campground.

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In total, there are nine races spanning two km, five km, seven km, 12 km, 20 km, 35 km, 50 km, 55 km and 75 km. The seven-km race is new this year.

Environment Canada is forecasting a mix of sun and cloud in La Ronge over the weekend with a high of -7 C on Saturday and -10 C on Sunday. Robinson noted those are ideal temperatures for the Saskaloppet.

“We can control a lot of things in our event, but the weather is one thing we don’t have control over, and it is so nice to see the forecast this year is looking very nice for skiing,” she said. “It’s kind of that perfect where you get good glide and it’s nice and relatively quite warm, so we are pretty happy with that forecast.”

Groomers will also be busy right up until Friday to ensure the ski trails are ready. Although there was some snowfall on Monday and more expected later in the week, Robinson is confident that won’t affect the races.

An awards ceremony will occur Saturday starting at 6 p.m. at Eagle Point Resort. The La Ronge Nordic Ski Club has partnered with the La Ronge Arts Council, so the musical duo Over The Moon will be performing at 8:30 p.m. following the ceremony. The public is invited to purchase tickets for the performance.

“It’s definitely our biggest event of the year,” Robinson said of the Saskaloppet. “We have some other stuff throughout the year, but it’s kind of a great opportunity to showcase not only our own local skiers and the beautiful trails, but really just to showcase the community we have in La Ronge that’s centred around skiing.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno