WE ARE OPEN!

Ok time for the update you are all waiting for -

We Are Open!

but, and I cannot stress this enough, it is VERY early season conditions. The skiing is marginal at best. while we did get a decent amount of snowfall last night once it got packed and rolled it only amounted to a 5 cm base. That means there is some sporty skiing out there. I would not use your brand new skis , it is for sure rock skiing out there. But some skiing is better than no skiing. Your poles will punch through to ground but the rolled trail set up quite nicely and on my tester ski this morning it skied decently well and my skis did not hit ground. 
so, Yes we are open, but please use caution out there. The conditions are marginal at best and you will have to be quite sure on your skis when you are out there. 
Brad and Keegan rolled and packed iron sights , biathlon loop and George's trail. The biathlon loop got track set but iron sights and George's did not. 
a big thank you to both of them for putting in big hours this morning to get something open and groomed. 

I would recommended classic skiing over skating. I didn't skate this morning out there but I would think there's a chance you may touch ground when pushing off with your skis. 

biathlon parking lot is NOT PLOWED, 4x4 recommended 

I will be out there tomorrow morning starting around 830am to hand out memberships and sell day passes. Remember you must be a member or have a day pass to ski at black jack. 

thanks everyone for you patience and hope to see you out on the trails!

2025 Teck Regional Snow Camp (Kootenay) Notice

See Below for the Camp Notice and The schedule for the Teck Regional Snow Camp Happening at Black Jack from December 5-7.

CAMP NOTICE

SCHEDULE

2025 Annual General Meeting

Black Jack SKi club’s 2025 annual general meeting

This year’s Annual General Meeting will take place on:

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

In the Lily May Room at the Miner’s hall

1765 columbia ave in rossland

Start time: 7pm

Come and hear a summary of the past season and a preview of what’s to come this year. If you wanted your voice to be heard and have ideas about how to to shape the club this is the opportunity to provide your input.

We are looking for 3 new board members. The positions we are looking to fill are:

• Secretary

  We are looking for someone who is organized, concise and can help keep a meeting on track. This person is the official records organizer, scribe, and general administrative housekeeper. Not included in this is anything financial. Those duties fall to the treasurer who then hires a local accountant for support. There is a great list of duties with some approximate time commitment at this link Secretary Description.

• Race Director

  In this role you are the coordinator between Cross Country BC/ Nordic Canada and Black Jack when planning Black Jack's race schedule. Black Jack always hosts the Loppet towards the end of the season and usually one Kootenay Cup and is in a good position to host other larger events such as BC Winter Games qualifiers, Westerns (formally Noram's) or Track Attack championships depending on the year. The race Director communicates the dates and possible races with Black Jack's Race Organizing Committee, to which your involvement  is optional. For example, the former race director was sometimes heavily involved in organizing races and other races she was away and didn't partake at all. Hosting races comes at a financial cost, so in the role you will apply for grants specific to race hosting like  the BC Hosting Grant for larger events, and reporting race budgets, revenues (through fees), and costs to the board.  Finally, the Race Director is also responsible for organizing Officiating courses every couple of years.

• Trails Director

  The trail position is now somewhat less operational since paying for a full time GM, but there are important duties that help the club run smoothly between the seasons. These include coordinating annual trail maintenance (brushing), planning and developing new trails including proposals, grants, contracting, volunteer coordination. All the while you would be maintaining a close working relationship with our GM through the winter and summer to support trail operation/maintenance decision making. Of the three opportunities, this one is a bit more scalable, and you will often find other members pitching/taking on “pet” projects (eg. Trail maintenance, development projects, granting opportunities sign updates etc..), in which case you would be a key contact to help ensure their efforts stay in line with our club plans.

  If you are interested or would like more information on these positions and what the volunteer roles entail please email our GM, Patrick, at generalmanager@skiblackjack.ca for more information

  We will also be voting on the proposed constitution change:

  Proposition: to remove Section 9.1 of the CONSTITUTION OF THE BLACK JACK SKI CLUB SOCIETY (Club) which states "The Association must maintain a minimum balance of $30,000." See Club constitution and proposed amendment in red strikeout at link below. 
  
  Definition: The constitution as currently written, requires the Club to maintain a balance of at least $30,000.00 ($30K) in unrestricted funds under a consideration to protect Club solvency. 
  
  Present Condition: During a grant application process, the group(s) assigning funds will often review Club finances to determine viability, and will evaluate the balance of restricted versus unrestricted funds in Club accounts. If during this period of financial review the Club maintains a robust balance sheet of unrestricted funds it provides an impression (albeit false) that these unrestricted funds could/should be allocated towards the project in question, thus weakening our grant application. While being constitutionally bound to keep a balance sheet of $30K in unrestricted funds was initially designed to protect Club solvency, it negatively impacts the Club in two ways; (1) misleading narrative for third parties reviewing Club finances, and (2) restricting access to those funds when needed by the Club.
  
  Recommendation: Removal of section (9.1) will afford greater financial discretion for the Board of Directors and Treasurer to execute the fiscal management of the Club, without diminishing overall financial governance, while better meeting immediate financial needs.
  
  This proposed amendment will be voted on at the AGM.  
  

• Black Jack’s Constitution and Bylaws are posted on our Archive page.

• Miniutes from the board meetings are also accessible from our Archive page.

• Black Jack Ski Club is a society under the BC Societies Act. The board must have at least 3 and no more than 11 members (Part 5 of the Bylaws). Required positions on the board are President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, with the remaining board members as Directors at Large.

• All voting members in attendance at the AGM are entitled to vote for the board members.

We Hope to see everyone there!

Full Moon Toonie Skis are Back for 2026!

Full Moon Toonie Skis are Back for this winter! If you don’t have a season’s pass at Black Jack here is your opportunity to come ski for only $2!

The Dates for this season’s Toonie skis are:

• Wednesday December 3rd

• Saturday January 3rd

• Sunday February 1st

• Tuesday March 3rd

Keep an eye on our social media for more information!

BC Winter Games Trials Zone 1

Trials to determine the athletes who will represent Zone 1 at the 2026 BC Winter Games.

Only open to athletes born in 2011 and 2012.

BIATHLON - SATURDay January 3, 2026

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CROSS COUNTRY - Sunday January 4, 2026

Classic Technique, Interval Start

Registration is through Zone4.

Course maps and Race Notice will be posted here.

BC Winter Games

BC Winter Games

Coming to Rossland, Trail & Castlegar!

February 25 – March 1, 2026

The BC Winter Games is an incredible event with over 1700 athletes, coaches, and officials coming to the region! We need 1,600 volunteers to help make it a success.

There are volunteer opportunities in every area of the Games. When you register to volunteer, you choose the area where you’d like to help.

Cross country skiing and biathlon will be at Black Jack.

Please consider volunteering for these events!

Black Jack Ski Swap - November 8th

Mark Your Calendars! Black Jack’s Ski Swap Will Happen on Nov 8th from 11:30-2:30 pm. Looking for some new (to you) gear or looking to sell you old gear? Come to the ski swap and help support our Skier Development Program.

Sales are CASH ONLY

Friday Nov 7th

Gear Drop off: 5-7pm

Saturday Nov 8th

Gear Drop off: 9-11am

Ski swap: 11:30-1:30pm

Unsold Gear and Cash Pickup: 2-3pm

Our Skier Development Group will be hosting Ski Waxing by Donation. Come get your skis waxed and ready for the season!

There will also be a cash BBQ with proceeds going to the Race Team.

We will be offering membership sales in person for the first time ever! Stop by the trailhead cabin if you still need to purchase your membership for the season.

Hope to see Everyone out There

Golden City Grind Results

A big congrats to all who participated in this year’s Golden City Grind!

Results for this years event can be found here:

Results

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Black Jack Clothing now available for purchase!

Click the link below if you would like to Purchase Black Jack Clothing!

Purchase Clothing here

Fundraiser For Black Jack’s Rémi Drolet and his Olympic Dream!

Click Here To Donate!

Rémi Drolet has finished his degree at Harvard and is now training full time to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy!

Rémi has been focusing on this Olympic year ever since he attended the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he was one of the very youngest cross country ski athletes. For example, in the final race he was the 4th overall U23 skier! Now 3 years later and with school out of the way, he is dedicating all his time to qualifying for 2026. He is training full-time in Vermont with a small group of elite athletes, including Olympic champion Jessie Diggins. Let’s help him out so that he can focus on proper training, nutrition, and rest, instead of how to pay for it all.

Unlike most of the other Canadian skiers that have a legitimate chance of qualifying, Rémi receives zero monthly funding from the government. (He was not a Sport Canada carded athlete last year or for this upcoming year.)

Including spring, summer, and fall training, camps, early-season races, and cost of living leading up to the Canadian Olympic Trials in December, he will be at least $25,000 out-of-pocket to pursue his dream.

Rémi continues to be a huge inspiration for our ski community, from young Jackrabbits, to up & coming racers, to volunteer coaches & officials putting in so much time. In turn, let’s show the wider community that we will support an athlete that aspires to the very highest level. Rémi, we have your back!

Thank you for your support.

Job Posting: Fall Trail Crew

Thanks to the Columbia Basin Trust Job Experience Grant, Black Jack is again hiring a Trail Maintenance Crew for this fall. An outhouse needs to be built and there is lots of brushing and mowing to be done.

We are currently hiring for one Trail Crew Member.

Applicants can send their resume and a short Cover Letter to Patrick Monette at generalmanager@skiblackjack.ca

A more thorough job description can be found here: Trail Member Job Posting

April 15 - Lower trails no longer being maintained, Biathlon open til May 15

Trail Update for April 15th.

The ski season is not over yet - We will continue to groom the Biathlon Trails until May 15th!

Yesterday evening was our last snowcat groom of the year and the last day for grooming on the lower trails. Tomorrow we will begin the annual maintenance on the snowcats so that they will be ready to go for next season. While we won't be grooming with the snowcats anymore we are far from being done with grooming. Isaac, with the help of volunteer groomers, will continue to maintain the Biathlon network with snowmobile and ginzu until May 15th (unless summer really kicks into overdrive and we get a fast melt).

Remember, membership and day pass fees still apply while we are grooming. Hope to see you all out there

March 31 - Trail Update

Trail Update!

As the temps get warmer and we get into spring skiing conditions, we will continue to update everyone on what the trails are looking like. The trails are still in incredible shape for this time of year! Some creeks are starting to open up on the lower trails so please ski with caution out there. We are going to close striders and adventure trail starting today, the tree well melt out and debris on the trail is too much to ski safely. Aquaduct is still holding on but the tree debris down on the trail is starting to accumulate as the snow melts and I would hazard to guess that we only have a couple days before the debris makes it too unsafe to ski.

All other trails are in great shape! And a reminder to everyone that we are going to continue to groom until winter is over. We will see how the weather plays out but I would imagine we have a couple good weeks left on the lower trails before we move the grooming up to only at biathlon.

And today (March 31) is the last day the Kiosk is open for the year. Trail fees still apply so please pay by dropping cash in the dropbox or using the QR code or website to pay with card.

Last day the Kiosk is open for the season - March 31

Well its that time of the year. Monday March 31 will be the last day the Kiosk is open for the season. If you are looking for rentals you have a few days left to make it happen. Kiosk will be open from 9-2pm daily until March 31st and will be closed for the season starting April 1.

After March 31st, day pass fees still apply, pay either by cash in the drop box or by card through the QR code at the trailhead. We still have loads of snow and will most likely be skiing all the way through April. Hope to see you out there!

If you are coming to Black Jack and looking for rentals after March 31 please email us at info@skiblackjack.ca a couple days before and we are happy to come and get people rentals on an as needed basis.

MARCH BREAK MADNESS

Black Jack is offering some March Break deals for those looking to try Cross Country Skiing while they enjoy their break from school!

Anyone 18 and under skis for free with a paying adult and pays only $15 for a day of rentals. There has never been a better time to come out and ski at Black Jack!

These deals are on from March 15th to March 30th. Come down to our Rental Kiosk at 310 Campbell Rd to take advantage of them. The Kiosk is open from 9am-2pm daily.

Can’t wait to see all the new faces out there trying cross country skiing.

Any questions please give us a call at 250-362-7164 from 9am-2pm or email us at info@skiblackjack.ca

A big thanks to Gerick’s For their support with this promotion.

Teck Kootenay Cup and Al Fisher Loppet Trail Update

This weekend, Saturday March 8th and Sunday March 9th, we have the Teck Kootenay Cup and the 41st annual Al Fisher Lopper happening at Black Jack. We are expecting over 100 athletes at Black Jack over the weekend.

Parking will be very tight, and we expect big crowds around the stadium. We ask all members not participating to ski from the Biathlon trailhead this coming weekend.

Here's the details:

- Friday March 7 will be a training and set up day. Watch out for athletes if coming to Black Jack on Friday

- Saturday March 8th the lower trails and trailhead are CLOSED from 7 am to 5 pm. Evening skiing will be open.

- Sunday 26th: the lower trails and trailhead are CLOSED from 7 am to 3 pm.

-the lower dog loop is also closed this weekend

- The kiosk will remain open for rentals all days! There will be a reserved parking space for rental pick-up - just let the parking attendant know that's what you're here for. You can drive your rentals to the other trailheads. And to encourage people to pick up their rentals early, we are offering a special longer rental period -- 2 days for the price of one if you pick up on Friday!

- We are still looking for a few more volunteers - please check out this link and help out for a couple hours if you can! Anyone is welcome to help! https://volunteersignup.org/9WEXR

Tour De Soup and Ski For Free For Family Day

Make a donation to our Skier Development Program and ski on out to our cabins for delicious soup donated by local restaurants.

This year's event is in honour of Karen Trueman. An avid Black Jack Member and coach for Black Jack's Skier Development Program.

On top of it being Tour de Soup, trail fees are also free that day! So bring out the whole family to enjoy the Tour De Soup. It is usually one of the busiest days of the season so if you need rentals make sure to get here early.

NEW for this year's Tour de Soup is we are also including the cabin up at biathlon, so instead of the usual three cabins with soup we will have four cabins you can ski too. Mike Heximer who runs the Biathlon Program will also have the new Eco-Rifles for the public to try at the Range. If you have ever wanted to try Biathlon, this could be the day.

Hope to see everyone out there!

TECK KOOTENAY CUP & AL FISHER LOPPET

MARCH 8 - 9, 2025

Race Location: Black Jack Ski Club, main trailhead

Race Fees:

• $5 per race for U6 Bunnies (no Day License required)

• $15 per race for U8 to U12

• $25 per race for U14 to U23, Seniors, Masters, Recreational, and Loppet categories

Credit card fees (2.4%) Zone 4 fees, and Nordiq Canada Tier 3 Event Day License ($3) are in addition to the race fees.

Courses

Click on distances to view course maps.

Sat Mar 8 Kootenay Cup Events: Classic, Interval Start

• 500 m (U8)

• 1 km (U10)

• 2.5 km (U12)

• 2 x 2.5 km (U14 & U16)

• 2 x 5 km (U18, U20, U23, Senior, Masters, and Recreational)

Sun Mar 9 Kootenay Cup Free: Free, Mass Start

• 150 m (Bunnies, U6)

• 1 km (U8, U10)

• 3 km (U12)

• 2 x 3 km (U14, U16)

• 10 km (U18, U20, U23, Senior, Master)

Sun Mar 9 Al Fisher Black Jack Loppet Events: Mass Start, Skate or Classic

• 10 km, 2 x 10 km, or 3 x 10km - skiers of all ages and abilities are welcome!

Confirmation List: availalable on Zone4

Trail Conditions: available on Nordic Pulse

Accommodations: Red Mountain Resort Lodging offered a 30% discount on accommodations with the code MARCHMADNESS2025.

Volunteers: volunteers are an essential part of the weekend. Thank you to all who helped out!

Email RaceSecretaryBJSC@gmail.com for more information

Trail Closure Update for the TECK Track Attack Championships

This weekend, Saturday January 25 and Sunday January 26, Black Jack is proudly hosting the 2025 Teck BC Track Attack Championships! We are expecting more than 170 athletes, ages 9 to 13 from across the province!

Parking will be very tight, and we expect big crowds around the stadium. We ask all members not participating to ski from the Biathlon or Little Rock trailheads this weekend.

Here's the details:

- Friday January 24 will be a training and set up day. Expect the stadium area to be closed in the afternoon for set-up, and young athletes on the trails through the afternoon and evening.

- Saturday January 25th the lower trails and trailhead are CLOSED from 7 am to 5 pm. Evening skiing is open, but access limited to Gibbards (and beyond) while the race course trails remain closed overnight.

- Sunday 26th: the lower trails and trailhead are CLOSED from 7 am to 3 pm.

-please note that lower trail closures includes includes the dog trails

- The kiosk will remain open for rentals all days! There will be a reserved parking space for rental pick-up - just let the parking attendant know that's what you're here for. You can drive your rentals to the other trailheads. And to encourage people to pick up their rentals early, we are offering a special longer rental period -- 2 days for the price of one if you pick up on Friday! The kiosk will be open late - until 4 pm - on Friday to get your rentals for the weekend.

- We are still looking for a few more volunteers - please check out this link and help out for a couple hours if you can! Anyone is welcome to help, not just families of participants: https://volunteersignup.org/LJYP4

Paint Night at the Rich Thorpe Cabin

Enjoy a fundraising evening of painting with local artist Sue Deane.

This event is sold out. Thank you for the support!

Learn to paint one of Sue’s paintings and help support the Black Jack Ski Team exchange with Yellowknife this spring! 60% of your fee will go towards the exchange!

When: Wednesday February 12th 6pm-9pm

Where: The Rich Thorpe (Trailhead) Cabin at Black Jack

Cost: $50.00 per person

Come as you are. All supplies will be provided. Wear something you don’t mind getting paint on. Bring your own drinks and snacks.

To reserve your spot email Sue at suedeane38@gmail.com and etransfer to the same email.