The great outdoors have become, more than ever, a safe space to take a breath of fresh air and partake in recreational sports during COVID-19. With winter just around the corner, an increase in cold weather and a blanket of snow means many are looking to swap their golf clubs for skis.
Aron Schilf, general manager at local retailer Track ‘N Trail, can confirm there’s been an elevated demand for outdoor recreation equipment this season.
“In a normal year, we would be fully loaded and ready to go with cross country skis and snowshoes at the store here in St. Albert and the main store at Whyte Avenue,” said Schilf.
“Unfortunately, right now our Whyte Avenue store is blowing through our equipment and our bookings so fast that we can’t actually keep inventory in our St. Albert store, so we’re in kind of an unusual position.”
Skiing appears to be the ideal sport this winter season especially, offering space for much-needed social interaction and physical activity through what is often a long, dark and cold season here in Alberta.
“Cross country skiing is a perfect sport for social distancing because your skis and your poles kind of give you that six feet of distance,” said Schilf.
“We saw it happen with bikes in the summer,” he added, reflecting on the increase in recreational equipment sales. “We aren’t a bike shop, but we did see our summer business pick up quite a bit, and then the cross-country skiing.”
The retailer hopes to get things back in stock sooner than later, including snowshoes and winter footwear.
“We were not expecting it to be this busy. We knew it was going to be busy, but this is beyond,” said Schilf.
Laurie Hunt, president of the St. Albert Nordic Ski Club (SANSC), has also been witnessing an increased interest for cross-country skiing this year. Hunt says she has already seen high registration numbers for both youth and adult lessons at SANSC.
“We have had a higher than typical number of inquiries about lessons, about skiing, about the club, about memberships,” said Hunt. “One of the great things about cross country skiing is it’s outside, and so that makes it quite a favourable sport. Any outdoor sports this winter, just being able to have people outdoors instead of indoors is positive.”
SANSC has created, for the first time, an additional Tuesday afternoon session this season to accommodate students who are doing their schooling at home, Hunt added.
“One of the things that does make skiing appealing for young people is doing it with friends,” said Hunt. “I think it’s a relatively safe place to recreate outdoors.”
That sentiment is also shared by those looking to get on St. Albert ice rinks this winter. John Kociuba, president of the non-profit recreational hockey organization, Wonderfun Hockey, says the organization is fortunate to have its games outdoors but also considers the cold weather that often persists through January and February when its season takes place.
“When it’s cold outside, we rely on the rink shelter, and that’s not a guarantee to be open,” said Kociuba. “The COVID-19 situation is pretty fluid, so rules can change quickly. We’ll most likely have to tell parents that (the kids) have to come dressed and not rely on the skate shack to warm up or get ready.”
Despite the uncertainty, Wonderfun is still looking to go through with the 2021 season. Registration for the organization usually begins mid-October but has been a bit delayed this year as the organization works with the City of St. Albert to iron out the safest way to proceed with COVID-19 protocols.
“It could go either way,” said Kociuba, looking toward the upcoming registration and hockey season. “It may cancel, our numbers might go down, or our numbers might go up.”
Kociuba says registration numbers will be mostly influenced by parents.
“The only thing that would be a holdback is whether or not the parents are comfortable with moving forward with activities, that’s probably where the determining factor will be.”
