Wrangling a toddler into a ski suit, toque and boots is no easy task. It is worth the reward, though, for a group of active parents who meet at the Flin Flon ski club every Friday morning all winter long, skis in hand and bundled-up progeny in tow.
They come out because, 11 years ago, two local moms found a way to stay healthy and active throughout the frostiest winter days, and encouraged others to join them.
In 2014, cross-country skiers Kara Plamondon and Bonnie Tinker started the Moms and Tots Skiing Group, a free drop-in program available to members and day pass skiers at the Flin Flon Ski Club.
On Friday, Nov. 27 the group met for the first time this season. As the trails weren’t ideal for skiing, the moms and preschoolers stayed busy hustling up and down the tobogganing hill located next to the chalet.
On most Fridays, the parents take turns cross-country skiing while the others stay back to babysit at the chalet.
“It’s great,” says Erica Christensen, a regular participant in the group. “You get silence, exercise, vitamin D…and a real break.”
The club also has two sleighs designed for an adult skier to tow a child, perfect for parents whose kids aren’t quite ready to stay back at the chalet.
It’s not all about the exercise, though. Plamondon notes that the sense of community in the play group makes it a lifeline for moms, especially those who are far away from their families.
“Moms from different walks of life come together,” she explains. “There is a feeling of empathy, that we’re all here for each other.”
While Tinker has since moved away, and Plamondon’s kids are much older than “tots,” the group lives on and continues to grow: now in the summer, some of the members continue to meet up as a running group.
The program also has met one of Plamondon and Tinkers’ initial goals: reviving the local ski community.
As Plamondon explains, when the two moms initiated the group, the ski club’s membership was waning, and aging. The Friday meet-ups helped inject some youthful energy into the club, and got young kids and families excited about cross-country skiing.
As the babies and tots grew up, families sought out programming for older kids, prompting the creation of the club’s Jackrabbits ski lessons and racing team for youth.
“It became a bigger thing than what we imagined,” Plamondon says with a smile. “But it was exactly what we wanted – to make the ski club grow.”
