We are gearing up for a great Family Day weekend of fun at Kawartha Nordic! This holiday means so much to us, as bringing families together for quality time is one of the pillars of our organization.

Excitement aside, we want to ensure the safety of all of our visitors at KN, and ask that all vistors remind themselves of our COVID Safety Plan.

In particular, please note that under the Provincial stay-at-home Order still in effect in our region, the Province has stated

"You should not travel outside your region or the province unless absolutely necessary."

For the safety of all of us at Kawartha Nordic and yourselves we ask that you please not travel from outside of your region to visit Kawartha Nordic.

Although we would love to see and welcome everyone, this is the only way we can ensure safety for all and do our part in controlling this pandemic.

We are also expecting a good turnout of skiers this weekend.

• Please consider skiing either in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the busy mid-day times.
• In the instance that our parking lot is completely full, we will unfortunately be forced to start turning people away.
• We will be posting our capacity and potential closure on our social media channels so please check Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram before visiting this weekend.
• We will also have parking attendants on site to guide vehicles to spots and ensure there are no large gaps between cars.
• In addition, under no circumstance should any visitor park on the highway, as it is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and other cars.

Although we will do our best so that everyone can get a chance to hit the trails, it wouldn't hurt to come with a backup plan, just in case!

This year, KN is encouraging guests and members to participate in our photo competition for a chance to have your photo framed and hung up on the wall in the Woodfine Lodge.

The Canadian Ski Marathon is coming to Kawartha Nordic this year! Kawartha Nordic has a special connection to the Canadian Ski Marathon and this year it will be skied (at least in part) on our own trails.

It was 1969 when Bill Lech, Herb Ferguson, Al Daniels and Marjorie Shephard attended the Canadian Ski Marathon in western Quebec and returned to Peterborough so enthused with the idea of hosting a similar ski tour in the Kawarthas. From that trip, and many volunteer efforts over the subsequent years to clear a trail from Apsley to Buckhorn, the Kawartha Ski Tour was born. Of course the Kawartha Ski Tour would evolve into Kawartha Nordic Ski Club and the wonderful community we enjoy today.

Kawartha Nordic Canadian Ski Patrol Members welcome you to the 2021 Season!

What a year this has been. We now have some snow and the facility is open for us to use.

Whether you are a veteran club member, a first timer, a displaced downhiller revisiting the sport, or are someone dusting off some skis that haven't seen snow in years, here are a few things to help you stay safe and have a good time on the trails in this season.

Count your kilometres for prizes!

Cross-country Ski Ontario (XCSO) has challenged all Ontario clubs and club members to ski as many kilometers as they can this season.

They are offering prizes for the COVID Kilometre Challenge as follows:

• Top 3 Male & Female Individuals with the most kilometres skied 1 Jan to 31 Mar 2021
• Top 3 Clubs with the most kilometres skied per skier registered for the challenge
• Top Club with greatest number of total accumulated kilometres
• plus, some surprise additional prizes along the way

To participate (or to just see what everyone else is skiing), open the XCSO COVID Kilometre Challenge Google Sheet and add your name and kilometres to the Kawartha tab. You can add your kilometres every day, or just put them all in on 31 Mar 2021 before 8:31pm.

Additional details are available from XCSO.

Kawartha Nordic has special items to look for along some of the trails on site. This hunt is designed to help engage children (of all ages) in cross country skiing and add a fun feature to their experience. Each weekend beginning Saturday January 23rd we will provide a few items to look for over the weekend and throughout the following week. Leave the items where they are but add them to your list as you spot them. See how many you are able to locate over the season. Create your own list page or check back here for a printable sheet.

Please do not travel outside your Public Health Region to visit Kawartha Nordic.

The Premier of Ontario has declared a State of Emergency for the Province, and as such ammended the previous Province-wide Shutdown orders until Tuesday 16 February 2021.

We have confirmed with Peterborough Public Health, that as an outdoor amenity included in the allowed list Kawartha Nordic is permitted to remain open for personal exercise during the State of Emergency and that our COVID Safety Plan does not require revision. All programs and lessons will remain on hold until permitted by the Province.

KN staff and volunteers have been working hard to manage the safety of all visitors, and based on their experience over the last few weeks and feedback from members, they have identified a few key areas where we could do better at meeting Provincial directives:

1. Avoid Crowds: A crowd is now 5, so please do not congregate. Junctions have especially led to accidental groups that we need to be diligent to avoid.
   
   
2. Wear a Mask: A mask is required when not moving, and whenever people will be closer than 2m. As such, the deck of the Rental Shop should be considered a mandatory Mask Zone.
   
   
3. Widely Space: When exercising without a mask please be sure to give others their 2m space.

Together, we can ensure a safe experience for everyone, and continue to enjoy Kawartha Nordic for personal enjoyment and excecise. 

All visitors, staff, and volunteers must complete the KN COVID-19 Screening Tool online each day before coming to Kawartha Nordic.

If you are unable to use the online tool, please print and use the following screening tool.

1. Do you have any one of the following new or worsening symptoms or signs, unrelated to chronic or other known causes or conditions? Yes or No
   • Fever and/or chills
   • Cough or barking cough
   • Shortness of breath
   • Decrease or loss of smell or taste
   • Sore throat or difficulty swallowing
   • Runny or stuffy/congested nose
   • Headache
   • Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea, or other digestive issues
   • Extreme tiredness or muscle aches
     
     
2. Are you 18 years of age or older, and have any one of the following new or worsening symptoms or signs, unrelated to chronic or other known causes or conditions? Yes or No
   • Pink Eye
   • Falling Down often
     
     
3. Has a doctor, health care provider, or public health unit told you that you should currently be isolating (staying at home)? Yes or No
   
   
4. In the last 14 days, have you been identified as a “close contact” of someone who currently has COVID-19? Yes or No
   
   
5. In the last 14 days, have you received a COVID Alert exposure notification on your cell phone? Yes or No
   
   
6. In the last 14 days, have you or anyone you live with travelled outside of Canada? Yes or No
   
   
7. Is anyone you live with currently experiencing any new COVID-19 symptoms and/or waiting for test results after experiencing symptoms? Yes or No

If you answer yes to any of these 7 questions, please go home to self-isolate immediately and contact your health care provider or Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000) for next steps.

If you answer no to all 7 questions, you are welcome to join us on-site at Kawartha Nordic, subject to our COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Please consult the full text of The Ontario Ministry of Health COVID-19 Screening Tool, if you have questions about the listed symptoms or other aspects of the screening tool.