Cross-country skiing for the first time for some of the 60 new Canadians in Fredericton with the Wostawea Ski Club. (Gary Moore/CBC)

Cross-country ski lessons for new Canadians

Cross-county skiing is one of the winter sports that can make this challenging season in the northern hemisphere, so much more enjoyable.

In the maritime province of New Brunswick, the Wostawea Ski Club in the city of Fredericton, reached out to the city’s Multicultural Association, with an invitation to take some ski lessons.

The club bought 30 pairs of skis in preparation, and was amazed when more three times as many people responded.

Wostawea ski coach Robert Morimanno. “I think there was close to a hundred people who were interested.”

Wostawea Ski Club used some of its fundraising money to purchase thirty sets of skis for a new outreach initiative. (Gary Moore/CBC)

Margarethe Ghanem, who is originally from the Philippines, said this was her first experience with cross-country skiing.

“We feel welcome, and it’s a lot of fun, especially for the kids,” Ghanem told CBC News. She has been in Fredericton since August 2016.

“We came from a tropical country, where we didn’t have snow, so this is all very exciting for us.”

Morimanno is pleased with how quickly the students are catching on.

“In Canada, if you’re born here, you kind of have this innate sense of how, it feels to be on snow, how the snow responds to your weight and the ice and what not.

“And just after a few times, you already see tremendous progress.”

I was born here, and i’m not so sure about that innate sense he talks about, but maybe next season I’ll take a few lessons and see!

(With files from CBC)

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