How did we get to Scandinavia?

Thank you to the Following People for their Generous Financial Donation to help Brooke and I go to Scandinavia:

Carignan Mechanical: Rene Carignan
Jamie Coatsworth
Dieter Kromm
Angus Cockney
Jamie and Sharon Cuthill: Valhalla Pure Outfitters
John Easton
Wes Hewitt
Janet and Ed Lightner from the Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham, Washington
Sian and Angus Leyshon-Doughty

Thank you to the following People, Companies and Stores who generously gave us items for our Silent Auction and Raffle Fundraiser:

The Bicycle Café, Canmore: Jay
Lush, Banff: Jenn Nicholls
Unlimited, Canmore: Dave Carlson
Icebreaker Merino Wool: Louis Julien-Roy
Salomon Sports: Phil Villneuve
Trail Sports, Canmore: John Gallagher
Vallhalla Pure, Canmore: Jamie
O’Canada Soap Company, Canmore
Canmore Eagles, Canmore: Marshall Kennedy
Monod Sports, Banff: Philip Monod
Lululemon, Banff: Michelle Oszust
Fast Trax, Edmonton: Jack Cook
Canmore Nordic Centre: Magi Scallion
Life Sport, Calgary: Norm Person
Alpine Helicopters Ltd, Canmore
Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge:
Chandra Crawford for all the sweet autographed swag
Ultimate Ski and Ride, Banff

Thank you the to the following People who have provided their time to helping us with our fundraising efforts to get to Scandinavia


Ken and Raylene Hewitt for helping us with organizing all of our events and making sure we executed them properly!
Pate Newman and Thompson D’Hont for helping us set up our Silent Auction
Greg Thompson from Canmore Nordic for helping us with our Silent Auction at the Western Canadian Championships
Mike Carleton of Rocky Mountain Racers for helping us with our Raffle

As you can see there are a lot of people that made this trip happen. Words cannot express how amazing it was to receive such an overwhelming amount of support!

Please feel free to read the previous posts on our stories and updates from the trip.

Scandinavia Update #4

Hi Folks,

I have been home for almost a week now, finished up my course at U of C, which included a final exam, and then had a couple days to crash. But I figured it was time to write a final update on the trip.

Bruksvallarna was our final weekend of racing in Scandinavia. One sign that my body is getting tired is the fact that I can’t seem to stay on my feet. It seemed to be a common theme throughout the weekend for me, so I was a bit relieved that these were the final races of the season.

Friday he 24th was the skate sprint. Lucky guess, I fell in the qualifier, putting me in last place. Then I was knocked out right away in the first heat. Brooke on the other hand fought hard that day and managed to come in 5th place!



Next up was the 26km loppet. At that point I was digging deep to try and find every last bit of energy I had left. The race started out well. I stuck with the lead pack for the first 8km or so, and even took the lead for a short period of time. And then just prior to the 3km uphill climb there was a feed station. I attempted to grab a drink, and on my third try my ski somehow got caught in the snow on the side of the trail and I did full on face plant right into the bank.

I got up as quickly as I could but the group was already a good distance away. Normally I think I would have been able to catch up to the pack, as climbing tends to be my strong point. But my legs just weren’t feeling it that day and it was all I could do to make it up that hill. I finished the race in 11th place, and Brooke was 4th.



That’s it, last race of the season, we were done! Time to chill out in the sun and drink a beer on the porch.



The team, (back left to right, front left ot right) Dylan, Pete, Andy, Gord, Brooke, Liza, Me


Okay… I kinda lied… There was another race on Sunday as well. One were you were required to wear helmets and rip down a hill as fast as you can. I think it took about 5min on average to complete the course. Kids from about 8 years old all the way up to senior men and women competed in this event.

Some of those kids were crazy! Maybe being lower to the ground helps, but they just tucked and went! I couldn’t believe it. They were flying down the course at top speed. And yes, I competed as well… but guess what? I fell.



The top five in each category then went on to compete in the “knollcross heats”. Which was like a downhill sprint course with lots of sharp turns and jumps.



To finish it off, it was a long month with lots of travel and lots of racing. I think more then anything, this trip really opened my eyes to how hard and fast I need to be pushing myself. Those girls lay everything down on the race course at every chance they get, and I think that is key to succeeding in this sport. It was a great experience and I learned a lot.

A HUGE Thank you to everyone who helped us get here, and a special thanks to Peter Phillips who made it all happen.



“Do what you love, and love what you do”, and that is exactly what this trip was for me.

Photo of Stockholm where we visited on our last evening in Sweden.

Downhill Fun

By Gord Jewitt

Scandinavia Update #3

Bruksvallarna!


Hey Everyone,

I love Sweden! We arrived to sunny Bruksvallarna yesterday. It is absolutely spectacular! Erik Nilsson, former assistant coach of Callahan Valley took us on a tour today. I have never had better crust skiing in my life! Its like skiing on top of the world. There are no words to describe it, so here are a few photos:

View from our dinning area. The food is AMAZING!






Erik, Liza, and Brooke


A small portion of the 3km climb in the 26km loppet we are racing on Saturday






Its like heaven! You can ski for miles and miles.

Scandinavia Update #2

North of the Arctic Circle.



Our last three competitions have been north right along the border between Sweden and Finland. We competed in three different locations, Tornio, Pello, and Yllas. The first two were skate races and the last was a classic, each 5km long.

The first day was a fast rolly course. With over 600 competitors (including every age class) our category did not start until late in the afternoon, and by that time the track was completely glazed almost like ice. It was a tough race. You had to push on every single inch of that course, while being powerful and strong. I felt pretty good. My result wasn’t great as I was almost 1.5 minutes back, but I learned a lot and think I know where I needed to improve. Brooke, on the other hand had a pretty good race. She was only 23sec off the winner putting her in 5th place for the day.



Next up was the race in Pello. It was an awesome course with lots of climbing through trees and fast downhills and corners. My legs weren’t quite up to par that day and about 20m off the start line they started to burn. Never the less, I fought my way through the rest of the course, finishing again in almost 1.5 minutes back. Brooke placed 6th that day, 33sec back.



Easter Sunday was in Yllas. To our surprise some of the best racers in the world decided to show up to this race. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, who was a medalist at world champs this year was among them. I pushed as hard as I could. We had awesome grip, but I think were a little slow on the glide. I finished 3.5 minutes back, followed closely by Brooke. We essentially raced the best in the world after completing two races beforehand, so I don’t think we can be too hard on ourselves.

Its been a lot of travel and racing, but I am still enjoying every minute of it. Every race is like a battle where you are fighting for every second. I am really learning how to push my body to the max, and I think by continuing to do that it will get me closer to reaching my goals.

Tomorrow we have a long drive to Bruksvalarna, where we have our final two races. These races should be well attended and sounds like a lot of fun too, so stay tuned.

I’ll wrap it up with some pics and thoughts of Finland.

Gord, skiing through the lap lane on Saturday


Go Canada!


Brooke's friend, Pirkko came down from Rovinimi to visit for a couple days


Pirkko, Liza (who joined us a couple days ago originally form the US) and Brooke on the ski trails in Pello


Brooke and her love for dogs






HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE (art courtesy of Brooke)

Scandinavia Update #1

I arrived in Stockholm on Tuesday evening and drove to a town called Gavle, the “feather-tree-town”. I went for a jog late that night to get the stiffness out of my legs from a long day/night of travel. It was a cute town from what I could see in the dark, and all the trees were decorated with pink and yellow feathers, hence the name. Half way through the run I found myself with a big smile across my face. Being in another country that was new and unfamiliar was like a breath of fresh air.

The next day was a 9 hour drive up the north cost to a town called Pitea. Peter managed to get us some pretty cheap accommodation from a local friend who runs a ski site (not the one we raced at). It was a small “cabin” right on the trails, which turned out to be quite a bit smaller then we had originally thought. It may not have been a four star resort, but once we got settled in, it started to feel a little more like home. It also had a small kitchen where we were able to cook all our own meals, which was nice.

Giant Bridge we drove over on our way to Pitea


Dylan, Brooke and the kiwi (Andy) infront of our ski chalet


Okay, now to the racing.

April 4th, and 5th were the final races of the “InterSport Cup” series in Sweden (kinda like the NorAm series in Canada). It was a two-day pursuit. A 3km skate race on Saturday, followed by a 10km classic race on Sunday, where you start with the same time back from the leader as you finished in Saturdays race.

The course was a lot of fun. It was really similar to Canmore with a lot of steep hills including a 44m climb and fast turning downhills. There was a ton snow with a small dump of fresh snow the day before the race. Temperatures were about –5˚C at night with highs of around 2˚C during the day, which kept the snow hard and dry.

The Climb (pictures always seem deceiving)




I placed 22nd after the first day and finished 20th on the second day… but in truth that was 4th last and 3rd last respectively. I could give you a number of excuses like the fact that we had just gotten off the plane 3 days earlier, which may or may not have something to do with it. But truth is those girls were fast!

I don’t think I could have raced any faster then I did on those days. The classic race was probably one of my best classic races of the season. Skiing in Europe is a real eye opener and I think this is exactly what I needed. Racing here makes me realize just how fast I need to be racing in order to compete with the best in the world. A few of the girls I raced against here are constantly top 30 on the World Cup circuit including one, Charlotte Kalla that can win a medal on any given day.

All I can really look at are the positive sides of this. These girls get to race against each other all season and are constantly pushing one another to their limits. Its no wonder that they can produce so many athletes that are competitive on the world cup. And I know that the more I race against them the faster I will be as well.

Gord Jewitt and Brooke Gosling ready to race Saturday morning

Gord Jewitt powering out of the start line, and finishing an impressive 15th that day!




Once we are settled in and finally over jet leg, I think my racing will improve over the next couple weeks. Today Brooke and I are taking it easy and exploring around the town of Pitea. Tomorrow we are going to visit some kids a local ski school, and then having dinner with a local ski family in the evening.