Season recap from Ethan Hess

“My competitive 2015-2016 ski season was very short with only one race that had serious compition. This was the race in Vermont it started off okay with an average 7.5k not exceptionally happy but no big mistakes. Then came the 2.5 which 500m in I broke my sit ski but still managed to finish skiing on one ski. The final race was a sprint later that day which would be my best race finished 7th. I would compeat and train locally for the next couple of months until the nationals in white horse. At this next race their would only be one other competitor but shockingly the lack of competion would not effect my races. My first 7.5k race would be a personal record time and I was very happy with it. The next race would be another solid sprint but the most amazing race would be the next race. It was a 15k race which is not my strength but it would be an amazing race. finishing over 10 minutes faster then my last 15k 13 months earlier. After the best race of my life in white horse I feel confident going into next years season with the goal of making the 2018 paraolympic team.”

Ethans off season training has been successful and busy! He has been competing in dragon boat along side with his mountain board for more specific country ski training! 





Season and summer training recap! – Emily

As we come into the summer season off dry land training I can’t help at looking back on the progress from last season!  Man does time fly! 

This past season started off with some Noram racing in Canmore and Vernon which were a great way to shake the pre season cobwebs off! There are always so many lessons learned while racing able bodied athletes!  

This season on the international front the national team raced in Korea on the 2018 Paralympic courses! That was a great experience!! I was able to have a good start to the season where I was able to race my way onto the podium for a 3rd place in the 7.5k skate!  

Taking the momentum from Korea the team packed up and headed to Germany for our first World Cup of the season and mine EVER!! It was enjoyable and there was multiple trips to the pain cave!!! 

Next World Cup was in march in Finland! As it was the last big race series of the year it was tiring but also I had  some of my best races to date.  In biathlon the lightbulb finally turned on and was able to get 4th in a fairly competitive field in the individual race! 

Overall he season went well and there was lots of improvement but also lots of work to do! It will be interesting to see after another year of training how the season will go next year! 

So far for the summer training. The national team just arrived back from our annual Bend , Oregon camp.  The weather was varying and we were able to spend lots of hours in the trails, on the rollers and some days on snow! 

Next on the schedule is a week of testing called ” testival” I’m Canmore in a week!!! It’s going to be tough! But also very rewarding! 

Thank you to all that supported myself individually and the Wingers and wheelers this past season! 

The count down to the Paralympics is getting smaller and smaller and it’s crazy how much improvement there has been for everyone!!! 

Some pictures from the past bend camp last week!  We saw every kind of weather!  From 30 degrees to -5 





Summer Training

Summer training is in full force. This last Sunday Andy and I competed in the Seek the Peak for the first time and loved it. We’re already excited for next year! We’ve also spent some time roller skiing; particularly, we’ve been working on developing and maintaining proper technique. Additionally, we’ve incorporated some agility at the end of our roller skis up Cypress to keep light on our feet.

On top of this, we’re continuing with anaerobic threshold and max anaerobic power interval workouts, our new strength sessions in the gym, running, and any other kind of workouts that will help us reach our goals. I’m so lucky to have some of the best trails right out my front door–it makes it easy to get my workouts done in the morning!

Thanks to everyone for the support! Pictures and videos to come 🙂

– Lindsey

The day has finally come–we’re headed to Germany! We’re all beyond pumped and ready to give it our all. Finsterau here we come!

Lindsey here,

It’s been a good and long year of hard training and I’m ready to face some international competition. Being my first international race, I’m expecting bigger challenges but even bigger rewards. It’s time to dig even deeper and see where it lands me.

The competition will be fierce, but I have to focus on myself and what will help me get across the finish line faster. Narrowing the mental game and focusing on good technique and tempo is necessary and my top priority throughout my four races.

Regardless of the fact I’m in Germany for the FIS World Cup, these races are the same as any other. Enjoy it, but give it everything you’ve got. At the end of the finish line you want to know you couldn’t have given anything more. Where this lands you in the ranks? Who knows, but you’ll only get better if you push yourself even harder each time. The main goal is there and it will be met, it’s just a matter of when. The itching competitiveness is sparking and is only building as I continue to improve. You have everything it takes to get yourself to where you want to be, and you just have to use every bit of it.

Well, I think that’s enough brain blab for now. I’ll save some more for you all later! We’ll keep you updated on how we’re doing throughout the competition!

Thank you all for the support and encouragement! We appreciate it more than you know.

Have a fantastic day everyone!

At the Olympic venue

On January 24 I took to the ski on route to Peyong Chang South Korea for the 2016 Asia Cup with the national ParaNordic and biathlon team! 

The flight was long however we got there in the evening so it was right to be to sleep on the jet lag! We arrived 2 full days before the before the racing would begin so we got our fair share of time to feel the course out! 

The first race on the schedule was the 1.4km Classic sprint race. This was a very exciting race as the course was fairly flat but had a killer hill only at beginning. 

The qualifying rounds were interval starts and as I haven’t raced enough to get any significant seeding I was in the top few to go. I really enjoyed the qualifying and canada landed in the top 3. I was 3rd. to my team mate Brittany Hudak and a Russian 5/7 ( no poles skier).  Semi finals came and the line up was CAN ,CAN, JPN, RUS.  The strategy was to get ahead and hold the pace . In this heat top 3 went to the final. It was an Ramey lead for both Canadians and Russian and we got to enjoy the course a bit more then usual as we got to the line. 

The finals came and unfortunately for canada the Russian 5/7 girl had a 43 second advantage over the field making it almost impossible to chase down. Brittany gave it her all but fell short and took the silver, I managed to grab myself 4th place behind the Japanese competitor! It was overall a super positive day! 

The second day of racing was the middle distance skate race (7.5km). This race for me personally was my “A” race because I have been finding my skating to be coming together faster then classic. I have raced more middle distance skate races this year and was ready and confident to give it a shot for the podium!!  Right of the start of the first loop I was able to grab 3rd place and hold on for dear life!! My coach Robing Mckeever was yelling splits to me at the top of a hill and at one point I had 4 people within 5 seconds of me. Let’s just say.. I was slightly scared haha I gutted it out to finish a solid 3rd only 10 seconds behind second place . this was a real confidence booster for me as I felt like I had finally found a new ” racking gear”. 

After this race I had two days off before the middle distance biathlon race! This was my first biathlon race since cable Wisconsin January 2015 so I didn’t have much expectation other then it had to be better then last year. It was thank goodness!!! The shooting was consistent except for an unfortunate extended trip to the penalty lap on the second bout of shooting but I skied hard and handed myself in 5th. 

Overall Korea was a great experience to see where all my hard work in the off season is gunna take me. It opened my eyes to new culture and lessons to take on to my next race adventure! 

Speaking of that! I get to be reunited with my Wingers and Wheelers in Finsterau, Germany next week for 10 days of racing in a World Cup! I’m so excited to see how my fellow team mates do again the rest of the world! We have all come so far in the last year and have just about 2 years to get ourselves on the 2018 start line! 

Below are some pictures from Korea! Of the course and of the scenery! 

2017 world championships are being held there so we get one last kick at the can on the course befor the Paralympics! 

Thank you to all my friends and Family who were cheering for me when I was away! I heard everyone of you and appreciated everyword! 

I cannot thank you enough! Without your support I wouldn’t be were I am right now!  I’m so blessed!

Until next time! 

Happy training!! 😄



Ethan gets ready to take the start line in Vermont!

One of our very own Ethan Hess gets set to start at the 2016 U.S. Nationals in Craftsbury, Vermont!  

He has been training really hard this summer and fall to prep for the big shot at the international field this year!  We are very excited to see where his hard work takes him! 

Watch for updates on his races and training on the Facebook site for Wingers and Wheelers!! 

GO ETHAN GO!!!



Sacrifice is not an  uncommon word to any of the wingers and wheelers. It’s comes in many forms.  Sacrificing work, school,  friends, sleep, finances. Maybe even moving cities.  All of these are done with a greater goal in mind.   As we  come to the end of 2015 and  see the obstacles we have overcome and things we have accomplished, all those ” sacrifices”we made  leading up to this point all make sense and are SO worth it!!  

I am so excited to see what this season brings all of us!  We have made the leap towards our end goal of 2018 and now we watch and see how all our hard work pays off! 

Happy holidays from Emily and the Wingers and Wheelers!! ❄️

Happy training 

Reflections for the Paranordic camp

It was great to meet up with everyone again at the 2015 Paranordic training camp in Canmore. For the first time on snow, I felt that my technique was recovering pretty well. It was 0 to -10 outside the past couple of days, and it wasn’t snowing or anything, the conditions felt fantastic.

This camp was an indicator of who was a prospect for the next paralympics, and is an important step for the Wingers and Wheelers on our road to Pyeong Chang. With this camp, I had access to many excellent coaches to talk with, and opportunities to improve my technique. There is a time trial tomorrow, and I will strive hard to do well!

I feel excited that the season has started and can’t wait to get on more snow back in Vancouver. With Cypress now open, this open’s up an opportunity for me to improve my skiing and get more time on snow. Unlike last year, skiing will be much more accessible to me, and I will be able to improve fast.

-Andy

Off season comes to a close … Bring on the snow!



It’s been a busy for me this year! Busy but action packed!   As I have completed my first year of skiing I have been given to oppuurtunuty to travel with the National team to come I forgettable camps, such as Bend Oregon, New Zealand , Mammoth lakes California and lots of trips to Canmore! 

I have had a blast and learned so much this past off season! I am eager to see what is to come of this season with a little more skiing experience under my belt! 

We are almost at the one month count down until the kick off to winter 2015/2016 season! Starting off with Norams in Canmore  Alta. 

before that we have the annual Paranordic camp in Canmore! This is where Paranordic athletes from across canada meet and participate in a ski camp! 

This was where myself as well as most of the Canadian para Nordic community got to experience what the national team was all about! 

one step closer…

We completed a Provincial Training Camp this weekend and have much to talk about!  First off we met and did some quality training with the new CCC Development Coach, Kate Boyd.  She will be our international race coach – any international races we do this winter, she will be in leading them!

Our Provincial Team Coach, Tony, has mapped out our game plan for this winter and we are excited to hear about the tremendous amount of financial support from CCC and CCBC and our local clubs in our quest to get to Pyeongchang in 2018!

We also did our first Lactate Test at the Camp.  Got some all important numbers that are helping us fine tune our training.

We are extremely fortunate that a very highly respected ski coach has joined our Para-Nordic Team, Jessica Heyes.  She will take one some of the Provincial Team Coach functions from Tony such as leading the team to Ski Nationals in Whitehorse this year.

Next up is the National Development Training Camp in Canmore!