Once upon a time...
When Sigge Bjorklund arrived in Vancouver in 1956 from Finland he could not buy any
cross-country skies anywhere in Canada. Filling this void, he started to import skies and sold them out of his garage. This venture would eventually turn into "Sigge's Sport Villa" a retail store specializing in cross-country ski equipment.
Early on, Sigge also saw a need for cross-country skiers to get organized. In 1962, Sigge and some friends formed the Vancouver Skiers Cross-Country and Touring Club. The membership increased from an initial 30 people to over 500 in 1972. The club organized ski trips to Mt. Seymour, Hollyburn (Cypress) and Whistler area as well as van trips to Manning Park. Experienced skiers participated in 3 to 4 day ski mountaineering tours.
At that time, there were no track setting machines, so people skied on hiking trails and logging roads. The road to Hollyburn only went part way up the mountain, so skiers would take a bombardier from the end of the road to West Lake.
In 1972, the club hosted about 25 races a season at Mt Seymour, including 5 Olympic trial races. They also organized ski lessons and lectures to promote the sport. The cost of a complete set of cross-country ski equipment at that time was $75.
The Cariboo Marathon in 100 Mile House started in 1976 and several members of the Vancouver Skiers participated in these races and several of our current members still do. However in the late 70s the focus of the club shifted away from racing to more recreational skiing. Some of the members committed to racing formed the Nordic Racers club in 1980 to keep promoting ski racing in the Vancouver area.
As the sport grew, many new venues dedicated to cross country skiing opened throughout B.C. In order to ski these venues, the Vancouver Skiers now organize bus trips to most Nordic areas in southern British Columbia. We welcome all levels of skiers. Our members ski classic, skate, snowshoe and go back-country.
Almost 50 years later, Sigge still shows up at the occasional club night and you still
find him on his skies. Sigge's Sport Villa is still going strong. These days his son Anders is in charge.