Meet our Board of Directors
Caleb Schulz has been an active member with the Crowsnest Nordic Ski Club since 2014, when his tongue in cheek comment, “I’ll join the board when you get an area I can ski with my dogs” landed him a surprise position with the formation of the dog friendly ski area. Since that time he held the position of President for his maximum 6 year term from the 2015/16 – 2020/21 season, and currently sits as the Past President. His enthusiasm and excitement for skiing is best channelled into coaching the children’s programs, as his definition of a beginner trail has been brought into question from friends he tries to introduce to the sport.
Darrell Archibald joined the Nordic Ski Club in 2015.
With a young family, and looking for an activity that everyone could participate in, while spending time in the outdoors, my wife and I felt very fortunate to be able to take up cross country skiing, an activity neither of us had done before. After enjoying the fantastic trails, we felt the need to give back, and in 2021 I joined the Nordic Club Executive. I was amazed with and even overwhelmed with the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the Nordic Club and it’s facilities in the fantastic condition that we all enjoy.
Hi. I am Deb Whitten. I have been an active member of Crowsnest Nordic Ski Club since retiring here with my husband in 2008. Right away, we joined what was then known as the Crowsnest Pass Cross Country Ski Association. I have been on and off the Board ever since, serving as Youth Director in the first years of our Jackrabbit and Bunny Program when we were excited to have 12 children enrolled, and Loppet Director for the first couple Flights of the Crow. I have been President and Treasurer twice. This time around I am the Secretary.
The club has taken great strides and experienced large growth over the past 17 years, while maintaining its vision of becoming the go-to venue for Nordic pursuits in Southern Alberta.
I continue to be involved because I like to ski and snowshoe at Allison, I learn new skills with each new project and partnership the club takes on, and I have made many great friends. Happy Trails everyone.
Georg Wendrich is an active volunteer within the community, mostly behind the scenes. As a long-time contributor to the CNSC, he was finally persuaded to let his name stand for being on the board. He is passionate about the trails, which makes him a natural fit for being the point person for all things Grooming and Trails related. He is quickly getting up to speed, taking over for Larry who previously held this position.
Julie Engelhardt moved to the Crowsnest Pass with her family to immerse themselves in all that is great about mountain living. She is a volunteer coach for the Children’s Programs, as well as a certified CANSI Level 1 Instructor. As the clubs Communication Coordinator, she is the voice of the club, keeping you informed through emails, and our social media reports. If you see a post / picture and feel jealous you’re not out there to enjoy it, it’s most likely Julie out enjoying the trails.
Michelle Nummi learnt to ski on the Allison Chinook Provincial Recreation Area Ski Trails when she was young. When her son expressed an interest in nordic skiing, she was thrilled to learn of the Youth programming offered by the Club. Inspired by the passion of the Club’s coaches and families, she joined the Board of Directors in 2021. Michelle currently holds the Director of Youth Programming position. She is passionate about ensuring the Club’s programs and activities support kids in the community to develop a positive self-image, inspire an appreciation for the outdoors, and instil a lifelong interest in the sport.
Alistair first put on a pair of skis on the mat slope at the Hillend ski area on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland in the late 1970s. He got “Hillend Thumb” by getting his thumb caught under one of the strands of the mat when he fell so not a good introduction to the activity. After moving to Calgary in 1982, he was soon out on cross country skis in Banff National Park. He started overnight ski touring as he loves backpacking and really learned to ski with 40 pounds on his back. This is a frustrating way to learn to ski as when you fall it is much harder to get up. But for him the benefits of being out longer in the mountains outweighed the disadvantages. With better skiing ability he often combined ski touring and mountain climbing and made many winter peak ascents. Enjoying skiing the Allison Chinook ski trails during Christmas 2013 was one factor in Alistair and his wife choosing to move to Coleman in 2014. Now each winter they enjoy skiing the trails and snowshoeing other routes in the area as well as going hiking and backpacking, usually in Arizona, for a month. Alistair joined the board of Crowsnest Nordic in 2018 and became the club treasurer in 2019. He can sometimes be seen on the trails with a pole saw trimming branches that might hit skiers.