It's never easy, but for Sara Renner, a medal hopeful at the 2010 Winter Games, it started with the long ski into her parents' backcountry lodge in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park, a part of BC's Kootenay Rockies region.
"I thought this was just what kids did in the Canadian Rockies," said Sara, as she reflected on the 28-kilometre (17-mile) ski in to Mount Assiniboine Lodge that she started tackling at the age of 10. "It wasn't until I talked to the other kids at school that I found out that what I did was unique."
Renner has since become the first Canadian to win a World Championship in cross-country skiing. At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Renner, with long-time friend and teammate, Beckie Scott, won Olympic silver in the sprint relay. Now gearing up for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Sara's goal is to be a contender in all cross-country ski events.
Sara did much of her early skiing near Mount Assiniboine Lodge, a 30-guest historical gem nestled in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, which is a part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1928 at the base of 3,610 metre (11,844 foot) high Mount Assiniboine, the lodge is accessible only by helicopter, hiking or skiing.
Renner's family has managed the lodge since 1983. Sara's dad, Sepp, is a certified U.I.A.G.M mountain guide, and offers summer and winter packages to guests that include guided hiking and skiing at the remote lakeside lodge.
Through her teenage years and early in her career as a ski racer, Sara worked at the lodge; teammates, including Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford and top ranked skiing siblings Amanda and Jaime Fortier have also been on the lodge's payroll.
For the last five years, Canada's National Cross Country Ski Team has based its first spring training camp of each year at Assiniboine Lodge.
"Besides being the most beautiful spot, my mom makes amazing food, so it's a great place for the team to gear up. My teammates think it's unusual to be out there because it's a backcountry lodge, but they love it. They're always in awe of the surroundings and of the lodge itself. It's a treat for everyone," said Renner.
"My family realizes that Assiniboine has had a big role in how I developed as an athlete. I never really thought it was tough to get out there, but more that it was exciting. I've just always loved it. Assiniboine is who I am."
Mount Assiniboine Lodge is a member of the Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia Association (BLBCA), which supports a group of 28 independently owned and operated lodges located throughout BC. The lodges provide a range of accommodation for self-propelled backcountry enthusiasts, including skiers, snowshoers, hikers and climbers. Their lodges act as a gateway to BC's backcountry, in summer or winter months.
Contributed by: Cross-Country Canada
