The Nordic Shop is a full-service ski shop offering premium ski selection, stone grinding, boot fitting and waxing services. 

Deep Cove Outdoors is North Vancouver’s foremost kayak, Nordic ski and snowshoe specialty store.

Sigge’s is a family owned and operated specialty cross-country ski store which is open seasonally from September 1st to April 30th.

The Nordic Marksman is an importer, distributor and online retailer of supplies and equipment for the sports of Biathlon and Olympic style target shooting in Canada including 3 Position and 10m air rifle disciplines..

Target Shooting Products – International Imports has been the Canadian source for premium target shooting products for over three decades. 

Costs for a Biathlete include the following:

• Club Fees  – Everyone participating in any WCN training or events must purchase a yearly $10 membership. There are various training packages available from single day training sessions of $25 to a full year training package of $300. A printable explanation of West Coast Nordic Club registration can be found here.
• Biathlon BC Membership – Biathlon BC Memberships provide liability insurance for all the provincial sanctioned biathlon clubs. In order to participate in any WCN training or events a Biathlon BC membership must be purchased. Biathlon BC yearly memberships are divided into categories depending on the age and participation levels of the athletes.
• Trail Passes – Cross country ski trail passes are very reasonable. Full season passes range from $120 to $220. Individual trail passes range from $8 to $20.
• Range Fees – Range fees are all included in all of the training packages.
• Ski Equipment – Ski packages range from $300 for beginners to more than $1200 for advanced skiers. All of the local cross country facilities also provide equipment rentals which range from $15 to $18.
• Rifle – Biathlon rifles are expensive and range from $2500 to $4000. Used rifles are almost as much as new ones. Rifles are available for rent from the club for $175 per year.
• Race Fees – Races typically cost about $35 per race with 2 races on a weekend. There are also travel costs, accommodations, and food. WCN subsidizes the costs of the weekends to make them more affordable.
• Estimated Costs 2015 / 2016 Season  – Here is a pdf which outlines all the costs for the 2015 / 2016 Season.  WCN COSTS

The benefits of participating in Biathlon are many:

• Fun – While some may consider cardio based sports to be boring, Biathlon races are quite exciting. The skiing is done in laps with bouts of shooting between each lap. Actual lap times are in the 6 to 10 minute range and with 4 types of races  there are races for everyone. Training is also fun with participation and training in complementary sports such as cycling, kayaking, swimming, weight training, and trail running.
• Fitness – Biathlon and XC-skiing are “for life” sports. They promote a healthy lifestyle and because they are low impact athletes can participate well into old age. There is also a very low injury rate in Biathlon. Biathletes are some of the fittest athletes on the planet and XC-skiing is a great training tool for other sports.
• Mental Training – Shooting well demands concentration, precision, and self-awareness. Learning to remain calm and focused while under high levels of physical and mental stress is a skill we can all use! Athletes also compete in all kinds of weather conditions, courses as well as learning to deal with missing shots (and doing the penalty laps or taking the time penalty). In Biathlon you learn to deal with adversity and challenges outside of your control and become mentally stronger for it.
• Firearm Safety – The sport of Biathlon puts safety as the top priority. Biathlon rifles are small caliber (.22) bolt action rifles which are excellent to learn firearm safety with. Children and adults alike can benefit from learning how to safely handle firearms.
• Year Round Activity – As an year round outdoor activity biathlon integrates the sports of cross country skiing and target shooting. In the summer athletes train and compete on roller skis and in the winter on cross country (XC) skis.
• Family – Biathlon is a sport where no one has to sit on the sidelines. All age groups compete on the same days in the same location. Age groups run from age 8 to Masters athletes. At practices parents can xc-ski the same trails the kids are using, or go snowshoeing, or go sledding with the younger kids, or cheer on the athletes.