2026 FIS World Junior/U23 Championships
Lillehammer, Norway
March 2-8, 2026
Travel/ February 22nd
Our trip to Norway started with a grueling 22 hour travel day as the athletes assembled from all over Canada to make the trip to Europe. Many of us rendezvoused at beautiful YYC to board our flight to Frankfurt. After a layover in Frankfurt, we made it to Lillehammer in mostly one piece (and with all our equipment woohoo!) where we were picked up by coaches for a short, scenic and sleepy ride toSjusjøen where we would spend the duration of our precamp before racing began in Lillehammer. We are all staying in a beautiful wooden lodge right on the ski hill where we ski right from the door. After arriving at our accommodation we ate a delicious dinner made by chef Mattias and then forced ourselves to stay up late to adapt to the jet lag.
The next morning many of us woke early due to the time change so it was a bit of a poor sleep. Luckily we had a traditional Norwegian breakfast of fresh bread, jams, meat and cheese to help us start the day. From there we went on an easy ski to wake up the body. Sjusjøen has over 350km of trails in its network so we had plenty of routes to choose from. Us (the boys) ended up looping around the alpine area and ran into bronze medalist Oskar Opstad Vike on our ski. At the end I decided to explore a little more on my own route and found a picturesque hut at the top of the alpine hill serving Kannelbulle so of course I had one before returning to the lodge on the Alpine runs. We spent the rest of the day recovering, staying on top of school and having a brief trip into town for Norwegian candy. It was a beautiful first day in Sjusjøen and set the tone for an amazing rest of the trip!
By Eamon Wilson (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club)
February 22nd
We awoke to a beautiful sunny morning for our first day of training in Sjusjøen. After a 7:30am breakfast featuring a classic spread of bread, meats and cheeses, yogurt, and fruit, we grabbed our skate skis and set out for the Sjusjøen/Natrudstilen Skisenter. All the girls stuck together for what was supposed to be a 1.5-hour ski, but it quickly turned into 2.5 hours when we accidentally got a little lost. By the time we returned, we were all starving and ready for lunch at the lodge!
Lunch, prepared by Chef Mathias, was as delicious as ever. Afterward, we all did our best to stay awake and resist the urge to nap, hoping to keep jet lag at bay. Some managed to get homework done, while others simply focused on staying awake. In the afternoon, a few of us went out for another ski, some took a short run to enjoy the fresh air, and others opted to rest at the lodge.
In the evening, once everyone had returned, dinner was served, consisting of roasted potatoes with a side of pork. Some people went to bed early, while others decided to stay and chat before getting ready for bed and dreaming about the days to come.
By Ella Fuller (Fernie Nordic Ski Club)
Results:
https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=CC&eventid=62427&seasoncode=2026
BC Athletes Competing in the 2028 World Jr/U23 Championships
Eamon Wilson (Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club, Burnaby)
Ella Fuller (Fernie Nordic Ski Club)
Eula Palmer-Bird (Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, Vernon)
Finn Redman (Telemark Nordic Club, Kelowna)
Louison Dubief (Fernie Nordic Ski Club)
Madeleine Wilkie (Larch Hills Nordic Society, Salmon Arm)
Marlie Molinaro (Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club
Raleigh Tarte (Kimberley Nordic Club)
Ruby Serrouya (Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club)
