Time for new nordic skis? This is who you'll be buying from at Eb's

When you come into our store, every staff member you see is a cross country skier.

Some of us got into the sport as adults and like to get out recreationally, some of us are certified coaches and instructors, some of us have been racing for decades, and some of us prefer to get off the groomed track and into the powder.

So whatever your background, we have someone who can help you find the right equipment for what you want to do. We can't imagine life without skiing and we really, really want you to have as much fun as we do out there.

So here's a little bit about us:

Kevin

Owner of Eb's, Kevin has over 40 years of ski experience. He is CANSI certified and has coached teams competing at the national level and helped many people improve their skills through private instruction and group lessons. 

Kevin has competed at the Norwegian Birkebeiner and the Vasaloppet in Sweden, and his idea of a vacation getaway is logging 200km of skiing over a week at Silverstar Resort in B.C.

He is also a waxing guru. If you want fast skis for an event, bring them in to Kevin and he'll get his magic waxing wand out and make them rockets. Believe us, it works. 

Jeff

A long time staffer and always full of stories if you want to hear them, Jeff is a true explorer. He's closing on 5 decades of skiing. You'll see him on groomed trails all over the province and beyond, but more likely you'll see his tracks heading off into the backcountry somewhere.

We've lost count over the years but it's a conservative guess that Jeff has 10 pairs of skis in his quiver. He travels ridiculous distances on weekends to savor the great skiing opportunities across Saskatchewan. When most people have put their skis away for the season you'll find Jeff praying for a late winter cold snap so he can keep skiing in his shorts to the absolute end of April - the best time to ski!

Jeff loves all things nordic and gets really excited when he sees a well maintained pair of Asnes woodies come into the store for a tar job. He's one of our expert techs who will be mounting your bindings and waxing up your new skis. Just look for the big guy with the apron on. 

Edith

Skiing since age two, Edith has spent a lot of time on the snow. She remembers the joy of switching from 3-pin bindings to the "new" stuff back in the 80's. She learnt to telemark ski in Sweden and her first crush was Olympian Bjorn Daehlie. (That was a long time ago.)

Edith has been racing the local circuit for years but is happiest racing long loppets such as Saskaloppet, the Keskinada and the Canadian Birkebeiner. She has also assisted the Pedal Wenches and Eb's Ski Academy in their winter training. 

Her two boys also keep her busy. She took them skiing from the age of 3 months on - first in a Baby Bjorn carrier under her jacket, then in a Thule Chariot with ski attachment, then the slow shuffle alongside as they first learn to use skis... now she's just trying to keep up to them.

Alison

Immersed in the provincial ski community her entire life, Alison is Saskatchewan's High Performance Director and organizes and coaches the Saskatoon Youth HiPer team. She is NCCP certified and has been training coaches in the province for well over a decade. She has coached at national level competitions and her father and sister are high level officials in the race community - even officiating at the Olympics. 

Alison is our buyer so you may not often see her on the floor, but she's behind all the equipment that comes into and out of the store. Where you will see her is out on the groomed trails with her highly visible team of young HiPer athletes, all wearing their blue jackets.

Brennen

Brennen didn't start skiing until he began working at the store, so he understands the learning curve when you start as an adult. The first time he went he hardly got anywhere and spent a lot of time on his butt. However he was determined to keep beating his time around the perimeter loop at Wildwood Golf Course, and after a few sessions things really started to come together. 

Brennen had so much fun he skied 3 times a week that first year. He was really happy to have gotten a waxable pair of skis for his first pair as waxing really interests him. 

Year 2: attempt skate skiing. We'll keep you posted ;)

Sarah

Sarah skied her first loppet on a cold day with her dad at age 4. You could say skiing runs in her family as well: both parents ski, her dad was president of the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club and is still actively involved in all levels of racing and officiating from Jackrabbit time trials to FIS World Cup/Olympic races, and her brother was a high performance racer and now coaches. 

Sarah raced Saskatchewan Winter Games when she was younger and now she gets out recreationally whenever she can. She's also a long time Bunny coach and really enjoys helping little tinies get their ski legs under them. 

Magic for Sarah is a roller coaster trail when the snow is just right.

John

John began skiing as a small kid and was captivated by the winter forest on trips to Eb's Trails and Little Red.  He got back into skiing again about 6 years ago and still frequents the same timeless trails. 

John has guided blind skiers with the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club, and you might see him on a Skidoo late at night grooming trails for the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club too. If you do, give him a big wave - volunteers like him spend a lot of time keeping our trails in good shape, and to see people respectfully having fun out there makes it all worthwhile.

Bryan

Bryan and his wife Sharon were downhill skiers who got their first pairs of cross country skis over 30 years ago from Eb himself. They would head to the mountains and alternate days: downhill one day, cross country the next. 

Bryan has a lot of great memories cross country skiing out in the mountains, including his ending up in a tree well on a backcountry trail at Lake Louise. Good times!

He and his wife enjoyed nordic skiing so much they skied the Lily Plain Loppet back in 1995, with no race experience. A few years ago they made the switch to skin skis and have enjoyed the simplicity of not having to wax their skis every day. Both Bryan and Sharon have taken private lessons to improve their technique, plus they are Eb's Ski Academy alumni.