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Rollerski Awareness Day & 50km Rollerskiathon
June 1, 2023
ROLLERSKI AWARENESS DAY
June 1st, 2023 marks the 4th annual Rollerski Awareness Day for the City of Anchorage.
APU Nordic Ski Center’s Rollerski Awareness Day heightens education about the safety for our athletes training on roads and trails of Anchorage. Fatalities have happened in other communities between rollerskiers and vehicles. Our goal is to prevent accident and injury in our community before they occur. Rollerski Awareness Day is observed by the Mayor and the Municipality of Anchorage through official proclamation to heighten safety awareness for our athletes and Olympians training on the roads and trails of Anchorage. As part of efforts to support this cause and our ski center, the day is commemorated by a 50km rollerski and bike around the Moose Loop.
Please consider supporting APU Nordic Ski Center and our athletes as they rollerski the Moose Loop on June 1st!
IMPORTANCE OF ROLLERSKIING
A pivotal component of becoming an elite cross country skier is rollerskiing on the roads of Anchorage during the summer and fall months. Anchorage has a vast, intricate landscape and road system offering gradient changes needed to properly train for upcoming seasons. This means sharing the roads and trails with drivers and other user groups. The photo above shows areas highlighted in pink where our skiers train and share the roads and trails with a variety of user groups.
Many drivers and trail users do not know how to approach rollerskiers while on the roads. This initiative helps to educate drivers what rollerskiing is and how to approach athletes with caution when passing. Rollerskis do not have brakes! Drivers should approach slowly, with caution, and provide space between vehicle and rollerskier when passing. On steep inclines, we ask for drivers to have patience when approaching and passing with caution. It is hard for rollerskiers to turn quickly. Similar to rollerblades, the wheels do not pivot, limiting their ability to veer course easily.
Rollerski Awareness Day also helps to educate skiers and bikers about the importance of wearing proper safety gear and high visibility clothing while training. It’s imperative to wear helmets, eye protection, gloves, and more to stay safe while training. Bright is best when on roads and trails during the summer and fall months! Wearing blinking lights and reflective material on clothing and helmets is recommended!
SUPPORT FOR OUR CAUSE – 50km Rollerskiathon Around Moose Loop
Rollerski Awareness Day is commemorated by a 50km rollerski around the Moose Loop in Anchorage. Those unable to rollerski will bike the route. Our skiers ask for pledges from the community to rollerski the 50km loop in support of the cause.
Your support will help bring us closer to our goal of making the roads safer for our skiers in training and support APU Nordic Ski Center and our athletes heading into the 2023/2024 training year. A part of what makes our community special is the Olympians and role models that we have been able to foster at APU. We can not accomplish this effort without your support for this important cause. From local trails to Olympic Stadiums, your support will help with the development of our athletes!
Safety booths supported by local businesses, such as Anchorage Parks Foundation and Colaska will be present throughout the course on June 1st. Come out to one of the safety check in locations and help cheer on our skiers as they roll on by!
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Rollerski Awareness Day is not achievable without the support from our community. We thank our business community and families who have sponsored this day in support of our efforts!
We are always looking for event sponsors to support our efforts.
If you are a business looking to help support our cause, we welcome your support. Please email psmythe@alaskapacific.edu for more information or view our online sponsorship packet here!