May 27, 2008 (Whistler, BC) – The Callaghan Valley Training Center (CVTC), a National Athlete Development Centre for cross-country skiing, is holding an on-snow camp in the Callaghan Valley June 1 – 8. The camp will be held on the upper Nordic trail network operated by Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures and trail grooming will be provided by Whistler Olympic Park which is operated by VANOC. This camp marks the first time that the CVTC will be able to kick off its summer training season at home. “This camp will be our first time together as a new team and we are looking forward to being able to ski at home at a low elevation,” says Amy Caldwell, Head Coach of the Callaghan Valley Training Center. “We are extremely happy with the amazing cooperation both Callaghan Country and Whistler Olympic Park have given us to make this camp happen.”

While the recent warm temperatures have reduced the snowpack in the valley considerably, there is still well over a meter of snow at Callaghan Lodge (elevation: 1,370m / 4,500′) and on Callaghan Country’s upper trail network. The company expects that there will be between 7 – 15 km of trails available for the camp, depending on weather conditions and snow melt. Whistler Olympic Park will use one of its Piston Bully 100 snow cats to keep the trails maintained throughout the camp. The snow cat will remain at Callaghan Lodge through the summer months so that it will be in place so that early season training camps can begin as soon as the snow flies in the fall. “I had my first ski at the lodge on October 2 last year and now we’re working together to offer a National Development Camp in June,” says Rob Bernhardt, Director of Cross-Country Skiing for VANOC. “Having such a long length of season is a great asset for developing athletes and we are looking forward to working with Callaghan Country to deliver more early and late season skiing opportunities in the future.”

The Callaghan Valley Training Center is a National Athlete Development Centre (NADC) – a high performance training center working within the framework of Cross Country Canada. Its mission is to provide the full complement of support necessary to place developing athletes on the Canadian National Ski Team. There are currently twelve athletes on the CVTC team; team members will have the opportunity to participate in two to three on-snow camps over the summer, starting with the camp at Callaghan Country next month.

The Nordic ski season in the Callaghan Valley runs from mid-November through until the end of April each year. Together, Callaghan Country and the Whistler Olympic Park offer more than 80 km of Nordic trails to suit skiers of every ability level. With the Whistler Olympic Park’s world-class Nordic and ski jumping facilities combined with Callaghan Country’s pristine wilderness setting, spectacular scenic qualities, full-service backcountry lodge and range of winter activities, the Callaghan Valley promises to become one of the premiere destinations in the world for Nordic skiing and self-propelled winter recreation of every kind.

For more information on Callaghan Country, please phone 604.938.0616, toll-free in North America at 1.877.938.0616 or visit www.callaghancountry.com. For more information on the Whistler Olympic Park please call 778.328.6686 or visit www.whistlerolympicpark.com.