How the Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club is strengthening its community

The snow is sparkling white. The trail is beautifully track-set. You’re ready for a breathtaking day on cross-country skis.

In the Columbia Valley, there’s a good chance the Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club helped make that day possible. For many residents, the club’s trails and programs are a vital way to stay active, connected and outdoors throughout the winter months.

The club maintains the Lake Windermere Whiteway, Lake Lillian Whiteway and Johnson Trail Loop. It partners with Panorama and Nipika mountain resorts so Columbia Valley Pass-holders can access Nordic trails. It rents ski equipment for youth, offers Nordic programs for all ages, organizes the Nipika Panorama Loppet, and hosts the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Invermere.

To ensure the club can continue delivering such high-quality experiences for its nearly 500 members—and remain strong into the future—the Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club recently renewed its strategic plan, with support from Columbia Basin Trust. That support helped the club step back, assess its long-term needs, and make thoughtful decisions that will benefit the community for years to come.

The club’s previous strategic plan was developed in 2019, but the pandemic significantly disrupted its implementation. Since then, the Board has seen substantial turnover, with nearly all new directors. Also, the new Board wanted to solidify mission and vision statements.

“We wanted to come back to the drawing board,” said General Manager Quentin Randall. “Every five years, it’s good to revisit your strategic plan to see if it still makes sense. It’s important to get everyone together and ask, ‘Which of these ideas matter most right now?’”

To support the process, the club turned to the Trust’s Non-profit Advisors program, which helps non-profits in the Columbia Basin with organizational development and capacity building.

The program supported the hiring of a professional strategic planning facilitator and provided a short list of experienced facilitators to choose from.

“Instead of trying to find someone on our own, we were offered several strong options,” Randall says. “They were all recommended by the Trust, which gave us confidence in the process. We chose someone with Nordic experience, Kootenay experience, and a strong background in winter-sports non-profits.”

After a kick-off meeting, the facilitator interviewed key stakeholders—including Panorama and Nipika—conducted a community survey, and spoke with Board members. As key partners in regional Nordic skiing, their perspectives helped ensure the plan reflected both community needs and long-term collaboration.

The facilitator synthesized that input into common themes, then spent two days working with the club’s strategic planning committee to define priorities and long-term direction. The result was a new strategic plan guiding the club from 2025 to 2029.

Setting Direction for the Long Term

One priority stood out clearly: ensuring the on-snow experience remains high-quality and rewarding for both community members and club participants.

“The plan identified a need for a head coach or program director,” Randall said. “For the 2025/26 season, we’ve engaged two people to jointly fill that role. With the addition of dedicated programming leadership, I think people will notice a difference—in our events and in the overall on-snow experience.”

The new strategic pillars address governance and financial sustainability; branding and communications; membership, programs and events; facilities; and partnerships. Together, they position the club to grow participation, strengthen volunteer capacity, and respond more effectively to changing conditions.

“Now we have a clear foundation,” Randall said. “Our previous plan was more tactical and short- to medium-term. This one is more aspirational and focused on the longer term.”

Randall encourages other non-profits considering a strategic plan refresh to explore the Trust’s Non-Profit Advisors program.

“I’ve been a non-profit manager for about 15 years, and the strongest organizations are the ones with strong strategic plans,” he said. “Working with the Non-Profit Advisors program was an excellent and rewarding experience.”

With a clear plan in place, the Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club is better equipped to keep local trails welcoming, vibrant and well-loved for seasons to come.

Lead image: Working with Columbia Basin Trust’s Non-Profit Advisors program, Columbia Valley’s Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club has developed a new strategic plan to guide its work over the next five years. Columbia Basin Trust photos

Columbia Basin Trust

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