HIGH ACHIEVERS: Dirk, Claudia Van Wijk donate land, buildings to help Nakkertok Nordic grow

By Martin Cleary

The Nakkertok Nordic Ski Club has been near and dear to the heart of Dirk Van Wijk for more than 50 years.

He is one of only two remaining active members of the Cantley, PQ.- based cross-country ski centre from when it started in the early 1970s.

In 2003, Dirk and his wife Claudia Van Wijk purchased 300 acres from Hans and Meg Weber, the original landowners, to replace Fortune Lodge as the region’s nordic centre. In the next 14 years, the Van Wijks bought another 140 acres of land to create more trails.

Throughout the winter, he drives the large grooming machine to produce perfect classic trails and skating courses for races and recreational use.

During the past two decades, Van Wijk has watched Nakkertok develop into the largest nordic ski club in Canada as its membership has increased five-fold to more than 1,500 skiers.

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When it comes to racing, its well-coached teams have combined to win the Canadian cross-country ski championships club aggregate title for the last 13 consecutive years. A number of its top skiers also have advanced to Canadian teams and major international competitions.

Van Wijk certainly has plenty to be proud of. But he wants to help Nakkertok move forward with giant strides. The club has a racing stadium, a chalet, a timing hut, a large parking lot, state-of-the art snow-making equipment, an extensive trail network and good road access to meet the needs of all nordic skiers.

But the club’s infrastructure wish-list is mounting and includes access to running water, a septic system for updated washroom facilities, electricity from the power grid instead of a generator and a larger chalet for its members, guests and visitors.

Trouble is, all the infrastructure that Nakkertok uses every season is on land owned by the Van Wijks.

As a way to lift Nakkertok to the next level, the Van Wijks have donated key land, a chalet and an electrical services building to Nakkertok. This gift will allow the club to apply to the Quebec and Canadian governments for grant money in the areas of outdoor activity, recreation and sports to tackle some of their major projects.

In 2016, Nakkertok won the Kraft Heinz Project Play grand prize of $250,000, which the club used to buy snow-making equipment to start its on-snow season much earlier than normal and upgrade trails for four-season use.

“Nakkertok is bursting at the seams,” Van Wijk said in a phone interview this week. “They’re hugely busy. The parking (lot) and building are maxed out. We have primitive washrooms.

“We need a lot of fundraising. For grant applications, by not owning the property, they’re super limited. If they owned the land, they would be far more successful for that next step.”

The Nakkertok South area consists of seven sections of land. The Van Wijks told the Nakkertok board of directors on March 25 it planned to donate Section 5 to the club, but maintain Sections 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7. Christoph Weber is the owner of Section 4.

Depending on the cost of severing Section 5, the Van Wijks will either donate 50 or 25 acres to Nakkertok. That area includes all its major infrastructure, while the multiple trails are spread throughout the other sections of land.

The donation of land will be handled by Nordiq Canada, which is the national sport governing body for cross-country skiing as well as a registered charity. In 2023, Nordiq Canada engaged in its first land donation, partnering with the Pasadena Ski Club to enlarge its parking space. Pasadena is 30 kilometres east of Corner Brook, NL.

Once Nakkertok gets an appraisal of the land (whether 25 or 50 acres) and a fair market value is determined, the independent appraiser would write a report and send it to Nordiq Canada. The national association would then issue a tax receipt to the Van Wijks. A deed for the donated land would be prepared for Nordiq Canada and a subsequent deed would go to Nakkertok.

Nakkertok Nordic also has been used for mountain bike races, trail running events, snowshoeing, hiking and archery in the past.

“It’s time to let the club drive itself now,” Van Wijk added. “We work together and it has been a special relationship.”

Nakkertok president Dr. David Allan was overwhelmed by the land donation from the Van Wijks.

“This is a truly outstanding gift by Dirk and Claudia to the ski community and beyond,” he said in the Nakkertok press release. “A big thank you to Dirk and Claudia as we embark on this new chapter for the club.

“We see how committed the Van Wijks are to supporting outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes.”

For many years, the Van Wijks have been the driving forces behind exploring the Ottawa and Madawaska rivers with respective raft excursions at OWL Rafting and whitewater paddling at the Madawaska Kanu Centre.