Photo: Nunavik skiers get warm welcome after 10-day trek

A team of four cross-country skiers from Kuujjuaraapik are greeted in the Nunavik community March 31 after completing a 10-day ski trip from Umiujaq. The four skiers, Kuujjuaraapik residents Yan Girard Boulé, Jean-Barque Girard, Jordan Kroonenburg and Maxime Saunier, have all been involved in Nunavik’s Jeunes Karibus program, but this was the first time the skiers embarked on the 238-kilometre stretch between Umiujaq and Kuujjuaraapik. When they arrived, they were met by school children, teachers and family members who had prepared a picnic and feast of freshly-hunted caribou for the skiers. “We were a solid team, very enthusiastic already ready for a bigger challenge in Nunavik next winter,” said Saunier. (PHOTO COURTESY OF L. BOUCHER-TELMOSSE)