The Lappe Ski Centre has been operating for more than 45 years with its beginnings in 1978. Reijo Puiras, who was a cross-country skier with the Canadian national cross-country ski team, "phased out" of competitive skiing, and together with his wife Tuija, bought the land at Lappe. The property grew little by little from his private skiing area to an established world-class cross-country ski area with a current membership of 650 people. "We've hosted several Canadian national championships, international championships where we had mostly Americans join the Canadians in competitions and then there's been Ontario competitions, regional and local competitions," Tuija Puiras said. "It's been a very well-known ski facility across Canada. The ski area was small in the early years and Puiras says they would change in their living room to go out to ski. A small garage eventually became the business area of the ski centre and work continued on the development of the the trails. "We've expanded and expanded and at one point we bought some more land and that's where the current facility is established," she said. "It used to be a school bus garage but we have fixed it up and renovated it several times." Puiras says her husband Reijo was very knowledgeable about designing the trails and paid special attention to technical features. "That's why we have been able to host national competitions; because you have to have certain elevations and certain types of courses that meet the technical requirements of the skiing," she said. Their son Timo now looks after things at the centre. Like all ski areas, Lappe has been affected by the climate and was lacking a snow base during December. Puiras called it "worrisome." "Anybody who knows (outdoor) business -- whether we are farmers, run facilities or sell snowmobiles -- we all worry," she said. "An observation for me over the past few years has been that it's been a little bit strange in terms of when the snow comes. In 2022, we were quite lucky; it came early. But it also stayed very long. We skied till May (2023). In terms of the timing, something seems to be off one way or the other." Puiras also noted the horrible wind storms that took them all summer to clear out the brush and blowdown. "I think that's part of climate change as well and it definitely impacts the business," she said. The location of the Lappe Ski Centre is located inland away from Lake Superior and Puiras credits that for the centre doing so well in hosting events. "The lake effect is not quite as strong in Lappe as it is in the city. Often when we get rain in the city, we get sleet or snow at Lappe," she said. The centre boasts showers, a sauna and food services in a canteen that is run by a local organization that provides employment training at the same time when they provide the food services. Six lighted trails enable people to ski in the evenings. "We are tailored to the ski community as a family-run business. It's altruistic in the sense that we have this as a family," she said. Puiras has undertaken a major two-year renovation project with some funding from the City of Thunder Bay and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. The improvements enable her to host birthdays, weddings and education sessions. "I even had one celebration of life," she said. "Willow Springs Creative Centre leases the space for their workshops because we have the space at the facility." During the winter months, Puiras provides ski school classes and says they had quite a busy summer where members came out to hike the trails. "It's a recreational area that serves the community well," she said. Looking ahead, the centre is preparing for the Ontario Winter Games cross-country skiing events as well as the Ontario University Association cross-country ski event. Both events are in February. "We are bringing people to Thunder Bay for these major events and that's good for the community," she said. Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal