Finding a YK skier in an inflatable? It’s like finding a unicorn

As it turns out, unicorns aren’t that rare.

If you were at the Yellowknife Ski Club on Saturday night, you would have spotted two of them.

The unicorns – Natasha Welsh and Natasha McCagg – were attending a ski club members’ event dubbed Safari After Dark, organized by Welsh. 

The idea? Come to the club dressed in an inflatable and ready to ski.

“This is a fun thing to do on a Saturday night in Yellowknife, obviously,” said McCagg, who came dressed as an inflatable unicorn. She expected her costume to hold up in the -30C temperatures, having worn it previously on Halloween.

Welsh’s unicorn was not looking quite so healthy. The fan in the outfit had broken, so she tied her unicorn around her waist.

“I decided I wanted to challenge myself and try something new,” said Welsh, who moved to Yellowknife from the East Coast last year. By something new she meant cross-country skiing, with or without unicorn.

Skiing in an inflatable costume adds an extra layer of complexity to the sport, as the two soon found out.

“I’m really loving it, and I’m happy that I decided to do it,” Welsh said. She has been taking lessons and signed up to host an event at the club as a “great way to meet new people, especially when you’re new in a community.”

When it came to deciding what that event would be, she thought: “Why not Safari After Dark? A bunch of adults in inflatable unicorn suits having laughs, looking silly, and it’s all clean fun.”

After a short loop, McCagg said skiing as a unicorn was “terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.”

“It definitely feels like being a kid again,” she said. “I am smiling and giggling the entire time that I’m here. Visibility is reduced, but the fun is maximized.”

McCagg was guided down a small hill by Maxwell McEachern, the ski club’s events director, who – without having worn an inflatable to the event – found navigation slightly easier.

“It was basically my first time going down that ski blind, so it was definitely an experience,” McCagg said.

McEachern said more members’ nights are coming up, where people organize an event with a theme and bring some food.

The club will also host free ski lessons and provide skis for people to use on World Snow Day, which falls on Sunday, January 19.