Biathlon Yukon is in for a busy year.

Retired coach Judy Hartling and junior coach Laurie Jacobsen will be on hand to give tips at the Biathlon Yukon open house, which will run from 1-3 p.m. at the Biathlon Range.

Information regarding the Young Bears and other programs will be available, as well as snacks and hot drinks.

"We'll also encourage people to sign up to volunteer for biathlon and the Arctic Winter Games, and also registration for adult biathlon and the Young Bears,” Biathlon Yukon vice-president Mary-Jane Oliver said.

For more information, Biathlon Yukon will have a table set up at the Ski Swap at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre on Saturday.

Adult biathlon will be starting on Oct. 19.

The Young Bears 10-week program, for ages 9-12, is starting up again this year, the start date for which has yet to be determined. The Young Bears program, offered through Biathlon Canada, generally begins in late November.

Biathon Yukon's juniors, however, have started dry-land training last month.

Oliver said that group has started a little earlier than in past years.

"Because of the ebb and flow, the nature of how athletes move on up, right now we have quite a large group of that development,” Oliver said of the 14 athletes in the group.

Coach for the junior group is Laurie Jacobsen. Biathlon Yukon is organizing Outside races for the juniors, who are also eligible for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse in March.

The Arctics will feature both snowshoe and ski biathlon teams.

Oliver said the prospect of the upcoming Games makes for an exciting year for Biathlon Yukon.

"And it makes it really busy for us, organizers and volunteers. We're always looking for volunteers,” she said.

Biathlon Yukon will also be offering a community coaching course, led by Hartling, who is returning to instruct the course. There are three levels offered for the community coaching course: bronze, silver and gold.

The bronze level, which requires less previous experience than the silver and gold levels, would prepare would-be coaches for roles as assistant coaches, Oliver explained.

With the higher two levels, Biathlon Yukon prefers more experience, she added.

As well, Biathlon Yukon will hold an officials course in November. Noel Charchuk of Biathlon Canada will return to Whitehorse to instruct both the entry level and advanced course, Oliver said.

"That's to get more people tuned up to hold volunteer roles for our races and of course the Arctic Winter Games,” she said.

"It takes a lot of volunteers to run a race. With a bigger race like the Arctic Winter Games we need about 100 volunteers, because of the nature of the sport, with the rifle range and then the courses.”

The last big event for which Biathlon Yukon called on volunteers was the 2007 Canada Winter Games held in Whitehorse.

Oliver said all sports are vying for volunteers during these national and international events.

"Because we're such a small community, we've got 20 sports competing for volunteers, so of course we want people to sign up for biathlon – because it's the most exciting sport of all,” she laughed.