After coming close over the last few years, the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club has reached and surpassed 1,000 full-season members for the first time in its history.

On Sunday, the Club held a special presentation, honouring Shari MacIntosh, who became the organization's 1,000th full-season member back in the first week of January.

'We are pleased, but the most important thing for us here isn't so much that we hit a certain number, it's that we provide excellent trails and excellent grooming and with the help of Mother Nature excellent snow conditions,' said Tom Ullyett, president of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club. 'That is the primary thing that we are happy about.'

Throughout the 1980s and into the 90s the Club's membership remained around the 300 to 350 range. A change of direction in the early 90s attracted new members by promoting more recreational skiing as well as improving the standards on the trails, so that they were always groomed resulted in a gradual increase of interest and helped them reach the 400 membership mark.

In the mid 90s the Club came out with a five-year planning process with the goal of reaching 600 members through maintaining a great standard in skiing conditions, as well as increasing the awareness about the facility being a friendly and welcoming environment to both competitive and recreational cross-country skiers.

In the past, the club has had special presentations for historic occasions, such as when it reached both the 500th and 600th full-season membership totals.

Over the previous four years, the Club has averaged between 950 and 980 full-season memberships. Including additional spring memberships, which can be purchased in March, it has had more than 1,000 members before, but never that high of a number in regard to full-season memberships.

The ski club board decided if the Club achieved the milestone this season, they would give a free 2008-09 pass to the 1000th person.

In addition to the free membership, MacIntosh also received gift certificates provided by Icycle Sport and The Ski Base.

Ullyett said even in the later 90s reaching 1,000 members seemed out of reach.

'It wasn't even a part of the lexicon,' he said 'It would have been the equivalent of winning the lottery something most people don't expect to happen.'

He said having 1,000 members puts the Club in elite company.

'It is amazing really when you think about it, this little city of (22,000) people has one of the biggest club memberships in the country,' Ullyett said. 'The facility itself is rated as one of the top five cross-country skiing facilities in the country. So this club punches far above its weight. We are a light weight in some ways in a heavyweight category.'

Mike Gladish, the Club's manager, said there are a several factors that have contributed to increasing membership.

'I think because of fitness people are looking at ways of staying fit and in Whitehorse it is so accessible. It is just as close as going to the gym, it's cheaper and you are outside getting fresh air, so I think that has contributed,' he said. 'I think we are getting the exposure though our elite skiers and success of Canada Games and the Canadian Championships for years. So it's part of our culture here and I think it is just more and more people are getting interested.'

MacIntosh has been skiing for three years and taking lessons at the club, but this is the first time she has been a full-season member.

'I am skiing three times a week anyways and it's great,' she said. 'I love it, you can ski any time of day, you don't have to commit, you can go out by yourself or with someone and the only way to ski consistently is to have a membership, so it is a good price and you can ski right now until there is no more snow.'

She said she was excited about being the 1,000 full-season member at the Club.

'I was a little bit excited because I heard through the grapevine that the thousandth member gets a free ski pass for next year, but I was just waiting to see what was going to happen,' MacIntosh said. 'It is great, just with the whole club, to see there are a thousand full-time people skiing.'

MacIntosh, who is a volunteer teacher with the Jackrabbits ski program, said she is looking forward to the flexibility of being able to ski whenever she wants for the whole season.

'I ski three times a week right now, so it can only go up from there,' she said.