A group of elite cross-country skiers from the Callaghan Valley Training Centre in British Columbia called Whitehorse home this week.

The 11-member team travelled to the Yukon capital in search of early season snow in order to get some intense training in as they prepare for the upcoming race season.

The CVTC team trained with the local Yukon Elite Squad.

The group completed much of their skiing on the Fraser Loop, located at the top of Mount McIntyre, which gets more early season snow.

The team also enjoyed some easier skiing on the club's lower trails, which are just starting to be packed, and planned some sprint training on the local lakes, many of which are already frozen.

That is a new experience for athletes used to warmer Canadian winters, said CVTC head coach Chris Manhard, who is leading the athletes on the trip.

"Everyone needs a break from the monotony of training in the rain,” said Manhard.

"Coming to Whitehorse gives the skiers a new and exciting venue to train at.”

The visit was viewed as a boon for the local ski club.

"It would be great if this became a trend and we had elite skiers travelling north more often,” executive director Claude Chabot told the Star.

"It's always nice to have skiers from other teams up here training, and having more elite skiers around gives a boost to our local skiers too. Having a critical mass of top-notch skiers is good for everyone.”

The visiting skiers spent their time primarily getting used to skiing on snow again, after spending a summer on roller skis and doing dry land training.

The week in Whitehorse was viewed as a great tune-up for the national racing calendar, which kicks off Dec. 1 with the first NORAM race of the season.

The group has two major goals for the 2012-2013 season – getting a few athletes picked for the World Junior/U23 championships to be held in the Czech Republic in late January, and doing well at the Haywood Ski Nationals, which will be on their home turf at the Whistler Olympic Park.

The Callaghan Valley is one of four national high performance development centres tasked with grooming athletes for international competition.

Athletes are selected to the centres from clubs across the country.

Current CVTC members include: Paul Dupuis, Sebastien Townsend, Sébastien Dandurand, Geoffrey Richards, Colin Ferrie, Yannick Lapierre, Fred Weaver, Lucas Putnam-Rea and Stefan Sander-Green.

The club has enjoyed their stay in the Yukon.

"The athletes have had the opportunity to ski everyday on beautiful trails with great views of what makes Whitehorse special,” Manhard said Wednesday.

"The local ski club and athletes have gone out of their way to make us feel at home and offer an amazing ski experience.”