About – Black Tusk Nordic Events Society

BLACK TUSK NORDIC EVENTS SOCIETY hosts high-level Nordic events with a focus on encouraging sport excellence to the World Championship and Olympic levels. We are committed to fostering community and driving economic opportunities for Nordic Sports in the Sea to Sky corridor. Between now and 2023 we will host a variety of events in preparation for the World Junior Championships.

Our Goals:

Enhance the interest of Canadians of all ages in the sports of cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic combined;
Inspire young skiers to become high performance athletes;
Support a new wave of cross country athletes that will come of age as final year juniors  and U23s in 2023. This event would act as a perfect steppingstone for their World Cup and Olympic careers. It will also put the focus on Nordiq Canada’s NextGen program. The sport is in a rebuild phase with their athlete pipeline, with the focus on the 2026 and 2030 Olympic Games and a return to being a medal contender at those events;
Utilise this event to build and establish ongoing organisational capacity and related partnerships able to deliver future events and develop a long-term event hosting strategy;
Promote the Sea-to-Sky Corridor as destinations of choice for sport, travel/tourism and cultural activities;
Update and utilize Whistler Olympic Park (a 2010 Olympic legacy venue), which is the only site in Canada that has the capacity to host an FIS Nordic World Championship;
Attract broad attendance through extensive event promotion in British Columbia and in the North-Western U.S.;
Bring visibility of private and public partner groups to national and international audiences;
Exceed FIS Nordic Junior & U23 Cross Country World Championship standards in provision of services and support for visiting athletes, coaches, officials and media;
Utilize sound financial management principles and leverage volunteer support to ensure that the event is successfully completed, within budget, and that all funds received are deployed in optimal fashion;
Achieve worldwide television / livestreaming broadcast especially in Europe and in the Canadian market, including beauty shots of Sea-to-Sky region;
Deliver a “green”, environmentally conscious and sustainable event in collaboration with Whistler Olympic Park, the OC and specific venue partners;
Offer bilingual language services for visitors; and,
Clearly demonstrate Canada’s capacity as it relates to the presentation and hosting of  world class events in order to obtain future opportunities.

Our Team

We are a group of skiing enthusiasts who are dedicated to putting Canada on the map as a Nordic powerhouse. We believe Canada has a bright future across all Nordic disciplines.

Norman Laube

Chairperson – Local Organizing Committee

Norman is leading the team to plan, fund and deliver the 2023 FIS World Junior/U23 Nordic Ski Championships at Whistler Olympic Park. Based in North Vancouver, Norman is President of Laubenfels Investments, a development and consulting company focussed on providing housing and community facilities. Throughout his professional career, he has been involved in raising more than $1B of equity and debt for real estate projects. He is past Chair of the Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club in Vancouver where he led its growth over 10 years to be one of Canada’s leading full-service ski clubs and put in place the funding platform to raise more than $1M. Norman is former President & CEO of Surrey City Development Corporation, Director of the Hiyám Squamish Nation Housing Society, founding Director of Callaghan Valley XC Training Centre and Honorary Vice Consul – Austria.

Norman is a NCCP Level 3 Cross Country Ski Coach and has also coached community soccer and field hockey for more than 20 years. He is an avid outdoors enthusiast and enjoys spending time in the mountains with his family.

“The 2023 Ski Championships are an incredible opportunity to reignite the passion of the 2010 Winter Olympics, inspire young athletes and share the beauty of the Sea2Sky region with the world.”

Norm Laube

Reid Carter

Vice Chair & Sponsorship Lead

Reid is co-leading the team to plan, fund and deliver the 2023 FIS World Junior/U23 Nordic Ski Championships at Whistler Olympic Park. Based in West Vancouver, Reid is a former Managing Partner of Brookfield Asset Management and currently serves as a Corporate Director on three public and two private companies. He is also Chair of Cross Country BC and a member of the Nordiq Canada Divisional Chairs Council. Reid is no stranger to fundraising having raised over US$5 billion in the capital markets over the past fifteen years and will lead activities related to fundraising in support of the 2023 Ski Championships.

“Holding the 2023 World Junior Ski Championships at Whistler Olympic Park provides a focal point with a “home court advantage” for our many talented young skiers in preparation for the 2026 Olympics while also showcasing this world class venue and the region’s beauty with the world”

Reid Carter

John McLaughlin

Independent Member – Finance

John is the former EVP and CFO at VANOC and VP Finance & CFO of Vancouver 2010 Bid Corp. Since the 2010 Olympics, John has been the CFO of Concert Properties and Concert Infrastructure Fund until his recent retirement. John was the Finance Expert serving with the six Evaluation Commissions for the Games of 2018 through 2028. He holds a BComm (Hons) from Queens University and is a FCA – Fellow Chartered Accountants – bestowed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Canada. We will value John’s expertise to provide strategy and oversight for our finances.

BTNES Society Members

Our Board

Norman Laube Independent Member – Chairperson
Reid Carter Independent Member – Vice Chair
John McLaughlin Independent Member – Treasurer
Kevin Pettersen Independent Member
Stéphane Barrette Designate Member – representing Nordiq Canada
Megan Begley Designate Member – representing Nordiq Canada
Kelly Johansson Designate Member -representing Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined
Tony Peiffer Designate Member – representing Whistler Sport Legacies
Georgia Manhard Designate Member – representing Cross Country BC
Dirk Rohde Designate Member – representing Callaghan Valley Cross Country Ski Club (representing the Nordic Clubs of the Sea to Sky and Lower Mainland areas)