The Yukon World Cup Fund
Backed By The North 2025-2026Be part of the journey! Help fund the dreams of Yukon cross-country athletes!
We’re three Yukon skiers pushing for the 2026 Olympics. Every training camp, every flight to a World Cup, every kilometer skied is possible because our community chooses to stand behind us. When you support the Yukon World Cup Fund, you’re not just covering travel and race fees, you’re putting three Yukoners on the start line with a real shot.
You can donate today (charitable tax receipts through Sport Yukon’s NSTF) or wear your support with our limited-run merch designed by Monika Melnychuck; tees, totes, and hats inspired by home. Your purchase or gift directly funds our season and reminds us, every time we pin on a bib, that we’re Backed by the North. Thank you for believing in us.
Backed by the North Merchandise
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Printed in the Yukon, powered by community.
A huge thank-you to Green Screen Printing and Stéphane Thibeault for donating time, expertise, and print costs to bring our merch to life locally. Their generosity helps us keep costs down so more of every purchase supports training, travel, and racing. We couldn’t have done this without you.
Buy Our Merch Online
Use our online platform to purchase merchandise and pick it up at the Whitehorse Nordic Centre, located at 200 Sumanik Dr, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 6J6. Simply ask for your order at the ski base, and they’ll be happy to provide it for you!
Buy Local
Our merchandise is available in local stores like Icycle Sports, Whitehorse Nordic Centre Ski Base, and Winterlong Brewing.
Athlete Support
Did you know that when you donate over $20, you will receive a charitable tax receipt?
The annual cost of being a World Cup Nordic skier ranges between $40,000 and $50,000.
Your generosity brings us closer to achieving our goals.
Sonjaa Schmidt
Sonjaa, a born and raised Yukoner, keeps us on our toes at every moment of her racing career. Her incredible freeskate technique, strength, dedication, and confidence shone through as she won gold at the U23 World Championships in 2024. She passed all her competitors to the line, giving the world a performance to remember. In 2025, she brought home an incredible 5th place in the team sprint event with Liliane Gagnon at Davos. But that wasn’t all. In January 2025, she qualified 10th in a sprint skate and then finished 4th among the best in the world, narrowly missing the podium. Through the whole day, she remained smiling with her Yukon spirit. While in the summer to not make any other athletes feel bad about their training, Sonjaa plants trees to pay her bills and build physical and mental strength for the winter of racing.
Sonjaa Schmidt, a talented skier from Whitehorse, represents the Academy in competitive skiing. She graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from SAIT last spring. Balancing her passion for sport and giving back, she is driven to excel both on the trails and in life.
Derek Deuling
Derek is a Canadian cross-country skier proudly representing the Yukon, with roots that run deep in the North. A U23 World Championship racer and NCAA standout, he graduated with a degree in Business Management from University of Alaska Anchorage, where he balanced elite sport with academics. He’s now based in Canmore, training with Alberta World Cup Academy, pushing toward his goal of qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Outside of racing, Derek finds balance exploring the Yukon backcountry and spending time on the land. He’s passionate about mentoring younger skiers and sharing the joy of testing limits, always carrying the spirit of the North with him wherever he goes.
Sasha Masson
Sasha is Canadian cross-country skier and Hydrology Engineering student at Université Laval, proudly representing the Yukon on and off the snow. With 23 World Cup starts, a personal-best 28th individually, and a top-10 & 11 team finishes for Canada, he’s chasing qualification for the 2026 Olympics. Away from racing, Sasha studies northern water systems, climate resilience, and remediation, shaped by summers with the University of Yukon hydrology team and field experience with Underhill Geomatics. Growing up in Whitehorse and spending countless days fishing on Atlin Lake and hiking its surrounding peaks—sparked the curiosity that guides his engineering path today. He gives back through coaching and community projects including the Father Mouchet Old Crow Ski Project and works bilingually (FR/EN) with a vision to return home and lead practical, community-first solutions in water management. Sasha Masson's purpose is simple: inspire through sport, steward the land, and help build a more resilient Yukon.