Refugee kids learn to ski with a little help from gummy worms

On a frigid winter morning in the Gatineau Hills, two children layered insnow pants,parkas and wooly scarves step into matching pairs ofred and white skis.

"It's fun," smileseight-year-old Zahra,despite the bone-chilling temperature.

Zahra and her brotherSaad, 12, arrived in Canada at the beginning of 2016. Their family came as refugees from Syria.

They hadn't seen snow before arriving here. Now they're learning to glide through it on cross-country skis.

"We managed to find some skis and some gear for them, and here we are," saidParham Momtaham, one of their coaches.

A friend of his sponsored Zahra and Saad's family to come to Canada, and mentioned that the kids wereinterested in learning to ski.

Four coaches atNakkertokVal-des-Monts will take turns teaching the nine-week course to four Syrian children, including Zahra and Saad. The ski club has waived the usual $90 membership fee for the children.

Momtahamis uniquely qualified to teach the new Canadians, since he was one himself.He immigrated from Iran when he was in his early 20s, he told CBC Radio'sOttawa Morning.

"One of my friends dragged me out on skis," Momtahamlaughed, recalling one of his early outings."I fell 55 times."

Treats motivate young skiers

But he enjoyed it enough to keep practising, and now competes inthe 160-kilometreCanadian Ski Marathon.

Figuring out how to keep the youngsters motivated was a trick at first, Momtahamsaid. That's where the gummy worms come in.

To coax the kids up a long incline,Momtahamwill stand at the top and dangle the chewy treats until his students make it.

"It's all about having fun hot chocolate and gummy worms," he said. "All the technique ... will come later."