With snow on the ground since early November, members of the Good Spirit Cross- Country Ski Club are looking forward to a new season on the trails.
A total of 14 volunteers got together on November 11 at Good Spirit Provincial Park for a work bee to get the trails and the related facilities prepared for skiing, said Darryl Stevenson, club president and trail groomer.
Stevenson said last year the temperature was plus 20 degrees Celsius for their November work bee. Everyone was much more optimistic this year with a seasonal temperature of about minus five degrees and a blanket of snow on the ground.
In addition to Brian Dudar, the park manager and trail groomer, other volunteers taking part in the work bee included Lana and Derek Sebastian (trail groomer), Stevenson and his wife Vickie, Anne Stupak, Bob Purton, Dana and Loralee Antonovich, Erin Lockyer, Dave Wieman, Maureen Bright, and Ken and Shawn Fredrick.
The workers cut and cleared the trails and got rid of the reeds which had accumulated during the summer, mostly in the low areas and sloughs, said Stevenson.
“This was the first year since 2010 that the sloughs were dry, which makes it more challenging because the ground is a lot rougher when it’s dry.”
After the windstorm in mid October, there was plenty of deadfall to clean up. Volunteers skied the trails and cleaned up the branches as much as possible. Stevenson estimated roughly 250 trees were lost to the storm, many of them on the trail leading from the park’s recreational hall to Sandy Beach Road.
The work bee included cleaning up the ski shelter and preparing the map on the outside for the upcoming ski season. The shelter is located about halfway between Good Spirit Provincial Park and the Sandy Beach area.
The club will be making sure ski trails are in good condition for skiing throughout the winter, including the Lamplighter Loppet fun ski event on February 18, the only nighttime cross country skiing event in Saskatchewan, said Stevenson.
The club members are looking forward to a rebound in club membership, which dipped last year, mainly because there was little or no snow for most of the winter.
Club memberships are available online at www.zone4.ca. Those looking for more information are encouraged to contact Stevenson.
