Members of the local cross-country ski community are just as excited about their new state-of-the-art trail grooming equipment as they are about the fresh snowfall.
The Parkland Ski Club recently purchased two new snowmobiles and modern grooming equipment with a $40,000 grant received from the Primary Care Network.
The equipment — similar to the gear used at the Vancouver Winter Olympics — will lay trails around Red Deer more efficiently, said club volunteer Tom Marr-Laing.
“You want to be able to go down to River Bend or go down to Great Chief Park and have trails that are ready to go,” he said. “The equipment is essential to enable us to do that.”
Volunteers would put in upwards of 60 hours of work to lay trails after a significant snowfall when using the club’s old snowmobile, which was in need of repairs, and small groomers. The faster snowmobiles and larger groomers get the same results in half the time, Marr-Laing said.
The machinery will be used in the River Bend Golf and Recreational Area and Heritage Ranch areas.
Readily available trails are imperative to the sport and will help the ski community expand beyond the growth it is already experiencing, he added.
Record numbers have come out this season to participate in the Red Deer Nordic Ski Club’s racing and Jackrabbit programs, said coach Brian Johnson.
The Red Deer Nordics youth ski team has jumped to 40 racers from eight in just four years, he said. The Jackrabbit learn-to-ski program has also experienced a spike as more than 100 kids are participating this season.
Johnson credited the growth to both the successful Winter Olympic Games and the “outstanding” trail system in Red Deer.
“(People) have no idea that we have these fantastic facilities at River Bend and Heritage Ranch, Great Chief Park,” he said. “Our River Bend Recreational Area is a miniature version of the Canmore Nordic Centre. We have the same degree of difficulty of our trails, the same quality of trails, just on a smaller scale.”
And an influx of skiers have been coming to the River Bend area, according to general manager Andrew Gilchrist.
Between 50 and 100 people are taking advantage of the 15 km of groomed trails or 420 acres accessible for snowshoeing each weekend, he said.
The River Bend trails are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The clubhouse and concession are open at this time as well.
Part of the grant money was used to create a new website, www.reddeernordic.ca.
The site is “a one-stop information portal” for anyone wanting to know more about the various cross-country ski programs and events in Red Deer, Marr-Laing said.
ptrotter@reddeer.com