The Lacombe Cross Country Ski Club (LCCSC) is patiently waiting for more snow so they can get their second year setting tracks underway.
“Right now it’s quite cold and we don’t have quite enough snow to create trails yet, but we’re eagerly anticipating when we can get out,” said LCCSC President Brent Bouwsema.
The Ski Club started laying tracks in the snow at the Lacombe Golf and Country Club for their members to use last year and, according to Bouwsema, they were wildly successful.
“We’re coming off quite a successful season last year, we had just under 100 members sign up and we had groomed the trails throughout the winter on the golf course,” he said, adding that because they didn’t get much snow last year, it was difficult to keep the trails well maintained.
“We did our very best and we got a lot of really positive feedback from skiers, people who had contacted us or were at our annual general meeting. We had a few people show up and were quite pleased with what we’ve done.”
The group, which was formed last year in order to keep trails well groomed for the use of passionate skiers in the City, is looking to continue to build on the success of last winter.
Bouwsema said the Club will once again be track-setting on the golf course this year, but noted that they do have plans to groom other popular ski hubs as well.
“It went really well last year and we want to do the same thing but we’re considering a couple of other areas that we can create some new trails on,” he said, adding that the Club’s main hope is to find a location that is a little bit more accessiblele to younger and beginning skiers.
“The golf course, right now, is a little bit hilly and that can be quite intimidating for beginner skiers. We’re looking to track set a different portion of the golf course, which is a little bit flatter.”
The other thing the Club is currently working on with the City of Lacombe is the possibility of setting tracks on Elizabeth Lake and Lake Ann, which are also popular sites for cross country skiers.
“We’re working with the Rec Board and they’re very positive about it, we just have to go through all the right avenues in order to make that happen.”
The Ski Club is also looking to continue to grow its membership numbers this year as the membership fees help to keep everything chugging along.
“We’re selling them at $10 per adult. We had 100 last year and we’re hoping to sign up 100 this year, hopefully more than that. A lot of people used the trails for skiing and yet they’re not members, so we’re hoping that we’ll be able to catch them and sign them up this year.”
Bouwsema also noted that the Club is also looking for company sponsorships to help pay for new track setting equipment to replace the hand-built ones that they are currently using.
“At this point it’s a Ski-Doo and a kind of drag system in order to create the trail. We also might be looking at selling some Ski Club swag. We haven’t worked out all the details yet.”
The Club is also looking at running a few events this year, which could include a ski-swap and a moonlight ski session.
To learn more about the Lacombe Cross Country Ski Club or to purchase a membership, check out their web site at www.skilacombe.com.
zcormier@lacombeexpress.com