New trail map on the way

We're working on a new trail map showing everything that's new this year. GPS tracks of the new trail sections have been recorded, and will be incorporated into the new map. We hope to have this ready by the end of October.

Fall is here; can skiing be far behind?

It's September 24 and that means it's fall. But the weather is as nice as any day we had in the summer! Preparation continues for the upcoming XC ski season. Some of our new signage has been put up.

This year I am going to try to keep the ski trails just for skiers, so that the grooming will stay better.  Walkers and snow shoers are permitted to use the main Bruce Trail and the 2 official Bruce Trail side trails. All the other trails are open just for the winter and just for skiers. We'll see how effective this sign is.
I've also been working on the groomer. The photo below shows the entire grooming assembly: snow cat, packer/leveller with snow comb, and track setter.

 

The packer/leveller may look like an aluminum boat, and that is what it used to be. However, with a few concrete blocks in it, I think it will do a good job of compacting and levelling snow. Hopefully, it will track better behind the ATV than the roller I used last year, which had a tendency to slide off to the low side of the trail. I've also improved the snow comb drag by adding friction-reducing plastic sheeting, and flexible side skirts.

I can't wait to try these new features! The track-setter still needs a couple of modifications before the snow flies.

Clearing the trails

We've been out pruning trees along the trails. This has been a wet summer - great weather for trees, grasses and weeds to grow long and tall.

A look back at last year

Here are a couple of shots of our trails, shortly after grooming on a nice day in March 2014. We hope to do even better this year. Out of our total of just over 12 km of single track trail, we will be grooming 10.5 km. The remainder, which is too narrow to permit grooming, can be skied on a back-country basis i.e. cleared of obstacles, but not packed or track-set.

Preparation underway for winter 2014/15

As summer draws to a close, those of us who enjoy the pleasures of skinny skiing are starting to think ahead to the months when the ground will be covered with a blanket of pristine white.
Our 12 km of trail are being mowed through the summer and fall to keep down the tall grasses and weeds. Pruning of tree branches protruding into the trail has begun.
Since last winter, a number of trail sections have been widened to permit grooming, which was not possible before.
Two new trails have been created: The Ash Grove Trail provides a sheltered alternate route to Stonehedge, which is often windy and prone to drifting. Similarly the Pasture Trail provides a sheltered alternative to a portion of the Mainline that has always been windy and subject to snow drifting.
Some new home-made grooming equipment has been acquired, and will be tried out in the early part of the winter to see if it's better than our current roller and snow-comb.