Now that spring is here, the Omineca Ski Club is looking at wrapping up its ski season.
Heather Anchikoski, Omineca Ski Club president said, “We are finished for the season. We have not been able to groom trails since March, and no skiing snow is left.”
Anchikoski said that this skiing season was bumpy.
“We had some freezing weather, some amazing weather and then some unfortunate melting and wet weather. It was an unusual season as we usually have the big groomer out for about 200 hours, but we only had about 100 hours on it this time,” she said.
The club received a new snowmobile donation funded by the Burns Lake Community Forest. The Chinook Community Forest also contributed a new G2 groomer. Anchikoski said that this allowed them to do more snow grooming.
During the skiing season, there were several occasions when the club’s groomer could not be taken out of its shed due to a lack of snowfall — “We needed more snowpack to use it, so we had to utilize the lighter groomer,” she said.
She added that the donations were generous and that the club’s old snowmobile and G2 would have fallen apart if they had been used this season.
With the mid-spring season approaching, the club prepares for summer — “There are no plans other than executive planning. We are in the planning stages of a new wax cabin and will do some work to fund it,” she said.
“We are having our AGM on Thursday, May 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. meeting commences. This year, two long-time executive ski club members will retire: Agathe Bernard, current treasurer who also served as president for a number of years, and Nellie Davis, membership director,” she said.
“We will miss them and currently recruiting for a few new board members,” she said.
With spring snowmelt, Anchikoski advises that the trails are not suitable for skiing but can be used for walks. However, the club’s insurance policy does not cover any risks.
“You can go walking on the trails, but it is at your own risk, as our insurance only covers ski season. There is lots of water on the trails right now, but they will soon dry up,” she said.