Grooming Protocol

The Grooming Protocol was updated and ratified by the Executive on November 7, 2016.  It reads as follows:

Protocol:

  1. The shoulder seasons are defined as November/December and late March/April. The regular season is defined as January through mid-March.
  2. At the start of the shoulder season, trails will be rolled and packed as snow arrives. Tracks can be set using the snowmobile but the large groomer (Bombi) cannot be used until there is a minimum base of 12 inches.  During the regular season, a minimum base of 12 inches is also required before the Bombi can effectively break up any dense (ice) accumulations without damaging the existing base.
  3. During the regular season, grooming of the full circuit of trails will be done within 24 hours of a new accumulation of snow that is >5 cm in depth.
  4. As much as possible during the regular season and taking into consideration short term weather predictions, grooming on trails numbered 1and 2 below will occur on a regular 3 day cycle when there are no new accumulations of snow (as long as there is a minimum 12 inch base). This will ensure that any crust is broken up and that there are safe skiing conditions for all skill levels.
  5. On the trail numbered 4 below, regular 3 day grooming will be the objective but due to some machine limitations and operator availability (volunteers) this will not always possible.
  6. Additional grooming will be done, if needed, in advance of SDP Sunday sessions and any special training days.
  7. Grooming for special events can be arranged with the lead groomer and should be discussed with him well in advance of the event.
  8. Grooming in the late shoulder season (March and April) will be done as conditions allow taking into consideration snow accumulations, temperature, special events, base depth and machine limitations.

Grooming Order:

The trails will normally be groomed in the following order. This is based on feedback from members in the March 2016 survey.  Skiers must be aware of changing weather and snow conditions that can affect the quality of the ski trails.  Please remember that all grooming is being done by volunteers – and they most likely have a day job!!

  1. Lit trail and stadium
  2. Omineca Main/Lonesome Boulder/Meandering Moose/Creekside Glide
  3. Stride and Glide/Scampering Squirrel/Dragon’s Back
  4. Dog Trail (Summit Loop)
  5. Dynamite/Nightmare/Huff and Puff/Twister/Rowan/Aspen Rise/Roller Coaster
  6. Aiden’s Cutoff/Summit Connector/Homerun
  7. Family Marathon
  8. Cedar/Reid Roundabout/Lower Spud (to Summit Loop)

This protocol applies mainly to the trails within our recreational area and private land. For the extended trail system in the adjacent Burns Lake Community Forest (Cedar, Lower and Upper Spud) trails will be groomed as snow conditions allow.  They will not be groomed on a regular basis following snow events but will be groomed periodically throughout the ski season as time allows.  We will try to keep the Cedar system (Lower Spud) groomed as regularly as possible if it is compatible with the route of the groomer.  The goal for the Upper Spud (to the tower) is to open the trail in late December/early January as snow conditions allow.  The trail will then be groomed once in late January (World Snow Day) and once in late February (Lakes Loppet).  At all other times during the ski season, it should be available for good classic skiing.

Machine Limitations:

The large grooming machine (Bombi) can do all of the trails in our system with the exception of a portion of the dog trail and the Family Marathon – they can only be done with the Piston Bulli or snowmobile (G2).  Therefore it requires an extra trip by the groomer plus there is cleanup required by the Bombi after the Piston Bulli has been out.  Please take this into consideration following large snow events.

Grooming Times:

Normally, the Bombi can complete the full circuit of trails in the recreational area in a 6 hour time period.  It takes an extra 3 hours to complete the Cedar to Summit Loop trails.  Therefore the full circuit of trails can be done in 8-10 hours depending on snow conditions.

The Dog Trail takes 3 hours to complete on both the Piston Bulli and the snowmobile (not including cleanup).

You can download a copy of the November 7, 2016 grooming protocol: grooming-protocol-final-2016-11-07