Saturday, February 6
February 7, 2010
Filed under West Elk trail, cross country skiing, ginzugroomer, snowshoeing, trail conditions, trail maintenance, volunteers
Gromming Report from Tod Tibbetts:
Peggy and I were up on the trail today. We skied on fresh powder on top of the trail that was groomed either Wednesday or Thursday. The ski grooves were prominent and were great to ski in. The trail is superb with the powder, but even with the powder, skiing was fast. The base trial is great. We ran into 6 other skiers up there today.
After the ski, I took the snowmobile around the trails 3 times to pack the snow. After it stops snowing, Anthony will take the Ginzugroomer around the trails.
It was snowing off and on when we left the trail late this afternoon, but it’s hard to say how much additional accumulation the trail will get.
Shrine Pass to Red Cliff Cross Country Ski Trip Ride
Rifle Parks & Recreation is sponsoring a Shrine Pass to Red Cliff Cross Country Ski Trip Ride on March 2, 2010. Click here for more information and how to sign up.
For more information on cross country skiing in western Colorado, read Peggy Tibbetts’ recent blog post. All the links in the post are published in the links section of this blog.
Ginzugroomer makes tracks
February 2, 2010
Filed under West Elk trail, cross country skiing, ginzugroomer, snowshoeing, trail conditions, trail maintenance
Anthony has been doing a spectacular job with the new Yamaha VK sled towing the Ginzugroomer. He laid down the ski track on Kay’s Loop and Eric’s Loop on January 30-31.
There is a new short loop on the south side of Hwy 819 (right side of trail) across from the intersection with James’s Loop. This is Anthony’s Loop. It is meant to be a short track for skaters. It also works as two cutoffs between Hwy 819 and Eric’s Loop. This loop is not on the map because it is highly visible and we didn’t want to clutter the map. The Forest Service has approved it. We will put up trail signs soon. If you like Anthony’s Loop, please let us know!
If you haven’t been up on the trails lately, just look at what you are missing.
The long hill on Eric's Loop -- ski track is on the right
Some issues have come up with the use of the new groomer. The ski track will only be set on one side of the trail. It would be so helpful to the groomers if snowshoers could stay off the ski track. The trail is wide enough to accommodate everyone!
Snowshoe Etiquette on Groomed Trails
The trails are busy on the weekends and the dog poo is starting to pile up, especially near the trailhead. Dog owners please use your ski pole or a stick to bury your dog’s poo in the snow — off the trail if at all possible. Or bring a bag with you, then pick up the poo and toss it in the snow off the trail. There is no garbage can at the trailhead because the Forest Service expects us to pack out our own trash. We thank everyone for not littering!
Have you sent in your membership yet? If not, what are you waiting for? We need money to help pay for gas and oil for the 3 snowmobiles. Are you enjoying the groomed trails?
Please send your donations to:
Peggy Tibbetts, WEMUC Treas
PO Box 129
Silt, CO 81652
Our trail grooming team members are: Anthony Benham (Chief Ginzugroomer), Tod Tibbetts, Eric Boley (of Eric’s Loop fame), and Dan Becker. Thank them when you see them working on the trail.
Help us spread the word about our primo trail conditions. We wouldn’t have them without our hard working volunteers. We thank everyone for their support and generosity!
