Above freezing temperatures and 1″ of rain forecast for today. Only slush puddles remain. Use micro spikes if walking Powder Hill as there are icy patches in the woods.
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Above freezing temperatures and 1″ of rain forecast for today. Only slush puddles remain. Use micro spikes if walking Powder Hill as there are icy patches in the woods.
6 replies on “If only it had been a little bit colder”
Reading the comment about using micro- spikes if walking up Powder Hill….
I know it’s early in the season, but it would be great if we could figure out a way to keep people from bare booting the course (especially the portion of the course where a track gets laid down)
Bare booting destroys the course…..deep boot tracks freeze and thaw and freeze again…course is destroyed.
Walking the course with snow shoes is OK (just don’t walk in the track).
Alternatively allocate a portion of the trail for walking and another portion for skiers only…..
Markk,
Thank you for raising this issue. We (the club) have been after the town so as to limit “foot” use during the winter ski season (December through March). We have had limited success and have been relying on the public to use their common sense as it is a safety issue for the students and public that use the trails we maintain and groom. Unfortunately the trails are on public land and there are those that continue to disregard our polite request to stay off the tracks particularly during warm spells. Absolutely agree that snowshoes work great and we are looking at providing some at the Hut free of charge in hopes that people use them.
Thanks for the reply….the issue of bare booting certainly is a dilemma given the course is on public land..It’s a difficult problem to solve.
Providing snow shoes to walkers might help a bit ….
On occasion, I have seen signage placed near the hut requesting walkers stay off the course……more strategically placed signage might help as well….
if there were an alternative trail for walkers….that might help (somewhat)….
Has the club considered ways to reduce or prevent people from bare booting the course ?
Bare Booting destroys the course….boot prints freeze, thaw, then freeze again….creates a total mess…..
Also, snow shoeing the skatable part of the course is OK…but I see people sometimes will snow show on the track that is laid down.
Does it make sense to post signs and perhaps lay down an alternative path for walkers alongside the ski trail ?
We would like to reduce boot traffic on the trails. To help solve this the ski club this year will have snowshoes outside the ski hut that are available for anyone to borrow. Boot traffic can be dangerous for children skiing because it creates a rough icy surface. When temps are above freezing it the damages to the surface and grooming can not always fix this. The course was designed by the club as a high school race trail just like a football field is designed for football. Cross-country is not a mainstream sport and many do not understand that. The town has one sign posted that says “winter trail use skis and snowshoes only” One sign does not enforce much, It would be up to the town to determine what is most important, student athletes safety or walkers rights. The club is required by the town to carry insurance in case a “bare boot” walker is injuried. This danger could be reduce for walkers if snowshoes are used. The club has no authority to prohibit walking but if you look at other town cross-country areas in the state we are the exception allowing bare boot traffic during the winter.
Hi Peter,
thanks for the reply.
In your comment you said:
” The club has no authority to prohibit walking but if you look at other town cross-country areas in the state we are the exception allowing bare boot traffic during the winter”
What other town cross-country areas exist in the state ?
Thanks,
Mark