麻豆社区

More than 60 volunteers showed up on the weekend to begin preparing the stadium below the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre and connecting trails for snow making.

Alain Masson of Cross Country Yukon said today the official celebration of the new snow making equipment will be held Nov. 4 but they鈥檙e hoping to begin making snow later this month.

The crew did a general cleanup of the stadium and the trails leading up to the wax room inside the centre, said the organization鈥檚 sport co- ordinator and coach.

Masson said work was also underway to begin adding new features like bumps and jumps in the stadium to make a play area for young skiers and also provide local skiers with the type of terrain they鈥檒l encounter in the new sport of ski cross.

Ski cross involves a series of challenges on the course and has been around for a handful of years but was just introduced at the cross country ski nationals last year, he said.

Masson said the national and international ski community is still developing the rules but having the physical features needed in the stadium will provide the skiers with the ability to train for the event.

Mount Sima鈥檚 Tyler Nichol, the ski hill鈥檚 main groomer who also helps with designing features, was there on an excavator to assist with building the bumps and jumps and he鈥檒l have a couple of more days this week to finish, he said.

Masson said they鈥檒l be using their new snow making equipment to lay down a base in the important areas of the stadium, and along the trails connecting to the wax room.

In a normal year, he explained, the stadium takes longer to be ready for use because of its wide-open exposure to wind and the sun. Trails a couple of kilometres away are usually ready for skiing much earlier because they鈥檙e not as exposed to the elements, he said.

Masson said they expect to begin training volunteers on the snow making equipment Oct. 20.

It鈥檚 likely they鈥檒l start at night to ensure they have the desired temperature.

鈥淲e want about -5 (or colder) to be efficient,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can make snow at warmer temperatures but our target will start at -5.鈥�

Masson said the equipment was purchased for approximately $153,000, with $130,000 coming from the Department of Economic development and the rest generated through fund-raising efforts by the ski community and local supporting businesses.