Some questions about clasic skiing and groomed trails

I am thinking about aproaching my local XC club about some trails and would
like some input.

If you classic ski please answer the below questions.

1) Would you prefe
A Non groomed ski trails that are wide enough to fit
through -- About 1m wide
B Groomed trails about 1m wide?
C Trackset trails about 1m wide?
D Trails that are for classic and skating -- about 3m wide

2) In your area:
A There are clubs that only have Skating trails
B There are clubs that only have Classic Trails
C There are clubs that have Skating with a Trackset for
Classic

3) How many Groomed Trail Clubs are within 100km/60miles from your home?
A 1
B 2-4
C 5-10
D Over 10

4) What would you like to see at your trails?



Thanks,

Micheal

I will answer, since I am asking you
..
"Micheal Artindale" wrote in message
...
I am thinking about aproaching my local XC club about some trails and
would
like some input.

If you classic ski please answer the below questions.

1) Would you prefe
A Non groomed ski trails that are wide enough to fit
through -- About 1m wide
B Groomed trails about 1m wide?
C Trackset trails about 1m wide?
D Trails that are for classic and skating -- about 3m wide

For me, C&D I do like skating and classic.


2) In your area:
A There are clubs that only have Skating trails
B There are clubs that only have Classic Trails
C There are clubs that have Skating with a Trackset for
Classic

There are 2 clubs here, 1 is C the other is B


3) How many Groomed Trail Clubs are within 100km/60miles from your home?
A 1
B 2-4
C 5-10
D Over 10

As far as I know, B, 2 trails.


4) What would you like to see at your trails?

The one that is skating with trackset, I would like to see it also have some
classic 1m wide trails.

The one that is classic only, I would like to see 1 trail wide enough to
skate.

Micheal

I ski only classic, and once I was at a private club that had only
skating trails groomed, and they were wonderful....so much better, as
far as I'm concerned, than tracks.

June

"Micheal Artindale" wrote in message
...
I am thinking about aproaching my local XC club about some trails and
would
like some input.

If you classic ski please answer the below questions.

1) Would you prefe
A Non groomed ski trails that are wide enough to fit
through -- About 1m wide
B Groomed trails about 1m wide?
C Trackset trails about 1m wide?
D Trails that are for classic and skating -- about 3m
wide

2) In your area:
A There are clubs that only have Skating trails
B There are clubs that only have Classic Trails
C There are clubs that have Skating with a Trackset for
Classic

3) How many Groomed Trail Clubs are within 100km/60miles from your
home?
A 1
B 2-4
C 5-10
D Over 10

4) What would you like to see at your trails?



Thanks,

Micheal

Hi Micheal,

I think a good track system will have a mix of trails - some classic
only (with track), some mixed skating/classic. For club ski areas, it is
important to cater to a small number of skiers who will use the trails
often. Keeping these different options breaks up the monotony of training
in the same place all of the time.

1m and 3m are good sizes for tracks.

In my area, most of the ski areas are resorts, not clubs. We have a
small local club operation that grooms parks in the area when it snows and
they have the capability of doing skate & classic. We usually have thin
snow cover, though, so many times they will only groom a skating lane
because there is not enough base for a track.

The demographics of your club and community will be the important
deciding factors. Who are your club members? Who will pay to help maintain
the trails? Who will volunteer time to groom and maintain trails? These
are the important people to consider. If they are all avid classic
backcountry enthusiasts, then you should focus on providing what they want.
If you live in a city of people who do every sport under the sun (like me),
most people will want to skate. But it does not matter what we think, only
what the people who will support your club and your trail want.

We have two clubs in our immediate area and about 4-5 clubs within a
100k radius.

I would like to see 100km of ski trails weaving through the foothills
near us with a 20km artificial snow link that serves every household in the
city so we can ski out the door every day between October 1 and May 1.

But seriously, I would like to see our club get more aggressive and find
more terrain by pressing local governments to open it up. We have a lot of
"open space" that is owned by city and county governments. They are very
enviromentally sensitive, but in strange ways. For example, there is one
area that would be great for skiing, but it is "very sensitive" due to
animal migrations and habitat, so putting a ski trail there is out of the
question. But the major road that services the area is somehow OK....

-Nathan
www.NatronNordic.com

"Micheal Artindale" wrote in message
...
I will answer, since I am asking you
.
"Micheal Artindale" wrote in message
...
I am thinking about aproaching my local XC club about some trails and
would
like some input.

If you classic ski please answer the below questions.

1) Would you prefe
A Non groomed ski trails that are wide enough to fit
through -- About 1m wide
B Groomed trails about 1m wide?
C Trackset trails about 1m wide?
D Trails that are for classic and skating -- about 3m wide

For me, C&D I do like skating and classic.


2) In your area:
A There are clubs that only have Skating trails
B There are clubs that only have Classic Trails
C There are clubs that have Skating with a Trackset for
Classic

There are 2 clubs here, 1 is C the other is B


3) How many Groomed Trail Clubs are within 100km/60miles from your home?
A 1
B 2-4
C 5-10
D Over 10

As far as I know, B, 2 trails.


4) What would you like to see at your trails?

The one that is skating with trackset, I would like to see it also have
some
classic 1m wide trails.

The one that is classic only, I would like to see 1 trail wide enough to
skate.

Micheal

I am thinking about aproaching my local XC club about some trails and
would
like some input.

If you classic ski please answer the below questions.

1)
D Trails that are for classic and skating -- about 3m
wide

I think this form of trail would attract the most diverse and largest
number of skiers. It also allows for the occasional skater to ski a
trail without totally distroying the set classic track. BAH !

2) In your area:

B There are clubs that only have Classic Trails
C There are clubs that have Skating with a Trackset for
Classic

Here in SE Wisconsin, I can't think of any "skate only" trails unless
they just haven't gotten around to setting the track or the snow isn't
deep enough. The Scuppernong trail in the South Kettle Moriane state
forest is a classic only trail and it's awesome !!

3) How many Groomed Trail Clubs are within 100km/60miles from your
home?

C 5-10

I'm guessing there are about 10 trails that are regularly machine
groomed. All except one are parks, either county or state run.

4) What would you like to see at your trails?

Year round toilets (most do have this, even if not heated ... just
don't lock them up! ).

John Wilke
Milwaukee, WI
(Hoping I'll be able to ski this winter ! )

In my town (rural New Hampshire, between Winnipesaukee and Squam
Lakes), we have: B maintained by a local B&B owner. Grooming consists
of dragging an old bedspring by snowmobile. Narrow trails through the
woods--good with waxable touring skis. We also have D at our town
fairgrounds, used by the local high school and groomed by our
recreation department. I think that I'll be a volunteer groomer this
winter. I need to learn to drive a snowmobile first.

We also have a multiuse trail, maintained by a club of mainly
snowmobilers, but with some members who are skiers and snowshoers who
have no intention of owning machines. I'm one of these latter folks.
This trail is good with touring skis on week days, when there are
usually no snowmobiles

There are numerous touring centers within a reasonable drive.

I'm pretty happy with what we have.

Leland

I think if you're going to combine a classic track with a skating lane,
the trail would have to be more like 6 m than 3 m. If it's too narrow,
the skaters will mess up the tracks for sure. I do and love both.
Combi trails are the most efficient (I think) to install and maintain,
but striding only trails through the woods, nice and narrow, are very
nice.

Camilo wrote:

I think if you're going to combine a classic track with a skating lane,
the trail would have to be more like 6 m than 3 m. If it's too narrow,
the skaters will mess up the tracks for sure. I do and love both.
Combi trails are the most efficient (I think) to install and maintain,
but striding only trails through the woods, nice and narrow, are very
nice.

The local combi tracks here are much closer to three than six meters,
and I have always found them an excellent and working solution. The
only spots where I could, as a classic skier, have certain complaints
is on the uphills where some skaters often "get wide" when I=B4d still
like to diagonal in the tracks. (Funnily enough, it=B4s not the classic
skiers who start to herringbone early who mess up the tracks.)

Therefore I would not like to have anyone put off the idea of combi
tracks because they cannot or do not like to open up such wide trails;
it would be quite sufficient to widen the uphill sections (which would
also make passing more comfortable for everyone).


Narrow classic trails through the woods are ideal for skiing, but they
can have their drawbacks also: when you=B4re relying on natural snow,
the adjacent trees, expecially the limbs of fir trees, can thin the
amount of snow on the ground and whenever there=B4s rain rather than
snowfall, you=B4ll have bald or icy spots, and (last but not least)
there will inevitably be dirt (needles, leaves, branches, cones) on the
tracks. Therefore it can be necessary for the interests of better
skiing to clear a wider "avenue" than would perhaps be ideal for a
sense of winter enchantment.



Anders