A spokesperson for Sandilands Ski Club says most of their cross country ski trails have now been groomed.

Past President Laurie Silversides says when you consider how much snow is needed before trails can be groomed, the Steinbach area has certainly not received an abundance of the white stuff this winter. However, she says their groomers have done a fantastic job to get most of them up and running.

The Club maintains trails in the Sandilands Provincial Forest as well as both the Quarry Oaks and Steinbach Fly-In golf courses. In Sandilands, they have about 37.1 kilometres worth of trails. Silversides says on December 30th they groomed the purple, green, yellow and black trails and then on January 2nd they groomed the red and orange trails. She notes the blue trail has not been groomed yet because of insufficient snow. The same blue trail was not groomed last season for the same reason.

"Our trails take a beating because of erosion, but they also take a beating because of ATV and other different traffic," she explains. "So we need to have a lot of snowfall in order to groom some of the trails."

Over at Quarry Oaks, Silversides says they have about 8.6 kilometres worth of trails there. She notes they were packed on December 24th, with the classic trails being groomed on January 1st. Silversides says they need more snow before the skate trail can be groomed.

At the Fly-In, Silversides says they have about 4.8 kilometres worth of trails. They were groomed on January 2nd. Silversides says they are in good condition, though there are still some brown spots. According to Silversides, it is difficult to have full coverage of snow on golf courses because of the wind.

The Sandilands Ski Club normally grooms trails on Fridays of each week, if there is adequate snowfall.

"We like to groom on Friday so that skiers that are out there for the weekend have trails that are in pristine condition," she explains.

Silversides reminds skiers that there is a fee to use their trails. An individual membership is $85 for the year, while a family membership is $115. For those without a membership, the cost is $5 per day, or $15 for a family. Fees can be paid on the Club's website, or at the kiosk at either Quarry Oaks or the store in Marchand. She adds there is no fee for skiing at the Fly-In, as the city of Steinbach covers the cost of that grooming.

Meanwhile, Silversides says the Club has definitely noticed an increase in use on their trails since the start of the pandemic. In fact, she says they took in three times the amount of membership fees last year compared to a normal year. She believes that is because COVID-19 restrictions last winter prevented people from being able to meet indoors.

"So all the gyms were closed, any indoor activities were closed," she says. "We just had a huge influx of skiers on the trails, they were looking for a place to connect safely and they were also looking for a way to get their necessary exercise for their mental health."

Silversides says the Sandilands Ski Club is again hoping to offer its Jackrabbits program this winter. These lessons are available for children aged five to 14. The Club is also planning its annual Sandilands Ski Day on February 27th.