The Sandilands Ski Club doesn’t have enough snow to trackset their trails.  

Chris Duester, President of Sandilands Ski Club, says they have the Quarry Oaks Trail system and then in the Sandilands Forest they have about 40 kilometers of trail. 

“I talked to the groomer last week and they are all packed, which means that if we get 3 to 4 inches, I'm assuming that would be enough to set tracks. You just have to pack it first and then hope for some fresh stuff so that you can work with that to trackset.” 

If the Southeast got a decent amount of snow this weekend, it wouldn’t be long before people could get out on the trails. 

Duester says it would take the groomers a day to track set all of the trails in Sandilands. 

“So he gets up in the morning, he starts his little wood shack fire to warm up the sleds, and then he gets all the equipment ready, and it's a full day of grooming work for those two guys,” he says. “Probably if the snow fell on a Friday, they groom on a Saturday, and it would be ready on a Sunday. I think that'd be pretty typical.”  

Although he would like to see some more snow, Duester is happy about the warmer temperatures. 

“I get pretty grumpy when we don't have snow and it's 25 below. It's a lot easier to handle when there's no snow and it's –1,” he says. “I have alternate activities that are fun at this time of year, outdoor skating and riding fat bike. There are ways to be active, but I would love to get out on the skis.” 

He notes there are good fat bike trails in Birds Hill Park, which is where he tends to go when he wants to cycle in the woods. 

 

With files from Carly Koop