‘Get It Groomed’ Effort to Improve Ski Trails Strides Toward Goal
$50K in donations still needed for trail grooming project
A community campaign is closing in on its goal of raising $200,000 for a project that includes purchasing a new ski trail groomer and improving cross-country ski trail quality and usability in Eau Claire County.
The Eau Claire Ski Striders’ “Get It Groomed!” campaign, which launched last winter, has raised about $150,000 to date, allowing a down payment to be made on a Favero Snow Rabbit 3 groomer – an advanced piece of equipment that will be able to keep trails at Tower Ridge County Park and elsewhere in the county in top shape for more of the skiing season. The funds raised so far have allowed the group to put a down payment on the machine, said Chris Gorzek, a board member of the Ski Striders and director of its Kickin’ Kids program.
Gorzek said he is “cautious and hopeful” that the final fundraising goal will be reached soon. “Our goal is still January,” he added.
Eau Claire County has committed $50,000 to the project, while businesses and private individuals have pledged $100,000. Supporters include Volume One, Zacho Sports Center, Baird Eau Claire, and Larson Orthodontics.
To meet the rest of the goal, cross-country ski enthusiasts are starting a business fundraising campaign, and plan to circle back to previous donors while seeking new ones as well, Gorzek said.
The new machine will be larger, stronger, and more agile than the current equipment, allowing it to groom trails in one pass rather than requiring multiple passes
Buying the $180,000 machine is one part of a larger effort to improve the grooming of the county’s cross-country ski trails, Gorzek said. Eau Claire County – which will own the machine once it has been purchased – has hired two seasonal employees to work on the trails. They will work alongside a full-time employee as well as volunteers to groom the trails more frequently and efficiently. Funds will also be used to improve the Ski Striders’ communication efforts in the community, including publicizing trail conditions.
Once the machine is in hand, plans call for the 12-plus miles of trail at Tower Ridge to be groomed every other day during the skiing season, Gorzek said. Most of the grooming will occur at night, when the temperature is lower and the process is more effective. Overall, the goal is to ensure that there are more available days of skiing on the trail system, Gorzek said.
Currently, the grooming gear used at Tower Ridge and other county parks is more than 30 years old, frequently breaks down, and isn’t up to the task of keeping trails in good shape. Coupled with past staffing challenges, this has made it hard to keep the trails properly groomed. And that, in turn, has been a blow to recreational opportunities for the estimated 3,000 to 4,000 cross-country skiers – both locals and visitors – who use Tower Ridge’s trails each winter.
The new machine will be larger, stronger, and more agile than the current equipment, allowing it to groom trails in one pass rather than requiring multiple passes, as is the case now. The Snow Rabbit will be outfitted with a tiller, which will be particularly useful in wet and icy conditions. The tiller can be used to grind up the surface of the trail and lay it back down, making it safer and more enjoyable for skiers.
Of course, all that depends on snow falling this winter – an open question considering the current El Niño conditions.
“I hope in early January we’ll get snow,” Gorzek said in a late December interview, before joking, “but I’m not a weatherman and I don’t play one on TV.”
To learn more about the Get It Groomed! Project and donate, visit get-it-groomed.org.