Sovereign Lake even better after off-season upgrades
As the Ski Sheriff drove north on Highway 97, the skies over Kalamalka Lake started to get a little hazy and Vernon off in the distance a little indistinct. And the Sheriff immediately knew it was going to be “that kind of day.”
Sure enough, snow started falling throughout the city and up Silver Star Road all the way to Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre. Hello old friend.
The Sheriff met hiking/cross-country skiing buddy Patti and we decided to check out the Woodland Bell Trail loop (4K) and then head up Passmore (3.3K loop) and Carl Wylie (6.8K loop) to Black Prince Cabin for lunch.
Early-morning snow had already accumulated in the centre and was proving a challenge for skate skiers (as more snow continued to fall) but those strong hockey legs of Patti kept the Sheriff moving in the classic tracks of his favourite Sovereign trails. Outside lead Don Wylie soon zoomed by with a new groomer flattening that new snow but leaving the classic tracks intact. More on that later.
Sovereign Lake had another series of great off-season improvements outlined by GM Troy Hudson in an interview earlier in the week.
“We revamped Jessica’s Trail completely this year, widening it and creating a classic-only groomed trail making it much more appealing than the old narrow backcountry trail. That also made it much safer and easier to groom with our small equipment,” said Hudson.
“There’s been so much positive feedback on it that we’ve got plans after this winter to design more ‘classic-only’ trails. Possibly revitalizing some of our existing backcountry trails, which are quite under-utilized.”
Hudson, Wylie and a slew of volunteer programs’ kids and adults helped to widen, brush and clear the 1.5K trail of danger trees and snags last fall. What remains is a wonderful beginner trail for the whole family, offering adventure and a unique historical perspective.
It is named after 26-year-old Jessica Eaman, a club member and former staff member who died in a car accident in March 2012. The Jess4Kids Ski Scholarship Fund was created to provide access to Sovereign Lake ski and snowshoe facilities for underprivileged families and cash-crunched schools through three regional school districts.
The trail is used daily by the S’Cool Ski Programs, with more than 3,000 kids expected to glide through the trail this winter. Not only has it become popular with kids, but more and more adults are including it as an end to their classic ski sessions.
Getting back to the roots of Nordic skiing with this style of trail is something the club is considering more of in the future.
“I absolutely love these narrow classic trails. They really bring you back to nature and add a whole new level of mysticism back into skiing that is somewhat lost on wider, snowcat-groomed trails,” said Hudson.
“There’s been so much positive feedback on it that we’ve got plans after this winter to possibly build more kind-ofbackcountry-feel trails. Some of our existing backcountry trails are quite under-utilized.”
The plan is to redo all of the mapping and add more trail signage — even though there was a concerted effort several years ago to add 175 more signs.
Sovereign is also working on other long-term existing projects, like Gold Mountain Parkway.
“We’re going to take the existing trail and re-contour it so it’s an absolute green trail to increase the ski-ability for novice skiers so there’s a lot better lowelevation access to the accommodations and the food base at Silver Star,” said Hudson.
“Even when they take the chairlift up (to the top of Silver Star and come down Aberdeen Trail), it’s a lot of work for beginners. Plus it joins us into our existing venue and also new venue opportunities. It’s actually been in the works since 2005.”
After a decline over the years, the number of members is back up to 1,700, keeping Sovereign the largest crosscountry ski club in Western Canada. And thanks to its relationship with Silver Star, the largest daily groomed trail network as well.
During the off-season, the existing lodge was upgraded, adding a second computer terminal dedicated to rentals that decreases traffic congestion. More retail space was added; a composting option was implemented as part of a community program; recycling efforts were increased; and the lodge was cleaned up and painted.
The club also has a new website, and purchased a new snowcat and a smaller groomer that can be pulled with quads and snowmobiles.
“With strong revenue last season, we were able to secure a fully-refurbished Pisten Bully 400 snowcat with a customdesigned Nordic tiller that will not only reduce our fuel consumption and emissions but will also lead to superior grooming,” he said.
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An update on that Lyme disease petition outlined in last weekend’s column. As of this week, there are 36,400 signatures urging the federal government to reject a draft framework and do more.
“A meeting with MPs from all parties was held in Ottawa on Monday evening on Lyme disease and the draft framework. We heard that MPs in attendance were very engaged on the issue and expressed concern,” petition organizers said this week.
While public comments on the draft framework closed on Wednesday, the petition goal remains to demand Minister Jane Philpott reject this draft framework and fix it. As well, this petition asks supporters to write their MP.
*** Registration is underway for this year’s Nature Detectives Spring Break Camps at the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan in Mission Creek Regional Park, Springfield and Durnin roads in Kelowna.
Indoor and outdoor activities for children age five to seven and seven to 10 will run from 9 a.m. to noon, March 21-23 and March 28-30.
Register in advance at the EECO, $75 per youngster for each three, halfday camp session.
For details, go to the regional district website at regionaldistrict.com/ parksevents, contact the EECO at 250-469-6139, email eeco@cord.bc.ca or drop into the centre.
*** Directors of the Regional District of Central Okanagan recently adopted a new management plan for Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park in Kelowna.
The 20-year plan will guide development of the 29.4-hectare regional park, which has four unique ecological areas, several species-at-risk (including the western screech owl) and the Eco Culture Centre, in partnership with the UBC Okanagan Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.
J.P. Squire, aka the Ski Sheriff, is an Okanagan Sunday reporter and an avid outdoors enthusiast. His column appears every weekend. Contact him at jp.squire@telus.net.