Route redesign

The Menihek Nordic Ski Club is still expecting world-class trails this winter.

Gerry Rideout, club president, explained IOC's expansion plan - particularly the construction of an overland conveyor - is going to cause the closure of five to six kilometres of the ski trail, but he has high hopes an alternative will be available before the snow flies.

"We're going to lose The Hole and we're going to lose a part of the trail near Kathy's Pond and Fraggle Rock," he explained. "When you come out of The Hole, we're going to lose the seven and a half part that goes out towards IOC and swings back in and where the conveyor keeps on going and intersects our Round Lake trail, so we're going to have to move closer to the lake."

Mr. Rideout noted IOC is committed to replacing and upgrading any parts of the trail it disrupts and though the system in question is over 30 years old, he still expects to have a top-notch trail when construction is finished.

The mining company, he pointed out, has been in contact with Menihek Nordic since it first realized the conveyor would disrupt the trail system and agreed to engage a consultant to redesign alternative routes.

On the club's recommendation, Nordic Group International was hired and was recently in town to flag the new trails and come up with a series of options.

Five different areas, according to Mr. Rideout, have been identified for upgrade, but the club has pointed to several priority areas for the coming year.

The replacement of the Koch Trail Loop aka The Hole is priority No. 1, he explained, although work in the Birches to bring skiers down a hill and directly into the Stadium - the area behind the Trap and Skeet Club where skiers race - is high on the list as well.

The upgrade of the Birches turnoff from a wet, boggy terrain into a dry area that people can use in the off-season is also on the club's wish list and Mr. Rideout is confident the majority of the work can be completed this year.

"Hopefully when they're cutting the route for the new conveyor, they'll cut the new trail at the same time," he stated. "We'd like the cut and backhoe work to be ready for this year's snow to make it functional and we can finish with sand, gravel and grass next year."

Mr. Rideout said the club, in consultation with Nordic Group International representatives John Frado and Jonathan Wiesel, has scoped out a number of areas since March and plans to cut costs where it can. The replacement will be completely covered by IOC and the club president is pleased with how discussions have gone so far.

He admits given the timeframe - it's already the beginning of July - there is a lot of work to be done over the next few months, but he hopes the permits for the reroute will pass quickly and without incident.

Mr. Rideout said the trail was great the way it was, but given the changing economy in Lab. West, he doesn't feel it's in anyone's best interest to be adverse to the ski trail reroute. Residents and members should be pleased about how IOC has handled itself and he said the club may very well be better off when the new trails are opened.

His main concern over the last several months has been silencing rumours about the project and he stresses the Menihek Nordic Ski Club isn't going anywhere.

"There is still going to be skiing in Labrador West and the section we will be losing will be replaced in the best possible timeframe," he said. "We have 35 kilometres of trail and we're losing about five kilometres of it here and there. We're redesigned it and it's going to be great."