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Winter 2009 MNSC Groomers' Clinic A Success on Feb 25, 2009
2nd Annual MNSC Groomer Clinic a Success
Over 20 ski trail groomers from parks across southern Wisconsin gathered at Elver Park on a cold morning in early February to again meet each other, share expertise, and see equipment different from what most of them currently have. Set up by the MNSC Trails Committee, the clinic was hosted by the City of Madison Parks through Russ Hefty and made good use of the park's unique shelter on a very blustery day.
As was the case last year, parks departments in Madison, Middleton, and Dane County were well represented, as were half a dozen state parks. New participants this year came from Devil's Lake SP, Mirror Lake SP, and as far away as the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Others from Lapham Peak and Lodi were slated to come, but were prevented by last minute scheduling.
The morning started with a great breakfast spread by Gordy, our wonderful Social Director, and moved through self-introductions by everyone that included a listing of the gear each park has. We then moved outdoors to see Madison's Tidd Tech Trail Tenderizer, a light piece of gear that works best in softer snows. Next, Paul Zajackowski from Mirror Lake introduced their Yellowstone Ginzu groomer, much better at working in icy conditions, and described its pros and cons. We then saw a great piece of home-made machinery from Dane County Parks.
Back inside we viewed a DVD on the Tidd Tech G-2 groomer, roughly equivalent to the Ginzu. We believe that Madison Parks will soon buy one or the other of these two better ice groomers so this was a timely comparison. As last year, we also watched most of a grooming DVD from ABR. This has a lot of useful information for novice groomers and old hands alike. (We have a copy of this to loan to any club member who wants to learn more about the art of ski trail grooming.) We finished up by lunchtime with questions and discussion.
Clearly word of our efforts to help the people who make and maintain our ski trails improve what they do through inexpensive, local networking and information sharing is spreading as the growing list of participating parks shows. The most telling evaluation, however, comes in the question of whether or not our participants want another clinic next year and virtually all said they do. So, we'll work to offer this event again and as long as these important folks find it valuable.
Brock Woods
MNSC Trails Committee Chair
P.S. I saw Ron Bergin from Cross Country Skier Magazine at the Birkie and we discussed several great articles in this seasons magazines that detail the life and/or equipment of ski trail groomers. Next time you are at the library check out these issues to learn more about the work that goes into making the tracks and trails we love to ski. Stories like these make this magazine a valuable resource for all XC skiers to have.
Groomers at the 2009 Madison Nordic Ski Club Groomer's Clinic
