Sunshine and fall colours heralded in a new era for the Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club Sunday, Oct. 15 at Bull Mountain.
A new day lodge for the club and a major new facility for the region was officially opened, ready to welcome skiers once winter arrives.
Nearly 200 people attended the grand opening, including representatives from the Williams Lake city council, Cariboo Regional District, School District 27 board of trustees, Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), past cross country ski club presidents and the executive director of Cross Country B.C.
Michael Moses, councillor for the city of Williams Lake, was the MC for the event, introducing his fellow dignitaries and acknowledging the milestone of achieving what he called a “long sought-after dream,” and celebrating the work of Robin Dawes, chair of the Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club board of directors, who led the project.
He credited her hard work and dedication, calling it an inspiration and recognizing her as a “fearless leader.”
The facility will now join a corridor of cross-country ski facilities in the province providing affordable, inclusive and environmentally friendly winter sports.
Moses said this will enhance the destination potential of the area across multiple seasons. The new facility is the reason the club will be hosting the BC Winter Games Regional Trials in December.
“Their vision unfolding has been astounding to witness,” said Moses.
Wannes Luppens, executive director of Cross Country BC said as cross country skiing has been incrementally growing for decades, many other clubs have been wanting a new lodge.
“But while they’ve been talking about it, you went ahead and got it done,” he said.
“You’ve raised the bar and you’ve shown other clubs what is possible.”
Mayor Surinderpal Rathor celebrated the passion of the club and Dawes, and noted the new facility will be helpful in attracting and retaining people, including medical professionals, to the community.
Mary Forbes, School District 27 trustee, also spoke briefly.
“My heart is bursting with excitement to use this facility,” she said. The new lodge will be a big asset for the school programs the club provides.
Sheila Boehm, a councillor with the city, but also a representative of the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), spoke on behalf of NDIT at the opening, calling it a “magnet for tourists.” NDIT contributed over $279,000 towards the project.
Joan Flaspohler, another city of Williams Lake councillor, was also in attendance.
Dawes herself spoke as well, thanking everyone for coming. She made sure to acknowledge volunteers, including the many club chairs who had come before her, and the work they did to help build the foundation for where the club is now.
“In any major accomplishment, we’re all standing on the shoulders of those who came before us,” she said, noting the ski area is set for a wonderful season.
It was a major milestone for the club and for the region.
For many years, the Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club has gotten by with a small ATCO trailer for the only shelter from the elements at Bull Mountain.
This has limited the club’s ability to host regional events and made the school ski lessons less comfortable for young skiers.
Now, with a new lodge, skiers will be able to warm themselves by a wood stove, rentals will be able to be stored and maintained inside in the downstairs and supporters and parents can stay warm while they watch events hosted in the stadium area at the facility.
The club received a $430,000 grant from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport through the Targeted Regional Tourism Initiative to get the project started, with more funds then following from NDIT, Pacific Economic Development Canada, the Cariboo Regional District, as well as some local businesses. Though there were delays in breaking ground and it was meant to be completed for the 2022/23 season, the project has not only reached completion, but the club has since also began work on further improvements to the ski area. Dawes also announced the club has received funding to purchase a new piston-bully trail groomer. One year ago, the 99 Mile Ski Area in 100 Mile House, the 100 Mile Nordics gifted the club their old groomer. The older piston-bully was in need of a lot of work but it has helped massively in trail grooming.
Dawes said the machine can do in five hours what it would have taken three operators on three snowmobiles as much as five days to accomplish. But the machine is expensive and time-consuming to maintain. Only through the volunteer hours of Dave Skarra have they been able to keep it going, so a new machine will save time and money.
Early bird passes for the 2023/24 season are now available on the club’s website https://www.williamslakecrosscountryskiclub.ca/
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