TIMMINS - When the snow starts to fly, the local ski club is geared up to maintain its trails.
Over the weekend, the Porcupine Ski Runners officially celebrated the purchase of a Pisten Bully trail groomer to maintain its cross-country ski trails.
The club was able to buy the equipment thanks to a $150,000 grant awarded in 2023 by from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
“We’ve been waiting to purchase a new trail groomer take shape for quite some time,” said Lorne Luhta, who led the project for the club, in a news release. “Obviously, this wait has been well worth it. This new trail groomer will allow us to continue maintaining quality trail conditions for our members and all cross-country ski visitors.”
Timmins MPP George Pirie stopped by the club to congratulate the volunteers. Timmins Coun. Steve Black was also part of the event.
“I look forward to seeing members of the Timmins community this winter season visiting the Nordic ski club and utilizing the pristine trails groomed using their new trail groomer that was purchased with the OTF funding," said Pirie.
Porcupine Ski Runners is on Highway 101 just east of Schumacher.
Volunteers have been busy over the last 15 years to upgrade the club. In 2010, a $1.8 million chalet project was finished, and there have been smaller projects to improve the quality of the ski trails.
Adding the groomer is fantastic and another great project that's completed, said board president Christine Dorion.
