Friday - Grooming Update
Carol Catalano
We’re excited about the prospect of a significant amount of snow on Monday!
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PO Box 2101
South Hamilton, MA 01982
USA
Help us bring groomed cross-country skiing to the Hamilton area.
The North Shore Nordic Association, a 501C3 tax exempt non-profit charitable organization formed by local residents with the goal of acquiring and operating ski grooming equipment on some of our local trails. The NSNA will work with local land stewards to groom a classical and skate ski lane on several existing trails including Patton Park, portions of the Discover Hamilton Trail, Appleton Farms and Grassrides, Bradley Palmer State Park and hopefully Sagamore Hill.
The NSNA is seeking funding from multiple sources to acquire an 84” Groomer and a special utility snowmobile to tow the groomer. Additionally we seek to acquire a trailer, operating insurance, fuel, signage, trail maps and signs. Please consider making a donation in any amount on our website www.nsnordic.org. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. WE need to raise a total of approximately $25,000 to get the operation up and running for the winter of 2015-2016. Subsequent years will only require funds to operate and maintain our equipment and pay for fuel and insurance. The NSNA will be an entirely volunteer run operation and we are seeking anyone interested in helping out in any way.
Once we are operational all ski trail use will be free of charge and supported by donations. NSNA will issue donor cards, as a token of appreciation to those making a donation of at least $100.
NSNA is also seeking to partner with corporate sponsors to fund a portion of our capital campaign.
We’re excited about the prospect of a significant amount of snow on Monday!
Read MoreEven without snow, we’re continuing our work to make our trails the best they can be. Here's what's happening.
Read MoreIf you are really determined to ski, you can still do so in limited sections of the Grass Rides at Appleton Farms. Wooded areas that don’t get a lot of sun still have coverage, although it is not enough for us to groom.
Read MoreWe groomed a classic and skate track at Patton Park yesterday. Thanks for making this possible! There is a loop around the park and we groomed a portion of the Discover Hamilton Trail along the Schooling Fields. The conditions are very soft due to the extreme cold, but should improve with warming temperatures. We just had the snowmobile tuned, to keep it ready for more grooming efforts, and we are also training more groomers. We are heading out now to groom the Farm Loop and the Plains at Appleton Farms.
Read MoreConditions continue to be good despite the lack of new snow. We were out at Pingree and Appleton Farm and Grass Rides this morning using our Ginzu Groomer knives to freshen up and set new classic tracks and skate lanes. We set new tracks at Appleton in the field just to the north of Lamson Field and around the perimeter of The Plains.
Read MoreAs of 10pm we have groomed a classic track and skate lane in the majority of Appleton Farms and some of the Grass Rides. We are still having problems with downed trees so we couldn't complete the loop in the Grass Rides. The route between Pingree School and the Bedlock Gate at the Grass Rides has been groomed with a skate lane. We hope to get Pingree School and Bradley Palmer tomorrow. Check back for updates.
Read MoreLate yesterday we were able to groom some of the trails at Bradley Palmer starting from the Highland Street parking lot. We got out early this morning and touched up the trails at Pingree and added more classic track. After lunch we attempted to head back over to Bradley Palmer, but the snow is just too soft to run the groomer. Let's hope for cooler temperatures and more snow this week!
Read MoreThere is a groomed loop at Pingree School and through Pingree Woodland to Appleton. Use caution on trails in the woods as coverage is thinner than in open areas, and you may come across rocks and buried branches. We will be out grooming Appleton this morning, and hope to head over to Bradley Palmer and Patton Park this afternoon. Please be patient as this is our first major grooming. We are doing the very best we can.
It was slow progress grooming last night as there were trees, branches, and brush down everywhere. Most of our board came out to help clear the trails, skiing ahead of the groomer. We had to use the winch on the sled to help move some of the trees across the trail. We made it through Pingree Woodland into Appleton Grass Rides where we came upon a big pile of downed trees blocking the trail, requiring a chain saw.
Read MoreFor those of you interested in viewing our groomed trail map it is still a work in progress, however we have posted an update here.
Read MoreWe are ready to groom today if we get enough snow and temps stay below 32!
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