A handful of volunteers gathered at a 7.8-hectare parcel on the north side of Raven Drive on Sunday (Sept. 14) for the first of three work parties kicking off the development of the Squamish Legacy Sports Park.
“We did some trail grooming,” said Rick Smith, director of the Sea to Sky Nordics, the group behind the project. “Time was spent trail clearing, bush clearing and trimming back bush from the sides of trails.”
When completed, the Squamish Legacy Sports Park will feature a biathlon course, roller ski trails, ski jumps, climbing crag, disc golf course, parking lot and pavilion.
Smith said the facility is expected to be ready for next summer.
“We are very excited,” he said. “It’s a fabulous opportunity for our young athletes. In the past, parents had to take their kids to Whistler – which has great facilities – but then they had to stick around all day while the kids trained. Our sports development park lets local parents drop their kids off at a facility that’s right in town. And Brennan Park is right there, too, and they are so close to downtown Squamish.”
Even without a local site on which to train, the Sea to Sky Nordics did begin working on ski jumping techniques over the summer at Whistler Olympic Park, using Squamish Legacy Sports Park equipment.
“We got our five-metre ski jump in time for a camp over the summer in Whistler,” said Smith. “We will be moving it back to our park once it is finished.”
A second work party is being planned for Saturday (Sept. 20) from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Smith said more volunteers are needed.
“We found an old illegal dump at the site, and Saturday we’re going to be cleaning it out,” said Smith. “We will be putting the junk in the back of pickup trucks and hauling it to the landfill. It’s gritty, dirty work, though. People will need to wear long sleeves, long pants and some good work gloves. If there is any time left after that, we’ll continue on some of the brush clearing and trail work we haven’t finished.”
A third work party is planned for October 26, as well, with more pruning, clipping and clearing on the menu.
Sea to Sky Nordics is also hosting a Ski Swap and Nordic Expo on Saturday, Oct. 18, as well as a fundraiser and dinner at the Sea to Sky Gondola on Saturday, Oct. 25.
To volunteer for a work party, email Smith at [email protected], and for more information on the club, go to www.seatoskynordics.ca.
