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Wensley Creek ski trail offers fun for new and experienced skiers

The trail is managed by the Arrow Lakes Cross Country Ski Club in the winter months.
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Kathy Smith and Chris Faint smile as they stand outside the equipment shed at the start of the Wensley Creek Trail. Both women are members of the Arrow Lakes Cross Country Ski Club

If you’re looking for something fun to do this winter, one activity that seems to be a staple in the community is cross country skiing.

The Arrow Lakes Cross Country Ski Club (ALCCSC) manages a selection of trails in the area, including the Wensley Creek Trails.

The group has an agreement with Recreation Sites and Trails, part of the Government of B.C. From Dec. 1 to April 1, they manage and maintain the trails.

Sometimes, the ALCCSC does trail work outside of their season.

“We go around the trails year-round at different times and if there are trees down on the trail, or if the brush is growing in, and if we think that there are some factors that need to be dealt with, then we deal with those,” said Kathy Smith, president of the ALCCSC. “This year, we did some brush cutting again, and every year you have to pick rocks off the trail.”

Smith said there was a lot of blow-down last fall from a heavy wind storm, so a lot of time was spend clearing that up. In past years, a lot of ditching, culverting, and general maintenance has been done. When it comes to setting the track, Smith said they can’t do it too early. If they do that, it can cause some problems, like kicking up the track.

“Once we get enough snow, we’ll condition the trail system, and the conditioner helps to level the trail, and even it out, and then we set track behind that. It all depends on what the snow is allowing us to do out there,” she said.

Residents are happy there is a club like this in the area.

“It’s just an awesome thing to have in such a small community,” said Chris Faint, director and consult for the ALCCSC. “You don’t even have to be athletic to do it. It’s just a really nice way to get out and about, and be outside for a while.”

There is a registration box out by the equipment shed at the start of the trail. The club asks for people to sign in, to help keep track of who’s been on the trail.

“We’ve had a lot of people signing in, which is an indication of how much use that we’re getting this year, and it’s been really good,” said Smith. “It will go down now that the holidays are over, and people are back at work, and kids are back in school, but we’ve had a really good turnout.”