Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers

2022/2023

     Season Wrap-up Report

On March 8, 2023, Dave DeBack, Paul Wells and Zolton Cohen put the snow groomers away in the shed for the summer, added Stabil fuel storage stabilizer to the snowmobile's gas tank, started its engine one last time and then plugged the battery charger into the sled's onboard battery.

In many respects, that routine was a typical bit of maintenance done at the conclusion of each cross country ski season.  Overall, however, this year was like no other in recent memory.

Hopes were high in late November when the area was hit by a major snowstorm.  That snow melted quickly, but then another atmospheric clipper deposited a decent amount of precipitation around Christmas.  Unfortunately, that also quickly disappeared.

And that was pretty much it for the season; two good snows, subsequent rapid melting, and then nothing but bare ground for months.  We groomed when we could and tried to make the most of what fell, but we just didn't have anything to work with.

On the bright side, many skiers who appreciate the club's efforts to produce a groomed ski venue were undeterred in supporting the cause.  Donations via the website, the on-site donation tube and through the mail amounted to $391.50.  Expenses were $41.93, for gas.  After expenses and donations were accounted for the club treasury totals $1,640.04.

Bob Kennedy, one of the founding members of the Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers, once labeled the organization "The Kalamazoo Optimists Club." It is true that we're always anticipating better snow conditions, and especially so after a season like we endured in 2022-2023.  There is always next year, and we will be ready when the snow arrives.  The thought around here is that we're due for a dramatically improved experience. 

Zolton Cohen, Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers

2021/2022

     Season Wrap-up Report

The 2021-2022 cross country ski season at Milham Park Golf Course is officially in the books.  While it started late and lasted only a few weeks (a trend that seems to be increasing over time), for what it was - and for the comparative dearth of snow that fell - it wasn't too shabby. 

Both skate and classic skiers periodically enjoyed excellent trail conditions, and the new interior classic loops garnered a lot of positive feedback.  So did several key modifications of the skate ski trail to avoid the hump along Lover's Lane and the sharp righthand turn at the bottom of the steep hill.  The club is learning how to take advantage of more of the golf course with its grooming and will build on that knowledge base in the future.

Similarly, the volunteer groomers are gaining more experience with the intricacies of using the Razor attachment on what is known as the Ginzu groomer - a process that has been hampered by the lack of snow depth, which curtails experimentation with different settings.

Special thanks go to groomers Dave DeBack, Richard Neumann, Tom Nehil and Paul Wells for spending many hours on the snowmobile, making pass after pass on the course to optimize it for skiers of all abilities.  Without their commitment there would be no groomed ski venue in this region. 

Big thanks also go to all the individuals who donated to keep the Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers organization financially fit.  Overall, donations totaled $1,707.96.  $670.21 of that was in cash from the donation tube and $1,037.75 via the website.  Those monies allowed the club to pay off the remaining $800 of the $3,000 loan that was secured last year to build the on-site lean-to where the snowmobile and grooming equipment is stored.  Expenses this season for gas, oil and a new battery for the sled amounted to approximately $250, leaving the treasury with $1,170 with which to start the new season in the fall.  We'll see you all then, when we're all anxious to see flakes falling from the sky. 

Zolton Cohen, Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers

2020/2021

     Season Wrap-up Report

On March 9th, 2021, Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers volunteers put final touches on the season by 'summerizing' the snowmobile and storing the grooming equipment in the club's new lean-to at the Milham Park Golf course.

It was an eventful fall and winter, capped by ideal (though quite late) snow and cold that resulted in weeks of great skiing and grooming conditions.  Hundreds of enthusiasts took to the course and were able to enjoy both classic and skate skiing.  Donations from those skiers are the lifeblood of the organization, and this year's contributions were timely, substantial, and much appreciated.  An all-volunteer enterprise, 100% of donations received by KNS go directly into gas and oil to run the sled, as well as maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to the grooming equipment.  A big thank-you goes out to all those who contributed to making this season - in a challenging time in world history - such a success. Kudos go to groomer Dave DeBack, who conceptualized, fabricated, and mounted the new donation tube onto an existing building at the golf course.  The tube enabled and encouraged skiers to donate to the grooming operation without having to go online to do so.  It proved to be popular with skiers using the venue.

Additional expenses in the fall of 2020, outlined in a previous post, included the necessity of building a storage lean-to on the golf course and a major snowmobile engine rebuild.  The club secured a loan to cover those costs, and donations received this season enabled the club to repay more than 2/3 of the debt.  With good snow next year (and subsequent donations) the remainder of the loan, $800, should be able to be retired.  With all outstanding expenses paid for this year, the club treasury currently stands at $535.05, an amount that will enable a good start-up next winter.

One accomplishment of note was finally getting to the bottom of the snowmobile's electric start problem.  It is a big, heavy machine, and having to pull-start the cold engine was taxing the club's volunteer grooming force.  Jeff Newman did the legwork on diagnosing the issue and ordering the repair parts; now the sled starts and runs the way it should.  And, although it still takes a huge commitment of time and energy from the groomers to groom the trails, at least they aren't being worn to a frazzle by having to hand-crank the engine to life.

Groomers this year included Dave DeBack, Richard Neumann, Paul Wells, Tom Nehil and Greg Worsnop.  The club is grateful to these gifted and dedicated volunteers who work so hard to create the ski trails on the site.  Thank you!

Finally, we have received word that, because of many requests from the public, the golf course management will secure a rental fleet of skis, boots, and poles for next season.  That means skiers should be able to rent ski equipment in a one-stop process right on the grounds of the golf course.  This is a huge step in making the Milham Park ski venue a destination site that will attract outdoors-minded people from all over the city and the region.  We will have more information on this exciting news as it becomes available.

Zolton Cohen, Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers

2020/2021

     Season Start-up

It has been an unusually busy fall and early winter season for the Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers.  Many changes have occurred with the club's operations since we packed the grooming equipment away early in the spring of 2020.

In the late fall we were informed that the building where we had been storing the snowmobile and groomers at the Milham Park Golf Course would no longer be available to us for that purpose.  The result was that we had to quickly come up with another solution to keep the equipment safe and secure.

We liked having a site at the golf course because it makes it easier to not have to haul our heavy items to and fro on a trailer.  Plus, there is some measure of security at the golf course, with many different individuals out there to play golf or to work at the facility.

We asked for and were granted permission to build an 8x12 foot post-framed, steel-sided lean-to structure onto the east end of the existing PGA building.  After securing a $3,000 loan from an anonymous benefactor, Paul Wells and Zolton Cohen, with much additional help from Jeff Newman and his venerable Ford F-250 truck, built the lean-to over the course of several weeks.  There is a pressure-treated wood floor inside, and the club also paid an electrician to add an electrical receptacle to the now-enclosed wall of the PGA building.  There is a switched overhead light in the lean-to, and the receptacle can power a batter charger for the snowmobile or an additional portable work light.

Though it is a tight fit for the big snowmobile, it and both groomers fit well inside.  We're very happy to have a permanent, locked home that is all ours for the equipment - something we have wanted for many years.

     Snowmobile repairs

During last season's grooming efforts there were several mechanical issues that cropped up with the 2003 Ski Doo Rotax 500F snowmobile the club had purchased in 2018.  We first brought it to an independent mechanic for analysis, and traded him the old 1993 snowmobile to reimburse him for his time in tracking down several different problems. It turned out that the engine needed a complete teardown for a full gasket replacement, and for that we took the machine to a shop in Allegan.  Labor and parts for that work came to more than $712.  There is still a problem with the electric starting system that we're trying to run down.

Overall, between building the lean-to and the snowmobile repairs, the costs pretty much ate up the loan amount, and there is about $900 left in the club treasury to start the 2020/2021 ski season.  The loan must be paid back, so we hope you will be generous with your donations in order to ensure that the club can continue to groom the only cross country ski venue of its type within 70 miles - and all of it offered free of charge to the public.

     Other news

One of the most frequent questions that comes into the KNS website is where to rent cross country skis.  Sadly, the one venue in the area we know of that did that, Lee's Adventure Sports, has closed its doors.  So, to date, there does not seem to be any place to rent ski equipment locally.

However, there is some good and hopeful news on that front.  The management of the golf course will have a small stock of men's, women's and kid's skis, boots, and poles for sale this winter.  If there is enough interest in renting equipment, they say, there is a possibility they could offer that service in the future. Additionally, the golf course is working to enhance the ski outing experience by offering refreshments during the winter months.  Coffee and hot chocolate will be available, along with wine, beer and cocktails.  There is a chimnia set up on the patio (where all refreshments must be consumed, at a social distance, because of Covid restrictions) and several standing propane heaters.

We are excited that the golf course is embracing our efforts to get more people outside and enjoying themselves in the winter.  Please come out and take part in the great sport of cross country skiing, and then enjoy some apre-ski refreshment as you cool down and relax. Here is a link to the Ski Shop at Milham Park website, where they offer a wide range of downhill, snowboarding and cross country ski tuning and fitting services.

Zolton Cohen, Kalamazoo Nordic Skiers

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