Woodmoor Nordic Ski trail equipment upgrade
Donation protected
After several local skiers suggested I start a ‘GoFundMe’ site to accelerate the purchase of a new groomer and grooming snowmobile, I decided it couldn’t hurt to try.
Background: the cross country ski trails on the golf course at the Country Club at Woodmoor were started in October 2015, soon after the club had gone bankrupt (again), and was purchased by the new and present owners. I had determined a decade ago that this location was one of the best spots on the Front Range for local Nordic skiing due to its elevation, majority of North-facing slopes, and proximity. Unfortunately, the previous two club owners would not entertain any skiing—groomed or otherwise—on their golf course (despite the fact that thousands of golf courses become Nordic centers throughout the world during the winter). The newest club owners were willing to try the Nordic center trails, but initially it was only open to club members. It wasn’t until January 2016 that I convinced them that most skiers would not become club members for the possibility of local skiing, and they opened the trails to the public. That first winter we skied from early November until mid-February.
Those that know me know that I did not initiate these local ski trails as a money making opportunity. Given the unpredictable winter weather on the Front Range, my business model is doomed to fail! I chose to start this Nordic center for purely selfish reasons—I wanted a place where my fellow Nordic skiers and I could ski locally without having to fight the I-70 traffic and drive 4+ hours round-trip to get to the nearby Nordic centers. The revenue generated from public day trail passes, ski rentals, and lessons AT BEST covers only grooming equipment expenses. I have also reinvested some of this revenue on more classic and skate ski rental equipment to allow more people to try our local trails when conditions allow. Over the 4-year period that these trails have been open, I have almost covered the initial expenses I laid out at the beginning for 2 very used grooming snowmobiles, an old Tid-Tech G2 trail groomer, several home-built rollers, plus the annual maintenance, parts/repair work, and gas for the two snowmobiles. (All my time and vehicle mileage has been ‘donated’, with no leftover revenue for a salary—which I’m ok with, in exchange for local skiing).
Unfortunately, one of my two used snowmobiles is down for the count with an engine repair estimated to cost $5K+, it’s not probably not worth saving, except for parts. The second one is not reliable as it is even older and higher in mileage. Grooming snowmobiles are very hard to find, as they are a niche market, and reliable used ones even tougher. These machines typically have a heavy-duty 4-stroke engine, a wide and long track for better traction, very low gearing to pull the 100-300 pound grooming devices behind them, and a special cooling system that allows them to drive at the slow grooming speeds (5-10 mph) without overheating. As a result, used ones tend to be near the end of their life expectancy, and new ones must be special ordered, and typically cost over $14K, such as one of the best grooming snowmobiles currently available, the Arctic Cat Bearcat 7000 XT: (https://www.arcticcat.com/snow/snowmobiles/model/2019-en-bearcat-7000-xt/). With the required towing package, shipping, etc., the total price is: ~$16K, with a pre-season order deadline of 15 April 2019.
Additionally, a newer, better groomer to pull behind a reliable snowmobile would vastly improve the local ski trail—smooth corduroy, better classic tracks, and most importantly, the ability to better repair the trails after we have our inevitable warm days where the snow melts and then refreezes, leaving challenging ruts. One of the best small trail groomers which can be pulled by a snowmobile is a Yellowstone Track Systems Ginzu 84” Groomer: (https://www.yellowstonetrack.com/product-page/84-ginzu-groomer?categoryId=cd2dea92-f436-1dbd-eeae-5ecc7712bcd5). With the single tracksetter option, optional wheels for the various road crossing, the upgraded snowmobile hitch, plus shipping, the price is: ~$7,000, and also must be pre-ordered the summer before.
Any funds raised by this GoFundMe site will be utilized towards the purchase of a new (or newer used) snowmobile, and a new or lightly used Ginzu groomer. The top donor will receive a free family season trail pass for the upcoming season, plus a free group ski lesson with free rentals for up to 5 individuals. The next four highest donors will also receive some sort of free season trail pass and/or possibly free rental or lessons. A replacement snowmobile, at a minimum, will be needed to ensure that local Nordic skiing can continue next winter and into the future, so any amount of donation will help.
Background: the cross country ski trails on the golf course at the Country Club at Woodmoor were started in October 2015, soon after the club had gone bankrupt (again), and was purchased by the new and present owners. I had determined a decade ago that this location was one of the best spots on the Front Range for local Nordic skiing due to its elevation, majority of North-facing slopes, and proximity. Unfortunately, the previous two club owners would not entertain any skiing—groomed or otherwise—on their golf course (despite the fact that thousands of golf courses become Nordic centers throughout the world during the winter). The newest club owners were willing to try the Nordic center trails, but initially it was only open to club members. It wasn’t until January 2016 that I convinced them that most skiers would not become club members for the possibility of local skiing, and they opened the trails to the public. That first winter we skied from early November until mid-February.
Those that know me know that I did not initiate these local ski trails as a money making opportunity. Given the unpredictable winter weather on the Front Range, my business model is doomed to fail! I chose to start this Nordic center for purely selfish reasons—I wanted a place where my fellow Nordic skiers and I could ski locally without having to fight the I-70 traffic and drive 4+ hours round-trip to get to the nearby Nordic centers. The revenue generated from public day trail passes, ski rentals, and lessons AT BEST covers only grooming equipment expenses. I have also reinvested some of this revenue on more classic and skate ski rental equipment to allow more people to try our local trails when conditions allow. Over the 4-year period that these trails have been open, I have almost covered the initial expenses I laid out at the beginning for 2 very used grooming snowmobiles, an old Tid-Tech G2 trail groomer, several home-built rollers, plus the annual maintenance, parts/repair work, and gas for the two snowmobiles. (All my time and vehicle mileage has been ‘donated’, with no leftover revenue for a salary—which I’m ok with, in exchange for local skiing).
Unfortunately, one of my two used snowmobiles is down for the count with an engine repair estimated to cost $5K+, it’s not probably not worth saving, except for parts. The second one is not reliable as it is even older and higher in mileage. Grooming snowmobiles are very hard to find, as they are a niche market, and reliable used ones even tougher. These machines typically have a heavy-duty 4-stroke engine, a wide and long track for better traction, very low gearing to pull the 100-300 pound grooming devices behind them, and a special cooling system that allows them to drive at the slow grooming speeds (5-10 mph) without overheating. As a result, used ones tend to be near the end of their life expectancy, and new ones must be special ordered, and typically cost over $14K, such as one of the best grooming snowmobiles currently available, the Arctic Cat Bearcat 7000 XT: (https://www.arcticcat.com/snow/snowmobiles/model/2019-en-bearcat-7000-xt/). With the required towing package, shipping, etc., the total price is: ~$16K, with a pre-season order deadline of 15 April 2019.
Additionally, a newer, better groomer to pull behind a reliable snowmobile would vastly improve the local ski trail—smooth corduroy, better classic tracks, and most importantly, the ability to better repair the trails after we have our inevitable warm days where the snow melts and then refreezes, leaving challenging ruts. One of the best small trail groomers which can be pulled by a snowmobile is a Yellowstone Track Systems Ginzu 84” Groomer: (https://www.yellowstonetrack.com/product-page/84-ginzu-groomer?categoryId=cd2dea92-f436-1dbd-eeae-5ecc7712bcd5). With the single tracksetter option, optional wheels for the various road crossing, the upgraded snowmobile hitch, plus shipping, the price is: ~$7,000, and also must be pre-ordered the summer before.
Any funds raised by this GoFundMe site will be utilized towards the purchase of a new (or newer used) snowmobile, and a new or lightly used Ginzu groomer. The top donor will receive a free family season trail pass for the upcoming season, plus a free group ski lesson with free rentals for up to 5 individuals. The next four highest donors will also receive some sort of free season trail pass and/or possibly free rental or lessons. A replacement snowmobile, at a minimum, will be needed to ensure that local Nordic skiing can continue next winter and into the future, so any amount of donation will help.
Organizer
Michael Brothers
Organizer
Monument, CO