Recent Trail Work

Recent trail work at Skyway and County Line.  Volunteers have cleared all of the trails of downed timber and cut most of the bad willow patches on Vista Loop.  We may do one more trail day before it snows to put up signs.

GMNC is hiring!

The Grand Mesa Nordic Council is seeking an Operations Manager for the upcoming 2009/2010 season.

This new position will be responsible for overseeing the cross-country ski area operations at three trail systems on the Grand Mesa. Duties include maintaining trailheads and trail signs, managing grooming operations and overseeing grooming equipment maintenance. Position requires a frequent on-site presence throughout the ski season and regular monitoring of events and ski trail conditions (i.e. lots of skiing). Knowledge of ski area operations and passion for cross-country skiing required. Grooming experience a plus. The position is part-time.

Submit a letter of interest and resume to: grandmesanordic@gmail.com, Attn: Operations.

Review of applications begins November 15.

Detailed job description below.

Operations Manager Job Description

Operations Manager Requirements and Responsibilities

The operations manager will delegate and oversee the accomplishment of the following responsibilities.

Pay will be a salary negotiated with selected candidate, with the potential for additional pay per hour for grooming.

General Hiring Criteria

Manager will be an employee, not a board member

Have a good knowledge of x/c skiing, trail grooming, and ski area management

Excellent management and communication skills

Available to ski and work on site throughout the 22-week season (average), especially during weekends and holidays. Available to coordinate pre and post season work

Preseason Trail maintenance in September and October

Walk trails for down trees and replace broken blue poles other markings, such as blue ribbons.

Coordinate volunteer trail work days and publicity (e.g. web, email, newspaper)

Liaison with Forest Service for work beyond general maintenance

Arrange acquisition or approval of signs including blue posts, diamonds, and ‘No Snowmobile’ signs from the Forest Service

Coordinate volunteer trail work days and publicize

Put up new steel posts and blue poles where needed.

Coordinate people with chainsaws and other tools to cut dead leaning hazard trees and brush

Beginning of season:

Put up information and donation boxes on boards at all trailheads, including top of Ward (where donation box is on a pipe)

Schedule and coordinate delivery of grooming equipment to trailheads during the first week of November for snowmobiles and upon 2-3 feet snow base for snowcat; make sure equipment is serviced prior to delivery

Coordinate delivery of fuel tank with gauge, stand, and stock tank to Skyway and first filling of the tank

Put up “You Are Here” (YAH) and “No Snowmobile” signs on trails, corridor, and highway (This can be accomplished by having groomer haul them in on snowmobile and volunteers putting them up.)

During Season:

Coordinate grooming at Skyway, County Line, and Ward areas

In general, schedule groomers and time of day, paying extra attention to weekend grooming especially at trail heads. If set on Friday and Saturday afternoon, if weather allows, should help with the problem with snowshoes and dogs especially at trail heads.

Pre-schedule at the beginning of the week to ensure groomers are available at all times during the week. Modify as requirements and weather forecasts change.

Arrange extra grooming as necessary for events such as races and Barneloppet

Coordinate with board-approved special-use groups (e.g. Gliders, Mesa State Ski Team)

Prioritize grooming of trails according to projected and actual use

Groom for quality first in high usage areas and then quantity of trail kilometers

Schedule grooming late in the day whenever practical to increase durability of the set tracks and reduce cold weather starts on the snowcat

Track equipment and groomer hours, budget and grooming costs throughout the season

Balance grooming among groomers and between snowcat hours and snowmobile hours to have consistent trail conditions and meet the budget

Ensure safe grooming practices by the groomers (e.g. post-grooming check in, use of safety gear)

Grooming Reports and publicity

Send grooming plans to website and email list

Send grooming reports to website and email list

Submit end-of-week report to GMNC board

Handle any other operations-related publicity requirements

Keep tabs on diesel and order diesel (coordinate delivery with Simpson @ Grand Mesa Lodge so as to keep cost down) Order right mixture (50/50 mix to prevent jelling)

Ensure diamonds are replaced and obstructing limbs are cut over all trails

Ensure ease of skier access at all trail heads

End of season:

Coordinate to have grooming equipment and fuel tank transported to summer storage within 2 weeks after last grooming

Take down “YAH” and “No snowmobile” signs by May 1^st at Skyway and County Line; within 1 week after grooming stops on Ward(e.g. Have volunteers take the signs off and leave by pole with the groomer picking them up on snowmobile.)

Store loose blue poles (if not on steel posts) “YAH” signs

Remove donation boxes and store; paint/repair as required

Clear information boards paint/repair as required

Other responsibilities:

Oversee hauling of equipment up and down plus fuel tank and stock tank (beginning of season & at end)

Ensure necessary equipment repairs and scheduled maintenance are completed before, during, and after the season

Use staff as much as possible, then contract for maintenance with Kissner for snowmobile repair and Kassbohrer for snowcat; coordinate with board for large maintenance items (>$1000?)

Arrange proper storage and covering of snowcat and snowmobiles for offseason

Ensure registration and insurance on equipment are up to date

Keep records of all equipment usage and maintenance, including copies of registrations and insurance

Oversee the sale of extra equipment

Ensure donation boxes are emptied twice a month and remitted to treasurer

Liaison parking lot issues with CDOT supervisor (snowcat will not be used for plowing parking lot)

To Apply:

Submit a letter of interest and resume to: grandmesanordic@gmail.com, Attn: Operations.

Review of applications begins November 15.

Trail Work

Thanks to everyone who worked last Sat., as we were able to cover all the trails at Skyway and County Line. For the next work day, we are in need of a brush cutter, such as a Stihl or equivalent, to tackle some of the willows. If you can supply one, that would help a lot.

Meet at the Skyway parking lot this Saturday, Oct 10 at 9:30, and wear something orange.

WRobertson

Fall Trail Days

GMNC will be holding two work days in October to do maintenance work on our ski trails.

Everyone interested in getting the trails ready for the ski season are encouraged to attend. Please bring gloves, a tool for clearing brush (loppers or pruning saw), and dress for cool weather. Don't forget to wear orange on the 10th.

Dates: Saturday Oct 3 and Saturday Oct 10

Location: Skyway parking lot

Time: 9:30 am

Questions? Contact Winslow
winslowrobertson@yahoo.com

Check here for updates.

Race Schedule for 2009/2010 posted!

Here's the schedule for the Grand Mesa Nordic Council's 2009/2010 race series:

Sunday Dec 6, Winterstart 5k classic 11am, 5km freestyle 12:30
Saturday Jan 2, Skyway Skuffle 10km freestyle 11am
Sunday Jan 31 Grand Mesa Classic 10km classic 11am
Saturday Mar 13 Mesa Meltdown 5km/20km freestyle 11am


Thanks to race director Tom Ela!

Another Season Bites the Dust

There's still plenty of snow on the Mesa, but unfortunately it's covered in desert dust and that makes for lousy crust skiing. What a shame! What had been shaping up to be a fantastic crust season turned into a pretty marginal one.

The Washington Post, of all places, has an excellent article about a problem that could get worse.

Dave Buchanan writes in the Sentinel, "High winds lifting dust from the red-rock canyon country of eastern Utah and dropping that load on the Colorado mountains occurred at least 12 times this spring, according to a report issued by Chris Landry, director of the Silverton-based Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies."

A Greenwire report quotes Tom Painter, director of the Snow Optics Laboratory at the University of Utah and a leading expert on snowmelt, saying, "Already we have more than doubled the amount of dust we've typically observed during the last six years."

Let's hope this isn't a sign of things to come!

Enjoy your summer and keep your browser pointed here for updates on all things related to xc skiing.

--Christie