SNOW REPORT November 20, 2010

After a week of endless snow and below freezing temperatures, South Star is blanketed with a thick cushion of dry fluffy snow. Our trail crew, Al Freeze and Dave Basaraba have been out packing the base - be forewarned - that base is thin in places with classic early season hazards. We had our moments this morning going up the K9 trail where a stump or rock would show through and scrape the ski. In spite of these occasional rough spots, the snow was fabulous and it is a winter wonderland out there. We came across Al on the Yamaha snowmobile, attaching the groomer so he could set some track up Easy Street - that should be all set for skating and classic skiing, right to the top, by this evening. He will try and roll all the rest of the trails if he has time and since Rocke Robertson turned up to lend a hand, let's hope it works out that way! Don't forget though, the base is minimal, so keep your eyes open and ski safe.

Change of focus for GPS Event

With the sudden appearance of winter, we would like to change the focus of the day from a GPS adventure to a trail preparation day.  With the colder conditions, all keen enthuisiasts are invited to come out for a snowshoe and trail clean up session to get the ski season off to a good start.  

 

Same time and place as indicated in the previous e-mail:

When: Sunday, November 21, 2010

Time: 10am - 1pm Trail maintenance

Where:  Parking lot at the end of 38th Ave South (or see South Star for directions) 

 

The recent snow is bound to have revealed the 'leaners' on the trail that need to be dealt with and packing out the base at this point in the season will go along way to setting up good skiing conditions for the rest of the season.  Bring your pruners, swede saws and hatchets and we'll get the trails in top shape.

 

We'd like to thank John Przeczek for sharing his GPS files with us that will help us produce a great ski orienteering map for an event later in the season.  There are a couple of additional trails that still need to be covered, if folks are keen to assist on that, although I think we'll have it covered.

 

For more information on the Kootenay Orienteering Club, check out: http://koc.kics.bc.ca/Home.html. 

Other activities locally also be tracked on the Facebook link on that page.

 

Chris Bullock

GPS Workshop session in South Star Nov. 21st, 2010

Could you forward this notice on to the other KOC (and South Star Recreation Society) members?

 

In preparation for a future 'ski - orienteering' event, we are hoping to prepare a map of the South Star trails.  In an effort to beat winter, we would like to carry out a group GPS session to try and cover all the trails in a single day.

If you have a GPS, but are not sure how to use it, this will be a good opportunity to practice using it.  We will have a session figuring out the GPS's prior to delegating various groups of runners, hikers and mountain bikers to cover all the trails.

 

When: Sunday, November 21, 2010

Time: 10am GPS session  10:30 - 1pm Trail mapping

Where:  Parking lot at the end of 38th Ave South (or see South Star for directions) 

 

Bring your GPS and any download cords/software to allow transfer onto Jim's laptop at the end of your trip. 

Chris Bullock

CLEAN UP FOR WINTER: 2010

On November 13th, a hardy group of South Star members gathered to attend to trail business, namely trees across the paths, intruding branches and other impediments that would lessen the joy of our x-country experience this coming ski season. Thank-you to all who turned out and also to Dave Basaraba who has steadily cleared trails through the summer, thereby significantly reducing our workload. In fact, it took almost 3 hours with 7 volunteers, 2 chainsaws, many clippers, 2 trucks and an ATV to run the trails and remove the debris and "widow makers"( a hung up limb which threatens to fall on someone at a bad moment). Hopefully, the trees which are still standing will remain so through the ski season until we gather again for the spring clean up. After our work, we gathered at Barbara & Rocke Robertson's house to warm up and discuss the pressing issues of the day - wax/no wax, back country/classic, etc. Now, we just wait for the snow!

Hunters In South Star

It's been a long pleasant fall in the Kootenays and lots of hunting has happened and will continue for awhile. It can be alarming to hear shots in the area when we are out walking with our dogs or friends and we trust that hunters will be responsible with their choice of stands. However, occasionally things happen which disturb our sense of safety while in South Star. This happened to me in October, when I started from the west end of 53rd Street S. south up to the power line along the snowshoe trail(orange triangles). Along the way, I noticed  drag marks and occasional blood stains which I followed to the kill site( just behind the houses on 53rd Street S). There, a large pile of entrails had been left, just off the path and within 15 yards of the nearest house. Is this illegal or just inconsiderate? A pile of entrails is an invitation for large predators to come closer and closer to areas where we don't really want them. All hunters need to follow thoughtful practice which means that they shouldn't hunt in an area frequented by many civilians and domestic animals. How many of you would feel more comfortable if South Star was posted or is this not an issue at all but just an occasional difficult incident?  Certainly, the gut pile was well cleaned up within 2 days - not hunters who did that for sure!! So when you're out on the trail these days, wearing bright colours is a good idea and if you have concerns about hunters, the Conservation Officer is the best person to call for immediate action and information.

Information & Support phone contacts

If you would prefer to speak personally with a member of the board, the following contacts are available to help you.
1) Steve Weatherall - 417-3911
2) Rocke/Barbara Robertson - 417-3990
3) Dan/Barb Fossey - 426-5848
4) Dave Basaraba - 426-6105

2010 Fall Cleanup Date

Saturday, November 13th is planned for a Trail Cleanup. We will meet at the main gate at 1300 hours (1 P:M) to assign cleanup areas and review needs. If you are able to come it helps to arrive with clippers, rakes, gloves, and or  a chainsaw (if you have one). The purpose of the afternoon is to prepare the trails for the ski season - removing branches, etc. so the groomer can do a good job. There is a big tree down on the Snow Creek trail that will have to be removed. If there are any other blockages known about please report them so we can send volunteers up to clear them away on the Saturday. Thanks for your support and hope to see you there...

November Trail Report 2010

     Welcome all trail users to South Star's first internet information site. We hope this site will allow users to access needed information about the trails, ask questions, give feedback and share information to help maintain and improve South Star trails.

     South Stars is managed with a joint partnership between a volunteer board and the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts. We have regular meetings to discuss projects, Ministry requirements and to plan for trail clean ups. We have two scheduled trail clean ups a year and of course, emergency sessions, if necessary.

     So far, this year, the trails have been pretty clear. We will have a regular fall clean up before the snow flies to prepare for the ski season. We rely on our members to let us know if there are trees down or problem areas that need attention.

      We continue to see signs that motorized vehicles use the trails and we have increased signage and installed a metal post up by the power line preparatory to having a chain across that access point.

     We ask trail users to speak up if they meet vehicles on the trails and ask them to leave. I have had several experiences of this type  the motorists were ultimately quite cooperative. One merry band of ten motorcyclists during the summer claimed that Easy Street was an access road but it clearly IS NOT. I referred them to the map and suggested that they had mistaken Easy Street for the Joseph Creek Road (which is a motorized access road). I stressed that there are hundreds if not thousands of kilometers of motorized trails available all around South Stars and there was no reason at all for them to encroach on this small area. Finally, I told them it was just the facts that the Ministry is ultimately in charge of this terrain and that it is a provincially mandated non-motorized area. I am grateful to Helen and her niece on horseback who arrived in timely fashion to back me up and the motor-biker's turned around and left. Once ATV and snowmobile licensing is in place, it will be easier to report violators and hold people responsible for their actions. The shelter cabin up on the power line seems to be a meeting place for snowmobiles and ATV's - although it is in South Star territory, the board has decided to leave it as a neutral place for now, as long as there are no problems or member concerns.