The
Tweedsmuir Ski Club cross country skiing area is an incredibly beautiful circuit
of 30 km of trails all maintained by dedicated volunteers. The area for cross country is off limits to
all snowmobiles in accordance with the Tweedsmuir Park Master Plan. Please respect this, there are 1000's of
square kms of excellent snowmobiling without going into this area which is the
area east of the parking lot and the south side of Highway 20. Our cross country skiing area is legendary for the long season we have. It is normal to see the Old Highway Trail groomed and ready by Remembrance Day and by Christmas most of the remaining trails are groomed and ready to ski. It's only a lack of interest in April, gardening and fishing in the Bella Coola valley that stops cross country skiing and the volunteers who maintain all the trails. 25th Annual XC Race Sunday March 6, 2011
24th Annual XC Ski Race Results On February 28, 2010, a slightly grey day with a gold medal hockey game waiting at home, 23 participants turned out for the annual race. The results in the various categories were:
Class 5 - Age 50 & Over - 24 km- Lyle Enderud (M)
- Vera Robson (F)
Class 4 - Age 40 to 49 -24 km- Doug Baker (M)
- Susan Laurance (F)
- Allen Smith (M)
Class 3 - Age 17 to 39 - 24 km- Alex Boileau (M) - also overall fastest time for race, while towing daughter age 2 in sleigh!
- Tamara Hynd (F)
- Sara Germain (F)
Class 1 - Age 12 & Under - 2 km- Saidee Smith (F)
- Torger Mathews (M)
There are two starting areas for the cross country trails. - East Branch Parking lot (52o
32.07’N, 125o 48.75’W). You can either ski the 7 km Old
Highway Trail, or take the 5 km Pederson
Trail from the parking lot.
- The Eastern Cross Country Trail Head Adjacent to Highway
20 about 5 km east of the East Branch parking lot where the Old Highway comes
out to Hwy 20 (52o 32.60’N,
125o 45.37’W). Parking is roadside where it has been the practice to park only in the direction
heading to Bella Coola (to the west) to avoid congestion. Here you will find the eastern end of the Old
Highway Trail or the start of the 12 km Meadow Loop Trail on the south side of
the Highway 20. A short distance up the
Old Highway Trail are outhouse facilities and the east junction of the Pederson
Trail and approximately 1 km up the Old Highway Trail is the 5 km Forest Trail which
ends back at Highway 20.
- The Meadow Loop trails - Good for all
levels of skiers and are probably the best choice if you are a novice or
beginner skier. The best place to start is at the Eastern Cross Country Trail
Head.You
can ski a short 2 km loop if you take the Jack Rabbit cut off and end up back
at the start area. For a longer ski you
can take the Meadow Loop trail and ski until you hit the Cut-off trail and
connect with the return loop of the Meadow Loop trail back to the start area
which is approximately 7 km in length.
You can also do the full Meadow Loop trail which is 12 km in length. These trails have some wooded sections with a
few small hills but for the most part are fairly flat and open.
- The
Old Highway Trail - Good for both classic and skate skiing. This approximately 7 km trail is fairly
wide, accommodating a skate ski lane and a classic trail. The ends of both trails involve some long
sections of uphill before it levels out in the middle.
- The Pederson Trail - Winds through the woods
and into some meadows. There are some
steeper hilly sections at the western end of the trail that are not recommended
for inexperienced skiers.
- The Forest
Trail - Winds through the woods, is fairly narrow and is only recommended for
good skiers.
There
are no charges for using the trails but we ask that you join the Tweedsmuir Ski
club as your contribution to the costs of maintaining the recreational area.
For
those visiting skiers who don't want to join the club, there is a donation box
at the Eastern Cross Country Trail Head.
All the trails are
maintained by a few dedicated volunteers using their own snowmobiles for
grooming, so please enjoy and respect this beautiful area.
Current XC ski conditions are posted by "Tweeds" at http://tweedsmuirski.blogspot.com
Come out to the annual Cross Country 12 and 24 km race, see if you can win the trophy!!
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