The Stake Lake Trails, managed by the Overlander Ski Club, are just a 20-minute drive southwest of Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Overlander Ski Club
January 17, 2022 - 6:31 AM
Cross-country skiing is a popular Canadian pastime for those who love a good cardio workout, fresh air and the soothing sound of swishing skis.
But what happens when different kinds of trail users, like fat-bikers or snowmobilers show up to ruin your winter wonderland, or newbie skiers keep getting in the way?
Roy Langdon is the trail manager for the Overlander Ski Club at Stake Lake Ski Trails near Kamloops, which boasts 70 km of cross-country ski trails and 30 km of trails for snowshoeing. He agreed to share some rules and trail etiquette, since so many more people are finding ways to get out into the snow.
Thousands of hours of volunteer time go into grooming and maintaining the trails, so it is important to Langdon to keep skis and snowshoes on the trails, and everyone else off.
“We have hikers and fat-bikers show up, but not snowmobilers,” he said. “Snowmobilers require much deeper snow than we do, so they go play in other areas. Once we had a four by four truck going for a joy ride here.”
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Hiking on ski trails can leave deep imprints, and fat bikes create a deep track, both of which can send a cross-country skier for an unsuspecting nose dive into the snow.
The Stake Lake Trails, managed by the Overlander Ski Club, are just a 20-minute drive southwest of Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Overlander Ski Club
Langdon owns a fat bike himself and said he is fortunate the biking and skiing communities in Kamloops often overlap and are tightly knit, which makes for a pretty easy job as a trail cop.
“Most of the time that person just doesn’t know they aren’t allowed to be there, they just thought it looked like a good spot,” he said. “After I explain how their activity adversely affects the trails, I always try to convince them to try cross country skiing.”
Langdon said since COVID, the Overlander Ski Club has doubled in size. New members do not often know proper cross country skiing etiquette.
“We always want to be skiing on the right hand side,” he said. “We want to make sure we know what skier has the right of way on the hill. This is the skier going down the hill because the guy going up has more control. Cross-country skis have limited control, so you ask your skies to turn and then you pray.”
Langdon said skiers who find themselves in the way need to get off to the outside of the track.
“Try to be mindful of your footprints, they mark the trail,” he said. “And if you do a face plant, you have to fill in the hole you made. Let people know when you are passing and give them a bit of notice so you don’t startle them. You don’t need to scream ‘coming through’, just a simple ‘on your left’ is great.”
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Langdon said the club has seen a big growth in snowshoeing this year.
“It is a low- to no-barrier sport and you don’t have to have training or lessons,” he said. “You can go at your own pace. It provides a more intimate relationship with nature and you can get out onto the lake.”
Langdon enjoys riding his fat bike on the Stake Lake Ski Trails for the other seasons of the year, but so far the bikes are not permissible during the winter.
“We are not set up for winter fat bike riding yet,” he said. “But it is something we can look into in the future.”
Langdon said the lake and surrounding area are peaceful and relaxing, and the community of outdoor enthusiasts provide a special ‘vibe’.
“Most of the year-round trail users in the Kamloops area are respectful and enthusiastic,” he said. “If everyone continues to respect the rules on the trails we can continue to have fun, and keep healthy and fit.”
If you want to know what's happening at Stake Lake during the winter click here.
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