Vehicles were left abandoned alongside evidence of a large bonfire on Little Joe trail at Stake Lake this week.
Image Credit: Matt Bruce
January 03, 2014 - 12:39 PM
KAMLOOPS – A popular cross-country ski destination near Kamloops was nearly ruined by New Years Eve partiers who drove vehicles onto the trail and built a bonfire in the middle of it.
When staff and skiers showed up at Little Joe trail early Wednesday morning a Ford Explorer, a Volkswagen Golf and evidence of a large fire were still on the trail.
The battery in the SUV was dead and the Golf was stuck in the snow. When the vehicle owners returned to make arrangements to have the vehicles towed they admitted to what they did. By late afternoon the vehicles were removed but lots of work was still needed to repair the damage to the trail.
The Stake Lake trail system requires hundreds of hours of work by the Overlander Ski Club to prepare the 60 kilometres of trails and hundreds of skiers pay to use the groomed trails every winter. It's also used for club gatherings, training and races.
The trails are operated by the ski club from November to march under an operating agreement with the Ministry of Forests. The trails are closed to all vehicles, except for maintenance crews, all year.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250)819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014