What could possibly be more fun than a day at Cooking Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area? As a Birkie Trailblazer you generally start your day blasting tunes on your drive out to the Waskahegan Staging Area. You then get to experience the wonderful outdoor treasure of the Cooking Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area. On your enjoyable walk along the trails with other passionate Birkie skiers, you will improve the Birkie course by clipping branches and picking up stones along the way.
Nothing is more valuable to the Birkie cause than the trail remediation work undertaken by Chief of Course Dan Leskiw and his Trailblazers crew. By removing obstacles, they improve the course resulting in a safer skier experience when using the trail.
As Chief of Course, Dan works with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas manager Ben Featherstone to determine the trail maintenance required for this year’s Birkie. This ensures our trails are in good condition before the snow falls and tracks are set, all in accordance within the prescribed environmental stewardship practices.
What could possibly be more fun than a day at Cooking Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area? As a Birkie Trailblazer you generally start your day blasting tunes on your drive out to the Waskahegan Staging Area. You then get to experience the wonderful outdoor treasure of the Cooking Lake Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area. On your enjoyable walk along the trails with other passionate Birkie skiers, you will improve the Birkie course by clipping branches and picking up stones along the way.
Nothing is more valuable to the Birkie cause than the trail remediation work undertaken by Chief of Course Dan Leskiw and his Trailblazers crew. By removing obstacles, they improve the course resulting in a safer skier experience when using the trail.
As Chief of Course, Dan works with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas manager Ben Featherstone to determine the trail maintenance required for this year’s Birkie. This ensures our trails are in good condition before the snow falls and tracks are set, all in accordance within the prescribed environmental stewardship practices.
Dan reported the following statistics for work completed in the fall of 2022.
- 13 enthusiastic volunteers
- 29 work days completed
- 183 work hours clocked
- 0 km of trail maintained
- 4 downhill sections’ curves softened through trail widening
- 4 areas of concern improved from Jim Black’s Trail Improvement document
- 12 protruding rocks removed with an estimated weight of 600 kgs
- Lots of smiles and boundless enthusiasm for this year’s ski season!
If you would like to join the Trailblazers team please contact Mary Ann at the Birkie office at ski@canadianbirkie.com. She will forward your interest to Dan Leskiw to register you as a Birkie Trailblazer. He in turn will send you an email invitation before each Trailblazer meet-up date.
