Trail Work Day: The Kids vs the Berms

On Trail Work Day, while adults were scattered all over Amabilis and the Road working on various projects, Joy gathered a posse of kids and parents, along with the Momentum coaches, and set them to work on specific tasks along the Berg and Viking loops. Here is her fun story of how the day came out:

KIDS TRAIL WORK AWESOMENESS, OR SKI TRAILS MAINTENANCE 101

by Joy Cordell

Holy Cow! So we had 4 kids signed up to work on teams with our volunteer coaches from Momentum, Tom and Stacey, and Frank gave us some tasks, but then some parents said they wanted to work with us and more kids with parents showed up and when I looked around almost everyone was bigger than me and I said GRAB THE PULASKIS, we're gonna attack that ATV damage on the trails!!!

 

So we headed down the Berg but noticed water puddles so then we discussed water management A LA WTA and fixed those handily by digging little channels and filling in the puddles, and of course we had already talked about tool safety and how to carry them and everyone really paid attention and managed that and we started hopscotching each other on fixes we found because OH NO, we did not need to stand around watching other people work and then we cut across the meadow to work up the Berg backwards and found more fixes and had good discussions on the fall line and how to manage water and then we got to that awful place where the Berg meets the Viking and the ATVs had made big berms and ruts and I tell you, the big kids just attacked that 50' section! The parents might have helped just a teeny bit but three of the kids just put their shoulders to it with Tom and Stacey and I said WHAT are the rest of us doing here--they've totally got it--let's go sweep through the rest of the Viking backwards mostly.

 

So this time there were four people shorter than me, but they hiked and pulled tons of seedlings and cut trees and bushes on the sides and one of them went after the gnarly roots with the Pulaski showing fine (and safe) form and yes, there were some parents helping too. And maybe there was one lovely big downhill where we had to take a break and discuss the finer points of position and efficiencies on tucking downhill and how your skis respond depending on where you put the pressure and we all got into a tuck and practiced that and I just saw this vision of future World Cup skiers in front of me, sniff, right.

 

And maybe, just maybe some people missed the instructions to bring water and lunch on the trail so we shared snacks and we were just tough Kongsbergers and by gum we covered even the farthest part of the Viking and no one complained because WE WERE GETTING STUFF DONE! And then our group took shortcuts back to the cabin but we happened to pass by where the taller kids worked and HOLY MOLY they did EVEN MORE than that one section. They beat up more berms and ruts and when the groomer starts rolling on 6" of snow you can THANK THE KIDS!!!

 

Apparently we didn't spend time stopping to take pictures nor did we stand around chit chatting because we were motivated and constantly on the move! 

 

PS: Many thanks to Tom and Stacey, all the parents (you know who you are!) and special credit to Bill K., who carefully picked up some White Pine seedlings growing along the trail and transplanted them to places where they will have a better future.