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FORT ST. JOHN, B.C – The dream of a beautiful day lodge at the Whiskey Jack Nordic Ski Club is almost a reality.
A fundraiser through Nordiq Canada is looking to raise $10,000 to furnish the interior of the lodge. The fundraiser opened yesterday and runs until March 19th. So far, the campaign is already more than a quarter of the way to its target.
According to club president Eliza Stanford, the creation of the lodge will turn the Whiskey Jack Ski club into a day trip, instead of a quick pop-in.
“It becomes more of a destination, as opposed to just going for a ski, and then leave.”
Stanford says the recent dump of snow has made it easier to reset the tracks, and rising temperatures should attract even more skiers.
“We did have enough snow, but it got very hard. You can’t penetrate rock hard snow [with the grooming machine]. There are lots of happy skiers because the temperatures are supposed to climb enough to make it very pleasant this weekend.”
As for turnout this winter, Stanford has been pleasantly surprised.
“I’m just amazed at the membership. I’m so impressed and happy that we’re the sport that people are coming to, and that Beatton Park is working out so well for so many people.”
The lodge was originally slated to be constructed last year, but Covid-19 and the late arrival of a sizeable grant from the BC Winter Games Legacy Fund pushed the project back by a year.
Construction is scheduled to start this summer for the new lodge, and Stanford says the project will be tendered to interested local construction companies in February.
Funding for the project is almost complete, but Stanford says the club will need another income source to maintain the lodge.
“There are opportunities for corporate sponsors, so if you think we haven’t talked to you yet and you’d like to get behind this, call us. We’ll have permanent sponsor signage inside the day lodge.”
A link to the fundraiser page can be found on the Whiskey Jack Nordic Ski Club website.
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