Help needed! And keep skiing (6′-30′ apart).

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April 8, 2020

Thanks to your membership this season the JNSC has been able to groom over 135 days so far. Collectively memberships fund equipment operations and maintenance, repairs and trail grooming. With the dedicated Volunteer Grooming Corps trails are groomed almost daily and in phenomenal skiing condition in all sorts of weather. 

A few weeks ago, after 13 winters of use, one of the workhorse snow machines went down for good. Logically, when the cost of equipment repairs is close to the cost of new, its time to seriously consider replacement. The JNSC Trail Bosses put their heads together and advised the Board it would be best to replace with a Can Am, a tracked vehicle used for grooming. The cost will be around $20,000 once the 4-wheeled version is converted to tracks. 

The JNSC is actively looking and applying for grant funding and appealing to members for matching dollar donations. You can make a donation on the JNSKI.ORG website or send a donation through the mail to P.O. Box 21262, Juneau, AK 99802. Your help will bring JNSC much closer to the amount needed to make a purchase and be ready to groom all the usual trails by next season. 

In this time of COVID-19, the ability to provide safe outdoor spaces where people can physically and easily distance is a benefit to Juneau residents. As we move towards, yet away from each other on the groomed trails, we can still ‘socialize’ by waving, stopping to converse at a physical distance, and keep our spirits lifted. Keep up the good work with social distancing! And see you on the trails in the near future.

Thank you for your skiing enthusiasm, your support, and membership.

JNSC Board

PC: Betsy Fischer

Allow 15-30 feet distance while following other skiers

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If skiing behind another skier, keep 15-30 feet back depending on speed so you’re not in their breath slipstream. With an abundance of caution we’re basing this recommendation on one model for active sports. While stopped, 6 feet is a good minimum distance. No large groups of skiers, enjoy the spring skiing, and stay healthy! We’re lucky that we have the space to social distance on our trails and in the woods. We’ll keep grooming (Eaglecrest starting 3/21, Montana Creek, Mendenhall Campground) as long as conditions permit and as long as we can keep our groomers safe since they are all sharing grooming equipment. Please refer to CBJ’s Covid-19 website here for updates and recommendations.

Border to Border- This Sunday Ski all the trails in Juneau in 1 day

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UPDATE10:45AM Sat : In order to be more hygienic, we will have some prepackaged snacks, candy, tangerines, and some beverages. Unfortunately we won’t have bulk pickles which is a Finnish snack. Bring your own lunch. We will supply hot dogs for grilling at the BBQ but discourage a potluck because of the sharing of many dishes/utensils. Stay healthy and active!

Our 5th annual Border 2 Border Ski Event, inspired by a 500KM classic ski event across Finland, will be held ONCE AGAIN this Sunday March 15th, concluding at Mendenhall Campground/Skaters Cabin. This is NOT a race but a chance to enjoy all of our groomed ski trails on the same day!

We start (with the Finnish Flag, and a bib to log your kilometers) at the North Douglas Pioneer Road, move to Eaglecrest Lower Loop parking lot and swim along to the Salmon Creek. Yes Salmon Creek is a new ski destination. Hike your skis up the hill and ski back this gorgeous valley (bring classic gear just case we can’t get a skate lane rolled). Next up is Montana Creek followed by Mendenhall Campground. There will be Finnish-themed signs and flags.

Here’s the B2B schedule:
North Douglas Pioneer Road: 8:00-9:30 11 km (bring your rock skis)
Eaglecrest Lower and Upper Loops: 9:30-12:00 (Bring your Eaglecrest Nordic Pass and park in the lower loop lot) 12 km
Salmon Creek 12:30-1:30 (use the turnoff heading north before the hospital intersection) 7 km
Montana Creek: 2:00-4:00 6 km
Campground:4:00-6:00 3 km
Skaters Cabin 5:00-6:00 Party, fire and BBQ. PRIZES to follow after 5PM.

Ski at all of the trails if you are able, 39 km!
Ski as much as you want at each trail or just your favorites, but do come to Skaters Cabin for the celebration of a great Nordic ski season!! See the website for more info and any updates. jnski.org

SPAM -update on foreign posts

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You’ve probably seen some Russian and other SPAM posts on the JNSC website. Weirdly enough these are actual humans that are posting on our website that of course have nothing to do with skiing or Juneau. We were manually deleting them until we instituted a country blocker which is now blocking these posts from the offending countries. We’ll continue to modify security as needed.

Annual dogs on trails etiquette reminder

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We are at peak ski season now which means that the thaw will reveal land mines. For dog owners please pick up after your pet whether they are in front or behind you. Poop karma: if you see a land mine pick it up because likely you missed one in the past. Try to keep dogs out of the classic tracks if possible. Your “always friendly” pooch may not be seen as such by the 5 year-old they bound up to; unless your dog never gets rambunctious or hostile to other dogs, they should be on a leash. The Trail Etiquette is under About Us.