Dakota Ridge is set to open Friday, Dec. 14 but it all depends on the white stuff.
As of Tuesday, Dec. 11, the recreation area north of Wilson Creek had approximately 30 centimetres of snow, which won’t suffice for opening day. “We need a little bit more snow to open up and we’re expecting that in the next few days and staff will be working hard to open what we can for Friday and the weekend,” said Sam Adams, parks planning coordinator for the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD).
Approximately three feet of snow is needed to open all of the trail systems. This weekend they expect to receive the minimum amount of snowfall to open the main parts of the Skwxwú7mesh and shíshálh trails. “Typically we like to open around this time and this year the snow is coming a bit later,” said Adams.
According to the Weather Network, an El Niño event is likely to form in 2019, which results in warmer temperatures. “We are going to open up what we can when we can and adaptively manage,” said Adams about the possible climate event. “Sometimes we’ll open trails up a little higher up, since you get quite a bit more snow,” he said.
Plenty of snow or not, this year promises to be a busy one for the local cross-country ski program, the Dakota Ridge Nordics, which continues to gain members. This year approximately 100 children were registered for the nationally-certified JackRabbits ski lessons. “This is the most we’ve ever had,” said Adams. The club is also starting a masters club.
Access to Dakota Ridge is restricted to four-wheel drive vehicles with chains. For the latest information, check the Dakota Ridge Facebook Page.
