You’ve responded. We’re listening.

Thanks again to the 432 Nelson Nordic Ski Club (NNSC) members who responded to our member survey in April. That’s approximately half of our membership! So we (the board and management of the club) feel we have a pretty good idea of where the membership wants us to head. 

We thought we would take this opportunity to let you know the major findings of the survey and what we are planning to do about them.

• We asked how long respondents have been members. They were pretty evenly split between 1-2 years, 3-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-15 years and 15+. Slightly more have been with us for either 1 -2 years, or 15 years+.

• 53% of respondents ski classic only, 19% skate ski only and 28% ski both. 

• Most respondents ski between 2 and 5 times per week.

• The most popular trail is Busk/Euphrates, with twice the respondents as for Clearwater or Apex. 

• Most respondents (89%) hold either regular adult memberships or senior memberships.

• Most respondents felt that the grooming in 2019-2020 was ‘consistently excellent, very good, or good’, both in terms of quality and quantity. 

• We were all disappointed with the number of grooming machine breakdowns last year! The board continues to work tirelessly to write grants to purchase a new grooming machine – donations are always welcome! Timely repairs will continue to be prioritized; we thank our staff for their hard work last year and continue to improve our planning for next season.

• With regard to the quality and frequency of plowing in the parking lots and Busk Road, the overwhelming majority were very satisfied, satisfied, or somewhat satisfied.

• Many people mentioned the pothole at the entrance to Busk Road, and the ruts in the road. The board is planning to work on filling the pothole and remediating the road surface prior to next season. We continue to work hard to keep the road and parking lots in good condition.

• Many people offered to volunteer for the club over the next season. Thank you!

• Although most (92%) respondents did not try out the snowshoe trails last year, there was lots of enthusiasm expressed by those who did, and many said they would like to try them out next year. We plan to offer snowshoe rentals from the Busk kiosk next season.

• If the club had the opportunity to expand the ski trail network, the majority of respondents said they would like a moderate ski trail in the Busk/Euphrates area.

• Many people missed the Cottonwood and Field Loops this year. We respect the landowners’ decision and thank them for their many years of service to the club. We also considered resurrecting the Beaumont trail. However, that trail is in very poor condition and would need considerable summer work with heavy machinery before it could be groomed. Spending significant resources on this very steep trail does not fit with the survey results that the majority of the members prefer easier trails. There may be the possibility of adding other sections of the rail trail. We will do our best!

• Most (74%) respondents receive trail condition and grooming information from the website and 31% from Live GPS grooming. The Facebook Page was next at 32%. Only about 18% of respondents use the snowphone.

• Many of you requested that trail conditions be posted earlier in the day. We are considering how to do that more reliably next year. 

• Most of you found the new trail signage helpful. However, a number of suggestions were made to improve signage that the club is looking into.

• In terms of club programs, respondents prioritized lessons/clinics and kids/youth programs the highest. And in terms of events, members prioritized the Full Moon Ski, Tour de Soup and Valentine’s the highest.

• We are considering, based on your feedback, which programs and events to offer in the coming year.

• We asked you to rate the general priorities of the club. Here is your response, in order of priority:
  • Grooming 
  • Trail brushing and maintenance
  • Reasonable prices
  • Communication regarding trail conditions
  • Parking lot plowing
  • School Programs
  • Lessons/Clinics
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Snowshoeing 

• With regard to the question about NNSC providing good value for your money, the vast majority of respondents strongly agreed or agreed with this statement.

• Also, the vast majority of respondents said they are ‘very likely or likely’ to purchase a membership again next year. NNSC thanks you for your support!

• Most of you said your number one reason for being a member of NNSC is that it is close to Nelson, and, of course, most of our members live in the area. You also mentioned the beautiful scenery and friendly atmosphere as your second and third reasons.

• The respondents indicated there is room to improve in terms of grooming and expanding the trail system. The board continues to work hard to limit machine breakdowns and seek out possibilities for additional trails.

• Thank you again for your wonderful support over the past season, and always. We are happy to hear from you at any time, and again, thank you for taking the time to respond to our survey. We will endeavour to address as many of our concerns and suggestions as we can. And we look forward to welcoming you back for the start of the 2020-21 ski season at Nelson Nordic.