Nelson Nordic Ski Club is offering free skiing for all Castlegar Nordic members for the remainder of the 2017 season, in solidarity and in commemoration of their recent tragic loss.

The following is a letter from Castlegar Nordic Executive:

Dear Members,
As many of you know, on February 10th we [Castlegar Nordic] experienced a tragic accident on our ski trails in which our dear friend and long-time trail groomer Garth Johnson died. Members of the Club Executive appreciate the many offers of condolence and support we have received from everyone. Garth will be greatly missed by all of us who knew him.

This terrible accident involved a tree that was down on the trail or fell onto the trail that Garth was travelling on.  Immediately following the accident, the Club Executive made a decision to close all of the ski trails out of respect for Garth and in the interest of public safety.

Since that time we have been contributing to investigations by the RCMP and WorkSafeBC.  Last week we completed a field review of all of the trails to identify which trails had potential tree hazards and which might be re-opened. Last Friday and Saturday we re-opened a number of trails we believed to be safe; however, we subsequently received an order from WorkSafeBC that required all of the trails to be closed once again.

We have been looking at all of our options but it is now clear that we need to conduct detailed danger tree assessments over all the ski trails employing a certified assessor and then follow up with felling
of potential hazard trees. After considering many factors (logistics of trail work at this time of year, safety of skiers and workers, lateness of the season, snow conditions, Club capacity, costs and other factors) we have reluctantly made the decision to cease operations for the remainder of this ski season.

We ask for your understanding regarding this decision. Although we have had a tough setback this year, your Executive remains strongly committed to working toward a highly successful 2017/2018 season.

Sincerely,
President and Executive
Castlegar Nordic Ski Club