Uphill Progress
plans for winter recreation paradise move forward
Tom Giffey, illustrated by Kaitlyn Bryan |
In the coming years, winter sports enthusiasts hope to improve it for the benefit
of sledders, skiers, and snowboarders.
A group of winter sports enthusiasts wants to take Eau Claire’s Pinehurst Park back to the future, and now they have funding to pursue their dream. As soon as this winter, the north side park will have improved slopes for sledding, tubing, snowboarding, and skiing. Future plans include better skating facilities, a safer parking lot, cross-country and off-road bike trails, and even rope tows to pull users to the top of the hill.
Those are ambitious goals, but snow lovers say such facilities are much needed in the Chippewa Valley: Avid skiers and snowboarders typically must drive to Wausau or Neillsville, or farther to practice their sports. “You’re missing out on a lot of kids who can’t go that far,” said Chris Peterson, a member of the Pinehurst Project, a volunteer group working for park improvements.
“It’s an obvious site, because it used to be a ski hill,” volunteer Michael Paul said recently while standing at the foot of the tree- and brush-covered slope. “It would be nice to have some trees removed,” he said. “It’s pretty hairy.”
"It gives families an opportunity to play together, and I think that’s the biggest benefit of the project." – Phil Fieber, Eau Claire parks director, about planned winter recreation improvements at Pinehurst Park
In late September, the Eau Claire City Council voted to implement the first phase of a public-private effort to return the 60-acre Pinehurst Park, 3523 Delbert Road, to its historical status as one of the Chippewa Valley’s top winter recreation destinations. This fall, the city will spend $40,000 on improvements at the park, using money that had been set aside a few years ago to consolidate city hockey facilities. (One of the city’s three outdoor hockey rinks is at Pinehurst.)
Much of the initial work is being done at no cost: Beginning Oct. 14, Goettl Logging will clear trees on part of the slope and Northern Clearing will remove stumps and brush. (The work will impact about 4.5 of the park’s 60 acres.) Next, a city contractor, Haas Sons, will do grading work on and below the slopes. The grading is needed to improve both recreation and safety: The sledding hill descends directly into the unpaved parking area (which slopes onward toward the street). “This hill becomes a sledding nightmare,” explained Pinehurst Project member Jessica Jannsen. “You’ve got cars and people – it’s just a disaster.”
For the second phase of the project, city Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department Director Phil Fieber plans to ask the City Council for an additional $100,000 in the next city capital improvement plan. That money will pay for grading and paving the parking lot and building chutes for snow tubing. After that, the Pinehurst Project group hopes to privately raise as much as $250,000 to fully realize their dreams, which would return to – and improve upon – the park’s heritage.
In the mid-20th century, the park was a privately operated ski hill that gave Chippewa Vallians a downhill rush. However, after the 1960s it fell into disuse, and the once-groomed slopes became overgrown. The rope tow that once lifted skiers into disrepair, though rusted remnants remain. Today, only a small portion of the hill is clear enough for sledding, while a few of brave skiers and snowboarders practice their skills nearby.
Eventually, Pinehurst Project backers hope to transform the park into a winter paradise. A snow park with bumps and jumps and a rope lift would cater to downhill skiers and snowboarders, snow tubers would have their own lift and chutes, the skating rink would be expanded, and lighted cross-country trails would wind their way around the ridge.
“It gives families an opportunity to play together, and I think that’s the biggest benefit of the project,” Fieber said. “We’re not going to compete with Afton Alps, we’re not going to compete with Trollhaugen,” he added, “but it can be a great local spot where people can ski and snowboard close to home.”
To learn more about the Pinehurst Project, visit www.pinehurstpark.org or www.facebook.com/ThePinehurstProject. The group is accepting donations for park improvements through a fund at the Eau Claire Foundation. Donations may be mailed to the Eau Claire Foundation, Attn: Pinehurst Project Fund, 306 S. Barstow St., Suite 104, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
