What to Do at the New Pinehurst Park

Tom Giffey

If you want to ski, sled, snowboard, skate, or snowshoe in the Chippewa Valley, look no further than Pinehurst Park on Eau Claire’s north side. Over the past year a dedicated group of volunteers has put in countless hours transforming the long-underused park into a veritable winter recreation wonderland. (OK, the snow helps a lot, too.) Decades ago, Pinehurst was a destination for downhill skiers, but years of benign neglect led to overgrown slopes. Likewise, the park has been popular with sledders and snow tubers, but unsafe conditions sometimes sent them skidding into the parking lot.

This winter, however, that has changed dramatically as Pinehurst Project volunteers – with help from city parks officials – have embarked on what they hope is a quarter-million-dollar campaign to transform the park. This fall, that meant clearing five acres of trees and brush and doing other earthwork. While the park will offer even more in future years, there will be plenty to do there before the snow melts this winter. Pinehurst Project board member Michael Paul gave us the scoop.

Sledding & Tubing
The sledding area, on the right (west) side of the hill, is now “smoother, wider, and longer,” Paul says. The run-out area for sledders is wider to keep them from sliding in the parking lot. Likewise, one earth berm was built to keep people from sliding into trees, the parking lot, or a power pole, while another berm will separate sledders trekking up the hill from those speeding down.

Skiing & Snowboarding
“The center of the hill is designated for skiing and snowboarding,” Paul says. “We hope to have some freestyle features in that area later this winter. It will most likely not be groomed, so conditions will be natural depending on weather.” (Luckily, though, skiers and snowboarders won’t have to dodge trees anymore.)

Crosscountry Skiing
A cross-country loop has been cut into the woods east of the skating rink and warming house, Paul says. However, because improvements won’t be made until next year, the loop will probably be better suited to snowshoers this year, he says.

Skating & Hockey
As in past years, the city will maintain an outdoor skating rink at Pinehurst as well as a boarded rink for hockey. The rinks opened Dec. 13. (Most city outdoor rinks won’t open until Dec. 26.)

The Future
Expect more – a lot more – from the Pinehurst Project in the future. “Our vision is to create a grassroots, community snow park where Chippewa Valley families and residents can go to snowboard, ski, and tube,” Paul says. “In the future we hope to have two or three rope tow or paddle tow lifts, snowmaking ability, a fully-stocked terrain park, and well-groomed snow like you would expect to find at any other ski area.”

Learn more
To learn more about the Pinehurst Project, visit www.pinehurstpark.org or www.facebook.com/ThePinehurstProject.

Donate
The Pinehurst Project is accepting donations for park improvements through a fund at the Eau Claire Community Foundation. Donations may be mailed to the Eau Claire Community Foundation, Attn: Pinehurst Project Fund, 306 S. Barstow St., Suite 104, Eau Claire, WI 54701.