The "Skinny" on Canadian Cross Country Skiing

Hot off the press! 

Bruce Mitchell, Lac Le Jeune resident, author, skier, and founding member of the Overlander Ski Club has published a book. 

The "Skinny" on Canadian Cross Country Skiing communicates the amazing experiences that are waiting for you when you maximize your Cross Country skiing experience when you open your imagination to the adventures waiting outside your door that make our Canadian winter something to be excited about.

Find out more here:

  https://www.brucemitchelltheskinny.ca/

Overlander Ski Club - Early Bird Registration

You have until November 15, 2021 to register for a pass that includes unlimited ski and snowshoe access for the Overlander Ski Club 2021-2022 season. 

Time to buy your ski pass!

Registration is now open for the 2020-2021 ski season! 

Here's a direct link to purchase a pass. Visit the Overlander Ski Club website for special registration instructions for Juniors / Jackrabbits / Bunnies.  

Moose in mourning

Snapshot from Steve Roy's webcam http://www.laclejeune.ca

What started as a shared moose-spotting from Steve Roy's webcam in our Lac Le Jeune community group soon turned to a tragic story as residents chimed in with reports of a drowned calf.

A moose and calf have been frequent visitors to Provincial Park and east end of the lake for the last few months. Earlier this week the calf fell through a hole in the lake, apparently at a weak spot created by otters. Three men pulled the calf out but sadly it was too late. The distraught mother has been pacing the area since the incident.

Photo by Sandra Putnam

Sandra Putnam and her pug fell in the same hole on the weekend. Luckily Sandra caught herself waist deep and was able to get them both out to safety. She cautions that piles of dirt on the lake are likely caused by otters leaving a hole. These holes can then get covered with snow so it's difficult to know where they're located.

~Sylvia Currie~

Reminder about snowmobiling around Lac Le Jeune

Snowmobile tracks in the park

Snowmobiles are not allowed in any Provincial Park. They are not allowed on public roads either. In our area they are not allowed on the Gus Johnston Trail or the Stake Lake Trails.

The fine for diving snowmobiles in these areas is a minimum of $575.00. Please ensure your friends, relatives or renters are aware of this law when they are here. Thanks you!

~ Jacquie Brugger ~
A disappointed snowshoe and cross country ski enthusiast with no trails to enjoy

Now open! Stake Lake ski trails

The Stake Lake Ski Trails opened today! It's a late start to the season and the classic tracks aren't set but you are able to skate on several of the trails. Until conditions improve day tickets are 50% off.

Ski season is coming!

Registration for the 2018/19 ski season at Stake Lake is open! Early bird rates end November 15th.

Need help with snow removal?

Photo by Bob Canning on Unsplash

In response to the call for help with snow removal we have people locally you can call:

Avi Falcon 778-257-1051
Gary Wright 250-319-4530

Ice rink available?

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone would happen to know of anyone maintaining a sheet of ice for ice hockey on LLJ or one of the surrounding lakes or ponds. We are “part-timers” at LLJ and thus are unable to maintain an ice rink but were wondering if we could rent a sheet from anyone who was. We would be interested in renting the ice the weekend of January 21st. Thanks for any information, it is much appreciated.

Regards,
Enzo De Rose
edr1818@telus.net

Just another bright sunny day

Photo by Neil Burton

Polarthon Revival Event

Visit the River City Racers Speed Skating Club website for full details and registration.

Event - Polarthon Revival - Winter Triathlon (Note: Due to ice conditions this event is now a duathlon) 

Organizer - River City Racers Speed Skating Club

Event Date - January 23, 2016

Location - Stake Lake, BC

This is a winter triathlon, originally hosted in Logan Lake but moved to Stake Lake this season so the new winter triathlon format of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) can be realized. The winter triathlon today is about where the summer triathlon was in the 1970’s and 80’s.  An idea - but an idea that has caught on fire in some communities - especially Quebec - where this year they are hosting Winter Triathlon World Cups.

The mission statement of the Polarthon is to promote healthy outdoor winter activity that can be enjoyed by the whole family and to introduce young and older to the emerging sport of Winter Triathlon.  

Dog rescued from ice fishing hole

photo by Chad Cooper

UPDATE: The dog was Pepper Wynne and is safe and sound! She found her people on the ski trail and was taken home right away to warm up by the fireplace.

A dog fell through a hole in the ice left by fishers today. Fortunately, Kelly Krawchuck spotted the big black lab in distress while cross-country skiing on the lake, and was able to lie down on the ice and pull him out by the collar. Kelly then attempted to warm the dog up the best she could.

It is assumed that the dog's owners were on the other side of the lake because the dog ran off in their direction. Hopefully they noticed that he was wet and cold, and checked for signs of hypothermia. Frostbite may show up on extremities as well (ears and pads especially). If you know of LLJ residents or visitors who have a black lab, please contact them to see if this was their dog.

The hole in the ice was in a terrible location -- close to shore and right beside frequently used ski tracks. It was also very large, and will likely take 2 days or more to freeze over.

So this is a reminder to all ice fishers, you should never leave a large hole unmarked. From what I understand, it is common practice to mark holes with branches. Also, it probably goes without saying, but you should never fill the hole with snow. 

From the Criminal Code of Canada 263:

Duty to safeguard opening in ice263. (1) Every one who makes or causes to be made an opening in ice that is open to or frequented by the public is under a legal duty to guard it in a manner that is adequate to prevent persons from falling in by accident and is adequate to warn them that the opening exists.

Thanks so much to Kelly Krawchuck for saving that dog's life!

Getting ready for skating season

Photo by Dustin Gaffke https://flic.kr/p/iVeKcB

The Logan Lake Ice Arena will be opening soon! If you need to get your skates sharpened, Al Fitter offers that service right in Logan Lake. Drop off your skates at 313 Peridot Drive. Call first if you're making a special trip to make sure he Al will be there: 250-523-6399. The cost is $5 per pair.

Food Bank Day - Free Skiing

Head over to Stake Lake for free cross-country skiing on Sunday, February 8. Instead of purchasing a trail pass, bring a donation to the Food Bank. Here is the top 10 list of foods they are always looking for:

1. tomato sauce
2. peanut butter
3. canned fruit
4. baby food
5. canned vegetables
6. pasta
7. formula
8. rice
9. tuna
10. beans

Canadian Masters National Cross Country Ski Championships

Some big events coming to Stake Lake!

The Canadian Masters National Cross Country Ski Championships, hosted by the Overlander Ski Club will be held February 8 - 14, 2015. This event welcomes up to 500 skiers from across North America.

Here’s the competition schedule for the week:

Monday, 9 February 10:00 am. 10km and 20km Long Distance Classic
Tuesday 10 February Skiers day off Skiing/Exploring Kamloops
Wednesday 11 February 10:00 am. 5km and 10km Short Distance Classic
Thursday: 12 February 10:00 am. 5km and 10km Short Distance Skate
Friday: 13 February Skiers day off Skiing/Exploring Kamloops
Saturday: 14 February 10:00 am. 10km and 20km Long Distance Skate

Are you available to help out? Follow the link for volunteers.

The Masters will be followed by the Overlander Loppet on February 15. The Loppet has a rich history in the community and has always been a very successful event with over 200 participants taking part in the 30 km skating race.

Logan Lake Polar Carnival 2015

Polar Carnival Buttons are on sale NOW at Esso, Grocery store, IDA, WHY, and a few other Locations around Logan Lake. You will require a button to participate in many events.

These are just some of the events. Check the Logan Lake Wellness Health and Youth Society (WHY) website for updates and details.

Thursday February 5 

• International night starts at 5pm... Participating restaurants: 
• Old Village Café-Ukrainian
• Black Bull-Italian
• Aardvarks-Thai, 
• Little Baileys-Greek

LL High School

• 430-530 Literacy Family Night. 

Black Bull and Pick n' Shovel

• Darts 7pm

50/50 Draw starts (get tickets at the WHY)
Scavenger Hunt starts (pick up sheets @ WHY or HUB International by 4pm)

Friday February 6

LL Elementary school

• 6pm grad class concession/bake sale 
• 6-7pm Kids Carnival games, magician& Fun Zone blow up 7-745pm Family glow stick dance 

LL Seniors Centre

• 6:30-9pm Social (wine&cheese) Music by Fern 

Saturday February 7

LL Seniors Centre

• 8-11am Pancake Breakfast (must have Polar Carnival Button) 
• Horse drop Bingo Squares for sale 

LL Library

• 11am -1pm Polar Carnival Posters/videos 

Rec Centre Outdoors

• 12-2pm Family games ( see flyer for a list of games) 
• Adult warming station at fire pit 
• 1pm Horse drop Bingo 
• 2pm Chili cook off (judging) 

Rec Center Indoors

• Hockey games throughout the day 
• Minor Hockey concession open 
• 12-2pm Face painting 
• 1:00 pm LL Arts Council Arts and Crafts (curling viewing area) 
• 130-3pm Scavenger Hunt winner announced 
• 1:45pm Polar Carnival Passport station open (bring your passport and receive a treat) 
• 50/50 Draw at end of day (if not claimed number will be posted at the WHY)

Questions? call the WHY office at 250.523.6229

Improving information for snowmobilers

This request, posted to the Kamloops Snowmobile Association website before the new year, caught my attention:

(from the KSA News: Private Land Issue)

I have property at Lac Le Jeune at the west end of the lake. each year I have problems with snowmobilers trespassing on my private property. I have it signed and posted with No Snowmobiling or No trespassing signs. It seems as if once they get on a machine they lose their ability to read. Have you any suggestions to alleviate the problem? 

The Ridge Mountain Forest Service Road goes through our place, and as long as they stay on the part of the road that is not maintained I have no problem, but unfortunately, many of them do not. I do not want to involve the police, and with help I would rather solve the problem at this level. 

I would appreciate a response so we could talk this over. I realize that it is probably not your members that create a problem but maybe they have some ideas that would help 

Thank you very much 

Jocko Creek Ranch

https://flic.kr/p/bnYwVa

I don't know the outcome of this request, but it occurs to me that signage isn't the complete solution. The question of where snowmobiles are permitted in the Lac Le Jeune area has been raised over the years. Some areas are obviously off limits, yet in other areas it's not always clear. For example from the lake, snowmobilers often weave in and out of the provincial park. There are no signs; they might not even know it's a park.

It seems that anyone venturing out on snowmobiles in a new area would first research trails systems and locate the staging areas. As someone who knows very little about snowmobiling, I thought I would do a quick search to see what information is readily available.

I started with the Kamloops Snowmobile Association (KSA) website since they have a stewardship role. This is the description of the Lac Le Jeune area on the Kamloops Snowmobile Association website:

Located 20 minutes south of Kamloops, the Lac Le Jeune area snowmobile trails run generally towards the south and east of Lac Le Jeune. The elevation is 1300m to 1680m, there are many other users in the immediate area of Lac Le Jeune that must be respected. There are cross country ski trail systems and local residents. This area is managed by agreement with the KSA (Kamloops Snowmobile Association) and MoTSA (Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts. Once you are far enough south of Lac Le Jeune conflicts are not an issue (obey signage). The ungroomed trail system runs through picturesque rolling plateau terrain on unplowed forest industry and ranching roads, through numerous meadow complexes, lakes and old forest fire burns. Sightings of moose are common in this area, ice fishing is also popular. This area is also accessed through Edith Lake and Rossmore Lake.

The Sun Peaks section on the KSA site includes maps in various formats: PDF for download, GPX for GPS devices, and KML for importing to Google Earth. That's useful! But nothing for Lac Le Jeune.

The next logical step was to check the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts referred to on the KSA website. It's now called Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. That ministry doesn't seem to deal with anything related to snowmobiling. Rather, the focus is on competitive sports.

I then checked the BC Recreation Sites and Trails website,  which is part of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations. Oh good, it's an interactive site! I clicked on "planning your trip" then selected activity type: Snowmobiling and region: Southern Interior West. No mention of Lac Le Jeune... or Logan Lake... hmmm.

The advice on the BC Snowmobiling page on the Ministry of Environment website (so many ministries, so little time! :D) gives the following advice for people exploring new areas:

• actively seek out local recreation maps for the area you will be visiting 
• respect and protect all local land use signage 
• avoid entering designated non-motorized areas 

https://flic.kr/p/eQsEFe

This is good advice if you have 1) maps, and 2) good signage. It would also be helpful if they would provide links to places you can find these recreation maps. A search looped me back to the BC Recreation Sites and Trails website. Sigh.

As far as I can tell, from the KSA website and other recreation and government sites, there are no area maps available for Lac Le Jeune. There are also no concise resources that educate visitors and newcomers to our area about where snowmobiles are permitted. I found lots of websites, loops, broken links, and heaps of descriptive text -- it's a lot to navigate and make sense of. And in the end, none of it was helpful for someone considering a snowmobile trip to the Lac Le Jeune area.

It seems better information (along with good signage) would be a big step in the right direction to solving this problem.

Help please! Where can we find useful information and maps for visitors and newcomers to Lac Le Jeune? If it doesn't exist, how can we work together to create it? 

Sylvia Currie

Logan Lake Pond Hockey Classic

Last year the pond hockey tournament was cancelled because of poor ice conditions, but this year several rinks are ready to go on Logan Lake and are in great shape.

January 16 - 18

More details:
http://loganlakepondhockey.ca

Overlander Ski Club -- Registration is now open!

It's time to register for the 2014-2015 ski season! Earlybird rates end November 15. Season trail passes include skiing and snowshoeing. There is a full instructional program as well.

Check it out on the new and improved Overland Ski Club website!

A Lac Le Jeune Winter Wedding

Claire Lindros and Phil Ryan were married on Sunday Feb 23, 2014 in true winter Lac Le Jeune style.

Gregg Lindros led Claire through the sparkling snow and down the steps to the dock

They said their vows on the frozen lake

 The piper could be heard for miles around

Claire's "cloak" was made from her mom's (Lucy) wedding dress

They left for Cuba in search of warmer temperatures for their honeymoon