West Bragg Creek improvements

It’s been a while! First, let’s do a shoulder check. The day after I wrote my last update(April 10), I had “total shoulder replacement” surgery on my left shoulder. I now have “new and improved” body parts made of metal and plastic. The recovery process is slow, but all has been going well, and I should be ready to ski when the snow flies in early November. 

Thanks to Alf Skrastins for the photos and information regarding the new bridge on Sundog trail at West Bragg Creek.

Problem: Sundog culvert regularly froze up and caused an ice flow across the trail. A steep hill on either side led to a sharp corner at the narrowest point at the bottom of the dip.

Here’s the report from Alf:

Starting to add the deck boards to the new Sundog Bridge.

The Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association volunteers are thinking about winter and are busy improving the trails for the upcoming ski season.  Over the past few days, they have been working on solving a couple of problem ice-flow areas by replacing culverts with bridges.  Here is an example of the work that was done on the west Sundog trail.

An easier grade leading to the wide bridge. And a gentle curve before the final straight-line approach to the bridge.

This was one of the most challenging spots for XC skiers. It had a steep hill from both directions, leading to a tight turn and a narrow culvert crossing. Most years the culvert would freeze solid and an ice-flow would form across the trail.