Still Going Strong s r a e Y y t r o F r e t f A Chris O’Brien, active skier, biker, runner, kayaker and retired business executive, moved to Grand Marais with his wife Jane in 2016 after many years of vacation visits to the area. Two years later he became the president of the North Superior Ski and Run Club (NSSRC). He was drawn to this leadership role because of his passion for the trails at Pincushion Mountain and he feels very fortunate to have these trails right in his back yard. We recently had a chance to talk about the trails, the organization and what’s next for the club that’s eighty members strong and celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year. Can you give me a brief primer on the club and the Pincushion trail system? The North Superior Ski and Run Club was founded 40 years ago, in 1979, and is the primary organization responsible for the maintenance and grooming of 25 km of multi-use skiing, running and hiking trails at Pincushion Mountain. NSSRC also hosts numerous events and programs on the Pincushion trails. They include a high school cross country running competition and track program which were launched by NSSRC’s Chris Hegg 20 years ago and sponsored by NSSRC for many years. The group also sponsors Chris O’Brien a high school Nordic ski team and competitions for high school age kids in Cook County. For younger kids, the Youth Ski Program provides equipment and weekly ski lessons with an enrollment of more than 70 during the last ski season. Annual events include the Pincushion Ski Festival in February and the Fisherman’s Picnic Run in August. NSSRC works in close partnership with other complementary trails organizations at Pincushion, including the Superior Hiking Trail Association (SHTA) and the Superior Cycling Association. NSSRC also works closely with the US Forest Service to coordinate trail maintenance efforts at Pincushion.
The Pincushion recreation area Minnesota Miles Who does all of this work? is located on the bluff overlooking the NSSRC is a volunteer-led city of Grand Marais, and is one of the organization. Club members and most popular recreation destinations neighbors invest a total of several in Cook County. This trail network is hundred hours per year on many unusual for several reasons. First, it’s fronts: Maintaining grooming located just three miles from the city equipment, clearing and maintaining of Grand Marais and easily accessible trails and organizing and staffing by both visitors and residents. competitions and events. The club The geography is distinctive, with hosted a chainsaw safety-training beautiful views of Grand Marais and course with the US Forest Service Jan Lasar Lake Superior from the Pincushion in 2018 so that we have a group of bluffs. The Pincushion trails area is Trails Editor/Publisher trained sawyers to help with treealso home to several different types of clearing projects on the trails. A trails. In addition to the 25km of skiing, running dozen volunteers have signed up as so-called trail and hiking trails maintained by NSSRC, there are section captains, taking primary responsibility 11km of single track mountain bike trails built and for brush clearing on specific sub-sections of the maintained by Superior Cycling Association, and Pincushion trails. On our annual trail work day a stretch of approximately 10km of the Superior each October, volunteers team up and clear the Hiking Trail runs through the Pincushion Area. trails in preparation for the ski season. Most of today’s trails and facilities did not exist when NSSRC was founded in 1979. At that How does the NSSRC support itself? time there were a just a few miles of multi-use We rely on a variety of sources for the funding trails and part of the Pincushion area had been for operations and equipment. Membership dues used as a dump in previous years. The network are the principal source of revenue for regular of trails grew over the years through the efforts club operations. An annual grant from the DNR’s of club members. There was a major upgrade at Grant-in-Aid program provides funding that pays Pincushion 20 years ago, when the club received for trail grooming and equipment maintenance grant funding to build a warming chalet and expenses. The club has relied on grants from the maintenance building at the Pincushion trailhead, Federal Recreational Trails Program and from the and was also able to purchase a used PistenBully Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board trail groomer to improve ski trail grooming. At (IRRRB) to defray the cost of new trail grooming the same time, trail expansion continued, an open equipment. NSSRC recently received a grant from stadium area was cleared in front of the chalet the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation for renovation of near the trailhead and lights were added to one the public warming chalet at Pincushion. of the skiing loops. Additional trails were cleared in the What’s the status of the SHT trail project? years since then and trails were widened to In collaboration with NSSRC and the US accommodate skate skiing. Today, there are 25 km Forest Service, the Superior Hiking Trail Association of ski trails that are groomed for both classic and is building a new dedicated trail segment between skate skiing. The trails are mowed regularly during the Pincushion parking area to the Pincushion the summer for use by hikers and runners. Mountain overlook and the continuation of the SHT beyond Pincushion. This new trail segment will allow hikers to access the Pincushion Mountain overlook year-round. Currently the hiking trail to the overlook is closed to hikers in the winter because of ski-trail grooming. The new SHT segment has been cleared and final trail preparation work is underway.
How to get involved
4 Winter 2019-2020
Mark Morgen photo
“We welcome new members and volunteers. You can find out more about the club and sign up for a membership at www.pincushiontrails.org.”