New groomer arriving December 2023
A new Pisten Bully 100 snow groomer will be arriving in December 2023 to bring a new level of grooming to Mt. Shasta Nordic Center. You’re gonna love it!
The need to purchase a new machine became clear at the end of last season - if a new groomer couldn’t be purchased then the Nordic Center’s future was in question. The Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance (SORA) board made a big leap of faith by putting down a $30,000 deposit in the spring of 2023 on the new machine, which has a $299,000 price tag. This was possible with the support of The Nancy Driscoll Foundation and community fundraising efforts.
In the fall of 2023 The Ford Family Foundation became a partner in the groomer purchase with the award of a generous grant. SORA has committed funding from its financial reserves for a portion of the purchase. Even with those funds, SORA will need to take out a loan for $185,000 to complete the purchase. And that’s where you can help.
The new groomer fundraising effort will continue through the end of 2023 and we’ll be participating in North State Giving Tuesday on November 28th. You can make a gift here on the website or on Giving Tuesday to help SORA reduce the amount of debt and interest it will pay over the next five years. This is a big investment in our community and we are very appreciative of your support.
The Saga of Ms. Kitty
The Mt. Shasta Nordic snowcat, which years ago gained the moniker “Ms. Kitty,” has had a rough last few years and is ready for backup duty. In 2020, she suffered a catastrophic overheating episode that ended the Nordic ski season. In 2021, with a generous contribution from the Nancy Driscoll Foundation, community support, dipping into our financial reserves, and over 250 hours of volunteer labor, her engine was rebuilt and numerous other repairs were undertaken. This effort resulted in an expertly-groomed season. For the ‘22-’23 season, our volunteer mechanics once again put in hundreds of hours to get Ms. Kitty ready for the season. Ms. Kitty limped through the season, coaxed by our dedicated groomers, but by the end of the 2022-23 season it was clear that Mt. Kitty could no longer be relied upon to keep trails enjoyable and safe.
Thinking Ahead AS WE GROW
Mt. Shasta Nordic Center is on the cusp of great change. Siskiyou Outdoor Recreation Alliance, the non-profit that operates the Nordic Center, was awarded a $1.1M California State Parks and Recreation/Regional Park Program grant for the Nordic Center Facilities Upgrade & Connected Community Trails Project. Improvements to the Nordic Center will include a new guest services lodge, a double vault toilet, interpretive panels, and a maintenance area with two trailers. Visit for details: https://www.mtshastanordic.org/blog/mt-shasta-nordic-center-facility-upgrades
To complete our vision for the future of the Nordic Center, we have determined that it is imperative to purchase a new snowcat by the Fall of 2023. A new snowcat will provide consistent and meticulous grooming throughout each ski season, both for daily trail use and for our School Program, for many years to come.
We have identified the Pisten Bully as the right machine for the job. The price tag rings up at $300k.
NORDIC CENTER IMPROVEMENTS Timeline
Summer 2021: SORA rebuilds MS Kitty’s engine
November 2021: Nordic Center 10-year Ski Area Term Special Use Permit renewed to a 30-year term with the Shasta Trinity National Forest
January 2022: SORA submits CA State Park & Rec Regional Park Program project proposal
January 2022: SORA starts fundraising plan to purchase a new snowcat
September 2022: SORA awarded CA State Park & Rec Regional Park Program 1.1 mil grant for the Nordic Center Facilities Upgrade & Connected Community Trails Project
Spring 2023: New Guest Services Lodge engineered drawings completed
Spring 2023: Deposit placed on new Pisten Bully 100 groomer
Fall 2023: Volunteers spend days removing dead and dying trees from Nordic Center
Fall 2023: Double Vault Toilet for Nordic Center Trailhead is ordered
November 2023: Installation of Double Vault Toilet scheduled
Early December 2023: Delivery of Pisten Bully expected
December 31, 2023: New Snowcat fundraising goal deadline
Summer 2024: The estimated start date for construction of guest services lodge, interpretive panels, a maintenance area with two trailers and 5.06 miles of Learning Zone trails in the Gateway System of multi-use trails
Join the Momentum
Your donation towards the Snowcat Fund is a direct investment in the future of groomed trails at the Nordic Center for generations to come.
