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Groomer Schedule:The following is the regular groomer schedule. Subject to change without notice and subject to weahter conditions. All grooming is completed from 9pm to 7am, with the exception of Gambo run, in which the groomer will operate at 7 to 8 pm till run has been completed. Please watch for the groomer and the beacon light if you are on a trail when the groomer is out. Sunday: - No Grooming Monday: Gander to Gambo (Grants Pitt) and return to Gander, (16 hrs) Thuesday: Gander to Glenwood (Joe Batts Secondary) return to Gander (9 hrs) Wednesday: Gander Town Trails (4 hours) Thurdays: Gander to Gambo, Butt's Pond Rd, Dark Cove Pond Rd, and return to Gander (18 hours) Friday: Gander to Glenwood and return to Gander (6 hours) Saturday: Gander - Benton - Gander - Glenwood - Gander ( 12 hours ) The groomer is operating approx 65 hours per week.
GROOMER EDUCATION.....
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GROOMERS ON THE TRAIL... Members wonder why the groomer is not out? Members wonder why the trail seems like the groomer hasn't groomed? Well, here's a little insight into trail grooming. Some of these things we've learned from manuals and other clubs. Some things we've found out through our own experience. 1) The most important requirement for effective grooming is correct temperature. The ideal grooming temperatures is between -5C and -20C. As snow is collected in the drag, it has to be able to flow, like flour. As we all know, once the temperature gets close to 0C snow begins to stick together. Instead of flowing out under the rear pan, the snow builds up in the drag until it spills out over the top in large chunks or balls. These large chunks are dangerous when they freeze in the middle of the trail. 2) As the temperature drops below -20C, steels starts to get brittle and equipment is more susceptible to breakage if it strikes a solid object such as a stump or rock. Cold temperatures must also be considered for operator safety in case of equipment problems. Although he/she is equipped with communications equipment and warm clothes, waiting for a snowmobile ride 40 kms in the country at 3 am can be a very uneasy feeling. 3) Question: We just had a fresh 15cm snowfall last night. How come the groomer is not out? In order to groom effectively and make the trail more durable, the idea is to cut the mogul (yes mam's) off completely, not just fill in the void. Moguls have a memory. If you just fill in the void with new snow, by the time half a dozen snowmobiles run over it, the new snow settles and the mogul is back again. When you groom fresh snow, the drag can't be lowered deep enough to cut off the mogul because snow collects faster than it can flow out under the rear pan. Again, the drag fills up and spills snow out over the sides. After a fresh snow fall it's better to let the snowmobiles run it in and knock the air out of it. Then when the drag processes this finer snow, it packs much tighter. 4) Most grooming is done at night because it's a safer and more effective. Safer, because there are usually not as many snowmobiles on the trails and when there is, the bright lights of the groomer beacon are visible long before the machine itself. Grooming at night is more effective because it's usually colder and the snow sets faster. 5) The longer the trails sets before too many snowmobiles ride over it, the better. Set up takes anywhere from two to six hours, depending on temperature and moisture content. So if you come up behind a groomer and the operator beckons you to go around, that's the main reason, to allow the operator to groom without snowmobiles on the trail enabling effective trail set-up. 6) Grooming is not scheduled during heavy snowfalls or storms. Operator and snowmobile safety are of principle concerns, but it is also not productive to operate in these conditions. Visibility in a groomer on the trail is more limited than in a vehicle on the road. So if you see the groomer parked some day, it might no be "broke down", we are just waiting for the right conditions!
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