BMNC has a new groomer!

We are very happy to report that we have collected the $16,000 necessary to purchase the new grooming machine for Meacham Divide Ski Area. Amazing! The response from club members was wonderful. We could not have done this without you!

Additionally, we had tremendous support from the following organizations: Union County Tourism, The Union County Commissioners, La Grande Optimists, Whitman College, and the Wildhorse Foundation. We also sold our old groomer during the summer, which helped boost our fund.

The new machine will arrive in October 2007. We'll keep you informed as that date gets closer.

Our new groomer is a 1994 Bombardier.

This groomer has a tiller (this breaks up ice and hard-packed snow), a hydraulic system for setting tracks (as opposed to dragging a metal track setter) and an engine that is much more powerful and can get the job done in half the time. Engine parts are cheaper and easier to find as this is a common engine (made by Cummins) in the United States. This is the type of groomer used by Anthony Lakes Ski Area, and we would be buying it from a dealer that comes highly recommended by the manager at Anthony Lakes. Steve spent a great deal of time talking to the dealer and a mechanic about the specifics, and we feel confident that this is a good choice.

If you have specific questions about the machine, please email Steve Antell or view the technical evaluation document (MSWord document).