Raffle to Support Vasa Trail Cross-Country Skiing

Thu, Jan  20, 2005 - By Bob Otwell

TRAVERSE CITY (January 20, 2005)- If you enjoy going cross-country skiing on freshly groomed trails, you now have an opportunity to support local grooming efforts.  Tickets are on sale for the 2005 TART Trails Grooming Raffle. TART Trails provides grooming services on 69 kilometers of trails on both the Vasa Pathway and Leelanau Trail. 

Raffle tickets are $100 each and the grand prize is $8000 (if all 200 tickets are sold). The Grooming Raffle event was created to help offset the cost of trail grooming, purchase new grooming equipment, and to repair and maintain existing equipment.  All proceeds from the raffle are spent on trail grooming, with a portion that is kept in a restricted account that is earmarked for purchasing new equipment.

In 2004, TART Trails purchased a new workhorse snowmobile and a grooming attachment from the grooming fund. Both of these recent purchases have been used to convert a thin icy base after several thaws and rain this winter to nice conditions. The result has been a pleasant surprise to many skiers who were expecting icy conditions and a hard rough surface.  The relatively thin base has prevented the use of the big LMC Groomer. 

To purchase tickets, please call the TART Trails office at (231) 941-4300 or visit Brick Wheels on 8th Street in Traverse City.  The winner of the raffle will be drawn at the Vasa race awards party on February 12th.

For more info, contact: Bob Otwell, TART Trails Executive Director (231) 941-4300