Special Meeting on Development Plans for the Hillside Trails
Wednesday May 28 at the Chalet at Hilltop Ski area off Abbott
6pm for a walk of the trails and 7pm for the meeting.

THE TRAILS AT HILLSIDE PARK WILL UNDERGO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES UNDER A PLAN PROPOSED BY
THE NORDIC SKI ASSOCIATION OF ANCHORAGE.

This special meeting will allow you to review and to comment on these plans.
Don't miss this opportunity to influence the future for these important trails.

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The following are some viewpoints on the proposed trail work.

Hillside trails are some of the most loved and heavily used trails in the Municipality; at times they are the only trails with skiable snow. Due to wear and erosion, the surface has been degraded and the trail is badly dished in many places. Grooming during light snow cover is difficult and the end result can be unsatisfactory for the heavy use it receives. The high skier traffic and the need to maintain a quality classic track alongside a skate lane require a groomable width of 16 feet.

A combination of the poor surface condition and inadequate width warrants upgrading the old Hillside lighted loop (about 2.5 km). The old Hillside lighted loop trail is now about 14' wide and in places it pinches down to 12'. In addition to widening this loop, the project will address safety and traffic flow problems at most of the intersections in the system as well as upgrading the popular cut-through trails. The Richter and Ridge loops (classic only) are in serious need of surface renovation. Also, it is very difficult to drive the small Pisten Bully through some of the pinch points. Consequently, one of the projects is to restore these trails, remove the pinch points and get the trail to a minimum 12' clearance between trees (most of the trail is already 12').

The Trails Committee and your Board have worked hard on identifying this scope of work. We recognize that there is a wide range of opinions/desires for the ski trails that we all love and use year-round. Many people want more "intimate and natural" trails. We do too, however we believe that ski trails should be maintained primarily for the purpose of skiing.

Single track trails for hiking, biking, snow shoeing, etc., are also needed and should be developed and maintained as well. It would be fantastic if an organization like NSAA took on the stewardship of year-round, multi-use, soft surface trails in our Municipal Parks.

Sincerely,
Gordon Wetzel, President NSAA

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The Nordic Ski Club rehab project will involve widening junctions for safety concerns, and adding up to 6' to the width of trails. The current diagonal-ski only Richter and Ridge loops, will essentially double in width.

My concern is that this area is not just a winter ski area. Nordic has converted what were intimate single tracks, many established by equestrians and walkers, into 'roads.' It is now a wonderful winter cross-country ski area, but the trails are used year around by people who like dirt trails and a natural setting. Widening these two loops in particular will greatly change their character. I believe that some of our trails should be left to look like trails and not roads.

We need a park plan that considers all users before more major changes are made to the park character.

Pixie Siebe, Friends of Bicentennial Park

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I vehemently object to widening the trails at Service/Hillside that are now designated for diagonal skiing only.

I dislike the width of the trails presently there. Many of them feel like you're skiing on a highway, rather than in the woods. I so much appreciate the narrowness, curves, close trees, and many small ups and downs on the Richter Loop and Ridge Loops. Those trails feel like peaceful, quiet oases.

When they widened all the trails at Hillside about a decade ago, I think the aesthetic appeal of the area was substantially degraded for both summer and winter use. In the summer they are wide, ugly dirt roads. I find myself always pulled to the Ridge and Richter loops. Let's keep the trees. If we need more wide skate ski areas, maybe we could just use ballfields that are already cleared.

I am a 22-year, year-round user of Service and Kincaid trails, and am an annual track pin purchaser.
Thank you.
Anne Billman

******************************************* Community Council Board Members
Mid-Hillside
John Weddleton, President 349-8370 john@weddleton.com
Tom O'Grady Secretary
349-6948 ogrady@gci.net
Amy Johnson - Transportation Committee 258-0168 ajohnson@ibissoftware.com

Hillside East
Tom Newins, President
345-8881 newins@gci.net
Bjarne Holm, Vice President
robinholm@gci.net

communitycouncils.org/hillmid.html

In general, the NSAA's Trail Committee proposal is to widen the trails at Hillside. The main trails are 12-14' and would be widened to 20'. Some tricky turns and downhills will be easier or avoidable. A few tweaks that may improve traffic flow. Overall though, the underlying premise appears to be major widening of the trails for the comfort and enjoyment of elite ski racers and groomers.

This widening includes the BLM Ridge Loop and Richter Loop Trails to up to 14' which is described as an "intimate feel." These are currently classic only trails with enough room for side-by-side skiing. A number of small trails connecting the main loops would be widened as well.

"Improved safety" is used to justify the project. The work is extensive for this remote problem. There are sufficient areas for putting on our skis. Most intersections are wide and offer lots of visibility. The occasional congestion could be handled with a few "pull-out" areas for ski racers in training.

The most frequent complaints are not congestion on the trails but conflicts with other users. Runners, bikers and horse riders use the "ski only" trails with increasing frequency. This problem is not addressed in the "improvements" proposed here.

This plan develops the trails for a single purpose, single season use. The width of the trails is not necessary or desirable for non-snow season use. The width is not even desirable for many who want to ski a narrow trail through a moonlit woods.

The plan has good elements but the broader trail using community would likely consider this too extensive. This plan is better addressed in a more public forum than the NSAA board room. The Park Plan Update process could look at this proposal. That plan could look at the development of Kincaid and APU trails as the center of elite ski racing and Hillside could offer trails for more general use.