Trail groomer Al Coattes is ready to keep the ski trails in top shape.
Grumpy is back in business and that’s very good news for members of the McKinney Nordic Ski Club.
Grumpy is the cute name given to the Bombardier B-301 1974 trail groomer used by operator Al Coattes to make the beautiful trails used by club members.
Just recently, a thief or thieves, stole the large gas tank that was attached to the groomer.
Fortunately, Coattes was able to purchase another gas tank for $150 from a used parts shop in Penticton.
“I had just finished doing a bunch of repairs on the machine on Oct. 3 and everything appeared ready to go for the season,” said Coattes, who has been operating a snow groomer for more than 30 years, including 20 in Whitehorse in the Northwest Territories. “When I returned on Oct. 8, the gas tank had abandoned us … someone had taken off the bolts and took off with our gas tank, which is probably attached to some farm vehicle as we speak.”
In his few years with the local club, he recalls the battery from the groomer being stolen on numerous occasions, so he had removed the battery at the end of the winter season.
This is the first time he can recall the gas tank being stolen, he said.
“We try and keep the groomer out of sight once the season is finished, but obviously there are some people who know where to find it,” he said.
Coattes expects all of the trails to be groomed and ready for use by the first week of December.
By Keith Lacey
