How The
Salcha
Ski Club
Got Started

The Salcha ski trails gradually evolved from a crude circuit of a few hundred meters in 1972 to a fifteen kilometer World Class Nordic Racing Trails system in 1985.

Beginning with personally cutting the brush for the first modest trail segment, through designing every subsequent trail expansion, and including on-site supervision of virtually all trail work during this fourteen year period, Darrell Coe volunteered many hundreds of hours to a project that has benefited skiers for more than two decades.

Shortly after initiating a cross-country skiing program at Salcha, Darrell brought together several interested parents and formed the Salcha Ski Club. The club's purpose was to support Nordic skiing. This included the development of the best possible trails system.

In designing the original five kilometer racing trail and all subsequent segments, Darrell's stated intention was to develop a trail system that incorporated a maximum variety of challenging conditions that would facilitate the development of Nordic skiing technique among those who trained there, and reward the technical proficiency of those who raced there.

Throughout the trail system, skier safety was meticulously considered during all phases of design and construction. As a result, a bare minimum of injuries have occurred during the heavy recreational and training use and numerous races during the years that have followed.

The Salcha Ski Trails System was designed in keeping with all technical stipulations set forth by both the National and World Olympic governing bodies (the USSA and the FIS). The trail system's maximum and minimum height differences for each loop were accurately surveyed prior to construction, so that races for both junior and senior competitors could be held at all distances, from five to fifty kilometers, while complying with international technical course requirements.

At the same time, relatively flat stretches near the trail system's public access at Salcha School provided several kilometers appropriate for beginning skiers. This latter design feature has also provided an optimum running trail, and has been utilized regularly for both elementary and high school cross-country running meets. School cross-country running meets have frequently been hosted for Eielson, North Pole and Delta Junction High Schools. High School Regional cross-country meets have been held here as well.

The public land on which the trails system is located have been under the management of three separate governmental agencies since the trail's beginning: the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the State of Alaska, and the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Before the first vegetation was cut, Darrell applied for and received a permit from the BLM. With the changes of land ownership that followed, the lengthy and time-consuming process of obtaining land use permits had to be repeated, another chore that Darrell followed through to completion. On August 12, 1982, the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly approved Resolution No. 82-49, dedicating 337 acres, encompassing the then current and surveyed expansion of the Salcha ski trails, as dedicated to the public as a Nordic ski trails system.

During the decade of the 1970's, all trail work at Salcha was done by manual labor of volunteers. Trees were removed with chain saws and axes, and every stump and root was removed from the trail's surface by hand tools. The trail was gradually expanded from two kilometers to three kilometers and, finally, to five kilometers by 1974.

By the winter of 1975-76 the Salcha five kilometer course was one of two in the Fairbanks area approved for tryout races for the Alaska Jr. National team. (The U. of Alaska West Ridge's five kilometer trail was the other.) Both of these trails were, by today's standards, narrow and primitive, but nonetheless among the best in Alaska at that time.

Between 1975 and 1980 area ski clubs banded together to form the Northern Alaska Nordic Competition Council. This group, with representatives from half a dozen or more clubs (the number varied but was never less than 6), developed standards for a series of Nordic ski races each year, hosted by affiliated clubs. During this period the NANCC sponsored at least 5 races each year, for all age groups. A total of 29 races were held during the next five years; 8 of these races were at Salcha. Over 200 skiers finished six of the races; the smallest number of finishers at any race was 109.

By 1980 the State of Alaska had initiated an unprecedented capital spending program intended to improve the quality of life of its citizens. Among the many types of grants funded by the Legislature were those for recreational facilities. And while the funds made available for such facilities were substantial, the competition for these grants far exceeded the supply.

At that time the Salcha community had recently witnessed the unsuccessful conclusion of its protracted bid to separate itself from the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Some Salcha residents still openly resented any dealings with the Borough government. Darrell had gained censure of a few area residents by accepting an appointment to the Borough Parks and Recreation Commission, and added to this number when he organized a community wide lobbying effort to gain funds to improve and expand the ski trails. Nearly all of the Salcha residents soon came to support this effort, others never did approve - or forget.

Salcha eventually received two State grants. The total of these grants, while far less than that allocated to some ski facilities, was considered by the Salcha Ski Club to be adequate to complete its goals.

The first grant was awarded during the spring of 1981. The award process was unique. The Borough Assembly directed the newly formed Borough Trails Commission to distribute a $200,000 state allocation for ski trail lighting and related improvements among several interested area groups. The 22 members of the newly formed commission established specific criteria and allowed each competing group to make its appeal at a public hearing. Each appeal was numerically scored according to the pre-established criteria. Salcha received the highest score, and received full funding of $60,000 for the purpose of lighting two kilometers of its trail. The University of Alaska West Ridge Ski Trail received $90,000, with which they eventually constructed 1.2 kilometers of lighted trail. The remaining of the funds were distributed among the other groups.

The Salcha lighted trail segment was completed by the fall of 1981. To stretch the available funds, the electrical and mechanical design was done by the Salcha Ski Club. Inquiries had indicated that hiring an engineering firm to develop the necessary design would consume a large portion of the state Grant. (The design and completed project were inspected and approved by Borough Engineers). Once the 47 wooden utility poles were set in place by a contractor, hardware and fixtures were installed and wire was strung by two volunteers, Darrell Coe and Hubert Jodwallis, who spent their evenings that September and early October at the top of the individual light poles. The use of volunteers for all labor and the ability to design the entire system resulted in a longer and better lighted trail. Today, after 18 years, the Salcha lighted trail system continues to work without a flaw.

The second grant came directly from the State Legislature in response to a detailed plan for expanding and improving the Salcha trails into: (1) a Nordic racing system equal to any in the country; and (2) obtaining the necessary equipment so that the Salcha Ski Club could maintain these trails during summer and winter. The plan, written by Darrell, was backed by a broad-based community lobbying effort. The State Legislature approved a grant for $130,000, more than the amount that had been requested by the Salcha Ski Club.

Improvement of the existing five kilometer trail and expansion of the trails system to fifteen kilometers was carried out between 1983 through 1985. The grant was administered by the Salcha Ski Club. 1

Much of the proposed work was labor intensive. The trail plan had called for all vegetation (trees, bushes, down and dead timber, etc.) to be removed from the vicinity of the trail; no unsightly "wind rows" were to remain at the side of the trail. In addition, grass was to be planted at all cut banks, graded areas, etc. to prevent erosion. The removal of vegetation from the vicinity of the trail, the preparation of the ground and the planting of grass seed, fertilization, etc. along with a variety of other tasks were all done by laborers using hand tools. A crew of laborers working regularly was required. 2

All during this project, involving most of three summers, Darrell was on site, serving as both project engineer and general foreman. He also handled all paperwork, including payroll, insurance, equipment rental, bids for equipment for trail maintenance purchase of supplies and materials, etc. He submitted monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to the IRS, State, and Borough. And while it was made clear that it would be completely appropriate for him to accept payment for the time he spent, he refused to accept any payment, directly or indirectly, for his efforts.

Upon completion of all goals in the Salcha Ski Club's trail improvement and expansion plan, $23,000 of the State grant remained. This amount was returned to the State of Alaska.

The ski trails at Salcha have been utilized each year to the present for Nordic races ranging from competitions sanctioned by the International Ski Federation and the United States Ski Association to Bill Koch league races for the youngest of elementary school children. Alaska High School State Championships were twice held there. Nearly every year Salcha has been the site of statewide tryout races for the Arctic Winter Games (alternate years) and the National Junior Championships (every year). It is utilized daily by Salcha area skiers, and many of those skiers have gone on to impressive heights as Nordic ski racers.

Darrell Coe retired in July of 1986. He has not been involved with the Salcha Ski Club since that time. During the years since his departure the Salcha Ski Club has, without exception and under a succession of coaches and Ski Club Directors, continued the tradition of maintaining the Salcha trails system in optimum condition for the benefit of all skiers. We take pride in this tradition.

Fall 2006- After over twenty years of service, Coach Jim Ostlind retired from the Salcha Ski Club, leaving a program rich in traditions and experience. Although the entire Salcha family is sad to see him leave his long-time post, the club is continuing to run under new coaching and a great set of volunteers. In March 2007, the Salcha Ski Club hosted the Cross Country Alaska (CCAK) Junior Skiing Championships at the Darrell Coe Ski Trails.

1 While all administrative work was done by the designated administrator (D. Coe), the FNSB administrative offices reviewed all expenditures, equipment rental agreements, payroll records, personnel actions, etc.

2 The initial intention was to hire laborers through the Borough personnel offices, thus avoiding a substantially increased administrative load. This strategy was reconsidered when it was learned that laborers hired through the Borough offices would require daily transportation furnished from Fairbanks to Salcha and return each day, portal to portal pay, and wage rated in excess of $20 per hour. Furthermore, it was considered unlikely that laborers would be available, there being many state-funded capital improvement projects underway in Fairbanks at that time. After consulting with the Alaska State Employment Offices an alternate plan was structured. This involved hiring teenagers from the Salcha area for most labor intensive activities. Their pay began at $5 per hour and commenced each day when they arrived at the work site. Everyone who asked for a job was hired; interestingly, only those who had been working as volunteers continuously for substantial periods expressed interest. Adults experienced with tree felling were hired to remove trees; they were paid $18 to $20 per hour. Many unpaid volunteers also participated in this work on an irregular basis.