Snowmachine users should pay fees

To the editor:

Archangel snowmachine users pay your grooming fees! The Archangel cross-country ski corridor is less than 2 miles long and comprises less than 10 acres of the thousands of acres available to everyone in Hatcher pass, including snowmachines.

This small corridor is non-motorized use only, but the snowmachine riders use it relentlessly, rendering it useless to skiers! If snowmachine riders insist on using it anyway, they should kindly help defray grooming costs by joining the Mat-Su Ski Club online at matsuski.org/. Club fees pay for the ($16,000 each) grooming machines used to maintain this ski area — the groomers are all volunteer.

Additional fees from snowmachine users would help defray some of the expense, especially since snowmachine use of the trail requires more frequent grooming. Snowmachine riders pay no user fees of any kind anyway, so it would be much smarter to simply stay off the ski trails altogether, a win-win for everyone. Enjoy your use, but be responsible, too.

Chris Jones

Palmer