A gas powered water pump valued at $6,500 has been stolen from Cross Country Yukon. The pump is used by CCY to pressurize water for snowmaking. It is not possible to make snow without the pump. The theft has been reported to the RCMP.

According to Cross Country Yukon sport coordinator and spokesperson Alain Masson, it is suspected the equipment was stolen late Wednesday night.

“I went in (Wednesday) to just check on everything, it all was there,” said Masson.

“(Thursday) I went back because we are getting ready to make snow and we wanted to test the equipment. The locks on the trailer were cut; whoever took it must have used bolt-cutters. That is when we noticed the pump was missing, and called the RCMP right away. It was the only piece of equipment that was stolen. ”

The snowmaking equipment is stored in a large snowmobile trailer in the Canada Games Centre parking lot. The pump is a heavy item, weighing around 167 pounds, “it would take two people to carry it,” said Masson. It would “have taken effort to access and to locate” the pump.

Snowmaking in the early season (as well as low-snow times of the year) enables the Yukon Ski Team and the Cross-Country Ski Club programs to have early and consistent access to skiing at Mt. Mac. The goal had been to begin making snow as soon as overnight temperatures allowed, hopefully as early as next week.

“The timing couldn’t have been worse,” said Masson.

The Cross Country Yukon board of directors and staff have started a Go Fund Me campaign online. The goal is to raise $6,000. If the stolen water pump is returned, the money raised will be put to further snowmaking efforts. In the mean time CCY is currently researching rental opportunities.