A sports trust fund boosting the cause of the Whitehorse ski club’s paved path project has already received contributions from donors.

With the assistance of Sport Yukon, Cross Country Yukon (CCY) established the fund which allows individuals, businesses and groups to make donations to help with the costs of the project scheduled to start as early as summer 2016 – if sufficient funding can be secured.

Setting up the trust fund is considered another step forward towards the organization’s dream of having a portion of the ski trails paved for non-winter use.

Having some paved trail surfaces has been a goal of CCY for more than a decade.

For safe summer training, skiers need a non-motorized surface without road crossings.

The paved surface will also assist with early winter skiing as the paved surface requires very little snow to make it skiable.

Improvement to skiing resources and facilities allows Yukon to continue to field national and international level skiers as well as attract events such as the 2016 nationals.

The March 2016 event is expected to boost the local economy by more than $1 million.

The paved trails will be of benefit to more than just cross-country skiers, CCY head coach Alain Masson said in a press release.

“The paved path would be for everyone to use,” he said. “It would be very similar to the Millennium Trail along the Yukon River with the additional benefit of being tied into the Canada Games Centre.

“We think it is a great project that will benefit everyone from the general population to the elite athletes and will greatly enhance the quality of life for all Yukoners.”  

CCY is spearheading this project with support from other groups including the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, Kwanlin Koyotes Ski Club, Biathlon Yukon, and ElderActive.

The fund has been in place for less than one week and already donors have made contributions. CCY will use these monies along with funding it hopes to secure from territorial and federal sources.

Trust fund donation forms for the paved path project are available at Sport Yukon, the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, and CCY.

Donations greater than $20 are eligible for a charitable donation tax receipt.

The project was presented to Whitehorse city council on Dec. 14, as CCY is seeking a $75,000 contribution to be included in the 2016 capital budget.