Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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Months after a fire levelled the St. Cyr Trails Club chalet near Meadow Lake, volunteers are deep into construction on a replacement building — a push the club hopes will keep the venue on track to host cross-country and Para nordic skiing at the 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games in February.
When the fire hit, club secretary Desiree Lalonde said the loss “really derailed our plans for hosting the Winter Games,” forcing the non-profit to rethink everything from site cleanup to long-term funding.
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The first phase was gruelling. Volunteers spent weeks cutting apart the twisted metal roof, hauling away melted debris and filling the pit left behind. Lalonde said the cleanup “took significant time” and relied entirely on volunteer labour.
With the ground restored, the club has moved into active rebuilding — a milestone she calls “so rewarding to get to that point.”
A local business, Meadow Lake Properties, donated screw piles and labour to install the new foundation before the ground froze. The club is now securing materials through donations or discounts from area mills and Home Hardware, while a board member handles permits and design.
Because those contributions are still being finalized, Lalonde says the cost of the new chalet remains fluid, noting that prices shift as businesses confirm what they can donate or discount.
Funding is coming from insurance, Saskatchewan Winter Games support and a $20,000 GoFundMe. She emphasized that games funding stretches beyond the chalet.
The Saskatchewan Winter Games has helped with the purchase of new grooming equipment, partial support for a new towing machine and money for trail-widening — upgrades needed to meet competition standards.
While construction will continue through winter — “never ideal,” Lalonde said — she credits the progress to a small but determined group: eight board members and roughly five additional volunteers who have taken on the bulk of the work.
“To rebuild a structure within a year for a completely volunteer-run, a nonprofit organization in a small community … it’s a huge undertaking,” she said.
“I really just cannot overemphasize how much work volunteers have been putting into this.”
The new chalet is essential for the games, but also for the club’s lessons and winter programming. Lalonde said having a heated building encourages people to use the trails even in harsh weather and provides a space for youth ski instruction, snacks and warm-ups between runs.
The Sask. Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 15 to 21, with the cross-country and Para nordic skiing events set for Feb. 18 to 21. With about three months before the games begin, Lalonde says the club is feeling the momentum.
“You can definitely feel the excitement building as we’re getting closer to the games… we’re in that final stretch of getting everything done,” she said.
Those looking to contribute to the rebuild can do so through the club’s GoFundMe campaign here.
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