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New plan offered by Daytons for Frisco Nordic trail lighting

Lu Snyder

FRISCO – A little more than a week remains until the Frisco Nordic Center is scheduled to open for the season, and operators Gene and Therese Dayton hope to offer night skiing to season pass holders shortly afterwards.

At its Oct. 15 meeting, the Frisco Town Council said it supported lighting for evening skiing at the Nordic center. Council members seemed hesitant to make a financial commitment, however, as the lights the Daytons wish to use have not been proven at this climate and altitude and do not meet town code.

Today, the Daytons have an updated proposal to present to the town council.



Instead of the six to nine solar-powered lights they originally proposed, they reworked “the loop so we could get by with the minimum,” Therese Dayton said.

The town already owns three lights. The Daytons would like to purchase a fourth themselves and will ask for the council’s approval at the worksession today.



“We determined it was better for us to make the investment right now,” she said. “We’ll show that we’re invested in this, too.”

If the Daytons’ plan is approved, they will use the four solar-powered lights to illuminate a short loop for after-work skiing. They also hope to purchase Christmas lights to designate the 600 feet of trail connecting the parking area to the ski loop.

They also are proposing to start the evening skiing experiment as soon as possible, rather than waiting until January, Therese Dayton said, with the agreement they give the council a progress report in late December.

“I don’t anticipate marketing it to anybody but season pass holders right now – at least for the first month,” she said.

Once the Daytons collect some skier feedback and are able to determine skier interest, they can determine whether there’s enough demand for evening skiing to justify a longer trail, the need for additional staff or perhaps use of the lodge, restrooms and rentals.

“We’re really looking at how we can do it seven nights” rather than only a few nights a week, Therese Dayton said. “We’re really looking at what we can do and what we can manage with some consistency.”

Lu Snyder can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 203, or lsnyder@summitdaily.com.


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