OUR CLUB

The Flyers were founded by a small group of cross-country skiing enthusiasts including Dave Price (the first president), Dave Thompson (who suggested the name Muskeg Flyers), Marsh Hoke, Barb Prescott and others. Carl Hunt held the position of Trails Chairperson until the Winter Games in 1986. 

The club needed to find a permanent place to ski and to develop for the future. Paul Steffes, a forester and avid skier, recommended several possible locations in the Edson area. From these, the Hornbeck site was chosen due to its proximity to town, accessibility by an all-season road, suitable terrain, and interesting forest cover. 

The first trail was a 10 kilometer loop that started from the present parking lot, went south along the roadside ditch for about 0.5 km then turned and went straight west to the top of Hornbeck Hill. The trail went down the hill to connect to an existing bush road and then back to the parking lot. There were no bridges over the creeks in those days so track-setting was an adventure and skiing over the creeks was a challenge.  The club’s first track setter was built by a local welder and was pulled by an 8 HP Skidoo borrowed from Fish & Wildlife. Volunteers had to ski behind the track setter to smooth the snow, often leading to some exciting (and sometimes chaotic) moments at stream crossings.

Initially, the trails had no protection from development.  In 1984, the club worked with the Alberta Forest Service (AFS) to gain designation for the trails as a non-motorized Forest Recreation Area. The Muskeg Flyers were responsible for trail maintenance while the AFS retained management authority. This change gave the club and local skiers a much more significant voice in any possible future developments. The Muskeg Flyers were able to work with government and private companies to lessen the negative effects of these developments and to improve the trails. In the early days, the club shared trail maintenance with the Alberta Forest Service but budget cuts in 1995 meant that the club had to maintain the trails on their own.

Throughout the 1980s, industrial activities like pipeline construction and logging impacted the Hornbeck area. However, through collaboration with companies like Sabine Oil, the Muskeg Flyers were able to work around these changes. Some of the new trails, like the winding 10K and 15K trails, were designed by the club and provided unique challenges for skiers.

In those early days, there were a number of other club activities including moonlight skis with mulled wine, adult ski lessons, and mountain ski tours. Some of these activities have continued, intermittently, to the present. The club bought avalanche equipment for club members to use on backcountry tours and they purchased biathlon rifles and targets to help promote biathlon competitions. The avalanche gear, rifles and other biathlon gear have long been given new homes where they are being used. 

Brian Willis coordinated a large Jackrabbit’s Kids’ program at the Edson Golf Course. Judy Buchanan and Mike Mappin initiated the junior ski racing program and developed some notable young racers such as Brent Lueck, Laurie and Bill Hunt. Richard Quinlan took over the reigns of the coaching program and several young athletes participated around the province in Alberta Cup races, loppets and biathlon events. They included: Daren Lind, Darren Hueser, Darren Grosky, Joe Radench, Phil Switzer, the Kochanski’s and many others. Errol Bowren organized and created the start/finish area “Errol’s Acres” for the 1986 Alberta Winter Games.  Several of our local athletes competed in the 1986 games which show-cased the Hornbeck Ski area.

As the 1990’s approached, the warm-up shelter was moved to its present location from a newly closed provincial campground. The club built the concrete pad that it sits on, winterized it, and constructed the woodshed at the end of it. The club also added some storage sheds and a time-keepers shed.

During this time some of the Jackrabbits, such as Jonas Hoke continued on to racing and Karlis Kesans coached a biathlon program at Willmore Park.  The club has a deep history of hosting races over the years from our own Mooseheart Loppet to Alberta Cup Races to the Alberta Winter Games to Biathlon Events at Willmore Park.  

Over the years, many volunteers have helped keep the club and trails moving forward. Some volunteers have worked on the Executive, some grooming and track-setting, some clearing downed trees and encroaching alders and willows, with some volunteers doing all of the above. During this time, the club purchased a number of sets of kid’s skis, boots, and poles to rent them out to club members.  The Tea & Cookies program was created to encourage families to come out to Hornbeck and enjoy skiing and the great outdoors.

In 2023, the wildfires that swept through Edson, Alberta caused extensive damage. The fires, driven by extreme heat, dry conditions, and strong winds, engulfed large sections of the region, burning forested areas.  Our club lost much of our grooming equipment, windows and door to our shelter, and storage facilities which were off-site but “in the line of fire”.  Immediately after the fires roared through the Edson area, torrential rains ensued which caused severe flooding to our trail system and damaged and/or washed out our three bridges.  Although insurance covered some of our losses, the generosity of our community allowed us to replace our windows, doors, and some of our uninsured equipment. Thank you to all who pitched in!  Special thanks to Jay Bowren who guided the recovery efforts.

Despite these challenges, and with the on-going support of the local community, the Muskeg Flyers continue to thrive. The club invites all ski enthusiasts to join and help rebuild the legacy of this incredible group. The Muskeg Flyers are committed to fostering a welcoming environment and keeping the Hornbeck Trails alive for future generations.