Our Heavy Mechanical Trades Foundation students got some great experience recently when they serviced a Prinoth BR350 snow cat and groomer.
The snow cat belongs to Bear Mountain Ski Hill and was in need of track repair and servicing. Bryan Harman, a long-time volunteer with the ski hill, was thrilled with the students’ work.
“This was a tremendous amount of help for the ski hill,” he said. “We’re run by volunteers, so for the college to take that on, I cannot thank them enough for the work they did.”
The snow cat is vital to the hill’s operations; they use it to move the snow guns into place so they can make snow for all the runs, as well as groom the trails. Because of the work done on the snow cat, Harman said Bear Mountain will have one of its earliest opening days ever.
Rod Cork, Dean of Trades and Apprenticeships for NLC, said the students had an amazing opportunity working with a community group towards a mutually beneficial end.
“It’s important that students experience activities which support the community around them,” said Cork. “Being able to partner up with Bear Mountain gave these students an opportunity to work on a piece of specialty equipment which they would otherwise have missed out on. The ski hill benefits from a reduced repair and maintenance expense.”
The class plans to take a field trip up to the ski hill to check out the snow cat onsite in the coming weeks.
If you are interested in our Heavy Mechanical Trades program and want to more, visit the website or email info@nlc.bc.ca
