Christmas snowfall great for opening of lodge

Snowfall on Christmas Eve was a great gift for cross-country skiers on the west coast of Newfoundland.

The snow fell just in time for the opening of the lodge at the Blow Me Down trails in Corner Brook.

Keelan Purchase was out on the trails with his brother on Boxing Day to test out the new equipment he got for Christmas.

"We've not got a lot of free time on our hands here," said Purchase. "So we're making the most of it."

Shawn Leamon, manager of the lodge, said the 20 centimetres was a gift from Mother Nature for those who love the outdoors.

"With this now we had a great base built, a little bit of rain over the last couple of days just to settle it a bit, and this white gold now for Christmas, it was a great gift," said Leamon.

Boxing Day is the cross-country club's traditional opening day.

Leamon said that the combination of new snow, time off work and, for some, new gear under the tree brought a lot of people out.

"This is huge because ... lots of people got new equipment and new skis and time," Leamon said.  "So they want to get out and want to enjoy this new snow that's here," he added.

The club is now preparing for a busy 2013 season.