This 'ski-ano' (yes, a piano on skis) is spreading joy in northern B.C. woods

Cross-country skiers on the trails of the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club in Prince George, B.C., are being greeted by a surprise sight this season: an old upright piano atop of four pairs of skis.

The "ski-ano," as it's been dubbed, is the brainchild of general manager Angela LeFebvre who decided to put the piano, which formerly occupied the club's lodge, "out where the people are" in light of COVID-19 restrictions.

LeFebvre said the piano — which was appropriately built by the Winter Piano company — has fallen out of tune over the years and after an unsuccessful attempt to find a new home for it, "we thought how else can we repurpose it?"

Enter staffer Eric Hoffman who bolted old downhill skis to the bottom of the piano and then used a snowmobile to transport it to the trails.

"A few people were like, 'Hey why did you waste a perfectly good piano,' but then we told them that it would have gone to the garbage dump if we hadn't done this and they're like 'OK,' " Hoffman said.

Some of the keys don't work and others are out of tune or sticking, but LeFebvre said it still seems to bring people joy as they stop to play a short tune while out on the trails.

"In a year that has caused a lot of stress and strain on people ... we're seeing a lot of happy faces and excited people," she said.

Rather than leave it in one place, Hoffman is hauling the piano to a new spot every week, creating a bit of a scavenger hunt and encouraging people to explore the club's more than 50 kilometres of trail.

The club has reported record enrolment this year, something LeFebvre attributes to the fact many people are looking for new outdoor winter activities as COVID-19 restrictions prevent indoor gatherings.

"This is the place you can come to escape the pressures that we're experiencing right now," she said.

As for the ski-ano, LeFebvre said she's not sure how many seasons they'll be able to get out of the current model. But if other people have old pianos destined for the dump, "We'd love to make this an annual thing."

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