This summer, the Schans in Uden will work hard at Skibaan. More than four years ago a catastrophic fire raged on the track. After earlier renovation jobs it is time for the biggest work this summer. Dozens of volunteers are busy day in day out to have the track ready again in September. “After the summer it is better than before the fire,” says board member Rob de Wolf.
The catastrophic fire on Friday, April 16, is still engraved in the memory at Rob de Wolf. The fire destroyed large parts of the slopes and caused hundreds of thousands of euros in damage. “The fire started at the top of the middle competition track where ‘De Schans’ stands. Then the fire is pulled all the way down.”
The middle and the right piste were partly destroyed. “It was a financially difficult story. We got a small part back from the insurance. The rest really came from our own resources.”
Four years later, the club still has to deal with the after -effects of the fire. “We had a fixed schedule to replace the mats of the lanes. Because of that fire, that schedule is confused and some of the mats are different than we were used to.”
“It’s an incredible amount of work. We need every hand.”
This year’s major renovation costs more than 150,000 euros. To reduce the costs, volunteers are called upon. More than 2000 hours of work are largely filled in by the Golden Forces. “It’s an incredible amount of work. We need every hand.”
One of those volunteers is Lucas van Spaendonk. Almost daily he is now doing odd jobs on the slopes where he normally stands as a ski instructor. “We have recovered things with a lot of people just after the fire, which we now see that it is not working well. We are now trying to correct that as much as possible, so that it is a beautiful job again after the summer.”
“We made this smoother with a bulldozer, so that more people can learn to ski on it.”
This summer’s renovation is aimed at restoring the job, but the ambition continues. More things are being tackled. In addition to the repair work, the club wants to do some extras to get better out after the summer than before the fire, Lucas knows. One of those things are new water gutters. “There we try to catch the water that we spray the track to slide better. Then we can reuse it again through that special gutter.”
“In addition, we also wanted to replace the right track,” adds De Wolf to the work. “At first it was a stunt track. There was a very high bump in with a deep pit. We made this smoother with a bulldozer, so that some more people can learn to ski on it.”
The structure, which has since started, is precision work. “After making the track in order, felt will first get on. Then there is a layer of plastic over it that brings the sprayed water to the gutters. A layer of felt comes and finally the famous turf mats come on.”
“It’s a huge job, but fun to do,” adds the board member. He therefore does not doubt whether the slopes are ready on time. “We will open again on September 13. Then it must be finished, but that will certainly succeed.”
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