Ishpeming, MI --The Noquemanon Trail Network (NTN), a 501c3 organization committed to developing and maintaining non-motorized trails in Marquette County, announces several partnerships for the 2003/04 cross-country ski season.

The NTN will contract with the DNR to groom the cross-country ski trails at Blueberry Ridge Pathway. In addition, the NTN will include Ishpeming’s Al Quaal Recreation trails, the Marquette Golf Course’s newly developed ski trail, Grey Walls, and another new trail, the Big Bay Trail, in their skier armband program.

Membership forms for the network are now available and include information on the NTN’s skier armband program. Skiers becoming 03/04 NTN members and purchasing an armband will help fund the grooming of 85 kilometers of ski trails this year--20 kilometers at Al Quaal, 8 kilometers on the new Grey Walls course, 25 k’s of the Lower Noquemanon Trail, 12 k’s at Saux Head near Big Bay, and 20 k’s on the Big Bay trail. The NTN armband is not required to ski at Blueberry Ridge, which is a publicly owned facility. Skiers using that trail system are asked to voluntarily support the pay pipe posted at the trailheads; the proceeds will help defray the NTN’s grooming and agency costs.

Local skiers and visitors will now find more than 100 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails throughout Marquette County.

Armbands are priced at $25 for students, $50 for adults, and $110 for families. The NTN also offers discounts for supporters becoming members and buying armbands. A daily pass will also be offered for $5.00.

“We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with these entities and make purchasing a skier armband an attractive proposition for all skiers,” commented John Sonderegger, President of the NTN. “We are one of the nation’s best ski areas with over 100 kilometers of trails, the various type of terrain we offer, the quality of the grooming, our snowfall, and a trail grooming reporting system. We’ve already been named a cross-country ski town by Cross Country Skier, a national ski publication, and we want to live up to that reputation. Our local skiers are crucial to this designation by providing the funding needed to maintain the excellent trails we have in our area.”

Membership forms, armbands, daily tags, and cross country ski maps are available at the Ishpeming and Marquette Chamber offices, local ski shops, the Al Quaal Lodge, and the Nordic Bay Lodge.

For more information on NTN membership and the cross-country ski armband program, please call the NTN’s office at 226-6591 or 486-4841 or log onto www.noquetrails.org.