Skied the loops at OO and then north on both Birkie and Classic trails. Warm temp a couple days ago had no effect on the trail and we received about an inch of light snow on top of the groomed trails so we were classic skiing on the skied in classic trails. Skiing was good on both the classic Birkie trail and Birkie trail north of OO and at OO loops. No problem using good skis.

Photos:

(David Gorringe)

Skied the OO loops Wednesday night. Many lights out, the tracks were in pretty rough shape but thankful for what we had.

(Alan Rasmussen)

I skied the loop from Boedecker Road to the Big Rock cut-over and back a couple of times. Tracks had been set a few hours earlier, with the tracks on the classic trail side a bit firmer. Happy to have tracks to ski in!

(Connie Meek)

Surprisingly great for early season. Skied north from OO to high point and had no problem with rocks or thin spots. Also went south from OO and it was the same story. There isn't a ton of snow but the Birkie groomers have done an outstanding job. It will only get better, too, as it was snowing Sunday. When that gets layered in it will get better and better. Best way to get ready for the Birkie hills is to ski them many times before February.

(Mike Sund)

Skied on the 3-4" of rolled snow this morning, around 10:30am, from OO south for about 6K each way. The Birkie groomers are amazing and did what they could with what they have. There are no tracks set yet and I wouldn't call the rolled snow a deck for skating. I would say the grass and rocks are 80-85% covered, but now that folks have skied on it a bit, there are a few light grass patches, exposed rock, and partially exposed rocks to watch out for. If you are careful, however, you can get some good skiing in and you definitely get to work on balance and uneven terrain negotiation. Definitely worth the effort, so pick up an annual pass, enjoy, and think snow!

Photos:

(Brian Kantar)

Picked up my Birkie Trail Pass yesterday and skied south from OO this afternoon. The main trail had good traffic pack and I only came across a couple crusty divots and exposed pieces of debris. Felt like twice the snow depth of Hayward proper. Side trails were looser and had more exposed twigs and debris. All and all, trail conditions were good and a lot better than I had expected. It felt great to be out on the trail - excited to see how it feels after this weekend!

(Nathan Garrett)

Skied Boedecker loop from OO. A little thin and bumpy but good coverage. The most recent pass with the roller was better skiing than those with an inch of new snow. Logging going on very close to the trail. Good early season skiing.

Photos:

(Tom Detzner)

Classic skied from the power lines to North end trails on the 4 inches of snow. Once we got a track set it was fun going back and forth. Skating was not as good as you never knew if you would skate out on a rock. Still all in all great to be on skis after the long wait.

(Dick Roeber)

10:30AM update: Our first grooming report of the season! We have a single roller pass from Hwy OO north to the Powerlines on both the Birkie Skate and Classic trails (a second pass from OO to Boedecker), as well as all the loops at OO trail head. We will continue rolling with the goal of getting the entire system rolled by tomorrow. After that sits a bit, we will be able to determine if we have enough snow to do a little combing/leveling. More snow in the forecast, so keep checking back for updates!

Photos:

(Ben Popp, American Birkebeiner)

Got the rollers out on the Birkie Trail last night to see how the coverage looked. We assess how it turned out this morning under the light of day - but looked promising. Got only approx 2-3 inches of total snow, but with the good trail surface, looking good. Will report back later today with more info.

Photos:

(Ben Popp, American Birkebeiner)