We are expecting good conditions for the New Year's holiday weekend. A lot of grooming was done today with the Pisten Bully and we can finally say that all trails are open. Now that all trails are open we are working on making conditions excellent - we have the snow to work with! You may find soft areas on the trails that were most recently opened. A skate deck is set on all trails. Classic tracks are set on all trails except for a portion of the outer loop. We are planning to get out in the morning and do some more grooming. Have fun! A big thank you to the volunteers that worked on clearing trees from the trails to open them - the last of the trails were cleared on Wednesday, allowing all trails to be groomed.

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

Pisten Bully groomed today: Lighted Trail, Short Loop, Cervenka's Curl, and small parts of the Engagement Loop and Alternative Trail. Previously packed, and planning to groom again tomorrow: rest of Alternative Trail and Engagement Loop. Cleared today: Diggins Dragons section of the Outer Loop. Not cleared at all, with 2 feet of ungroomed snow and trees: remainder of the Outer Loop, Odden's Ridge Run, Corkscrew, and Express. It's slower going than we would like, but we will keep working on it. Conditions are very good on the groomed trails. Every little bit helps - picking up sticks as you ski is appreciated.

Photos:

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

We have received a lot of heavy, wet snow the last two days. This will be great for making a base for a winter of great skiing. We need to give the snow time to dry out before putting equipment on it. We also have many trees and branches down, so grooming will take time. Grooming plans: We plan to start grooming the trails on Friday.

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

All trails are now groomed with "early season" conditions except Odden's Ridge Run and the Corkscrew. Tracks are set on most trails, but use rock skis in the tracks. The skate deck is pretty good, watch for thin spots. We are currently grooming with the Track Truck as we want more snow before firing up the Pisten Bully.

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

Skied the available trails, which included the shortest loop (the cabin is on) and the alternative loop. Good conditions for early season! A bit thin in places but overall nice.

(Anna DeMers)

The following trails were groomed (packed only) on Thursday: Short Loop, Cervenka's Curl, and Alternative Trail (approximately 10 km). There is not enough snow to set tracks. Expect some decent skiing with a thin base - use your rock skis. We will need more snow to have great conditions, but it's a start.
Update: Good reports from Friday - skiers are finding the conditions better than expected on the trails that are groomed.

(Louis Muench, CASTA)