I got out and groomed the 5k loop and biathlon stadium with the Pistenbully, but it's still soft after 20" new snow over the past week. I skied it with Minnesota Youth Ski League this afternoon, and it was soft. Better day for classic skiing. Grant-in-Aid side (below Bittersweet) has not been groomed yet. We will either take the Pistenbully through or wait until the snow firms up a bit. The snowmobile groomer is having a tough time with the soft base. Either way, wow! The deep snow is beautiful!

Photos:

(Bob Conzemius)

15" new snow this week. Pistenbully grooming where the trails are wide enough. Elsewhere, we are grooming with the snowmobile and Tidd-Tech. All the new snow is softening the base a bit, causing some difficulty for the snowmobile going uphill with the track setter on the groomer. Please be careful going down the upper portion of Otter Slide because the snowmobile got stuck several times on that section (I tried to repair as well as I could). Otherwise, trails are in excellent shape! Enjoy all the new snow!

(Bob Conzemius)

Probably best skiing of this season at Mt. Itasca. 20 degrees F, perfectly groomed trails. Huge thanks to Bob the groomer!

Photos:

(Vladimir Cervenka)

10" new snow over the past three days. We hosted the JNQ over the weekend and are now busy trying to keep up with the snowy weather. Pistenbully groomed all the biathlon trails and the top loop. The rest of the trails were groomed with the Tidd-Tech. Tracks have been set on all trails. Have made multiple passes, and hopefully, it will firm up again.

(Bob Conzemius)

Groomed the whole trail system and reset track on biathlon trails. On the Grant-In-Aid trails, groomed the skate lane only because the base is firm, and the track setter on the Tidd Tech does not set a great track in a firm base. The old tracks are still in good shape. Conditions are excellent!

(Bob Conzemius)

Couple of inches of new snow provided nice cover over previously groomed and tracked trails. Level trails accessed by going up gradual ascent/descent Service Road and enjoying upper Grant in Aid public trail systems for beginners and intermediate. No need to venture onto more challenging terrain like Widow's Run or Otter Slide or Water Fall.
Some of the lower loops were groomed, but the snow cover was easily skated or packed into classic track.

(Catherine McLynn)

Visiting Grand Rapids area and first time at the trails. Very nice facilities to change in and heated bathrooms. Trail fee paid honor system. Weather in the upper 20's with low cloud cover. We skate skied into the biathlon arena area on perfectly groomed wide trail. With no sun and limited signage, we were a bit confused as to the trail system. We started in and began to climb, names like Triple Twister and Roller Coaster. :-) We were looking for something a little more flat so were probably in the wrong place. However, all trails again perfectly groomed with a very level deck and wide. Skied past the ski jumps and trying to stay left to make the longest loop possible. Due to the fog/low cloud cover and multiple junctions we moved a bit slow. This looks like a great place to have some fun on hills and a really well utilized area. Would categorize what we skied as a more advanced to expert terrain. Thank you!

(Jason Sannes-Venhuizen)

Thanks to great grooming overnight, skiing today with 200 mysl skiers and parents and coaches was fantastic!
Just enough snow tilled for good bite and snowplowing control for developing skills. Temps in 30's kept snow cool and skiers comfy! Hooray!

(Catherine McLynn)

Trails are in great shape after 8" new snow during the past week and two rounds of grooming, the most recent of which was January 14. Users are requested to pay the daily fee of $6 or a season fee of $60 to support early season snowmaking and Pistenbully grooming on the biathlon portion of the trails. The rest are Grant-in-Aid trails, which require a Minnesota ski pass.

Photos:

(Bob Conzemius)

6" new snow Wednesday night and Thursday. Groomed both the biathlon course and the Grant-In-Aid trails and set tracks. Trails should now be in excellent shape! A good 10" on the ground and 4-5" trail base now.

(Bob Conzemius)