A beautiful day on the trails. Clouds gave way to sunshine which highlighted the beautiful frost on the trees. A busy day on the trails and thanks everyone that skied in the morning. Trails held out well. At dusk, Skaters Waltz and the skate lane on North Loup was combed and compacted. Looks to be a bit warmer tomorrow, best to get out in the morning again for best conditions. Tracks might be a bit icy early but sweet spot around 10am-12pm. 34km groomed with tracks set, 15km groomed for skate skiing.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Skate deck was in great shape considering the lack of snowfall and warmer temps this season. Members of the grooming team were out tuning the trails while we were there. Shoveling snow into the low spots along with reconditioning the deck. Should be great for the weekend! We didn't classic ski but those trails looked in good condition also.

Photos:

(Ben Olson)

A frosty Friday, high temp around 29F. Snow and base holding out well. 34km groomed for classic, 15km groomed for skate. Reports from skiers good both skate and classic. This evening we groomed the Section Skate course. Get out in morning for best skiing. Photo: Skaters Waltz extension by Peder Arneson.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Sub 30 temperatures remain in place and no melting. We are locked into a zonal flow of upper 20's, thick clouds and high humidity which looks to remain in place looking at the graphs on the NWS. This is keeping the base intact and providing continued skiing opportunities. The base is holding out well and reports from the skiers have been good. No grooming today but we shoveled snow on Sap Run today building up the base in the thinner areas. Best track skiing is on Rootin Tootin, Mother North Star and North Loup. Skating good on all the skate loops, better coverage on Skaters Waltz, couple thin spots on North Loup but totally skiable. Photo from Jamey Jessen on North Loup classic skiing.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

We were slightly cooler today then yesterday for a high temperature (29F) and along with thick clouds above, the base and deck held out well. Skied all the skate trails at lunch time and was pleasantly surprised the deck was a bit more firm than I expected after grooming last night. The thin base and frost down deep keeping the base cooler then the air temperature and helping with snow retention. North Loup and the extension loops of Skaters Waltz a bit more firm now. Skaters Waltz remains the most firm trail on the system. The snow farming crew was back at it this afternoon building up the base on Sap Run and Mother North Star and a new track was set in those areas. Also a new track was set on JibFly which is now double tracked. Before the evening groom on Skaters Waltz, went out for a short spin on the fat bike trail. The deck holding out nicely even after rider traffic today. Just a few areas minor rutting but overall riding great. Best to ride before noon or the evening.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

High temperatures reached 29 degrees this morning. Over lunch hour skied all the skate trails. I was using my good skis (but they were actually slower than my rocks skis I eventually switched to) Skaters Waltz skied a bit faster, most likely due to last nights grooming that gently brought up some sugar snow and mixed it with the thin dusting of silky snow, but still very nice skiing on the extension loops and North Loup to the north. In the afternoon we had a crew out shoveling on the Section classic and sprint courses. At dusk combed out those areas and also all the skate trails.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Temps in the mid 20's, no wind and high humidity made for a cozy day on the trails. At dusk went out on Skaters Waltz beefing up a few southern facing slopes with some shoveling and covered the three flat facing exposed rocks. Used the melted snow from the hi fax which works great to cover the rocks or thin areas, freezes down than cover with snow. Been using the studded track snowmobile which acts like a mini surface tiller, conditioning the surface snow instead of having the stress of running ginzu teeth on the thin base. Also set a new track on Bullhead lake and combed a skate lane for those making a straight run down the hill. Continued shoveling into the evening as a light dense snow was falling. Wasn't much to write home about but should be a nice little refresh for the tracks and make for silky skating tomorrow.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Classic conditions were surprisingly good given the reduced amount of snow our area has received so far this winter. There were far fewer thin spots in the set tracks than what was expected. Wished I would of made the trip sooner. Fun to see so many folks out enjoying the trails. Definitely worth the trip and looking forward to going back with the family next weekend.

(Lance Strum)

A busy day on the trails, great seeing everyone out and we appreciate the season pass purchases this "late" into the season...but hopeful the season will run late! No grooming today but skied most of the outer trails and bits and pieces of the inner trails and also a little bushwhacking through the fields of pines we have planted (we use a portion of trail passes to plant over a thousand of trees each spring). The snow skied fast and fun. The tracks are well used but are holding out. A few more thin areas being exposed but still very skiable with good coverage. Best classic trails I found, and recommend, are Rootin Tootin Mother Hen and North Loup.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

While I found this year's snow depth to be less than what is normally enjoyed at Maplelag, having a wise and seasoned groomer is making all the difference this season. Classic tracks are set everywhere possible and ski conditions are good... well-worth a reservation and a weekend stay at Maplelag. The trails are fun to ski, watching out for the occasional thin spot and use some extra caution.

(Glenn Gifford)