Our base survived the wet, warm weather and current snow is restoring cover to a few thin/open spots. Wind did bring several trees down on to the trails. On Friday morning we plan to take our only "up" sled and a Ginzu around the 6K, cutting and clearing the trees as we go. Once the trail is clear we will finish grooming the skate deck and, if possible, set a classic track. The 8K is open, but will not be groomed. We will be open to skiers, no dogs, all day from Friday thru Sunday. Chalet will be open, please sign-in before you ski. Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Ramadan!

Photos:

(John Graham)

Surveyed the trail conditions today, and as the photos show, we had 3-4" of wet snow, atop a saturated base, which will leach water to the top once it is compacted. Temps go cold tonight, so we plan to compact the 6K trail and groom it for skating at sunrise on Saturday. If practical, we'll set a classic track. Then, we'll be open until Noon. We plan to repeat on Sunday morning. No dogs, and please sign-in before you ski.

Photos:

(John Graham)

The warm temps, rain, and mixed precip since Tuesday have saturated our base, and likely exposed ground on some south-facing sections. Too soft and wet to survey the trails at this time. So, we are closed to all activity until further notice. Today's winds, and some time, will help dry out the snow. When it is traffic-able we will survey the trails, determine if we can groom a trail, and update this post. Don't expect anything before Saturday. Mother Nature always has the final say!

(John Graham)

2-3" of wet, sticky snow overnight, atop a base that was already damp from the Sunday temps. I did 4 Ginzu runs in the 6K to compact the deck, but it is still soft and sticky. The clumpy snow thrown off the compactor buried the classic track, so we have the 6K groomed foe Skating. Classic skiers are welcome to ski the right side. 100% coverage, but lots of black spots coming-up. The previously groomed route on the 8K was not groomed today, but is open. Spring Hours, no nogs, and we plan to groom again Tuesday morning.

Photos:

(John Graham)

The 6K skate deck was groomed early this morning. Borderline temp of 32-33? after a warm night, but it is smoothed-out. The groomed sections of the 8K began to collapse under the weight of the sled/Ginzu, so we bailed-off that trail and left well-enough alone. Still 100% trail coverage. Saturday night temps forecast to drop into the 20's, so we plan to be running the Ginzu around the decks early Sunday morning.

(John Graham)

We have a solid base and 100% coverage, as of this morning. We groomed the skate decks on the 6K and the 5 groomed kilometers of the 8K early today. Very nice! The 6K has a classic track: rock-solid and 98% intact. Predictably icy early, but it improves as the sun hits it. It is a fast track. We are Spring Hours: Open 9730-Noon; closed Noon-5:30; Open 5:30-9pm if temps are below 36 degrees. We plan to groom the skate decks early on Saturday and Sunday mornings. No dogs on the premises, due to soft conditions. April skiing on corduroy!

Photos:

(John Graham)

Phenomenal skating on the 6k and groomed portion of the 8k this morning! Freshly groomed, fast and not at all icy. Classic tracks were more variable but overall decent. Get there while you can!

(Tom MacDonald)

In 65 years of skiing, I don't think I have skied blue wax classic on March 31, and then had a half dozen robins in the trees by my car when I left. 28 F from just before 10 to just before noon when I skied. Jim had just finished setting the classic track on the 6 km loop, so it was fresh, but very good for at least 90% of the trail, a bit washed out in rare places. In some places the icy surface beneath yesterday's new snow showed through in the tracks, but always a sufficient amount of the new snow for good control, and plenty of kick. Lots of skaters out as well, and they were having fun!

(Tim Holst)

Great skating on the 6k and much of the 8k loop. The groomed portion of the 8k was excellent and a bit firmer than the 6k, which was still a bit soft. Classic track on the 6k was not yet set as of 7:30 this morning.

(Tom MacDonald)

We had 2-3" of damp snow atop some rain overnight. This morning we compacted the new snow and groomed skate decks on the 6K and about 5 km of the 8K. It needs to set-up overnight. The 6K classic track is visible under snow, but we will set a new track Thursday morning, when it is sub-freezing. There is no set track on the 8K, but I left snow on the right side in case someone wants to ski-in a track. The groomed portions of the 8K begin at the 8K Trailhead: just follow the grooming and it will bring you back to the normal 8K finish. We are closed the rest of today, and will re-open Spring Hours / no dogs on Thursday morning. Present and forecast temps look like we are nearing the end of a good season!

Photos:

(John Graham)