Very busy day with more than 200 skiers signing-in. All trails are open, were tracked, and groomed Friday night. KidSki session 3 will be Sunday 1:45-3:45. With 125 kids, plus instructors and parents, the parking will be congested, the chalet and surrounding area crowded, and rentals paused until 3:45. Sunday is a No Dog Day.

(John Graham)

3+ inches of snow overnight! Today we compacted all trails, groomed all skate decks, and set new classic tracks on both the 6K and 8K. It's still soft, untransformed snow, and saw a lot of use today, but the trail is smoothing-out, no exposed rocks, and safe for best skis. Thursday is a "Dog Day" for Season Members. We are open 8-8 everyday and the 3K lighted loop will be lit.

Photos:

(John Graham)

First time at Snowflake and was greeted with 3+ inches of new powdery snow. Skied the 8k loop while groomers ginzu'd the 6 k. Groomed 6 K was great, nice and flat and clean. New track was set as well. 8 k grooming was in process when I left. Snow is dry and cold and slow after the deep freeze of the last few days but was by far the best skiing of the season. Thanks groomers!

Photos:

(Keith Holmquist)

Nice to see 2-3 inches of new snow and above 0 degrees! I skied the 8 k, it wasn't groomed yet but still fun. Groomers finished the 6 k and were heading out the 8 k when I finished. Thank you groomers for getting on this trail right away. Great conditions.

(Joe Medlin)

Variable snow, and trails were mostly well-worn, with what looked like the last grooming multiple days prior. The most variable conditions were closer to the lodge, with greater consistency a few K in on the 6K. Looks like classic tracks were fairly worn or washed out in places, but snow depth was definitely sufficient throughout. Cold and not too fast snow, and a cold ski all around, but happy there was natural snow- not too crowded, with enough hardy souls out there to keep one motivated.

(Pieter DeHart)

A brisk morning for sure but conditions at Snowflake are the best around if you want to ski the natural stuff. It was not as good as the last two days due to being more 'skied in' and, of course, negative temps don't help the glide. Swix Polar seemed to work pretty well though. Coverage is really good. You could use your good skis- only a few dirty areas that are avoidable. I mostly stuck to the 8K, which was a bit softer but also slower. Thanks John and crew for nice conditions in another meager snow year.

(Tom Heinitz)

Due to forecast extreme temperatures, Snowflake hours are as follows: Saturday Jan 18 thru Monday Jan 22, open from 8am-6pm. The trail lights will be off, and we will be closed from 6pm-8am.

(John Graham)

Good old Snowflake! George knew where the most snow was. Less than 5 miles as the crow flies from my house, there is 50% more snow there. I found the classic track to be very skiable on both the 8k and 6k loops. Some places a bit shallow, and some places a few dog prints, but never problematic at all, even for an old guy. The skate lane looked great on both loops, a bit more used on the 6 k, but still not hard or icy at all, and the skaters I talked to were having a blast. Pictures are from both 6k and 8k loops. 29 F when I started and a bit warmer when I finished, the snow still a bit colder so Swix extra blue yielded plenty of kick, waxed pretty short.

Photos:

(Tim Holst)

Really good conditions at Snowflake. The bumps that had plagued my earlier outing are gone and the result is a really fun trail. Pros and speed demons might describe the snow as "soft" but I would prefer "forgiving" and "good to ski on" and "nice to fall down in". Classic tracks didn't seem to exist much.

(Tim Bontrager)

Re-groomed the 6K skate deck today (photos 1,2). Still soft, untransformed snow, but a smoother trail. The 6K classic track set Sunday is well skied-in, but has soft walls. We then groomed the 8K skate deck side-to-side (photo 3). Soft but safe for good skis. Striders are welcome to ski the right side of the trail. Grooming plans: We will set a classic track on the 8K once we get warmer temps so that we get a freeze/thaw cycle to set them up.

Photos:

(John Graham)