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)

We got 5-6" of fluff overnight! Multiple compacting runs on the 6K yielded a smooth, but very soft deck of un-transformed snow. We set a classic track on the 6K which got a lot of traffic this afternoon. We also compacted/groomed a single track skate lane on the 8K. All of the decks are soft. But we're thrilled to have new snow to work with. We also hosted 125 future olympians for KidSki session 1 today. Big Thank You to the high school, college, and parent Coaches who help this program succeed.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Groomers had finished the 5/6k before we got there at noon, and it was beautiful skiing. Skate deck was a bit soft. Tracks were good. We got done before the kid-ski crowd showed up. Lots of future skiers is great to see!

(Jon Swenson Tellekson)

Skied the 6k, conditions are surprisingly good! Good glide on the skate trail, the bumps are better. It looked like the classic tracks didn't exist, but folks were out having fun without them.

(Tim Bontrager)

What a difference a half an inch of snow can make! We went out, one skated, two classic skied today on the 5k and Special K. Tracks on 85% or so, very solid, but not super wide throughout so if you have wider skis beware (my husband got caught on a narrow spot and fell). Skate deck was not re-groomed since the snow, and it was still in great shape with the base underneath. Full coverage, a few bumps in spots but nothing major, no ice, nothing scary at all. I am a chicken on downhills and was able to ski down all without any fear. Best skating with real snow in Duluth for sure! Thanks groomers for keeping up what we had.

(Eve Graves)

This afternoon we set the knives shallow and took the Ginzus around the 8K. The base is even shallower than the 6K, we counted 4 exposed rocks, many areas of exposed ground, and the trail has lots of debris (photos 1-3). The classic track is <50%. Rock Skis strongly recommended on the 8K. We then ran the 6K, which is in much better shape, 99% covered, smooth but bumpy. Classic tracks <50%, but a bit better on SpecialK. Light snow began as we finished. Grooming plans: Our plan is to do no more grooming until after the next snow event. KidSki will go from 1:30-4 for the next six Sundays. The chalet area will be crowded with 160 participants + parents, so the best Sunday visiting will be before 1:30 or after 4.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Today, I dropped the Ginzu knives just enough to scrape the deck and did multiple passes on the 6K, yielding a smoother surface and some corduroy. Can't till deeper because the base is so shallow. The classic track is <50% intact, and can't be restored until the next snowfall. The "Sprint Loop" on the 8K was also skate-groomed. For the time being, we are OK for skating, but very poor for classic skiing.

Photos:

(John Graham)

I kinda skied and walked at Snowflake today. Went out to Special K to see how it held up since last Thursday. The classic tracks are the same as they were last Thursday -- about 90% there and solid as heck, no ice. I classic ski with a very narrow racing skin and honestly think anything thicker would be a challenge and you would get caught on the tracks. The skate deck was a step above concrete, not really much of an edge anymore as it must have been very well used. If you like to go really fast when skating, you will have a blast.

(Eve Graves)