I arrived just before sunset Friday evening and set off on the 8k loop, not realizing it hadn't been groomed. It was crusty and fast, with lots of debris on the trail as well as a downed tree. Mildly terrifying. After surviving that, I skated the 6 km loop and it was very nice, with a fast groomed surface with minimal trail debris. The classic tracks looked somewhat crusty but fully covered and fairly clean. Thank you groomers for cleaning up many, many twigs, branches and a few trees and giving us a few more days of skiing!

(Tom MacDonald)

Tonight we groomed the 5K and Special K skate decks. We are hosting a MN Biathlon event on Sunday, 7am-2pm. Most of the 5K will be closed from 7am-1pm. For those wanting an easy ski, we groomed a route out to Special K. For those wanting a difficult ski, the 8K will be open. Due to the warm-up, we will close at 6pm on Sunday. We will be Closed on Monday. We will be open 7am-Noon on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. No Dogs until further notice. Our intent is to preserve our base for March skiing.

Photos:

(John Graham)

At night we re-groomed all skate decks. They are firm and flat. Classic tracks on both trails are hard, well formed, 99% intact. Scheduling: Saturday is a Member Dog Day. On Sunday we are hosting a Biathlon Meet. Most of the 5K trail will be closed from Saturday 7pm-Sunday 1pm for the meet. The 8K and SpecialK will be open. We anticipate being closed after noon on Monday to Wednesday next week, in order to preserve our base for March skiing. No Member Dogs if the temp is above 32 degrees.

Photos:

(John Graham)

6" of powder last night! Today we compact all trails, groomed all skate decks and set new tracks on all trails. Untransformed powder is still soft, but afternoon skiers were very happy. Today is No Dogs due to fresh grooming, but Sunday will be a Member Dog Day. The final KidSki session is Sunday 1:45-3:45. Parking and chalet will be crowded during that period.

Photos:

(John Graham)

I classic skied on the 8k loop early evening, and it was excellent. Tracks were well-defined, hard but unglazed, with just a few occasional leaves in the tracks. Skate deck was wide and firm. I didn't ski the 6k but it appears to be getting much more use.

(Tom MacDonald)

Really good conditions (possibly the best I've seen this year?) Skate deck was very hard down the middle, and softer on the edges. I was able to get really good glide and it was not too rutted at the moment, so a really fun ski. Classic tracks were washed out in the usual areas, but looked "OK".

(Tim Bontrager)

We added 2" of dry powder overnight. This morning we compacted and groomed the skate deck on both the 6K and 8K. We then set a new classic track on the 6K. It's all soft, untransformed snow, and the wind is blowing. We did not set an 8K track due to blowing snow, and plan to do that tomorrow. Today and Friday are No Dog Days; Saturday is a Member Dog Day. KidSki Session 5 will be Sunday, 1:45-3:45.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Amazing classic conditions early Monday morning - tracks were fast but not glazed. Skate deck was still soft. Thanks to the groomers for their tremendous grooming effort!

(Tom MacDonald)

We added 8" of needed snow during the Saturday/Sunday event. The deep powder slowed our grooming plan, but we opened the 6K with a pretty skate deck and a beautiful classic track at 11:45. Apologies for the 2 hour delay. After grooming the chalet area for KidSki, we made compacting runs on the 8K. At this time the 6K is groomed skate and classic. The skate deck is soft; deep untransformed snow. The track is deep and got a lot of use today. The 8K has a compacted (not groomed) single track skate lane. Grooming plans: Monday is a Member Dog Day, and the trails will see a lot of use. Monday night we will regroom the 6K deck, and continue to compact then groom the 8K. If possible we will set a track. Tuesday is a No Dog Day.

Photos:

(John Graham)

100% base coverage, but too thin to groom with the knives down. Classic tracks are skiable, but worn and icy. Grooming plans: Based on the forecast we will close to skiers at 6 pm on Saturday so that we can commence compacting any new snow. We will groom early on Sunday. The chalet and 6K will open at 10 am, and the 8K will be closed until grooming is complete after that. KidSki session 4 will happen from 1:45-3:30. Due to the large number of KidSki participants, the chalet area and parking lots will be congested during that time, and rental gear unavailable. We'll be open til 8 pm Sunday.

(John Graham)