Of course, skiing at GANC was perfect with a bonus of great friends, warm weather and sunny skies. They were setting up for the college races this weekend and was informed that the trails will be closed to the public until Sunday afternoon 1 p.m. when Kids Ski begins. Enjoy!

(Jena Ogston)

A huge thanks to the Spirit crew for excellent and reliable grooming this year. I was "first tracks" out on the corduroy at 10:30am and enjoyed the prime conditions. Thanks to the groomers who were out in the bitter cold - your dedication is appreciated! Skating was a bit slow, the classic tracks were gorgeous and would have been a better option.

(Elaine Nelson)

Plenty of snow, and good grooming on these wide trails. A great resource for the Duluth area, for sure! Didn't venture onto the connector to the upper 22, but what we found below due to cold temps was a mixture of slow and sticky snow toward the base of the mountain, and a few icy patches or rock hard corduroy on the downhill stretches on the back half. The halfway mark of the trails had the best conditions, but watch your speed on a few of the faster downhill turns..that orange netting is strategically placed for a reason!

(Pieter DeHart)

One of my best skis of the year on the Spirit Mountain trails. The groomers are doing an excellent job with daily grooming and setting a classic track along with the skate lane. The classic track was firm and deep. The groomers have worked most of the ice out of the system and the conditions now are nearly perfect on the man made snow loops. Can't wait for some natural snow to check out the new loop off the Deer Stand trail.

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(Gene Karwoski)

We are excited to host the Cloquet invite today, January 7th. We are expecting roughly 450 participants for the race so it will be busy in and around the Grand Avenue Chalet. Set-up for the race will begin at 1pm and the final race will start at 6:30pm. Because of this, all trails at the Nordic Center at Grand will be closed to all public use tonight beginning at 1pm. Thank you for your understanding and come out to cheer!

(Jon Regenold)

Had to check out the new lights for night skiing (stadium, big bend, s turn and rollercoaster now all have lights)! Tracks were fast but not icy, a very enjoyable ski. Went out of the lighted area with a headlamp but didn't need it all all where the lights are.

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(Rachelle Walker)

Classic tracks are firm and fast but not icy. Random klister covered with oslo green provided a bit too much kick and swix polar was a smidge slippery. In all fantastic classic skiing right now! Minimal washouts on the usual corners but the deck is firming up nicely in the colder temps!

(Taylor Ellison)

The uphills were a little bit mashed and just a tad of ice on the inner corners of the downhills. Corners in the unlit section are in better shape. Overall not bad for having rained a few days ago.

(Mark Bushinski)

Great conditions, considering all of the rain. Only a couple of avoidable dirt patches. The snow was soft and the hills were starting to get chopped up because of use but no risk to your good skis. Very skiable, and with weather like we have had - you take what you can get!

(Marta Larson)

Skied lower Nordic Center green and blue runs. Open runs were in surprisingly good shape given the rain and warm weather the two days earlier. Snow were hard packed and crusty at 11 am and softened in the afternoon with both conditions providing good skiing conditions. Super glad to have braved the conditions and believing the reports from the prior day.

(Michael McDonald)