We had a very busy weekend, many visitors from out-of-town, capped off by a temperature-abbreviated KidSki session. Salute to the hardy kids and parents who attended. Our trails remain 99.9% covered, and the classic tracks are well-used, but defined. So, all trails will remain Open, groomed for classic and skate. But, the base is so thin that we're reluctant to groom it until we get added snowfall. We'll be open 8 am-9 pm Mon-Saturday. Member Dog Days are Monday and Wednesday.

(John Graham)

Conditions for skate continue to improve. The grooming crew (ie. Jim and John), once again, did a wonderful job working with the small amount of snow we have received so far. As usual, the 'Snowflake snow belt' received a bit more snow this week than the rest of Duluth and conditions, albeit uneven and a little bumpy in places, are very skiable with full coverage. The 8K is better due to less heavy use. B skis recommended but, other than some dirt in some of the classic track, nothing there to damage your good skis either. Cold temp means slow skiing but get out there, bundle up and have fun on natural snow. As they say in Norway- "There is no bad weather, just bad gear". Enjoy.

(Thomas Heinitz)

All trails are groomed, skate and classic. Today we set track on the 8K. It's a nice track but there are a few spots where the track-setter dragged the ground under the shallow base, bringing up debris. These spots are easily avoided. The 8K skate deck was widened and re-groomed. The 6K, groomed last night, picked up more snow after 1 a.m. than forecast, but skiers said it was good skiing. Snow in the 6K track was quickly skied-in and the track is firming-up. We're open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Sat and 8-8 on Sundays. Friday is a No Dog day, Saturday is a Dog Day for season members. Grooming plans: We will refresh the grooming as the weather actually develops.

(John Graham)

Thanks John and Jim for grooming last night! Classic track was great at 10:30 AM. Skating lane a couple inches of fluffy snow, so a bit slow but skaters were having fun, and sure great to be out on a real loop on natural snow! Highs 20s, but cooling down as we skied. No classic track on 8 km loop as of about noon, but Jim showed up to groom as we left.

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(Tim Holst)

We received 6-7" of fluffy snow on Wednesday, and started grooming as the snow eased-up at night. We compacted and groomed the 6K, and then set a nice classic track. Skaters, please be mindful and stay out of the track. We the compacted and groomed a 12' skate lane down the middle of the 8K. The additional snow has improved the base, so I'm suggesting B skis are a safe choice. Grooming plans: we will widen the deck and set a classic track on the 8K early this afternoon.. A reminder to Member Dog Owners: Thursday and Friday are No Dog Days.

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(John Graham)

I skied the 5k with the special K. Conditions are as one would expect of Snowflake early season. Rolled, no classic track, some debris in the snow and lumpy. I did find a rock under the fresh snow, so I wouldn't recommend good skis. Having said that, it was spectacular to skate and the groomers have done miracles with the little snow we've gotten. What a treat to get out and ski. Well worth the day pass!

(Chandra Shoberg)

We had a huge "opening day" yesterday, and the trails saw a lot of use, which is great! Skiers reported good coverage for the conditions, although the deck is bumpy in places and debris is already working through as ski edges chop the snow. Grooming plans: We will not be able to groom again until we get more snow, as the machines do more damage than good. Light snow falling right now, so we'll see. The chalet will be open 8-8 and the 3K lighted trail will be lit until 9 for the rest of the week. Member Dog Days are Wednesday, Saturday, and Mondays.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Skated on the 5K loop this morning. Pretty good conditions all things considered. 5-6 icy patches on the loop (photo) and just a couple exposed roots. Never felt like my skis dragged on anything that would damage them. Debris on trail as expected. Nice job from grooming crew to make this skiable with the small amount of snow.

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(Gabi Hester)

Skied both the 8k and 6k, first on classic and then on skate. No tracks set but I stayed to the right to "set" an initial manmade track. Per usual there was much more traffic on the 6k and it was starting to get packed down. There's 4" of snow depth at the moment in the woods and maybe an inch or two packed on the trail and coverage was shockingly good. Some spots have full coverage (first photo shows some of the best conditions) while others have a little debris or low areas that are frozen but slightly slushy in spots (second photo). Skiers were starting to chop up some of the steeper uphills down to isolated dirt/moss by the time I was leaving around midday. Most of the debris you might interact with is grass, moss, or brushy twigs which are pretty inconsequential for your bases. I would say you could probably classic ski with B skis but because of the way the skate skis tend to dig down towards the ground more would want to use rock skis or B skis you don't mind getting some new scratches in. Kudos to the Snowflake crew because it is only this good thanks to all the hard work they have done in the off-season! There is the occasional shallow rock which have been spray painted orange pre-snowfall.

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(Ketzel Levens)

We got 4-5" of snow over bare, frozen ground this weekend. Overnight we compacted and groomed all of our trails. The 6K got four Ginzu runs and is groomed side-to -side; the 8K got two overlapping runs, down the middle. Snow depth precluded setting a classic track. So, we have both trails skate groomed. It's untransformed snow, soft and shallow, but 100% coverage. Classic skiers are welcome to ski-in a track on the right side of the trail. We're open 8-8 on Sunday. Consistent with our new Dog Policy, Sunday is a No Dog day; Dog Days are Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, and only Season Members may bring dogs. Be aware that Snowflake KidSki begins on Sunday, from 1:15-3:30. Parking will be crowded and the chalet area will be very busy with 123 budding olympians.

Photos:

(John Graham)