We have groomed and tracked the Birkie Skate trail from the American Birkebeiner TH to Hatchery Creek, including the Hatchery loops, OO loops, and Birkie Ridge Trail Connector. There is plenty of more great skiing to be had on the Birkie Trails! Enjoy!

(Kurt Proctor, American Birkebeiner)

The 4 sections of the Birkie Trail system that are still open are being groomed and tracked today. We received 2-3" of new snow yesterday. This morning we groomed and tracked the OO loops and the Hatchery Creek loops. This afternoon we will groom and track Birkie Ridge and the competition loops at the Birkie start area. That leaves a lot of trail for skiing and ski testing while we continue to prep the majority of the trail for Friday and Saturday races. Enjoy!

(Kurt Proctor, American Birkebeiner)

I did a short ski under the lights at OO this evening. 2+ inches of new, dense snow that was actually pretty fast. I expect the conditions for Friday-Saturday to fantastic!

Photos:

(Jeff Tumbleson)

Very good for skating, Meh for classic. I skate skied south from OO around noon today. The OO loops were being actively PB groomed while I was out so conditions on the lighted loops were good even though it was snowing while I was there. Classic tracks were filling up with snow but were recently set and being skied in so still decent on those sections. South of the lighted loops the skate deck is soft with new snow but still fine skiing. The classic tracks however were just a rumor as it looks like there was a single pass with a Pisten Bully sometime after yesterday afternoon and before the snow got heavy today. This effectively wiped out the tracks in places while the snow filled in the rest. So if you're looking for a classic ski, stick to the lighted loops around OO. While on the OO loops I exchanged pleasantries with John Fitz in one of the Piston Bullys and he confirmed grooming plans for the week. OO loops, Birkie Ridge and the loops around the Start Area will be groomed for regular skiing after the main trail gets closed tonight.

(Andy Schwartz)

Skied OO to high point on classic and back on skate, and a bit south of OO. Hard, icy base made for fast skiing, though difficult to catch an edge at times. Solid, fast track. Some leaf/needle litter on the trail due to windy conditions. A couple inches of snow could make conditions near-perfect!

(Mitchell Campbell)

Skied from double O to Mosquito Brook today. Terrible conditions. Classic tracks are filled with debris. Not too bad near OO but the trail got worse as I headed south. Waxable classic skis were a poor choice. Took 4 hard falls. Trails did not get any of the forecast snow as of 5pm.

(Dick Roeber)

Fantastic skating. Classic tracks are showing plenty of wear but still good skiing. I kept to the section of the trail I knew to be groomed and was not disappointed. Fresh grooming since yesterday from OO south combined with a firm flat base and temps in the 20s made for a great day on snow.

(Andy Schwartz)

Only the Start to 00 was groomed, so that's what I skied. Got out around 11am, and the course was blazing fast. Not many people had skied on it since it was groomed Tuesday, so the corduroy was somewhat frozen (from the thaw and refreeze). The hills were still relatively easy to negotiate, without true icy spots- mainly just frozen crust. There were a few spots where ruts were frozen in that made some hills exhilarating. The snow got a little softer the closer to the start I got, and the power lines were in the best condition of all the course I skied. The snow got softer with every hour as well, since the temp was rising and the sun was warming things up a lot. Debris was the biggest issue, with sticks, leaves, pine needles and pine cones covering some hills. The classic tracks looked great except that some of the debris could cause an instant brake. The start through power lines had little to no debris, and areas around Fire Tower were the worst. Close to 00 wasn't as bad either. All in all, a super enjoyable ski!

(Dan Boody)

We are just finishing up grooming and tracking from OO to Hatchery Creek. Lots of great conditions on the Birkie Trail to enjoy and train on. Enjoy!

(Kurt Proctor, American Birkebeiner)

Icy fast but very skiable if you keep yourself under control. I went out for a little while today just to see what the trails were like after the thaw/freeze on Wednesday. The base is rock hard right now but the trails south of OO had been scuffed up sometime post freeze at least as far south as Gravel Pit so the skating was fine. I didn't go that far but there really wasn't any visible damage from the thaw that I could see.

(Andy Schwartz)