Two of us out for a cold classic ski this morning. Trails have not been groomed since Friday's snowfall. There is 1-2" fresh on the skate deck. Thanks to whoever was out classic skiing earlier we were able to ski in most of the tracks reasonably well using my Swedish forefathers methods. Kick was fantastic. Logging Road, the Pines, Spring Run, Fuji, and Skyline were all skiing well. (Does anyone ever classic up Buck Ridge?) Some minor oak leaves to contend with but nothing big. There is so much snow and so much coverage. The next groom should set it up. Don't wait for that though. Wait because it's cold.

(Ben Larson)

The two plus inches of snow we received over the last few days was groomed and tracked. Several passes were made on most trails to widen corners and pack soft areas. Additional branches and debris were removed from trail edges. All trails look to be much improved since last week.

(David Challe)

So great to be out at Hoffman again this year! Thanks to everyone for the trail clearing and mechanical work. Coverage is fantastic everywhere. No sign of sawdust. 1/2 inch+ of new snow overnight (where did that come from?). You got the feeling that a pass to groom that in would even things out and really set up nicely. Classic tracks were shallow but very skiable.

(Ben Larson)

We finished clearing all trails of down trees on Wednesday. Today all trails were rolled, groomed and tracked. Only a few spots have sticks and sawdust poking through and will be easy to avoid. Expect soft conditions and a few bumpy areas.

(David Challe)

We are still working on getting the numerous downed trees cleared at Hoffman Hills. Groomer Dave has spent the last few weeks clearing with other volunteers joining when they can, however with our gator in the shop it is a slow process as the only access to the trail is by using snowshoes. He has made tremendous progress from where it started and we hope to have our machine back by Monday which will allow access to the upper trails. We will continue to update you on the conditions.

(Bill Kryshak)

Totally ungroomed. It appears as though it hasn't been groomed at all this year, despite our awesome snow of at least 1 foot on the trails. The trails that I tried to ski were not groomed at all and people had been walking/snowshoeing all over them with 6" deep holes in some places. I gave up and snowshoed up to the tower on the snowshoe trail. [ Dec 31st report noted extensive storm damage that may take significant time to clear --Ed. ]

Photos:

(Mandy Little)

Storm damage continues to be cleared and there are difficulties with equipment. The area has not been groomed.

(David Gorman)

Due to a number of trees being down on the trail and a major equipment breakdown, Hoffman Hills will not be groomed until volunteers can help clean up the trail and the gator is fixed. We will update once the trail is open.

(Bill Kryshak)

Attempted to groom the lower segments this morning with mixed results. No track set. Lots of dirt and leaf litter. Rock skis for sure. Best results will be found on Lower and Upper Pines, Spring Run and most of Jubas Run. Starting from the overflow parking lot is a good idea.

(David Challe)