Rock Lake received around 4-5" of new snow since yesterday. Thanks to our volunteer groomers Tom and Jerome all loops except the Rock Lake and 16k loops were packed and groomed. The new snow made for nice deep tracks. With colder temps the trail should be solid! The winds as of Friday afternoon were already starting to drift into the tracks a bit. We'll need some skiers to brave the cold this weekend and keep them open!

Photos:

(Christopher Geidel)

Rock Lake recieved around 6-8" of new snow yesterday. We packed and groomed all trails except the Rock Lake and 16K Loops. Tracks went in nice and deep but will be on the softer side due to all the snow. Conditions are beautiful out there, and should be good for the weekend. Much appreciation to our volunteer Tom for coming out and helping get the trail cleared and groomed!

Photos:

(Christopher Geidel)

Beautiful conditions, deep and solid tracks on the 7 km loop. Thanks Katie, Chris and all the volunteers for clearing the down branches and the great grooming. Thanks for making the climbs wide enough for guys with 210s cm. One of my favorite classic trails when its been freshly groomed.

(Randy Lueth)

Thanks to Christopher's grooming report from yesterday, Joanie and I skied the 11.5 k loop late this morning and the conditions were fantastic! The track was rock solid and the snow on the trees created a real winter wonderland. With all of the new snow, and tree and branch clearing that needed to be done, we really appreciate the efforts to keep this trail open. As Christopher noted in his report, the Rock Lake and far portion of the 16k loop still have to be cleared of trees/branches to reopen.

Photos:

(Darren Blankenship)

All loops were groomed except for the 16K and Rock Lake loop (still need clearing from December storm). There is a lot of snow out there, so we made several passes to make sure to get it packed down as much as possible. Tracks went in nice and with the cooler temps the trail should set up and be nice and firm for the weekend. Very picturesque with all the snow hanging in the trees!

Photos:

(Christoher Geidel)

The groomer had been through all the loops except the 16K and Rock Lake loops. However there has been more snow and wind since then. We skied the 11.5K loop. It had been skied in so it was mostly broken but the back part of this loop was quite a slog. We needed to side step up several of the hills. Nonetheless it was passable and a good back country ski. Not a good place for narrow track skis. There were two down trees which we were not able to move, one on a downhill. A local volunteer told us they hoped to have the groomers on the trail shortly after New Years.

(Chip Treen)

Rock Lake has received several feet of snow! Unfortunately, many trees and brush have clogged the trail. Forest Service crews and volunteers have cleared all of the loops except Rock Lake loop and the 16Km loops. We've received 8 more inches of snow since the last packing. We won't be able to groom until after New Years, due to staff taking time off for the holidays and some equipment needing repair. It will be a great backcountry ski for now! Thank you for your patience!

(Katie LeMoine)

Took the 'shortcut.'It was all hills, had to climb sideways. Only one large tree across, others are easy to navigate.

(Ted Harmon)

Beautiful in the snow-clad woods of Chequamegon National Forest! 17" of fresh snow and no grooming made for quite a workout. Especially when herringboning up the steep hills! We cleared branches and small trees off the trails and released a lot of trees that had been bent down to the trail by snow loads and then had their tops frozen to the ground. We saw a couple other people out on snow shoes, cutting trees off of the trail too. Didn't see any other skiers. 6°F when we started and 7°F when we finished. Finished in the dark. 17th ski of the season.

Photos:

(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

Rock Lake received about 16 inches of wet, heavy snow. Many trees and brush are on the trail and need clearing. It will be awhile before we can get the trail cleared and groomed. If you'd like to help, you can snowshoe or ski in and shake snow from hanging trees and throw sticks off the trails. We'll post updates as work progresses.

Photos:

(Katie LeMoine)