Fluffy snowfall all day; 4-6" new snow on the trails, but the trails are getting skied on and the snow is getting compacted. Classic skied the 5K and portions of the 10K: The tracks are snowed-in, and the snow was grabby; my R-Skin skis worked surprisingly well. Skate skiers report fast conditions, but a bit of work in the deep snow. Snowflake is hosting a Finnish Sliding Festival tonight from 6-8 p.m. Open to everyone. We will groom the trails in the early morning, once the snow stops, beginning with the 5K Classic & Skate, then the 10K. Once the 10K is groomed, we will be asking Member Dog-owners to keep their dogs on the 5K trail, and leave the 10K for skiers only. It's just easier, and cheaper, to regroom/repair the 5K trail. Temps look excellent through Friday, we may need to institute Spring Hours this weekend, but next week looks very promising for winter temps. Hours will be 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. tomorrow through Friday.

(John Graham)

Skied the 5k after work today and the skate and classic were both superb with the new snow and wonderful grooming.

(Mark Knutson)

Beautiful Spring(like) ski on the 5K and 10K trails. 10 K Classic track was set last night; still soft, but well formed and getting faster as it is skied-in. 5 K Classic track did set-up and is very nice. The Skate lanes on both trails have seen a lot of use today, but were reported fast and good skiing. Stlll 99% trail coverage, helped by the new inch that fell this morning. Waiting to see what the weather brings tomorrow. Member dog owners are asked to keep their dogs on the 5K today and tomorrow, as the 10K seems to be the more fragile trail at this time.

(John Graham)

23 degrees at noon and 2" of new snow! Winter is back! Both 5K and 10K trails were groomed for Skating this a. m. Soft but good skiing. New Classic track set on the 5K. It is soft and will need to set-up overnight. No classic track yet on the 10K: we will set that tonight. Member dog-owners are asked to run their dogs on the 10K trail today, in order to let the new 5K classic track set-up. We are open until 7 p.m. tonight and will be open 8 a. m. until 7 p. m. on Monday.

(John Graham)

The groomer was out while I was skiing. The 5K trail is open and I would guess that the 10K will be open soon. The trail is soft but I was thrilled to be skiing with new snow falling all around me. Classic tracks are not set.

Photos:

(Kari Hedin)

Following last nights return of proper winter temperatures, we groomed and surveyed the trails this morning, beginning with the 5K. Our base survived the warmup 99% intact, though thin in very exposed sections. The skate lane groomed-up very well, firm and fast. There remains a shallow remnant of the classic track, which actually improved as it was skied in today. It is only washed-out on some of the sharper turns, and otherwise a good track. We can not improve or reset the Classic track until we get more snow, The 10K trail, with more southern exposures than the 5K, took a bit more of a beating, but is better than 90% covered with a base that varies from "Good" to "Poor". It took a skate grooming pretty well, and is hard and fast; we recommend "B Skis" here, in case you don't see a few exposed rocks. Hovland Hill is thinly covered and icy, and we advise not skiing it until we get new snow. The 10K Classic track is very shallow, but skiable. We are open Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a. m. - 7:00 p. m. Bring a headlamp if skiing after sunset. We are open to Member-owned Dogs, but will appreciate it if Members keep their dogs on the 10K trail for the time being. Thank you to our members who helped us save our trail-base this week, by cooperating with the temporary closure. March skiing awaits!

(John Graham)

I went to Snowflake on a whim to see how bad it might be and I was shocked to see how well it came through the big melt. I skied parts of the 5km and 10km loop. There is an ancient classic track remaining. It is far from good but usable. The skating, however, was downright good. The midweek sleet froze to the smooth ice and left a snowy top surface that gives great edging. I saw two big rocks, and on a south facing hill, the base was very thin. The 5km was groomed and some of the 10km was groomed, and it is still good even where it wasn't groomed. All in all, it survived and is well worth the trail pass if you are not a member. Thanks again to everyone at Snowflake!

(Bruce Bauer)

Snowflake is closed today and tomorrow, due to the fragile condition of the base. That said, our trails still have about 90% of base coverage, 2"-3", and came through the rain better than hoped for. Once temperatures return to sub-freezing we will commence restoring the trails to skiable status, beginning with the 5K trail, which suffered the least. We will need fresh snow to restore the Classic track, but will get on it as soon as the snow comes. The long range forecast continues to support our optimism about good March skiing. Good Luck to our Birkie, Korte, Barnie, and Junior Birkie participants; this will be a year we don't soon forget!

(John Graham)

It was so nice! A near perfect mid-April, spring skiing day. Overcast, temp about 42F. In the 70 minutes I was there the snow softened from nicely firm enough to soft and beginning to grab. At 11:10 am, the rain started. It's still raining hard in Duluth.

(Louise Levy)

Snowflake has been on "Spring Hours", 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., this weekend and the trails have held up well. The Ginzu was used to clean-up and loosen the skate lanes on both trails early this morning, and skaters reported good skiing. I skied the 5 and 10 K classic tracks; the 5K is in good condition, the 10K tracks were more worn and have lost some shape due to not being skied in, but my wife enjoyed a decent track skiing behind me. Everything got grippy as noon approached. In consideration of the latest forecasts, Snowflake will be open again tomorrow morning, from 7 -11 a.m. Member Dog Owners may bring their dogs on to the trails, and we thank you for your cooperation this weekend. Rain forecast Monday afternoon, so we will close at 11 a.m. and remain closed on Tuesday due to the wet, and forecast temps in the 50s. Wednesday looks shakey, but by Thursday we will begin restoring the trails. The forecast into mid-March looks excellent for a return to winter and more good nordic skiing. We will do our very best to provide the ski trails.

(John Graham)