Skated the 5K and groomed portions of 10K midday Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed both! One sun-exposed hill on the 5K was getting thin, so added snow from the woods with a shovel that was left conveniently there. Classic track on 5K was well set and good throughout. 10K skate deck only. Used good skis, with no issues at all. As was mentioned, about a 10 ft. section on Jeno's jump on the 10K has some exposed ground, so would recommend walking around that if you have good skis. All other groomed sections of 10K in great shape. Truly mid-winter type skiing. Many thanks for the great grooming! Days like today are a gift, and it sounds like there may be some more ahead.

(Gordy Mesedahl)

We didn't get the forecast 8", but we got enough to work with. The 5K trail got a beautiful new classic track, and the skate deck was regroomed this morning (photo #1 is the Special K). The only thin cover is near the trailhead, and on the hill tipping into Bee Hollow. Returning skiers were very happy. On the 10K, we groomed a fresh skate deck on all of the northern segments near Fisketti Junction including the Loop around the swamp which includes Chandra's Curve and Tims Turn (photo #2) We also groomed the outbound 10K from the 5K trailhead out to Hovland Hill, the. A connector onto the swamp loop, as well as the 10K return from Fisketti Jct via Genos Jump to the finish. Genos Jump is thin, so look before you leap. Thin/possibly exposed spots are marked with caution Tape. We don't plan to set a new classic track on the 10K, but striders are welcome on trail right. We're open normal hours, will not be grooming tomorrow (Easter), but the trails and chalet will be open, and we will groom all week as nature allows.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Welcome cold temps this morning, so we surveyed the trails to see what could be groomed. Happily, the trails came out of the warmup much better than expected. We tilled and groomed the Skate deck on the entire 5K, the 10K segments around Fisketti Junction, the 10K outbound from the trailhead to Hovland Hill, and the loop around the swamp that includes Tim's Turn. The 10k return segment from Fisketti Jct to the trailhead is also open/groomed, however Genos Jump is well exposed and should be walked. The south segments; Dave's Doom, behind the school, Anderson's Alley, Shovel Hill are exposed and were not groomed. The classic tracks are sun-worn and shallow, though defined. We recommend B skis, and ski where we groomed, which totals about 12K. The photos are of the 5K, and the river actually running through "A River Runs Through It". We are open regular hours. Sign-in before skiing.

Photos:

(John Graham)

What a beautiful ski at Snowflake this morning. High 20s F, and perfect grooming on the 5 K. It looked like John & crew had done multiple passes, and the ice was broken down to wonderful silky ice crystals, with more than enough for edge, yet really fast, maybe fastest of the year. They had shoveled in Bee Hollow hill as well. I hopped in the classic tracks and double poled a few times, but the tracks have deteriorated with the last 2 days of high temps. They are still there and skiable, but not as great as they were a couple of days ago. I did hop on the 10 K trail a bit out by Spaghetti Junction, but only did a couple of km of that loop. You could use your best skis on nearly all the 5 km trail, including Special K, but Bee Hollow hill could pose problems so I'll stay with B skis. I did walk about 50 meters from the chalet to put my skis on, as the little exposed hill up to the trail head is pretty icy in spots. Probably the best March 29 ski I have ever had.

(Tim Holst)

Stayed on the 5k for the entire morning. Another amazing ski morning at the Snowflake. Groomers were out in force and had groomed the 5k deck to near perfection. The special K was perfect and was rewarded with a bunch of extra laps. Still total coverage throughout so you can bring out the good skis.

(Paul Haberle)

I skate skied the 5k, it had a nice coating of fresh snow over some grooved hard pack, so there may be balance challenges. Otherwise, great skiing! Note: To preserve the trails they are closed from 11 am till 5 pm while the warm weather persists.

(Linda Magni)

Slow weird snow at snowflake this afternoon but ... what a great time skiing! Stayed on the 5k for all the laps and had no problem with getting an edge. The uphills were fast and the downhills slow. Full snow coverage on the entire trail. It really looks like April skiing is in our future.

(Paul Haberle)

Skated all trails this morning and conditions were good to excellent - fast but with great control. You could use your good skis on the 5K still. The 5K washboarding in places was mostly gone and an improvement over yesterday (I think the multiple passes of the groomer helped). I thought the later half of the 10K (after Shovel Hill) was some of the best of the trail system today. Jeno's jump is icy but softening. Hard to believe we have such great conditions still given our lack of new snow in March. Kudos again to John and the crew for our extended year of fabulous skiing at Snowflake.

(Tom Heinitz)

5 K and 10K skate decks were groomed this morning, four passes to try and shave down the "washboard" texture that has developed on the trails. Mixed results, as the base won't let us cut too deep. The 5K is 100% covered, corduroy over hard base. Classic track is showing some wear, but still deep and well-defined. The 10K skate deck varies from good on the second half, to fair between the 1K marker and the 5K marker. The approach to Hovland Hill and Hovland Hill are closed due to exposed ground, but there is a groomed detour. Heads-up on any south facing downhills, as they are thin and icy. We learned, yesterday, that some elderly members who ski with dogs were finding the 10K too difficult to ski, so given the short time remaining this season, we are opening all trails to members dogs. We will not be grooming tomorrow morning due to the uncertainty of the weather forecast, and will take the rest of this week as it developes.

Photos:

(John Graham)

33 degrees F. I used my good skate skis because that's all I have. The classic track was in stellar shape. The skate lane was washboard through out the whole 5km trail, but the groomer has squashed the humps so it wasn't too bad. It was a really great late afternoon early spring ski.

(Louise Levy)