What a wonderfull snow event! We began grooming at 8:30 this morning. Our primary goal, to compact the new snow in anticipation of more to come, and to provide a skiable surface for our skiers. We did 4 x two-groomer circuits on the 5K, and put in a Classic track. The Skate deck was soft, but pretty, and new snow soon covered our work. Moving to the 10K, we did 9 total grooming runs. The classic track was completely snowed-in so we groomed over it to compact the snow in anticipation of setting a new track when the snow ends. By 4 pm it was evident that the snow was winning, and I need to get some rest for my Birkie, so we knocked-off. We will resume grooming tomorrow morning, beginning on the 5K. We will be open at 8 a.m., but the trails will be covered in new snow: expect a groomed 5K about noon. The best part of this snowfall is that it may give us the base to ski well into March!

(John Graham)

Perfection. I ski at Snowflake often and this is the best its been all year. Thank you groomers for your attention to detail (ie. timing of grooming after the thaw) and a wider skate deck that makes it easy to avoid the classic track (looked solid too). The skate deck is flat, fast, great edge and no ice (Shovel Hill on the 10k is a bit hard but not icy like after the last thaw). The 5K is slightly better than the 10K but superb skiing on both trails.

(Tom Heinitz)

The 5K and 10K trail Skate decks were re-groomed tonight. Knives were set just low enough to erase the skate tracks. The result is crumbly corduroy surface over a hard, compacted base. Both trails skied fast on Friday and should ski fast on Saturday. 100% cover and Good Skis recommended. I skied the 5K and 10K Classic tracks today and found that the track set Wednesday night had become firm, hard-walled, and fast. A few wash-outs on the tight turns, but overall a solid track, and fast. We left the Classic tracks alone tonight and won't reset them unti after the weekend snow event...whatever that turns-out to be. We're open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. A good chance for Birkie/Kortie skiers to enjoy an easy training day. Sunday and Monday may be difficult ski days if the lake-effect snow really developes. The groomers would like to thank the Skate skiers who have really avoided our Classic track, as well as the responsible dog owners who are controling their dogs on the trails. You are appreciated.

(John Graham)

Thanks to the Snowflake grooming crew for a fast and fun skate ski tonight! Good coverage. Trails were not icy and it was easy to get an edge. The fast downhill (with a sharp left turn), 2k from the start of the 10k was a little icy from sun, snowplowing, etc. Thoroughly enjoyed the ski!

(Elaine Nelson)

Late last night, as the temperatures began dropping toward freezing, we ripped out the old Classic tracks on the 5K and 10K trails and reset new tracks. If the forecast delivers, the new tracks should freeze and set-up by morning. It's a good track, but since the snow compacted with Wednesday's warm-up, the depth is limited by the available base, so the track is not as deep as we would like. We groomed the 5K Skate deck, which skied very fast on Wednesday, and it will be frozen corduroy by morning. The 10K Skate deck has seen less use and was reported good and fast yesterday, so we decided to leave it as is and lightly groom it on Thursday, if and when we get some new snow. Still excellent skiing, 100% coverage.

(John Graham)

I skied the 5K and 10K Classic trails this afternoon. The Skate lanes had been groomed up last night and looked very good. The AVM Classic tracks, set last Saturday night, had not been reset as they came through this cold week solid, well-formed, and intact. The 5K has seen the most use and is 90% good/excellent, the only washouts being predictable tight corners. I never had to step out of track. The 10K, less used, was 99% excellent/good, and beautiful to ski. Groomers set the track about 4" further to the inside, which really improves the descending turns, and the Snowflake Skate skiers have been very considerate in staying out of the tracks. Good tracks, sunshine, temps in the teens...my favorite day of skiing this season!

Photos:

(John Graham)

5k and 10k Trails, Oval, stadium, and sledding hill were skate-groomed this morning and the overnight snow made a beautiful corduroy over a hard, even base. Very nice. The classic tracks on both trails remain firm and well-formed. All skiers today report very nice conditions, though still somewhat slow due to the cold temps.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Skied classic as did the Nordic North Stars kids. It would take more than 60-some kids to do anything to these tracks, however -- they were rock hard! Tracks on the 10K were especially firm and fresh but not icy. The tracks on the 5K were more skied-in and felt a lot "looser", so I did less than one K of the 5K before hitting the 10K again.

(Sara Zimmer)

Prayers, snow dances, etc were answered today with 3 inches of beautiful snow. Many skiers enjoyed skiing through the fluff, and the classic track saw enough use to remain skiable all day. Tonight we have groomed the skate lanes on all trails, resulting in soft corduroy over a hard base. Lovely! The new snow also allowed us to rip out the "mature" classic tracks, and set new tracks on both the 5 and 10K trails. These tracks are well formed and we hope they will firm-up in the sub-zero temps tonight and tomorrow. The low temps have cancelled tomorrows Kidski program, so the trails will be wide-open to skiers willing to layer-up and summon their inner-Amundsen. It will be slow gliding, but easy to kick-wax.

(John Graham)

All trails, the sledding hill, arena, and oval loop are groomed for skate and classic skiing. All skate lanes were regroomed this evening. They are hard-set, and we set the knives to put a nice corduroy on the surface. Today's skiers reported good skiing, a little slow due to the cold temps. The classic tracks on the 5k are skied in, and 95% intact. Sections that hadd been drifted over by snow and wind have been cleared and reset. The 10k classic tracks are also old, but skied in and 95% intact. Tonight we reset several sections that were washed or blown out. We have not completely reset the classic tracks for two reasons: the base is thin and rock hard following last week's warm day. If we set the knives to break-up the existing track, we find the snow peeling off to bare ground. Secondly, the low humidity and dry snow combined with consistently cold temps means that if we reset the track it will not firm-up and give us hard walls. We have decided that the existing hard track is better than a soft, fragile track. I skied the entire classic system this afternoon, and found the tracks to be very good and enjoyable to ski. I don't skate ski and will ski my 18th classic birkie in three weeks, so I have a vested interest in providing the best classic track possible, and that's what we have right now. We have reopened the 10k to member-owned dogs and thank them for their cooperation this week. We will be open 8 A.M.-9 P.M. On Saturday and 8 - 8 on Sunday. Bring a headlamp if skiing after dark.

(John Graham)