We had about 2" of fresh snow overnight, so this morning we compacted and groomed the 5K and Special K skate decks and set a new classic track. This afternoon we compacted and groomed the 10K skate deck and set a classic track. Both the skate and classic decks are soft, due to the fresh, untransformed snow. I was the second classic skier on the 10k track, and it is a gorgeous "flow" around the 10K trail. My skis stayed in both tracks on every turn, except Tim's Turn (impossible on a shared trail), and the defending turns were very comfortable. Kudos to Jim Wood, who set the 10k track. We also groomed the Oval, Safe and Classic, and set a new track on the Kiddie Loop. The trails should firm up, and I expect limited wear and tear for the next two days, so we should have great trails when the temps moderate. The chalet will be open during the next two days, but in the interest of safety the trails will be open fro 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. No skiing after 6 pm, please. I'd also like skiers to sign in and out so that we know you made it around and don't go searching for you.

Photos:

(John Graham)

skied the 10 K only. Classic tracks had set up nicely by 4:30 pm and felt great, only some occasional skate tracks disturbing the classic tracks and some wiping out of tracks on uphill due to the fact that the snow was still actually pretty soft around the tracks. Tracks had been reportedly set on the 5K earlier in the morning. Very clean due to recent snowfall. Skate lane looked a bit soft - just what you'd expect after new snow.

(Sara Zimmer)

The 5K and Special K are nicely groomed for skate and classic skiing. The 10K is beautifully groomed, wall-to-wall, for skate skiing. Classic skiers are welcome to ski the right side of the 10K or Perimeter trails. Due to the frigid temperatures and windchills, Snowflake KidSki classes for Sunday are cancelled. Also due to safety concerns during this frigid period Snowflake's hours are changed as follows: Saturday we are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday we are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please balance your desire to ski or log Birkie mileage with common sense.

(John Graham)

Yesterday we hosted 415 High School and Jr High skiers at the Duluth East Invitational. Some great racing from these promising young people. Thanks to all the volunteers, and the Snowflake Members, who gave up their trails on the nicest day of this week! Today we re-groomed the Skate decks on the 5K and Special K: they are beautiful, with a compact cushion of new snow over the deep, hard base. The 5K classic track was well skied-in by the Jr High racers, and is in very good shape. The Special K classic track is skier-set, and decent for the time being. Also today, we compacted the 10K trail sections that had not been part of the race course, cleaned up the "fall-line" classic tracks on the 10K, then made repeated runs to groom a wall-to-wall skate deck on the 10K. With the frigid temps, dry snow, low humidity, and blowing wind it was not practical to try setting a new 10K classic track today. And the Groomers were frozen. We will set a track as soon as practical. The chalet will be open 8-8 tomorrow and Saturday. Sunday's forecast is brutally cold. We will post the Sunday hours, and restrictions, as well as the KidSki decision on Friday afternoon.

(John Graham)

Snowflake's trails are closed until the end of the East Nordic Invitational Ski Meet, probably by 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. At the completion of the final race, the trails will reopen, and remain open til 8 p.m. Today the race courses were compacted repeatedly, and groomed. However the only sections of the 10K that are groomed are the 5K segments that were groomed for the classic race. Classic skiers are invited to ski this "fall-line" course after the race, or on Thursday, a once-a-year opportunity to ski trails laid just for classic skiers. Safe skiers are asked to ski the 5K, or Perimeter Loop so that your strider friends can enjoy this opportunity. We will rip out and reset the 10K on Thursday p.m. 6" of beautiful snow added to our trails today.

Photos:

(John Graham)

At this moment all of our skate decks are hard and fast, the 5K Classic track is worn, but hard and fast, the 10K Classic track is still very nice, but set too far into the skate lane. We are waiting for the snow event to begin, and agreed today to host the East Nordic Invitational HS race on Wednesday, instead of Friday (due to forecast frigid temps Friday).
Here is our plan, and it will effect members and visiting skiers: When team practices end and snowfall begins tonight, we will be out tearing out the old 5K and 10K classic tracks, and tilling the skate decks. We will be tilling and rolling as the snow accumulates, and want to have all skate decks and a new 5K classic track set by early Tuesday afternoon. All trails will be closed at 6 p. m. on Tuesday so that we may re-groom and mark the race courses. The 10K will be set with a "Fall-Line" classic track on Tuesday night and closed to skate skiing until after Wednesday's races. Snowflake will be closed to skiing on Wednesday until the last race is finished, probably around 4:30 p.m. Thereafter, trails will be open to members only until Thursday morning. The Fall-Line track on the 10K will be available to skiers until we reset a classic track on Thursday. In order to showcase our trails and provide the best surface for racers, we will be closed yo dogs from Tuesday noon until the last race on Wednesday afternoon. This will be a busy 48 hours and the cooperation of all members is appreciated.

(John Graham)

We re-groomed all skate decks this morning. The base is rock hard, but the Ginzu knives are shaving them smooth and level, and we finished with about 3/4" of snow and corduroy on top. The new 10K track looks very good. The old 5K track is good-fair, very good out on Special K. Resetting the 5K track will be priority #1 after tomorrow's snow event. Good skiing to be had, but dress warm. And, remember to sign-in before you ski!!

Photos:

(John Graham)

The classic track was in great shape on the long loop, with just a couple spots washed out. It was much cleaner of debris than anywhere else I've skied in the past week. The snow is really fast but also extremely abrasive.

(Bruce Bauer)

Classic skied George's 10K. Excellent track and much fun. Downhills very manageable due to recent re-grooming.

Photos:

(Ken Kuznia)

Full disclosure: I am the manager and a groomer at Snowflake. This afternoon I classic skied the entire 10K, most of the 5K, and all of Special K. The classic track on the 10K, set on Thursday afternoon, is fantastic. Firm, deep, and hardly skied in. Due to a mechanical issue with our track-setter, the track is set about a foot further out from the side, so the pole plant is solid and the inside turns are wider than usual. Only a couple of wiggles where the ginzu bumped a tree. The downside is that some skaters have skied into the left track, mostly in narrow trail sections, but the track is solid enough to hold-up to these "violations" -- I never felt compelled to step out of the track, anywhere. The 5K track is showing some wear, and debris, but was very skiable. The Special K track is almost as good as the 10K, and was a pleasure to ski. My observations of the skate decks were that the 10K is smoother than the 5K, both are fast, and skaters reported no problems getting an edge. Lots of skiers out in the sub-zero weather today. KidSki for tomorrow is cancelled due to forecast windchills of -6 degrees in the afternoon. We want KidSki to be fun, not an ordeal. However we will be refreshing the skate decks in the morning and will be open from 8-8 tomorrow.

(John Graham)