Rather cold, but lots of snow and a deep, firm base on all trails. The 10K classic track was ripped-up and reset yesterday and set-up beautifully overnight. This afternoon we re-groomed the 5K, Special K, and 10K skate decks. They are very firm, very smooth, and fast, considering the temperature. The 5K classic track, set 10 days ago, is in good shape, with predictable washouts on some of the harder turns, and some leaf or bark debris in the tracks. A bit icy, and fast. I skied it with my skin-skis and had decent kick. We do not want to rip it out and reset it during the sub-zero temps, so we will keep it as is and hope that new snow will gives us the opportunity to reset it. Considering the extreme temps we will only be open 8-8 tonight and Saturday. KidSki is scheduled for Sunday from 1:45-3:30, however we will be watching the windchill and if it reaches zero or below, we will cancel KidSki. The trails are beautiful! Put on an extra layer, use that Polar wax, and come ski!

Photos:

(John Graham)

The right half of the 10K has been recently groomed. This includes new classic tracks. The ungroomed left side is still in good condition. The 5K is not icy but is very hard with no recent grooming. The 10K is definitely the trail to ski. There are plenty of cutoffs if you are looking for a shorter loop.

(John Jereczek)

All skate decks were re-groomed this morning, after the light precip event ended. The decks are smooth, gently crowned, and topped by a light lake-effect snow that developed after we came in. We also opened the Biathlon Loop, and put down a skate deck through the range and penalty circle; that deck is quite soft. We are considering resetting the 10K classic track tomorrow, before temps plummet, and will keep you updated on that.

(John Graham)

I classic skied all of the trails at midday. The classic track on the 10K was well-defined and fast, and I had good kick with my skin-skis. I was real happy with how the track was set around the descending curves, which made me very comfortable staying in the track at speed. The 5K and Special K tracks are deeper and more skied-in, very nice to ski. The groomers reset the first 1/2 K of track this morning, as it had taken a beating. All skate decks were regroomed this morning, and skate skiers reported them very, very smooth and fast. Snowflake KidSki was underway as I came in and it is great to see so many happy little skiers and coaches. Thank you East HS Nordic for the great student coaches!

Photos:

(John Graham)

With the mild temps and broken up, transformed snow, it was fast skiing at Snowflake. Classic skiing was fantastic because they placed the track well away from the edge, so there is no face-beating from brush. The pole planting was also perfect--I didn't punch through a single time. The track was rock solid but grainy on the bottom for nice control, with just a couple washed out, icy spots to be watching for.
Skating was really nice too with the fresh corduroy and super fast glide. The surface was perfectly flat and smooth and it was fun to glide so much today. Thanks for the efforts to make it so enjoyable!

(Bruce Bauer)

All trails were Skate groomed this morning. Solid 16" base, a little icy, but groomed up some nice corduroy. The Classic tracks on both trails are skied-in, a little icy, fast. Some leaves insome trail sections, but no real debris. Note that KidSki will happen on Sunday Sunday from 1:30-3:30: the chalet will be busy, but there is plenty of room on the trails. Day-Pass skiers, remember that we don't do credit cards.

(John Graham)

Freshly groomed awesomeness. The 10K was a near perfect skate deck. Less chunkiness than a couple of days ago and very few small ice chunks (mostly the last 1/2K). 5K was firmer with a few slightly icy spots in the first 1/2K but better as you go. All trails were super even and fast with a good edge. Thank you John and grooming crew for your dedication to make Snowflake one of the best trails in the Twin Ports. Your day to day hard work is truly appreciated the our ski community!

(Tom Heinitz)

Fantastic skiing at Snowflake today. I am impressed with the condition of the trails with the recent warm up and rain. Kudos to the hard work put in by the groomers! The 10k is in fantastic condition. The 5k was a little icy toward the beginning, but got better the further I went. There's a small amount of debris on the trails, but generally avoidable. The classic track looked great.

(Tera Hasbargen)

I classic skied at Snowflake during Nordic North Stars this afternoon. As John reported all the trails are groomed nicely from the thaw, rain and freeze up earlier this week. The 10k had not seen much traffic, I was one of the first classic skiers over the tracks and the skate lane only had a few skiers tracks in it. The 5k has seen much more use and is getting pretty firm and will need to be re-groomed to soften up the surface. The classic tracks were very good considering the transformed snow and relatively light equipment Snowflake has to work with. I skied 1.5 hrs on hard wax, definitely wore some off, but was still kicking at the end.

(Matt Ryan)

A bright, clear, brisk day. All of our trails got fresh skate grooming this morning, and the classic track was set on the 10K, Oval, and Kiddie Loop. The decks are firm and the debris is blown off. Great conditions. The 5K Classic track set yesterday did firm-up overnight, and is very nice. We are open 8-8 today and tomorrow.

Photos:

(John Graham)