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.

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(John Graham)

Repairing and grooming our trails, post-yesterday's bizarre weather, took a while but could have been a lot worse, if we had not closed Monday afternoon. Day began with a 1" crust over humid snow and a lot of deadfall on the trails. We put 2 Ginzus to work, busting the crust, filling the snow, and by 12:45 we had smooth skate deck over a firm base, and a classic track set on the 5K and Special K. Skate skiers reported very fast, but a nice cushion on top, and no ice. The classic track will need to be skied-in. On the 10K it took 5 runs to improve and prepare the deck, then 3 runs to groom it out, but we have a nice Skate deck. After 7 hours, the groomers (man and machine) were worn-out, so we put-off setting the 10K classic track until tomorrow. While we cleared one tree and all of the bigger branches, sections of all trails are littered with leaves, and small twigs. And, the wind is howling right now. For that reason, I'm recommending B skis. Thanks to all our skiers who honored the trail closure yesterday and this morning.

Photos:

(John Graham)

We closed our trails tonight and will remain closed until noon tomorrow, at the earliest. The wet precip, warm temps, and high humidity have made the trails soft and fragile. The second chill-down into the low 20's early tomorrow will help, but the moisture has seeped into the base, so we'll need to set the Ginzu knives deep, till and dry the trails, the re-compact and groom. Otherwise we'll have a sheet of ice out there. We will start in the morning, and update the trail status as we progress. We have a deep base, and will re-open the trails in the usual order, 5K, Special K, Perimeter Loop, 10k.

(John Graham)

The overnight mix of light snow, freezing rain, and drizzle, have left our trail damp and covered in a light crust. Forecast highs around 38 today, then freezing tonight. We remain open today, only to accommodate race prep for East HS Nordic or for North Stars, who will limit trail use and only classic cki. For the rest of us, it is not a good day to ski and I would suggest taking the day off. If you must, we ask that you only ski classic, as skating on the wet trails will only make it harder to regroom them, and increase the time it takes to restore them. Member dog owners: use common sense; if your dog is punching holes through the surface, get it off the trails because the damage is hard to repair.
A great weekend of skiing and many more to come. Snowflake KidSki had 62 enthusiastic kids out yesterday.

Photos:

(John Graham)

I finally had a chance to ski the trails myself! I was the first skier to ski the 10K classic track that we set last night, and it was beautifully laid and well formed, despite the 36 degree temp and sunshine. Pole plant was soft on the right side of the track in narrow trail segments, but most of the track is well to the left and on compacted snow. I skied the Perimeter loop and parts of the upper 10K. In the 5K and Special K segments the track is well skied-in, but showing wear and washouts in the sharper curves. The 5K, Sp K, and 10K skate decks were all refreshed this morning and are getting firmer and smoother each day. We are letting the trails cool overnight and will be grooming all skate decks tomorrow morning. The best skiing should be late morning.
A reminder that only Snowflake Members may bring their dogs onto the trails. Also, Snowflake KidSki will begin this Sunday at 1:30 -3:30. We remain open to all, but the Chalet and sledding hill will be busy, and our child-size rental equipment will be limited during that period. Lots of room to ski, once you clear the chalet area.

(John Graham)

5K and Special K skate decks were groomed and a classic track set on Special K this morning. Classic track on the 5K is skied-in and holding up. We compacted (again), and finally groomed a skate deck on the entire 10k! It is wide and pretty, but soft. We will set a classic track on the 10K after sunset, letting it freeze overnight. A reminder that Snowflake KidSki begins this Sunday and the chalet and 5K will be busy with kids between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Excellent classic skiing on the 4 K loop; Special K rolled, packed, and groomed for skating (no classic track yet). Classic track deep and well set. Winter Wonderland! On the 4 K loop Skate deck rolled, packed, and groomed, but soft with the new snow, as expected. Thanks for all your work John!

(Dave Arvold)