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)

5-6" of fresh fluff on the trails this morning, gave us something to do. The 5K and Special K got multiple sled runs to compact, followed by the roller/compactor, and then multiple runs with the Ginzus. Finally, we set a new classic track. Results: a wide skate deck, still somewhat soft and untransformed, and a deep classic track, that immediately enjoyed a line of classic skiers. The Sled Hill, Oval, and Kiddie Loop were regroomed, and initial sled runs on the 10K to begin the process (we just finished grooming the 16" "base" yesterday afternoon, but I never complain about too much snow). We will be open 8-8 on New Year's Day, but the groomers have the morning off, so enjoy the 5K/Special K, or head out on the 10K in backcountry skies or snowshoes (Snowshoes only on ungroomed trails, and keep to the left). Thank you to the many skiers who visited this weekend, and enjoyed the trails as we groomed around them. Happy 2019 and Happy Skiing!

(John Graham)

A busy day of skiing and grooming. The 5K and Special K trails have firmed up, thanks to a lot of skiing, repeated grooming runs, and time. The classic tracks on both have been skied-in and are solid and getting fast. This morning, we were able to groom through the entire 10k trail system! The deck remains deep and soft, but clear of debris and groomed for skating. Classic skiers are welcome to ski the right side of the 10K, but it was too soft to put the Ginzu on the side of the trail today. We will be re-grooming the trails in the morning and try to keep up with any new snow. Snowflake trails, and the chalet, will remain open until 1 a.m. on New Years Eve for anyone wishing to ski into 2019. Happy, and Snowy, new year!

Photos:

(John Graham)

After receiving over a foot of new, heavy snow on Thursday, the trail crew did a great job of packing grooming and setting deep, solid tracks on the 5 k loop. Many happy skiers and some dogs out enjoying the fresh snowfall. Indications are that they will have the 10 K open soon. We classic skied on Saturday with 4.62 k of the 5 k trail open. Today an additional 1 k was opened for both techniques.

Photos:

(Doug Schumacher)

The 5K trail was well used today, and the classic track set Friday night is now well skied-in and firming-up. 5K and Special K Skate deck also benefited from many skiers, is firming-up, and was regroomed this evening. The Oval and Kiddie Loop are groomed. Twenty man-hours, and many sled runs on the 10K/Perimeter trail today could not get the snow compacted enough to pull the compactor or Ginzus up the 10M Hills! The snow remains dry, powder, and untransformed, probably owing to the low temps and low humidity. We will try again tomorrow to at least run groomers on the Perimeter Loop section of the 10K, adding 2K of groomed trail. We are doing the best that we can, and greatly appreciate the kind words that so many skiers have offered. Snowflake is open 8-8 on Sunday. On Monday we will remain open until 1 a.m. for anyone wishing to ski into 2019.

Photos:

(John Graham)

The 5km loop is in nice shape after a lot of packing work. The trails appear to have gotten a lot of traffic today but the track is holding up well.

Photos:

(Bruce Bauer)

I had a lovely ski around the 5K loop Friday afternoon, and was even right behind the groomer for half the trail with fresh classic tracks. I learned that they (the groomers) had been out since 7:00 yesterday morning (the grooming machine getting stuck about 7 or 8 times, and I saw that it's hard work to get it unstuck and back on track), working hard to get the trails in the best condition possible for all the skiers out yesterday. Thank you, thank you for the long couple days you've put in to make it possible for all us skiers to have the joy of skiing around the beautiful trails. Can't wait to get out again soon!

(Nathan Holst)