I heard through the grapevine that two skiers who used to ski for me were out at Korkki attempting to ski 100k in a day. Needing a little pre-Birkie ski I jumped in the car to head out to Korkki to encourage Seth and Henry. When I arrived at Korkki I found that the trails had been freshly groomed the night before and everything was in excellent condition. I put on some VR 40 for kick and headed out on the trail. I ran into Henry and Seth as they were about 75k into their day. They both looked relaxed and rested (the advantages of youth!) and it was easy to see that they would be successful in their quest. I skied a total of 15k and had an opportunity to share some water, great cookies and a tangerine with the boys as they skied the final 25k. They finished just as the moon was rising and skied under an impromptu Topper Tunnel that a few fellow skiers and I made. All in all a great day to ski at Korkki.

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(Dave Johnson)

Skied late afternoon Friday. The trails were a little filled in from the wind on Thursday night and had plenty of debris. It was very skiable and there was plenty of snow!

(Angie Miller)

Nice afternoon ski. Tracks were solid and in good shape overall. A little worn closer to the parking lot, but the back loops were in fine shape. Some leafy debris in places, but wasn't too grabby. Snow should improve things even more, but it's hard to have a bad day at Korkki.

(Justin Brewster)

It was my first time skiing Korkki. The trails had plenty of snow, but the pine needles in the track were annoying since they were grabbing the grip wax. Tracks were fine as far depth and snow but were washed out on some climbs. It was really cool seeing some Duluth skiing history in the warming house.

(Jay Wenner)

A few leaves here and there, but great overall. I could feel the snow warming as I finished my ski.

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(Samara Hamze)

Amazing morning of skiing at Kirkland. The woods are gorgeous in all the fresh snow. The trail has firmed up nicely in the subzero temps. A great way to start the new year!

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(Thomas Gahr)

Korkii was entirely open! What a beautiful day. The tracks were all set and skied in. A little soft, but with all that snow, that's alright. The kick was great and that downhills had soft landings for those times I didn't quite make the decent in one go. Quite a beautiful day to be out and they were busier than I had seen them before.

(Adam Schwartz-Lowe)

Korkki was magic today. I love every part of Korkki, the drive out from Duluth along the North Shore, heading up the Homestead Road, the short jaunt down the Korkki Rd and then the turn into the driveway. The conversation in the car focused on all the different aspects of Korkki, the Big Hill, Cook's Fall, Salmela's Curve. Then you park the car and see folks you know coming in from 10, 20 and 30k of skiing, looking tired and refreshed at the same moment. Take a few minutes to catch up with a friend in the chalet, then apply kick wax and start out on your own adventure. Feel the muscles loosen up as the kilometers go by and your confidence grows that yes you will go around the whole trail and not take the 5k cut off today. Get up to Johan's Gate to Heaven and know that you will enjoy the quick succession of steep hills and tight turns because the snow is just right and the tracks deep and firm. Every time you ski at Korkki something unexpected happens...today it was finding my daughter on the trail with a broken ski tip...the solution...turn the binding around and use the ski backwards to make it in the final 4 kilometers. A broken ski is not a tragedy at Korkki it is an opportunity to find a solution to get back in. A puzzle to be solved that brings a feeling of satisfaction. That is a part of the Korkki magic.

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(Dave Johnson)

Boy oh boy, Korkki is in great shape. All trails have been groomed including Iso Maki, The Big Hill. There is a nice track laid down and the woods are lovely, dark, and deep.

(John Pokrzywinski)