Groomed this morning after our big snow storm of a couple of inches followed by rain. The little bit of additional snow allowed using our regular groomer. It looks like conditions will be good or better with much of the trail very good or better. There were some pine needles visible in the bottom of the track but the flurries this morning have probably covered that up. Tracks are full depth almost everywhere. There is a hundred yard stretch of trail leading to the "big hill" that is rough. I did track it and with a little snow it should be OK. That is the reason I suggest B skis.

(Bob Turnquist)

I skied most of the trail today and found conditions to be better than I expected. The trail is flat and smooth so downhills are in good condition to snow plow if required. The tracks are shallow on a good portion of the trail but have hardened up so they are not so bad. Somehow the 1/4" of snow we got covered up the bare spots so not there only a few thin spots where grass is visible. The snow also covered up the pine needles that came down in the warm weather that we had. There are still some leaves on the trail but the snow has taken them out of the picture, especially if you use waxless skis. Any more snow, even small amounts will just make things better. There is no reason not to get out and ski unless you only like deep tracks, then you probably will be disappointed.

(Bob Turnquist)

This trail system is in remarkably decent condition considering the recent warm up. The east side has lots of debris under the pines and tracks are shallow but skiable. Almost all of the track on the west side is in good condition.

(Gerry Schmitz)

Last week-ends warm-up did not kill us but it did wound us. On Monday, the tracks were icy/slick and there was lots of tree litter on the trail so I decided to groom this morning.
The good: The trail is no longer icy and some of the tree litter is gone. The trails is smooth and only hard in a few places on the east side. We still have a good base in most places and should we ever get some more snow, conditions should be pretty darn good.
The bad: There are some bare spots and some thin areas. The trail heading north (going clockwise) towards the "Big Hill" on the "Sunset Ridge Loop" is rough for 100 yards in an area that was rutted up by illegal truck travel this fall. There just isn't enough snow to cover it up yet. Ski tracks are shallow in many areas and the snow is "sugar snow" so the tracks will probably wash out after a number of skiers have used them.
Overall the trail is skiable. Some of the tracks are fine but a lot are shallow. There are lots of pine needles on the east side so it seems the west side offers the best skiing right now.

(Bob Turnquist)

After 3-4 inches of snow over the weekend we groomed the trails using our leveling drag and tracking sled. The tracks are full depth almost everywhere. There are some thin spots with a bit of grass exposed, but not bad for this time of year. The tracks on the East Side may not be as nicely formed because there was an issue with a new drag so we had to pull much faster than normal. I will check it out tomorrow and if they are not up to snuff I will groom the East Side Trails again. For early December things are looking good.

Photos:

(Bob Turnquist)

With the closing of Deer Hunting Season Friday night the ski trail is now officially open. There is not enough snow to groom and set a track but we have a good base after dragging the trail twice in November. There is a skied in track, albeit shallow, on all of the East Side and most of the West Side. The trail is very skiable. You could use your good (A) skis on the East Side but it is suggested to use B skis on the West Side for now.

(Bob Turnquist)