I skied at Hiram this morning before things warmed up and started melting again. The track had an icy glaze to it so conditions were fast. Skin skis worked well with good glide and plenty of grip. I was able to stride up all the hills. As reported yesterday the track did not form well and is shallow plus raged in many places but it did hold the skis in most areas. Under the pines there is no track in places plus lots of forest litter. Most of the trail not under the pines was fairly clean this morning so you could use B skis if you were careful. The pole deck is very firm but not nice and level with good cord as I would like it. There are some very thin spots where the ground is starting to show thru that you will need to watch out for. Many of the hills had been rutted up by people herringboning yesterday when the snow was very warm and soft. This made some of the down hill runs tricky this morning after things froze hard again over night. If you want a very fast skis go when it is still below freezing or wait until it is getting just above freezing if you want a more relaxed ski. Overall it was still an enjoyable ski this morning with lots of sunshine and blue ski. Just wish we had more snow to work with to make conditions better.

(Paul Klinger)

I went for a ski earlier this morning to check out the conditions at Hiram after the past two very warm days. The old track set February 2 was still in fairly good shape and there was a fresh dusting of snow that covered up the ice and forest litter. There were some places where the track had melted to bare ground but only for very short patches. I was planning on just leaving it alone but a large dead Birch had fallen across the trail which required going back with a chain saw to remove it. Since we had to use the snowmobile to get back to the tree I ended up re-grooming the trail. There has only been around an inch or so of new snow since I groomed on February 2 at Hiram so I basically had to renovate the old icy hard pack which was very thin in many places. Needless to say due to not being able to set the knives very deep the track is not well formed in places and there is forest litter showing thru in many places. A little dirt and leaves were brought up in the places where the track had melted to bare ground. Under the pines is the worst. The trail is still very ski-able but a person will have to pay attention to places where you will want to ski around the bad spots. I would rate 70% of the trail fair and 30% poor.

(Paul Klinger)

Had a delightful ski at Hiram today. We found the classic tracks in really good condition, very good coverage, just a few leaves. Was well worth the drive from Brainerd.

(Laura Beilke)

Beautiful day to be skiing at Hiram, lots of sunshine and blue sky. The little dustings of new snow over the past couple of days has helped cover up much of the forest litter that has been falling on the trail. The track is holding up fairly well with minimal deer damage and not to badly worn from the skier traffic since it was groomed on February 2. The track is getting a little more shallow with the dustings of new snow but it still holds the skis well. Overall it was good skiing today so I decided not to groom and reset the track for fear of making things worse by bringing up more leaves and dirt. The base is very thin at only 2 or 3 inches and in places the track setter hit bare ground when I groomed February 2. Best to still use your old skis. We need more snow.

(Paul Klinger)

Skied at Hiram in the late afternoon today. Conditions over all were fair to good. The track is holding up well with the subzero temps keeping it set firm. There is some forest litter scattered thru out the system. The worst is under the pines with a shallow track and a fair amount of litter. Some areas have oak and ironwood leaves in the track that will slow you down some. The little dusting of snow Thursday evening helped to cover up some of the litter however. With the very cold temps the snow is fairly slow but still nice to get out for a ski today.

(Paul Klinger)

Skied at Hiram again today. The strong winds last night and today have brought down more forest litter on the trail but it was not slowing the skis down to much. There is also some blowing snow filling in the track a little in some places but it was still deep enough to hold the skis. With the cold temps the track is nice and firm but a little slow. Overall, it is still fairly good skiing. We need a lot more snow to make things better!

(Paul Klinger)

The grooming snowmobile is finally repaired and back at Hiram today. This was the first grooming of the season at Hiram so the trail was in real bad shape. Lots of rutted hard pack from people walking and snowshoeing on the ski trail so it took some work to try to repair the damage. Just a reminder Hiram is groomed for single track classic skiing only. Overall, the conditions are fair to good now. The track set fairly deep and straight except under the pines where it gets shallow. There is forest litter scattered thru out the system but not bad enough to be a real problem except in a couple areas. Once again under the pines is the worst and some areas where wild turkeys had been scratching up the oak leaves looking for acorns. There is also a little dirt mixed into the snow in some places. The base under the track is maybe 1 or 2 inches so we need a lot more snow. It has been a very dry and mild winter around this area so far. I attached some pictures to give you a better idea of conditions. Still worth coming out for a ski at Hiram but don't use your best skis yet.

Photos:

(Paul Klinger)

Plenty of coverage. But the groomer's in the shop, hoping it's fixed soon. Groomer broke? Then break good trail. Thanks to the skier who did.

(Ernie Ogot)

The snowmobile used for grooming at Hiram is still in the shop being repaired so no grooming has been done yet this season. Right now you have to break your own trail or use the rather rough skied in tracks.

(Paul Klinger)

The snowmobile for grooming is not fixed yet. The good news is that we received 4" inches of new snow. A trail has been broken on the whole trail. I used my good skis and had no problems, but did not ski the whole trail. It was very slow today. Hope to get the snowmobile fixed and get some more snow!

(Don Hoppe)