I resurrected the snowmobile one last time and was able to set track on all of the Pipeline and Meadow loops this morning. The new tracks set great this morning and the skate deck is typical spring crust skiing. Recommend using the trail around 9am or later. A few thin spots are starting to show but avoidable; either loops should be skiable the entire length. This will be the last grooming for the season; all equipment has been put back into the barn. Thank you for your support and look forward to next ski season! Happy Trails!

(James Enigl)

Based on request from local skiers, this morning I renovated the Pipeline and Meadow Loops; setting a new skate deck and new track. It's only a single 8ft width but for spring skiing conditions it's the best we can do. Today and Sunday should be the last decent skiing for the year. This will be the last grooming for the season due to high temps, high sun exposure, and continued equipment problems. Thank you for your support and look forward to next ski season! Happy Trails!

(James Enigl)

Set new track on the Vahterra short loop this morning. Other trails have a full base but conditions throughout the park are dangerously icy due to high position of the sun and most trails being well exposed. This will likely be the last grooming for the season due to high temps, sun exposure, and continued equipment problems affecting both our snowmobile and UTV. Vahterra short: "Fair to Good" newly tracked for classic. Pipeline West: "Poor to Fair" slight renovation for a short two-way skate deck to Murphy Lake vista and back, be very cautious on any hills.

(James Enigl)

Groomed Vahterra, Takesson, and Pipeline West today. Park received 8in of snow on Sunday. Rolled all trails Monday. Conditions are soft with a new 4in base on top of the already present 20in base. Had groomed Meadow and Pipeline East on Monday but it completely drifted in overnight; conditions are now too warm to repair these two trails. FYI: spring skiing conditions arrived this week, meaning icy trails in the morning and soft skiable conditions in the afternoon. As a result, grooming ops will be declining as the forecasted temperature swings may be too difficult to groom. Please plan accordingly. Vahterra: "Excellent" groomed for classic. Takesson: "Excellent" groomed for classic. Pipeline West: "Excellent" groomed for skate & classic. Red Granite, Meadow, and Pipeline East: "Poor to Good," very drifted in most places but better torwards the ballfield, air temp warmed up too fast to control the drifting today.

(James Enigl)

My kids and I skied the Meadow Loop this morning for their Barnebirkie. The base held up well during the 45f temps on Friday but formed a thin layer of ice by Saturday morning in spots that saw heavy sun. By noon some of the spots were better but still fast. The track was glazed in spots from direct sun but as more stride skiers used the track, it got much better. Recommend skiing in the afternoons until grooming occurs. Grooming plans: New snowfall is forecast, so next grooming will occur Monday.

(James Enigl)

Groomed all trails Thursday morning. The corduroy and tracks set really well on all trails, tracks are full depth throughout the park. For Virtual BarneBirkie participants: I recommend the youngest try the small groomed loop that goes the perimeter of the ballfield. For those a little older, checkout the medium-sized loop at the very beginning of the Meadow, or the full Meadow Loop with shortcut. For the Red Granite trail, I only did a single groom pass wide enough for a skier, leaving room for spring hikers to the waterfalls. Meadow: "Excellent" groomed for skate & classic. Pipeline: "Excellent" groomed for skate & classic. Vahterra: "Excellent" groomed for classic. Takesson: "Excellent" groomed for classic. Red Granite: "Excellent" groomed for skate and snowshoe.

Photos:

(James Enigl)

Conditions look better than expected, no observed glazing at trailhead. Skate deck and tracks looks corny but feels firm. Should be some great skiing around mid morning Tuesday.

(James Enigl)

The Pipeline Loop was freshly groomed for skate and classic today. Even with the warm temps the classic tracks held firm. The classic only trails (Vahterra and Takesson) have not been groomed recently but the tracks are firm and have held up amazingly well. The skate deck has new corduroy with no skiers on it as of later this afternoon. Copper Falls SP is a Birkie Virtual Partner and the 8k Pipeline Loop has kilometer markers along the way, a convenient way to keep track of your Birkie/Korte/Prince Hakkon race distances. Today I skied my Classic Korte with 2 Pipeline loops integrating the classic only trails (12+k each loop) and one Meadow Loop...27 enjoyable kilometers!

(Deb Vomhof)

Groomed Meadow and Pipeline Loops this morning. The skate deck turned out great but had to set track very shallow on Meadow and Pipeline. There will be drifts going past Loon Lake but its skiable. Tuesday skiing should be fast in the morning but skiable in the afternoon. Meadow: "Excellent" groomed for skate and classic. Pipeline: "Excellent" groomed for skate and classic. Vahterra: "Very Good" skied track. Takesson: "Very Good" skied track. Red Granite: "Very Good" last packed Friday Feb 18th for skate and snowshoe. Grooming plans: groom and track Meadow and Pipeline Loops on Thursday when overnight temps may dip into the teens. Will try to pack Red Granite Thursday, too. Vahterra and Takesson will be conditions specific.

(James Enigl)

Skied my Virtual Birkie at Copper Falls on Saturday. It was -10 overnight and 0f at a 9:30am start. Did my five passes on the Pipeline and one last pass thru the Meadow. The corduroy was firm throughout the course and at no point did I break thru. The trail was wide enough throughout and the classic tracks rode well. The Meadow and Pipeline West was perfect. Pipeline East was near perfect but the grooming was terraced for 20ft on a flat section way past the downhills...just needed one more pass with the groomer. The overall experience was perfect. The Meadow reminded me of the Birkie start/Rosie’s field, the big hills reminded me of the power line sections, and the final uphill before Loon Lake reminded me of B-hill. The sections between were very scenic with wooded views of bogs and ponds. I encountered 20+ skiers throughout the day and they were all good about distancing. The 8km Pipeline loop was perfect regarding a lack of aid stations, each time I needed a resupply I was nearing the parking lot where I had a stash. I suggest adding a bench somewhere just after the campground section because this is where some cramping was occurring and it was about the halfway mark. The course was well marked for distances and caution areas, kudos to the volunteers for marking this course! While I missed the camaraderie of a traditional Birkie, I appreciate the opportunity to continue this tradition at a beautiful local trail system where I felt safe the entire experience. Kudos to the park staff and volunteers for the excellent work on this wonderful trail system!

Photos:

(James Enigl)