We received another 14" of snow over the weekend. Upon grooming today the tracksetter attachment broke about 1/3 of the way in. We do not currently have a part on hand, so unless we post again, I regret that the grooming season at Washburn has ended. By the time we get a part, the sun is so high that melt is aggressive. I figured this would have been one of the last anyway. We'll order a part and see how the weather is. Maybe we can groom again. In the meantime, the entire north segment is packed. Due to timing and limited use, we are also done grooming the south trails for skate this season.

(Paul VanderWaal)

Today the south trail segments that are open at Washburn were groomed for skate skiing. The snow is quite dry and we're not sure how well it will set up. The north was groomed yesterday, but even the below zero nighttime temperature wasn't enough to set the track due to the low moisture content. Hopefully a bit of warmer weather today helped and the skate trail will set up nicely.

(Paul VanderWaal)

Today we received a surprise 12" of light fluffy snow! The north trails have been rolled twice and groomed with a nice track set. The south skate segment is planned for grooming Thursday.

Photos:

(Paul VanderWaal)

Skate skied the south trail and had a lovely time! There was a little debris and drift on the trail, but we were still able to get some good glide! Really appreciate the groomers making a skate skiing trail here. It was a gorgeous trail and we even saw a porcupine in a tree!

Photos:

(Sarah McPherson)

We received maybe 5-7" of snow the past few days. This was sorely needed to revitalize the trails after the warm thaw and rain. The groomer set a fantastic, clean track, so once it sets up with the cold temps it should be perfect. The east loop on the south trails was also groomed for skate skiing - anxious for feedback!

Photos:

(Paul VanderWaal)

The north trails were groomed this afternoon. We received less than an inch of snow, so after several days of thaw I had to use the knives to try and break up the deck. This did not leave a terrific track, but it isn't bad for late season conditions. Be aware of a couple of areas where the sled got stuck and left deep ruts (one is at the north end of the Central Corridor).

(Paul VanderWaal)

The north trails at Washburn have been groomed tonight. While there was no new snow, several areas had drifted in with the windy day yesterday. Portions of the south trails are still available for skate skiing.

(Paul VanderWaal)

I am happy to report that after a huge effort by club volunteers, they were able to sufficiently clear the December storm damage from the trail that we had used our new brush cutter (purchased with a grant from the North Star Ski Touring Club) to widen last Fall. I was able to groom it double-wide for the first time. It will take another snowfall or two to fully recover the ski deck from sled damage caused during the cleanup, but for the first time (that I am aware of), Cass County has a trail available for skate skiing. Our original plan includes setting a track to the side to make it dual purpose, however there is still too much overhanging brush to make it usable for both this season. But our goal has been reached on 4.9 KM of trail! This is a big deal!

Photos:

(Paul VanderWaal)

North Ski trail groomed this afternoon. Trail in excellent condition with a nice deep track. Should be ready for this weekend. Working tomorrow on clearing the SE loop of the South trail. Possibly will be open by this weekend. Thank you Mark and John.

(Gary Anderson)

I groomed the north trail this afternoon. The groomer layed down a nice deep track on most of the trail but it was shallow under the pines at the start of the trail. It should make for some excellent skiing for the club ski on Saturday. The track was not icy at all.

Photos:

(Gary Anderson)