Freshly groomed today. Groomed skate lane only. Looks quite good. May be some ice bits in with snow. Way too hard to set a new classic track. Existing track is very skiable.

(Greg Hoelscher)

Trails are covered by a huge amount of tree debris, including large limbs and even an entire tree laying perpendicular to the trail. I abandoned my classic ski due to all of the debris in the tracks. Hopefully the the next clipper will re-set conditions.

(Jim Kelley)

About 1/2" of powder on top of pure ice. Made it about half a mile before I called it quits. Hoping new snow will soon help revive the trails.

(Isaac Milkey)

I skied Balsam Sunday late morning and between Sunday and this afternoon trails were regroomed. No ice, fast. The snow is still sticking to the trees. Beautiful in the woods.

(Michelle Stone)

Amazing conditions at Balsam Branch to begin the new year! All trails were groomed on Tuesday, and the roughly 2" of light snow on top has been skied in since then. Solid, relatively even skate deck with a soft surface. Classic tracks set throughout. Best conditions I've seen in several years (which would make this a great season to bring back the annual race). Many thanks to the grooming team for taking care of this great little trail system.

Photos:

(Alec Steward)

Conditions are beautiful at the Balsam Branch! I skied on the trails each of the last four days, and the classic track is holding up well. The track on the blue and black loops remains in very good condition from the last grooming, with minimal wash outs. On the more heavily skied trails (especially the green loop) the track is washed out on some of the corners and small hills. There is very little leaf litter on the trails, and the few twigs popping up on the edges of the trail are easily avoided. Skiers of all ability levels should have a wonderful time skiing on this beautiful trail system. Snow continues to cling to many of the tree branches in the woods, days after the last major snowfall, creating a magical winter scene!

Photos:

(Adam Tulkki)

Quite a pleasant ski at Balsam Branch this afternoon. A fresh inch of snow on top of a firm deck. Pretty even skiing with a few lumps and bumps occasionally. The track appeared pretty well skied in. The snow still clinging to all the trees was beautiful.

Photos:

(Ben Mullin)

All trails groomed for skating and tracked. It is a winter wonderland out there with the trees covered with beautiful snow. We have 4K of lighted track, so consider a New Year's Eve Ski.

Photos:

(Barry Tulkki)

Scratched the skate lane only. With the forecast, classic track was not groomed. Picked up many sticks while grooming. Leaf debris still there. Should be pretty good skiing.

(Greg Hoelscher)

It is beautiful out on the trails. Groomed some yesterday and finished today. Trails are pretty but soft. All trails were tracked and skate lane groomed. Could almost use good skis, but an occasional rock may be under the surface. Enjoy!

(Greg Hoelscher)