Skied an hour from the Boedecker TH. The trail south from there had been reported groomed, and tracked and it was. I was happy to see grooming now to the north as well. The first picture shows how deep the skied in tracks were before grooming. Now the base ranges from 1-4" and conditions are good despite some thin spots and leaves. The second pic shows the trail heading north toward OO. Also good. The only dangerous spot is on the skate trail. Partway up the last hill before OO there is a 6-8" hole in the trail from last summer's erosion. Lots of happy folks out enjoying being able to train on the Birkie trail.

Photos:

(Tom Detzner)

Skated north from OO to Fire Tower on the classic side and back on the skate side. Skate deck was firm up to Boedecker, with some grass sticking through and a couple of dirt spots at the top of hills. Softer from Boedecker up to Fire Tower, guessing it was groomed more recently. Maybe a few more grassy spots to go around. Not too much that could hurt your skis other than the dirt spots (only a couple over the course of 20K) and a few bigger sticks, easily avoided. We used B skis but you could use good skis if careful. As others said, it's good for the soul to be back on the Birkie Trail!

(Jay Lyons)

I strided from Bodecker to Hwy OO on the classic trail, then returned to Bodecker Trailhead in the Birkie skate trail. Both trails had a firm track. The skate lane was groomed and offered very good control when out of the tracks. There were some thin spots and I used my B skis. With the cold temps, the kick and glide were very good. Bundle up and enjoy!

Photos:

(David Martin)

Strided from OO to Boedecker on classic trail and strided back on skate trail. No tracks at that time but terrific solid white corduroy, made for easy double pulling and kicking. Restored my skiing soul, to move though the beautiful sun lit woods with no skiing turnabouts. Little bit of ground up oak leaves, easy to dodge. Skied over Key Log Crossing bridge but not corduroy or as smooth going. Great to be back on the Birkie Trail again! The shorter ride to OO was nice too!

(Audun Mikkelson)

Classic skied the Bodoecker — OO Loop again late this afternoon. A shallow classic track was set on the entire loop (Skate and Classic trails) and made for a great classic ski. There were some thin areas that hit dirt or leaves, but overall an enjoyable ski. Photo taken on Classic trail just south of Boedecker.

Photos:

(Suzann Mouw)

Fantastic skate ski on the Boedecker - OO loop which includes the Classic and Skate trails at 10:30AM in 2 degree temps. Mostly a solid 4" base with only a few thin areas. FastWax teal had great glide despite cold temps. Nice to see skiers enjoying the trail.

Photos:

(Suzann Mouw)

Skiing is superb at Birkie Trailhead/Telemark on the machine made snow loops (approx 4km). We have also groomed about 10km of natural snow there and it is a 1" base, pretty good skiing. Additionally we have around 20km groomed from Boedecker to Gravel Pit. Similar to the northern half, it is a thin 1" base or so, but if adventurous, give it a try. It gets pretty thin by Gravel Pit as you head south. Enjoy! Scheduling: Reminder the Birkie Trailhead trails will be closed on Saturday for Ski de She until 3pm.

(Redgy Jorstad)

I skied out of the Birkie trailhead today. Glide was slow with the cold snow, but otherwise it was great for skating. There was a dusting of new snow from last night. Artificial Snow: These loops are in excellent condition and there are more of them since I was here a week ago. The classic tracks looked good on these trails. The snow guns are currently making some huge piles of snow for future use. Go Birkie! Natural snow: They have groomed down to Timber Trail and several other trails close to the trailhead on natural snow only. It's probably too thin to put a race on, and certainly not as good as the snowmaking loops. But these trails were good for skating if you don't mind occasional sticks and grass (I don't). There are no classic tracks on the natural snow trails (for obvious reason) except that some shallow ones were set on the powerline. It's promising to see a base getting started.

Photos:

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

Skated Birkie trail at the start line up through Elevator Shaft. Beautifully groomed 4k, tracks set. No rocks or dirt seen. Warming hut appreciated!

(Richard Searl)

The Boedecker Loop (OO to Boedecker on Skate and Classic trails) has been groomed for those wanting to ski despite the cold temperatures! No tracks at this time.

(Carolyn Senty)