I went for a relatively long ski on the snowmaking loops today. Conditions were very good. Ironically, the only complaint is that the new natural snow slowed down the glide. The tracks looked great. But I'm thankful for every flake this winter. They appear to be getting a lot more distance opening soon - which is needed for the upcoming events.

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(Louis Muench, CASTA)

I skied 1/2 hour at both the 00 TH and Boedecker TH. 3-4" of snow at each. No grooming, so skiing was hard, but fair to good glide, and no damage to skis.

(Tom Detzner)

Great day to get out skiing at the trailhead! 3" of fresh snow on top of a good base from the snowmaking crew. 1.8k for the longest loop. Kept getting busier as the day went on with everyone excited to get out on real snow.

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(Jack Burns)

32k marker on the skate course/00/Roam Basecamp. 4 inches of fresh powder on the Birkie trail plus a solid foot of Hope. Skate deck not groomed. Classic tracks set old-school by another skier. Rock on.

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(Lars Gaalaas)

Lovely morning at the Birkie Trailhead/ Start area. Got there right when it opened and was rewarded with a freshly-groomed trail. My skins worked like a charm in the fast, firm tracks. Skate deck looked solid and even. Kudos to the crew for making the best of a tough situation. The main 1.3km loop meanders through the woods, and I actually felt like I was rolling into OO each time I came through. Lots of champs and smiles out there!

(Pamela Toshner)

Happy to report we are on schedule and skiing will open at 8am on Thursday Jan 4th. Looks like approx 1.6k with a few loop options. Snowmaking will continue with more trail to reopen. Thanks for your patience.

(Ben Popp, American Birkebeiner)

Update: As snowmaking continues we are still feeling good that by Jan 4th we will have approx 1.5km open (see map). Keep checking back for additional updates as we keep making more snow and get back to skiing!

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(Ben Popp, American Birkebeiner)

Mother Nature is testing us again, but the crew is doing what they can. About 75% of the snowmaking loop is covered.... but that means 25% isn't (patchy spots)! With temps in the upper 20's and humidity in the 95%+ making snow is just very difficult and slow going right now. It looks to improve Sunday night and we are still hopeful we can get at least 1.5 k open by Jan 4th, but look for another update later.

(Redgy Jorstad, American Birkebeiner)

ALERT: While not what we had planned, Mother Nature is forcing our hand with the rain and lack of freezing temps at night - so we need to close the ski trails up at Birkie Trailhead until the rain stops / freezing temps return - effective immediately. Our hope is we can save enough snow to salvage some of the 4km of ski trail come Tuesday/Wednesday, but stay tuned to this channel for updates. Looks like snowmaking guns will be able to start running as well by Wednesday to repair the damage and get us back up and running. Sorry for the sad news on Christmas, but with any luck we will be back skiing early next week.

(Ben Popp, American Birkebeiner)

A new loop was opened today that follows the Birkie trail and then loops back around on the rollerski loop. The total snowmaking loop is now almost 4km! Lots of people were out skiing and enjoying the great skiing. The snow was soft and some spots were getting thin by the end of the day. Unfortunately, due to the warm and rainy forecast, the trails will be closed until it gets below freezing again.

(David Nelson)