Skated Onion River Road mid-morning (finished up about noon) and conditions were great--fast and firm. Overnight temps were definitely below freezing because conditions were much less soft than yesterday afternoon. Coverage on the road was great and I used my good skis. Coverage on the other sections near the Onion River trailhead isn't nearly as good but skiing was still enjoyable; I did both classic and skate on those yesterday. There are some sticks and grass sticking through, especially in the skate lane.

(Maren Olson)

We skied the Maple Loop, with our Westie, from the Moose Fence trailhead. A fresh 1/2" of overnight snow covered nicely groomed trails with very few if any previous skiers. Trail conditions combined with little wind and mid-20s temps made for a great ski. Still in low snow conditions though, so more than a little grass showing through in spots, but also long stretches of perfect conditions. Way exceeded our admittedly low expectations.

Photos:

(Kevin Sullivan)

Out of Britton Peak again skied Hogback to Picnic Loop to East Oberg and back on the connector over Homestead and back to Britton trailhead. Conditions remain good for the low snow. Best conditions on Picnic, East Oberg has very challenging bumpy downhill as does Homestead. Both tracks and skate deck are very firm and it was good to see skiers out today after six days of seeing no one.

(Tim Nelson)

Second day of skiing Picnic loop, Homestead and Hogback, this time out of Briton Peak. Conditions are good considering low snow. Skate deck and tracks are firm but variable track depth and sometimes deeper on one foot, usually the outside foot sometimes disrupted striding rhythm. The outside pole plants plunging made double polling challenging. The undulating skate deck did not disturb any of my downhlll runs, but I knew where to expect them from the prior days of skiing. Despite of these issues, I am very pleased with conditions and will be back once again, hopefully in warmer temps.

(Tim Nelson)

Skied from Oberg around Picnic Loop to Hogback then Homestead and back to Oberg. Picnic Loop had more stubble than either Hogback or Homestead but the trail was pretty smooth without severe undulations typical in low snow conditions. Track was firm and pretty fast but the stubble and ground up dirt kept me out of it especially on downhills. Skate deck was firm and smooth albeit with some dips and dirt ground up. But given the low snow, it is in fine shape and beckons me back for more.

(Tim Nelson)

Went back to Briton Peak trailhead and skied thru to Hogback and Homestead. Classic tracks were added to Homestead yesterday and both loops were pretty good. A bit undulating, especially on steep hills and some dirt ground up and stubble of course. So B skis are fine. Noticed as I passed the junction with the Picnic Loop and Hogback that grooming has started on Picnic. The skate deck looked good but no classic yet. My long distance training will start tomorrow with the Picnic Loop. Yahoo!

(Tim Nelson)

Skied out of Briton Peak trailhead today. Skied out on Wood Duck and Piece of Cake and found new grooming on Homestead. The skate deck had recently been groomed but no classic tracks yet. Turns out I was just ahead of Darren the groomer making a second lap to lay down tracks. Skied Homestead, back on connector which is now groomed and tracked and then the Hogback loop back to Briton Peak. Surface everywhere was undulating particularly on hills, and stubble in the tracks and frequent patches of ground up dirt made be glad I used my B skis. Tracks were firm but depth was variable and sometimes grabby. But it was nice to get a nice big loop in and I will be back tomorrow in a little warmer weather. Three cheers for natural snow.

(Tim Nelson)

Conditions very similar to yesterday on the Onion River Road. Solid tracks, firm deck, regroomed from yesterday. Glide was good despite the cold. Also skied east Oberg which did not have tracks yet but had a firm skate deck. This was a little bumpy in the usual spots were water is usually a problem. Made the big downhill a bit exciting. West Oberg had some dirt in the tracks in few places which was easily avoided and one spot that was ice and dirt trail wide for about 20 feet. Very happy to be on natural snow despite the cold.

(Tim Nelson)

Can't believe this is the first time this season on the Onion River Road for me. It is usually a November event. But it was great to be on natural snow after over 300K on gerbil loops in the cities. (Nice to have them of course). ORR was in fine shape for a cold classic ski at dusk today with temps just below zero. Classic tracks were well formed, but a bit shallow on the right side going up. Right side pole plants plunge thru to the gravel below. Going down on the left side the outside plants were firm and the tracks a bit deeper. Can't wait for the rest of the system to open but with this wind and cold, it might take awhile.

(Tim Nelson)

Only Onion River Road is open at this time. Our groomer did a great job setting tracks today which should set up nicely, along with the skate deck, with the colder temps. It was wonderful to be out on the trail and others seemed to be enjoying the break in the ski drought. Only one large rock to be avoided in the tracks with this amount of snow. We used waxless skis today as the the temps were around 30F.

Photos:

(Liz Wagner)