Skated both trails this morning with fresh grooming from last evening. They were in about equal condition. 90% great with a fast, flat, and firm skate deck. The remaining 10% of the trail (most south facing hills) could have used a bit more of an aggressive till, as they were a tad icy and tough to get a good edge on V1 uphills. Good skis without a doubt. The base is still very deep and with the usual great care the Snowflake crew takes with the trails, we should have good spring skiing. Thanks again Snowflake for a wonderful winter of skiing!

(Tom Heinitz)

All 14K of skate decks were lightly tilled, then groomed this evening. Temps in the teens tonight should yield firm corduroy in the morning. The classic tracks on both the 6K and the 8K are very solid, some washiuts on the tighter turns of the 6K. The 8K definitely less worn. No exposed ground, yet, on the south-facing hills. So, we look good, but with Birkie weekend behind us and a warm/cold cycle with sunny days ahead, our focus shifts to “trail preservation”, with a goal of offering decent skiing thru March. The forecast high on Sunday require cooperation from Member Dog-owners: if the temps are above 35 F, we ask that you keep dogs off the trails. As your pooch punches tracks thru the warm deck, they melt in three dimensions, and become craters that we can not groom. Call the chalet, or check the temp before you leave home; 35 F is the cut-off. The Oval will remain available for exercising your dog, regardless of temps, so long as the ice remains safe. As we enter Spring Skiing, we may establish Spring hours, so check the chalet message, or this website. We’ll be open 8-8 this weekend. Congratulations to everyone who participated in Birkie events! Those were amazing ski conditions!

(John Graham)

Skiing the classic tracks on the 5k loop. Icy. Couldn’t get any kick with my fish scales. Double poling and fast descents.

(Teresa Zupancich )

Both loops freshly groomed and in excellent condition. Skate-skied mid to late afternoon. A winter wonderland with big flakes falling.

(Gordon Mesedahl)

Wonderful day to have been on the trails. My wife and I skied classical. The tracks were firm and the trails for both skating deck and tracks were recently groomed.

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(John Crellin)

The groomer had just finished as we arrived and it was a treat to ski on the fresh cord! I was skate skijoring and my husband was skating while another friend classic skied, the glide was amazing and the skate deck firm, even, and just fun! The classic tracks were in super shape too! When we were leaving there were at least 3 big dogs off leash who were heading out with their owners, so conditions may change.

(Eve Graves)

A memorable day on the Snowflake trails today, with sunshine, 22 degrees, and our trails fully restored from last weekend’s melt/freeze-up. On Saturday all skate decks were double-groomed by 2 ginzus, mixing the 3” of new snow with the tilled ice. Unhappy with the 8K classic track, we ripped it out, tilled deep, and reset a nicely shaped, deep track. I classic’d the 8K yesterday, post-setting, and again today: overnight freezing and gentle use yielded a solid track, that also follows a comfortable line on downhill turns. Skaters reported a fast, edge-able deck, as the snow/ice mix has bonded to the ice below. The 8K is reported better than the 6K, due to less use. Today we concluded Snowflake KidSki and graduated 81 fledgling Olympians, and hopefully life-long skiers. On Monday morning we will refresh all skate decks and evaluate the 6k classic track.

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(John Graham)

Skate skiing and classic skiing is still pretty variable here. Portions of both loops (5&7K) have had tracks re-set, and while they're shallow, they're also safe-feeling and it seems like you'd be able to get kick in them. Still a little soft in the afternoon but will probably firm up overnight. In the areas where the tracks were re-set, skating is also better because the skate lane near the tracks was also freshly groomed. However, large portions of the trail are still awaiting grooming and those areas are pretty icy, particularly on the 5K loop. Special K is re-tracked and much more ski-able.

(Sara Zimmer)

16F, sunny. Conditions were awful for skating. Hard, icy, only a few places where the snow was roughed up a bit.

(Louise Levy)

The skate lane throughout Snowflake had been groomed lightly since the big freeze-up. While icy, skating was possible, and I did the 8K a few times. I saw on the notice board that the track setter had broken and thus the tracks had not been touched since the freeze-up. I saw one person classic skiing out there, more power to her, but it was all I could do to be comfortable skating. The 5K was much icier than the 8K, although I only skied to the first cutoff before bailing for another loop of the other trail. So no information for Special K. The trails were certainly in better shape than the parking lots! Still not a lot of debris on the trails, all things considered.

(Sara Zimmer)