Wow! Great conditions. 5k is well groomed for skate and classic. Perimeter trail is also groomed though I did not ski it. Thanks groomers!

(John Jereczek)

The classic track on the 5km was nice. It was skied out in a few place with all the skier traffic today. It was almost fast enough to glide up the hills. Once again, amazing job by the crew getting the trail in good skiing condition, this time less than 12 hours after the snow ended and 36 hours after the heavy rain ended. Thanks!

(Bruce Bauer)

This morning the 5K and SpecialK were groomed with the knives, having firmed-up overnight, and the deck is good. We set a classic track on the 5K/SpK which is soft, but got a lot of use today. This afternoon we compacted and groomed the 8K segments of the Perimeter Loop, and set a classic track, so the Perimeter Loop is fully open. The remaining segments of the 8K will be compacted and groomed on Thursday, but they are open to skiers who want to bushwhack. We are open til 10 tonight, and 8-8 tomorrow. Happy, Healthy 2020!

Photos:

(John Graham)

The groomers were working hard to blend the new stuff in with the old hard stuff. We classic skied the 5k, biathlon and Special k and the tracks were fresh without a bit of ice at all! Due to all the people at Snowflake, the tracks were already getting wiped out on the turns so use caution. The skate deck was in pretty good shape considering what they had to work with and the small equipment. Snowflake will be one of very few places in town with fresh grooming! Thank those groomers!

(Eve Graves)

It could have been worse. Allowed the trails to drain and dry this morning, then took two sleds and a chainsaw out to assess. The most notable result of the weekend storm was lots of debris and deadfall, and the fragile softness of the deck. If we stepped off the sled, our foot sank 8” into the deck. We opted to pick large debris up from the sled and leave small stuff to the Ginzu. 16 sled-only runs on the 5K/SpK, and removing two downed trees, then we hooked up the Ginzus for eight more circuits, combs-only. It was dark and snowing as we finished, but the 5K/SpK are firm. We will let them firm-up tonight, then plan to groom and set a classic track in the morning. Should be done by 11:00. Then we will compact and open the 10K segments of the Perimeter Loop. It takes time, so I don’t expect to have the full 8K open until Thursday. We are open tomorrow, 8-8.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Disappointing "snow storm" as of late Sunday afternoon. The rain and wintry mix over the past 18 hours, have saturated our snow. The trails are soaked, soft, and fragile. For that reason, Snowflake is closed, Monday Dec 30. We must give the snow a chance to drain and dry out a bit before we even take the machines out to begin compacting and grooming. We will have deadfall to clear, due to the high winds. Our goal is to have some trail open by Tuesday, but we need to do this recovery right, to maintain good trails through Jan and February. Your patience is appreciated.

(John Graham)

All 14k of skate deck were lightly tilled and groomed this morning. The 5k had significat dog-tracks and was run twice. The classic tracks were skied-in, 90% intact, but have a lot of pole tracks. With snow in the forecast, we did not reset the track. I classic skied the 5K/SpK in the afternoon. Tracks were glazed, and several spots had been wrecked by fallen skiers during the past three days. Several sections had very soft outside pole planting. If we receive significant snow, we will do several compacting runs on classic side prior to setting the new track. We are planning to open on Saturday and Sunday, but as weather/safety dictate will adapt closing and opening to the conditions.

Photos:

(John Graham)

We are itching to groom, but these narrow temperature extremes around freezing make us question the value of disturbing the trails. After speaking with several very experienced skate skiers, after they skied the trails, we have decided to leave the trails alone until overnight temps return to normal (cold) and/or we get some fresh snow. The classic track is holding up, very skiable now, and we're leaving it alone. On Christmas day, trails will be open 8-8, but the chalet will not open til 10 am. Thursday, we will resume normal 8-8 hours. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Photos:

(John Graham)

We regroomed the skate decks on all trails this morning. It's a firm base, but the sunshine and warm temps are softening the top inch or so. We reset classic track in two segments that had been ruined by a crashed skier and a large dog. The rest of the track is still well-formed, but softening in the sun. I then classic skied the entire system and found the track solid and very nice to ski. Planting the right pole on some segments is still soft/deep, but 99% of the trail gave me a solid plant. The track has also held up in most of the curves, with few washouts. With the weather for the next few days, it will be challenging to improve the trail conditions. For now, members who ski with dogs are requested to stay on the 5K trail, which is easier to repair, and keep the dogs out of the classic track.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Beautiful conditions for grooming today. This compacted, deep base is perfect for leveling bumps and smoothing thedeck with the Ginzus. Today we regroomed the skate deck on all 14K of our trails. The deck is smooth, firm, fast. And we pushed the left side out to it's limit. The classic track set on Monday, on all trails, has been nicely skied-in, and kept it's structure; we reset a couple of worn segments plus the Bi Loop bypass, but didn't tamper with the very nice 99%. The Kiddie Loop, at the bottom of the Sledding Hill was regroomed with a classic track right down the middle: this is a Classic Only trail for youngsters. The Oval is closed due to unsafe ice under the snow. We are still accepting KidSki registrations. Snowflake will be open 8 am - 8 pm Sat - Tuesday Dec 24. Open noon - 8 pm on Christmas day. Remember, we do not take plastic or digital payments and only Season Pass member may bring dogs.

Photos:

(John Graham)