Weather was -14C (7F) sunny breeze. The tracks haven't been reset for a while, but they're pretty darn good. There's enough irregularity to keep you on your toes. Good opportunity to practice balance. I skied the 4km, Special K 1km and the biathlon loops. All very nice.

(Louise Levy)

Still great skiing to be had after warm-up last week. 5k loop has been skied hard and is a little bumpy but has great coverage all the way around. 8k has more dirt spots but great sections on the north facing hills with level and a more forgiving base. Thanks for the great grooming!

Photos:

(Jake Richards)

Trail base survived the warm up. Thin continuous coverage over most of the trails with occasional thin to open patches. Overall, quite good for skating considering the lack of new snow fall. Classic looks tough with hard tracks. As George used to say "the best skiing in town"!

(John Jereczek)

We just skate-groomed the 6K trail. The base is 95% covered, very hard and very thin, but fast and smooth. The classic track is shallow but still defined. It will be fast. We expect the first half of the 8K to be in rough shape, so will now groom the segments around Fisketti Junction, which will give us 10K of groomed trail. We are open, Season Pass Members only, at 9:00 a.m. No dogs if the temp is above 32 degrees.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Another 40 degree day. As the photos show, we still have decent cover on our trails, however it is wet, soft, and thin. I pushed my finger right thru and hit ground by the second knuckle. Overnight temps may freeze the base. We will evaluate at sunrise, and gently groom if possible. We remain closed until at least 9:00 a.m., and will post trail status by that time -- check before you come up. We are only open to Season Members, until we get another snowfall.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Snowflake will remain closed on Thursday 10 December. Spring-like temperatures today softened and moistened our thin base. Overnight temperatures in the low 30’s will not be adequate to re-freeze the snow. So, we will allow the trails to dry-out tomorrow, re-freeze Thursday night, and plan to gently groom and re-open on Friday morning. Closing the trails on Thursday will buy us more days of skiing into next week. Beginning Friday, we will only be open to Members/Season Pass holders, until we get more snow.

Photos:

(John Graham)

All trails were skate-groomed this morning, with knives just deep enough to clean-up the heavy weekend use. The 6K is “good”, with several easily seen thin/bare spots. The 6K classic track remains hard and skiable, and picked-up a little snow this morning. The 8K has more exposed ground in the first 3K, but the final 5K is fair/good, considering the conditions. I would recommend rock skis on the 8K, avoiding Hovland Hill, and entering the 8K at the 6K cut-thru. Due to forecast warm-up, Snowflake will be closed at noon on Tuesday, remain closed on Wednesday, and re-open on Thursday morning.

Photos:

(John Graham)

The trails were skate-groomed, with the Ginzu knives just scraping our base, this morning. The base is only 1-2” right now. The 6K groomed very nicely, with a few exposed spots, and some harmonic “ripples” across the trail. The 6K classic track is well used, but hard and 95% intact, except around the Biathlon Loop. The 8K classic track is 50% gone. The 8K skate deck is fair-good, given the conditions, with more exposed ground, particularly on the first 3K and the Nikolai’s Narrows section. The final 4K is in decent shape. Rock skis suggested. With no new snow near-term, we'll try to nurse what we have: No dogs when temps are 32 or above, and our next grooming planned for Monday morning. We’re open 8-8 today and Saturday, 8-6 on Sunday. Think Snow!

Photos:

(John Graham)

The 6K is in decent shape, despite a lot of hard use. The skate deck is >95% intact hard-pack, some easily avoided rock, fast and reasonably smooth. The classic track is iron-hard, though well-used and with washouts on the harder turns. B skis recommended on the 6K. The 8K has suffered more deterioration, particularly the first 3 km. The classic track is in poor shape, not repairable absent fresh snow. The best 8K segments are in/out of Fisketti Junction, and may be accessed via the cut-thrus off the 6K trail. Rock skis recommended on the 8K. Due to the very thin base, we are cutting-back on grooming in order to extend the life of this trail. Next skate grooming planned for Friday morning. No restrictions and we’re open as usual, however dog-owners are asked to leave Fido at home if the temps are 32 or warmer. Think Snow.

(John Graham)

Snowflake continues to have very decent skiing. John and/or Jim groomed yesterday morning. I would describe the trails as well used, but remarkably good, considering that we have had no snow in 15 days or so, and my backyard has several bare patches (I live about 4 miles from Snowflake). I skated and had no problem getting an edge when I needed it, but I did head for the edge of the trail (less well used) on some downhills. I also hopped out to the 8 Km trail and did a few loops on several segments near Spaghetti Junction. On some flats I got in the classic track and double poled, the track is a bit icy, and very solid. Pictures are the beginning of the 6 Km trail, and on the 8 Km trail just before Harrington's Hill.

Photos:

(Tim Holst)