I classic skied both the 6 and 8K trails this afternoon, under sunny skies and 33 degree temp. Once clear of the trailhead, classic tracks on both trails were well-defined and very nice to ski in. There are a few washouts in the hard turns, and a few areas of the 8K had been blown-in, but I'd call the tracks 95% good. As the groomer, I am pretty critical. The skate decks had seen good use, the 6K much more than the 8, but on the whole, good conditions. Grooming Plans: On Tuesday Snowflake will go to Spring Hours. Trails will be open 0700-Noon, closed from Noon-5:30pm, then open from 5:30-9pm. The Chalet will be open by 8am and will close at 9pm. The lighted Loop will be lit from 7:15-9pm. Also, beginning Tuesday 3/15 we are closed to members'dogs. Under the forecast conditions dogs/dog-tracks will damage our base and trails, beyond what we can repair. We have a great base and will continue to groom so long as we can get our Ginzus around a skiable loop. Spring restrictions should extend our season into April.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Wind blown refresh of the classic tracks for good kick but 5F means not much glide on the hard packed trails. So nice, I did a second loop. I just skied Janes 5K.

(Mark Boyce)

Tonight we groomed all of our skate decks. They cleaned-up nicely, should be very nice for the rest of the week. We had planned to rip-out and reset all classic tracks but, as we examined them, decided that we can not improve on the hard, skied-in tracks, for the time being. I classic skied both trails the past two days, and they are very nice; the 8K a bit shallower than the 6K, but well-defined and fast. I'll update hours and restrictions this weekend. Enjoy this week and try the lighted loop!

Photos:

(John Graham)

The weekend storm passed south of us, and only dropped a little rain, ice, and snow on our trails. This morning we groomed the skate decks on both trails, and, thanks to yesterday's moisture, they are firm and smooth. The classic tracks are firm under about 1/2" of snow, and just need to be skied-in. Right now, the 6K is closed as we host a Biathlon meet, but it will be open to all at 2:00 pm. The trails are open 7 am - 9 pm every day, and the chalet is open 8-8. It will be nice skiing this week!

Photos:

(John Graham)

This morning we did a fresh grooming of the skate decks on both the 6K and 8K trails. Trails are firmand tracks are very good (photo). We're open til 9 pm tonight, and I hope the trails saw good use today. Grooming plans: Tonight a storm with mixed precip is forecast to bring snow, mix, and rain, continuing through Saturday until Sunday morning. In order to preserve our fabulous base, and expedite post-storm recover/grooming, Snowflake will be closed from Saturday morning until sometime on Sunday afternoon. To complicate the weather, we are hosting a Minnesota Biathlon meet on Sunday, scheduled to begin at 11 am. So, on Sunday morning we will be trying to open and groom the biathlon course on the 6K trail. The 6K will be closed to non-participants until the end of the event (@ 3 pm) once the course is groomed, we will try to open the 8K, or sections of it to skiers, but it all depends on what this storm delivers, and how wet the trails are. I'd suggest skiers not plan to ski Snowflake until Monday; if we let the base dry-out, we could have good trails thru next week.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Today we compacted and skate groomed another 3 km of the 8K trail, hooking it into the segments groomed yesterday. So, we have about 7 km of the 8K groomed for Skating. The un-worked segment is the Pulse/Daves Doom loop, so just follow the grooming and use the bypass. No classic track on the 8K because the sleds could not get traction to pull the track-setter up the hills. Classic skiers may ski the sides of the trail. The 6K trail is groomed for slate and classic: firming-up from use and grooming, and the track is lovely. Good Luck, Birkie, Kortie, P. H. and Barnie Skiers!

(John Graham)

Skied the 6k several times. Smooth, firm skate deck and excellent looking, freshly-minted classic track. Three groomers have been out the last three days integrating our last big snowfall. Thanks, groomers, for your efforts!

(Gordon Mesedahl)

The 6K, groomed skate and classic yesterday, improved firmness overnight, and the skate lane was groomed repeatedly this morning. We then moved to the 8K segments of the Perimeter Loop and the loops in/out of Fisketti Junction. The Perimeter Loop is now skate groomed and we plan to set a track once the base is firm enough to let us pull the Ginzu uphill. The Ice Oval, Stadium, and Kiddie Loop were compacted, groomed and tracked today. Grooming plans: Tomorrow we'll be compacting and grooming the remaining segments of the 8K trail. The photos show the stages of todays work on the 8K.

Photos:

(John Graham)

The 42 hour snow event left 10 - 14" of powder on our trails. Today we were running three sleds, two Ginzus, and the roller/compactor for 7 hours to get a soft, but decent skate deck and a soft, but perfect classic track on the 6K trail. The snow won't really firm-up until it transforms. We planned to compact the Perimeter Loop sections of the 8K, but after 7 hours we were tired and started to make mistakes. Groom plans: Tomorrow morning we will open the 8K segments of the Perimeter Loop and, if it goes well, we will continue with the rest of the 8K. The 8K is open for back-country classic skiing, but not recommended for skating due to deep, loose snow.

(John Graham)

Groomers were out working on the 10km, 5km was groomed after the windy and blustering conditions Friday. Tracks not set up fully when we skiied.

Photos:

(Sophia Jungbauer)