I drove up to Mora for some striding. They've made lots of snow and groomed and tracked many kilometers. There's lots of snow ready for final groom for the races this weekend. While the tracks and skate lanes were crusty, there was plenty of snow and no people. This place is a gem! Incredibly welcoming people and the Nordic center is phenomenal: interesting architecture, free sauna/shower, wax room with benches, irons, scrapers, brushes, and kick waxes. Support this place - it's a treasure.

(Tony Pellegrini)

Our Vasaloppet Nordic Ski Center trails in Mora are in fabulous condition. Our snow farmers have been hauling and spreading manufactured snow since the first week of December. They now have covered 10 miles of trail with manufactured snow. We will likely have more kilometers of trail covered with manmade snow than anywhere in the country. They are firm, groomed and tracked daily and great fun. Last summer we added two new great hills and over a kilometer of new trail. We are looking forward to skiing our Moraloppet Ski for the Cause on Saturday. For the Vasaloppet on Saturday, February 9th the Vasa race will be three laps for 54K; the Classic race will be two laps for 42K, the Dala race will be two laps for 36K and the Bell Ringer will be 13K. Come and check them out and register for the Vasaloppet. On Sunday, February 10th we will have exciting Fat Tire, Skijoring, Spark Sled and Miniloppet races.

Photos:

(Terry Salmela)

Very good conditions. 10 degrees, started snowing on my second lap. All the limited brown spots from the 1/12-13 weekend were gone. There were a ton of high school racers. I got a 10 minute head start on the boys and fortunately they did not catch me despite the fact that I was really dragging. Took a breather in the trail center and did the same thing - got a 10 minute head start on the girls and again they did not catch me but I cheated and skipped one of the branches that time. I used FastWax Teal LF. It was slow.

(Keith Carlson)

6 km open and groomed perfect. Perfect corduroy skate deck and a deep hard track. Snow farmers were working hard spreading more trail.

Photos:

(Craig Stolen)

Skiing Tuesday late afternoon both classic and skated course was very good. The skate surface is being groomed daily. Conditions are excellent for skate and good to very good for classic. Most of course is Good ski rated. Two small spots at entrance and exit of Little Round Top have a little dirt/stone debris. Easy to avoid but this is worth noting.
Snowmaking will resume again Tuesday night and likely will continue around the clock for a week as very cold temperatures arrive early Wednesday morning. Snow Farmers continue to expand the trail (currently over 6km) to a planned 18km course for the Feb. 9-10 Vasaloppet weekend. Nordic Center open daily 8am-10pm. Also 3km of lighted trails.

(Wade Weber, Vasaloppet USA)

Very good. A few brown spots easily avoided. It was 30 degrees per my car thermometer and overcast. Classic track looked good and consistent. It's been years since I've been here. There's a real ski fraternity here and a skater like me was in the minority. Lots of groups of friends and families with kids. Took me the first lap to get oriented to the twist and turns of the trail with its multiple intersections. But once I switched from my Fastwax Yellow LF skis to my skis waxed with Fastwax Salmon LF I was able to really cook on the 2nd lap, skiing consistently at an 8 mph plus pace. Was worth the drive to do something other than Hyland week after week.

(Keith Carlson)

Skied the 5k machine-made loop multiple times with our classic skis and wondered where everyone else was. Tracks were nicely set with some places of leaf debris that were to be expected, but generally firm and well-groomed except on the lake (an extra loop where it had only been recently groomed due to the "snow farmers" and had not had time to set up).
Our first time here and loved the change of pace from the Twin Cities machine-made loops and being largely in the quiet woods. The Nordic Center is a fantastic building with great indoor waxing set up, saunas (!) and showers, and kitchen facilities. And there is no cost to ski. Please come out and enjoy these beautifully groomed trails and be generous with your donation to support upkeep and snowmaking activities.

Photos:

(Bonnie Carlson-Green)

Skiing Tuesday late afternoon was extremely fast after a late morning grooming. The warm weather Sunday and Monday caused a few dirty spots along the trail and a handful of icy spots remain. I was using my best skis and it was easy to avoid the few spots that might cause a problem so that is why I selected Good Skis, but someone else may view this differently. Overall, the skating lane is in good shape although the high winds have knocked down pine needles and small tree debris. This, however, did not affect skate skiing. The strong winds also left a considerable amount of leaves and debris in the classic tracks. Snowmaking operations started again Tuesday evening as temperatures fall into the single digits overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. Snowmaking will continue as long as temperature remain cold and will provide the snow for Vasaloppet "Snow Farmers" to haul the snow and build the 18km course for the Vasaloppet weekend.

(Wade Weber, Vasaloppet USA)

The volunteers have been doing a great job of making and spreading manufactured snow--particularly in the last couple of days. There are now about 5K of groomed trails for both skate and classic. Snow coverage in these open sections was excellent and despite temps in the upper 30's, conditions were fast and not slushy. In some short stretches, there were a few oak leaves or pine needles, but not to the extent they impacted glide.
They are hosting a "First Chance" race Saturday morning. Conditions should be really good for the event. If you're looking for a change of pace from other places in the Cities, give it a shot. It's only a little over an hour north of the northern suburbs.

(Jim Conway)

Made the drive up from the Cities to ski on the beautiful trails in Mora. They received three inches of new snow on the 31st and today it lightly snowed the entire time I skied. Snow farmers were working on spreading snow. Most of the trails are open with good skiing conditions. I used my best skis and just worked around the few dirt areas. So impressed with the Mora community and how the volunteers make it a great venue. Thanks to the volunteers!

Photos:

(Jim Williams)