An Oxcart trail sunset Ski at Bearskin is wonderful way to end the day after 10 miles this morning. Very chilly but excellent deep hard track.

Photos:

(Diane Pattridge)

We groomed everything early this morning. There was some pretty crazy wind last night and quite a bit of debris came down with it. This morning's grooming buried most of it but you may find some remnants in a few places, particularly on the higher elevation trails such as Ridge Run and the top of Red Pines. Trails otherwise groomed up great! The classic tracks set deep and the skate deck is nice and firm. No icy sections present. Fantastic skiing this weekend!

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Fabulous conditions. Freshly groomed trails at poplar and back side of Bear Cub. Snow got a bit warm and sticky by noon. Gorgeous blue bird sky. We also did a wonderful early morning ski on the Beaver Dam trails.

Photos:

(Diane Pattridge)

There was a couple of inches of light fluffy snow over yesterday's grooming upon arrival at Bearskin Lodge late this morning. This gave Joanie and I the chance to try the advanced-expert Bear Cub World Cup Trail, which was very scenic with some challenging climbs and descents. The last big downhill, Death's Door, was quite the plunge and lived up to its name. We also toured some trails northeast of the lodge, including Beaver Dam, Ridge Run, and Moose Pasture. They were also scenic with some nice ups, downs, and curves to keep it interesting. It was a balmy 15-20 degrees under cloudy skies during our ski. Thanks for the grooming!

Photos:

(Darren Blankenship)

Perfect classic skiing from Golden Eagle Lodge Sunday through Wednesday. Maybe 6" of fresh snow on top of a huge base. Fresh classic tracks and skate corduroy every day. Definitely an end of season XC treat.

(Tom Dunaway)

First time visit here under sunny skies and temps in single digits. Joanie and I strided the north side trails from Golden Eagle Lodge, including Old Logging Camp, Cross Fox, Moose Ridge, Deer Mouse, Red Pine, and Wolf Point. We also skied Ox Cart from Bearskin Lodge. All trails we skied had been groomed on Sunday and were in excellent condition-solid tracks, pole plants, and skate lanes. Thank you to the groomer(s) for their outstanding efforts following last week's storm!

Photos:

(Darren Blankenship)

We groomed everything again this morning after a light accumulation of fluffy snow yesterday afternoon. Trails groomed up fantastic! We have done several groomings now since the big storm so the trails have set up really nice - firm skate deck and solid classic track. Lake crossings are in great shape as well. The Skijoring Loop is temporarily closed as we wait for slush to freeze up along the trail in one section.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

It's hard to determine an accurate snow total with all the drifting taking place, but based on all of our snow measurements, we are going to say the snowstorm total came to around 13 inches. We groomed for most of the day yesterday, taking several passes on our grooming route during the storm to ensure we kept as much snow on the trail as we could. We wanted to make sure we were able to add as much snow to our trail base as possible while also ensuring the trails won't be soft for several days after. We were out grooming again this morning! Everything is grooming up great for skate and classic! Grooming plans: It looks like we will likely be out grooming again Friday morning and Saturday morning as well.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Last day of the freeze/thaw for a good while! We groomed the south side trails this morning: West End Logging Camp, North-South Link, Ridge Run, Upper Beaver Dam, and Moose Pasture. We also did Logging Camp and Deer Mouse on the north side. Trails groomed up really well; the track tillers on the Pisten Bully allowed for a really nice classic track set. The skate deck also set up fantastic - no ice should be present on anything groomed today.

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Superb skiing out of the Bearskin on the best trail system in Minnesota: the Central Gunflint. The lack of recent snow causes the hills to be a bit hard for herringbone ascents and somewhat fast for descents, but the frequent PistenBully grooming kept the classic track in perfect condition. They know how to groom on the Central Gunflint. From the Bearskin, the Poplar Trail or a loop around Flour Lake are two of the best skis in the Upper Midwest. The Summer Home, Moose Pasture, Campground, and Ox Cart trails are ideal for additional skiing when you start getting too tired for the more challenging hills! [ Bearskin and Golden Eagle Lodge share the grooming duties on the Central Gunflint -- Ed. ]

(Iza Carter)