A little more snow came down last night and into the morning. The trails really aren't too shabby. I ran into skiers from Ely they were just finishing a longer ski from Junction 11 to the shelter and back to the trailhead, and they said it didn't faze them in the least that the trails haven't been groomed for a week. Grooves/tracks were still present, getting a little sloppy, but still good. A fresh grooming should be the ticket. But until we get the groomer back from the repair shop, we are just going to have to be patient. I am crossing my fingers that the repair will be done by this Friday.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

My expectations were exceeded today. The trails were faster than I expected, and the sun was a real help, making it comfortable in spite of the subzero temps. Come on out and enjoy the trails; they are great. We are still struggling with keeping our snowmachine operating this season. Next year we will have a new groomer snowmachine.

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

It was a little slower ski on mostly human tracked/previously packed and tracked trails. We skied 3 hrs with slower glide conditions due to being zero degrees and fresh 1 inch snow. It was a wonderful day on the trails. Grooming plans: No updates regarding when the snow machine can be picked up from the repair shop. Until our snow machine returns grooming will be intermittent depending on the availability of help from other sources.

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Skied with friends Lara and Allyz from the trailhead to 18>19>20>16 and back to the trailhead. The glide was easy; some parts we human tracked the packed trails but had no difficulties. Lots of other skiers were out using the trail, also helping to set track since our groomer is in the fix-it shop.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Well, things haven't been going well keeping our Skandic snowmachine operating. The saga continues as I spend today bringing it back to the fix-it shop to try for a third time to figure out why the battery isn't being charged by the stator while it's running. Joe headed out on the trails with the tracker Friday, and sure enough, the battery gave out back on the western trails. Grrrr! He had taken a jump charger unit and was able to get it running again and make it back to the garage without it dying again. He did manage to pack the main trail and all of the eastern loop trails, track some of the western trails, and a few of the closer-to-the-trailhead loops, but the remainder of the trail sections will be human-tracked until we can resolve our issues. With that said, we did get more snow Friday night, and when using the snow-covered trails on Thursday, it was still a delightful and fast-moving experience. Patience seems to be needed as we attempt to fix the snowmachine or find a way to borrow other machines and work on getting our paperwork in to finalize our ability to purchase a new one through the FRT grant we were awarded.

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Skied again today - the groomer is on the job! At least one track set most of the way on the "main drag" several of the interior trails as well. Skied 16>15>14>21>13 & back. All very nice.

Photos:

(Vince King)

Only skied the loop from markers 2>3>17>18>19>20>16 and back, so I can't yet report on all the trails. Trails are in good condition, but haven't been groomed in a while. Roughly .5 to 1 inch of nice powder in the tracks, a little bit like work going through it, but overall a very lovely ski! The base is nice and solid most places, a little "ploofy" from 19 to 20.

(Vince King)

The trail conditions continue to surprise me; they offered great glide on my waxable skis, even with an inch of new snow on the tracks. We were the first to go over those tracks after today's snowfall. Grooming plans: We plan on grooming tomorrow morning; fingers crossed, no breakdown happens with the snowmobile this time.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

I was curious how the trails were after the slight warming temperatures from yesterday. While I didn't ski far, they weren't icy, had a nice layer of light snow over the previous groomed tracks, and even had decent glide in the 5-degree temperatures we skied in. The base is great. Grooming plans: The snowmachine is still in the fix-it shop, but we are hopeful we will have it back on the trails this Friday.

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

I skied out to the shelter near Junction 24 using waxable skis in 24-degree temps with full sun. Only hit two small south-facing slopes that caused minor snow buildup on my skis. Attempted my first solo grooming run from Junction 1 to 10. Results were mixed—the snowmobile ran rough after returning from the small engine repair shop and needed a jump start when I turned it off at the trailhead. The tracks I set weren't quite as nice as the grooming done on Jan 7 with the better machine. Current Conditions: All trails have about an inch of fresh, fluffy snow on top of the Jan 7 grooming. The Jan 7 tracks are still excellent—fast with well-defined grooves The fresh inch of snow is easy to glide through. Equipment Notes: Snowmobile needs attention before next grooming run.

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)