*Front Page, Grooming, Maplelag, News, Seasons, Winter

Late Season Grooming

February 27, 2017 Jay Richards

Grooming new snow from Sunday morning into the base on Skaters Waltz, February 26th, 2017.

Dusting of new snow Sunday morning improving the ski conditions. Latest trail report. We will continue regular grooming and ski operations with lodging for two more weeks. We close for the season on March 13th for lodging but will continue grooming select trails and have those trails open for skiing until the snow is gone.

Ski Trail

Trail Report

February 20, 2017 Jay Richards

Trails are open however conditions have deteriorated with warmer temps overnight and just over a half inch of rain. A few exposed areas now wearing thin and always use caution on the hills etc. Folks were out skiing today and we will have the trails open for Tuesday. We don’t close the trails if skiable conditions considering folks have come from Canada and other states. Ski at own risk.

Great day of Nordic play over the weekend. Textbook spring conditions. Firm and fast in the morning, than softening up as the day passed. Great seeing all the folks on the trails this weekend. Good reports from the skiers. Thanks for the reports!

Big time warm up on Friday but the snow and tracks held out well. There was some melting but folks were skiing all day right up until dusk. We held off on grooming until this evening to let the snow cool a few degrees and when it started glazing over. Air temp is above 32 but the tracks and deck are glazing over, thanks to cold base underneath, clear skies and dry air. Groomed Friday evening included Sap Run, Sukkerbusk, Mother North Star, Twin Lakes and Skaters Waltz.

Grooming when we did yesterday made a difference in keep the tracks and base firm today. Looks to be a bit cooler Saturday. The time of transition or “sweet spot” should be longer tomorrow. Bottom line, there is snow to ski and pick the time of day for desired glide and kick. Fast and slippery in am, ideal from 930am to 1pm than getting soft and slow in the afternoon.

A nice day of spring skiing on Thursday. Was slow to warm up but quickly shot up to 40 by 2pm. The warmer temps softened the snow and slowed down the skiing. Glazing over again at dusk. Reports from folks skiing today were very good. At dusk we cut new track on about 20km of trail than groomed the skate trails in the evening so the trails could set up hard overnight. Even though the temp is being reported above freezing, there is no melting. The trails are glazing over thanks to the cold base underneath. We will be grooming again Friday evening.

We have a good base of snow on the trails and woods ranging from 6-18″. New snowfall since February 1st is 3″. Snowfall since January 1st around 23″. Total snowfall on the season now at 57″.

Reports from skiers this past week have good to excellent.

All the inner trails and Twin Lakes double tracked. Roy’s Run, Island Lake, Wavy Gravy, Bootleg extension and segments of Lucky’s Loype single tracked. Skaters Waltz, the extension of Skaters, North Loup and Suicide Hill groomed for skating. (15km) There is also a track on the side of the skate lane on North Loup.

Day pass for day use is $15.

We have been grooming the Twin Lakes singletrack for Fat Biking. Thanks Ben Olson for taking on this role and volunteering his time! The fat bike trail is closed Monday-Wednesday until cooler weather returns. Latest trail report.

Skiers heading out on Sukkerbusk, February 20th, 2017.

Late afternoon striding on Mother North Star, February 19th, 2017.

Skaters Waltz, late afternoon. Still good coverage, few thin areas on exposed sections. February 19th, 2017.

Sap Run late afternoon. February 19th, 2017.

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https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6387938725768412561

Reports, Ski Trail

Trail Report

February 16, 2017 Jay Richards

Spring conditions. Faster skiing in the morning before softening up in the afternoon, glazing over at dusk again. Good skiing all day, depending on desired conditions. Excellent snow coverage on the trails. There has been no melting this week as temps have been below melting. Cooling down to 1 degree Wednesday morning. Cold temps good for freezing down the base hard. We have a deep base of snow on the trails and woods ranging from 8-18″. New snowfall since February 1st is 3″. Snowfall since January 1st around 23″. Total snowfall on the season now at 57″.

Reports from skiers this past week have good to excellent.

Grooming on select trails, mostly the more used trails at this time. We will groom Thursday afternoon on many trails to set up overnight for skiing on the weekend. To ensure the best skiing possible Friday-Sunday, please do not ski on the fresh groomed Thursday. The base and trails overall are holding out great. The base on trail is deep, over 12″ in some spots and plenty of snow for good skiing. Snow depth in woods 1-2 feet. The snow will not melt off by the weekend.

Day pass for day use is $15.

We have been grooming the Twin Lakes singletrack for Fat Biking. Thanks Ben Olson for taking on this role and volunteering his time! Latest trail report.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117475008862763984699/albums/6387938725768412561

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feb14-01 — Sukkerbusk late afternoon. No snow loss today! February 14th, 2017.

feb14-02 — Start of Twin Lakes trail. Right track fast and icy, left track bit slower. We will leave the fast icy track alone so it withstands the warmer weather better. February 14th, 2017.

feb14-03 — Island Lake trail. Along with most of the singletrack classic trails, likely will not be groomed before the weekend as track is well set, intact and will withstand warmer weather if left alone. February 14th, 2017.

feb14-04 — North Loup, February 14th, 2017. Fast on Tuesday but groomer’s top choice!

feb14-06 — Skaters Waltz extension, February 14th, 2017. Bit harder than skaters waltz. Alternative option to Skaters Waltz for folks looking for harder faster deck.

feb14-07 — Skaters Waltz, February 14th, 2017. Pretty much ideal conditions on Skaters Waltz today.

feb14-05 — North Loup, February 14th, 2017. Solid, firm deck and fast tracks!

Ski Trail

Trail Report

February 14, 2017 Jay Richards

Spring conditions. Monday was textbook. Depending on desired conditions, great skiing. Faster skiing in the morning before softening up in the afternoon than glazing over at dusk again. Grooming on select trails, mostly the more used trails at this time. Reports from skiers good to excellent. All the trails have been groomed 1-3 times last week (outside of the AMA segments) working in new snow that fell earlier in the week and tracks are holding out great for the most part, all things considered the recent warm weather. The base is deep, over 12″ in some spots and plenty of snow for good skiing.

Just under 3″ of new snow Tuesday morning that fell right after grooming and before the start of the Section races. Made for a fun day of racing. Great job to all the skiers and congrats to those going on to state.. Photos and results from Sections.

Total new snow the past 7 days around 3″. We have a deep base of snow on the trails and woods ranging from 8-18″. All the trails groomed the past 4-5 days. New snowfall since January 1st around 23″. Total snowfall on the season now at 57″.

Day pass for day use is $15.

We have been grooming the Twin Lakes singletrack for Fat Biking. Thanks Ben Olson for taking on this role and volunteering his time! Latest trail report.