All posts by Jay Richards

Ski Trail

Ski Trail Report


Trails open Fantastic snow and skiing conditions. Another 2-3″ of new snow the past 24 hours. Today we will be hosting the Section 8 Nordic ski championships. The trails not used in the races will be open for skiing but be aware parking may be limited. Best options is taking Sukkerbusk to the west to access the western or northern trails for 38km of classic skiing options. Skate trails are closed for the races today. All other trails open, new snow on top of the most recent grooming.

Grooming update: Thursday and Friday we will be grooming the entire trail system for the weekend. Whatever the weather, we are ready to groom at anytime to have the best possible conditions every day.

Nature Notes: Wildlife has been active the last few weeks. We have been seeing porcupines along the snowshoe trail and Roy’s Run. We have also seen hawks, owls near JibFly and North Star, fox, deer of course, pileated woodpeckers and tons of tracks.

Trails are open for day use. Day and season passes can be purchased here. Please note due to COVID protocols, there are no lodge services for day use. This includes no ski rental or access to coffee bar. Parking in far lot near blue recycling bins where porta potties are located.Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open. There are no dogs or pets allowed.

Fat Bike trails open. Click here for report

Classic skiing on Sukkerbusk, Sap Run, Mother Hen, JibFly, Rootin Tootin, Twin Lakes, Mother North Star, Wavy Gravy, Island Lake trail North Loup and Roy’s Run. Please no skating on the classic trails. Bullhead/Bootleg has now been tracked on the Bootleg extension and return. Lucky’s Loype is adventure skiing (no grooming).

Skaters Waltz, the extension loops, North Loup, Suicide Hill, Single Green and Kristin’s Kutoff designated trails groomed for skating.

All trails are one way except Sukkerbusk and Skaters Waltz. Skiing correct direction, especially in early season, helps us maintain the integrity of the base. Thank you!

Trails are open for day skiing for non lodging guests. Lodge is closed to day use.

Day and season passes can be purchased here.

Snowshoe trails are open and packed.

Snowfall past 24 hours: 3″

Snowfall past 7 days: 6″

Snowfall to date: 70″

Compacted base on trail: 9-20″

Snow depth in woods: 18-46″



Day and season passes can be purchased here.

NO services in the lodge at this time or ski rental available for day skiing. Parking in far lot near porta bathrooms and recycling bins. Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open.

Enjoying the beautiful morning on Sukkerbusk, February 8th, 2022.
Boys getting ready to race, Section 8 Nordic Ski Championships, February 8th, 2022.
Striding in the boys race.
Striding in the girls race.
Cutting new track on Sukkebusk, February 7th, 2022.
Rootin Tootin, February 7th, 2022. Groomed on February 5th, light dusting of snow on top skier packed. Similar conditions on Roy’s Run and North Loup.
Ski Trail

Ski Trail Report


Trails open Fantastic snow and skiing conditions. Epic first day for the Section 8 Nordic Ski Championships. Sunshine to start leading to snow! Around 2″ of new snow falling during the day with more falling in the evening. Wednesday we will be hosting day 2 of the Section 8 Nordic ski championships. The trails not used in the races will be open for skiing but be aware parking may be limited. Best options is taking Sukkerbusk to the west to access the western or northern trails for 38km of classic skiing options. Skating trails will be closed for the races on Wednesday.

Grooming update: Grooming planned in evening for the Section Skate and Sprint courses. Thursday and Friday we will be grooming the entire trail system for the weekend. Whatever the weather, we are ready to groom at anytime to have the best possible conditions every day.

Nature Notes: Wildlife has been active the last few weeks. We have been seeing porcupines along the snowshoe trail and Roy’s Run. We have also seen hawks, owls near JibFly and North Star, fox, deer of course, pileated woodpeckers and tons of tracks.

Trails are open for day use. Day and season passes can be purchased here. Please note due to COVID protocols, there are no lodge services for day use. This includes no ski rental or access to coffee bar. Parking in far lot near blue recycling bins where porta potties are located.Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open. There are no dogs or pets allowed.

Fat Bike trails open. Click here for report

Classic skiing on Sukkerbusk, Sap Run, Mother Hen, JibFly, Rootin Tootin, Twin Lakes, Mother North Star, Wavy Gravy, Island Lake trail North Loup and Roy’s Run. Please no skating on the classic trails. Bullhead/Bootleg has now been tracked on the Bootleg extension and return. Lucky’s Loype is adventure skiing (no grooming).

Skaters Waltz, the extension loops, North Loup, Suicide Hill, Single Green and Kristin’s Kutoff designated trails groomed for skating.

All trails are one way except Sukkerbusk and Skaters Waltz. Skiing correct direction, especially in early season, helps us maintain the integrity of the base. Thank you!

Trails are open for day skiing for non lodging guests. Lodge is closed to day use.

Day and season passes can be purchased here.

Snowshoe trails are open and packed.

Snowfall past 24 hours: 3″

Snowfall past 7 days: 6″

Snowfall to date: 70″

Compacted base on trail: 9-20″

Snow depth in woods: 18-46″



Day and season passes can be purchased here.

NO services in the lodge at this time or ski rental available for day skiing. Parking in far lot near porta bathrooms and recycling bins. Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open.

Enjoying the beautiful morning on Sukkerbusk, February 8th, 2022.
Boys getting ready to race, Section 8 Nordic Ski Championships, February 8th, 2022.
Striding in the boys race.
Striding in the girls race.
Cutting new track on Sukkebusk, February 7th, 2022.
Rootin Tootin, February 7th, 2022. Groomed on February 5th, light dusting of snow on top skier packed. Similar conditions on Roy’s Run and North Loup.
Setting track at dusk on the Section classic course, February 7th, 2022.
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2010 Olympian Wynn Roberts on trail today helping OTNSA skiers prepare for the coming Sectional meet this week, February 6th, 2022
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Setting the down track to Twin Lakes, February 6th, 2022. Please herringbone on the non tracked side. Thanks!
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Setting new track on Wavy Gravy, February 6th, 2022.
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Section Skate course grooming, February 6th, 2022.
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Setting track between Twin Lakes as part of Wavy Gravy trail, February 6th, 2022.
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Twin Lakes fat bike trail, February 6th, 2022. Snow is starting to pile up!
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Cutting fresh track on Roy’s Run, February 5th, 2022.
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Moorhead Nordic ski team inspection the Section courses this morning under fresh snowfall, February 5th, 2022.
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Another priceless artistic nature scene along Roy’s Run, February 5th, 2022.
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Skaters Waltz grooming, February 5th, 2022.
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Finishing up evening groom, February 5th, 2022.
Bike Trail

Fat Bike Trail Report


Trails open. Snowy pattern continues with 2″ of new snow on Tuesday. We hope to groom the fat bike trails before the weekend once we get caught up on the ski trail grooming. Nearly 25km of riding options. Conditions are a bit soft with the new snow but rideable. Note: Wednesday February 9th the inner and Bootleg segments will be closed due to the Section races. Sukkerwest and Twin Lakes open for riding.

Grooming update: The entire system we have open for fat biking groomed last Friday morning. Skaters Waltz to Bootleg, back on Skaters with a few inner segments and Sukkerwest and also Twin Lakes.

Signs marking the route for the inner loops are in place and ultimately direct the course for the “FatLagChilada”. Twin lakes and SukkerWest singletrack can be accessed from the driveway. To access the start to access Bootleg, head to the start of Skaters Waltz to the right. We have groomed on the far right side of Suicide Hill for uphill travel. Access to Bootleg has been groomed on the lake. Use trails at own risk and assume all responsibility. Skaters Waltz is open for fat biking when conditions are firm. SukkerWest is recommended trail for beginner riders. Trail difficulty on outer loops is intermediate to advanced.

Trail passes help offset grooming and maintenance costs. Trails have already been groomed multiple times this year. Thank you.

Twin Lakes singletrack, February 6th, 2022. Dusting of snow on top of firm base.
Start of Twin Lakes singletrack, February 6th, 2022. Just a few areas of drifting.
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Night ride on Bootleg singletrack, Fern Gully section, February 1st, 2022. Sections still soft and other sections firm enough to ride.
Ski Trail

Ski Trail Report


Trails open Excellent snow and ski conditions. All skiers welcome! A snowy past few days with 4″ of new snow from 4 different small snow events since Thursday evening. Tuesday and Wednesday we will be hosting the Section 8 Nordic ski championships. The trails not used in the races will be open for skiing but be aware parking may be limited. Best options is taking Sukkerbusk to the west to access the western or northern trails for 38km of classic skiing options. Although there will be no skate race tomorrow, skate trail is closed until 3pm as the Section course crosses the skate trail in a few places.

Grooming update: Today we groomed the Section Courses (Sap Run, Mother North Star, JibFly, and last part of Sukkerbusk) in the afternoon. These trails will be closed for skiing at 3pm.

Nature Notes: Wildlife has been active the last few weeks. We have been seeing porcupines along the snowshoe trail and Roy’s Run. We have also seen hawks, owls near JibFly and North Star, fox, deer of course, pileated woodpeckers and tons of tracks.

Trails are open for day use. Day and season passes can be purchased here. Please note due to COVID protocols, there are no lodge services for day use. This includes no ski rental or access to coffee bar. Parking in far lot near blue recycling bins where porta potties are located.Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open. There are no dogs or pets allowed.

Fat Bike trails open. Click here for report

Classic skiing on Sukkerbusk, Sap Run, Mother Hen, JibFly, Rootin Tootin, Twin Lakes, Mother North Star, Wavy Gravy, Island Lake trail North Loup and Roy’s Run. Please no skating on the classic trails. Bullhead/Bootleg has now been tracked on the Bootleg extension and return. Lucky’s Loype is adventure skiing (no grooming).

Skaters Waltz, the extension loops, North Loup, Suicide Hill, Single Green and Kristin’s Kutoff designated trails groomed for skating.

All trails are one way except Sukkerbusk and Skaters Waltz. Skiing correct direction, especially in early season, helps us maintain the integrity of the base. Thank you!

Trails are open for day skiing for non lodging guests. Lodge is closed to day use.

Day and season passes can be purchased here.

Snowshoe trails are open and packed.

Snowfall past 24 hours: 5″

Snowfall past 7 days: 6″

Snowfall to date: 67″

Compacted base on trail: 7-18″

Snow depth in woods: 16-44″



Day and season passes can be purchased here.

NO services in the lodge at this time or ski rental available for day skiing. Parking in far lot near porta bathrooms and recycling bins. Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open.

Cutting new track on Sukkebusk, February 7th, 2022.
Rootin Tootin, February 7th, 2022. Groomed on February 5th, light dusting of snow on top skier packed. Similar conditions on Roy’s Run and North Loup.
Setting track at dusk on the Section classic course, February 7th, 2022.
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2010 Olympian Wynn Roberts on trail today helping OTNSA skiers prepare for the coming Sectional meet this week, February 6th, 2022
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Setting the down track to Twin Lakes, February 6th, 2022. Please herringbone on the non tracked side. Thanks!
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Setting new track on Wavy Gravy, February 6th, 2022.
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Section Skate course grooming, February 6th, 2022.
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Setting track between Twin Lakes as part of Wavy Gravy trail, February 6th, 2022.
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Twin Lakes fat bike trail, February 6th, 2022. Snow is starting to pile up!
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Cutting fresh track on Roy’s Run, February 5th, 2022.
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Moorhead Nordic ski team inspection the Section courses this morning under fresh snowfall, February 5th, 2022.
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Another priceless artistic nature scene along Roy’s Run, February 5th, 2022.
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Skaters Waltz grooming, February 5th, 2022.
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Finishing up evening groom, February 5th, 2022.
Ski Trail

Ski Trail Report

Trails open Excellent snow and ski conditions. Snowy cycle continues with 2-3″ new snow past 24 hours including another dusting of fluff snow this morning after snow most of the day on Saturday. Great day of skiing on tap with the fresh snow and ideal temps. All skiers welcome!

Grooming update: We groomed the Section courses to start this morning than continued on grooming select singletrack trails. Grooming most of the day on Saturday as well at night. Monday we will be grooming most of the day on the Section courses.

Nature Notes: Wildlife has been active the last few weeks. We have been seeing porcupines along the snowshoe trail and Roy’s Run. We have also seen hawks, owls near JibFly and North Star, fox, deer of course, pileated woodpeckers and tons of tracks.

Trails are open for day use. Day and season passes can be purchased here. Please note due to COVID protocols, there are no lodge services for day use. This includes no ski rental or access to coffee bar. Parking in far lot near blue recycling bins where porta potties are located.Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open. There are no dogs or pets allowed.

Fat Bike trails open. Click here for report

Classic skiing on Sukkerbusk, Sap Run, Mother Hen, JibFly, Rootin Tootin, Twin Lakes, Mother North Star, Wavy Gravy, Island Lake trail North Loup and Roy’s Run. Please no skating on the classic trails. Bullhead/Bootleg has now been tracked on the Bootleg extension and return. Lucky’s Loype is adventure skiing (no grooming).

Skaters Waltz, the extension loops, North Loup, Suicide Hill, Single Green and Kristin’s Kutoff designated trails groomed for skating.

All trails are one way except Sukkerbusk and Skaters Waltz. Skiing correct direction, especially in early season, helps us maintain the integrity of the base. Thank you!

Trails are open for day skiing for non lodging guests. Lodge is closed to day use.

Day and season passes can be purchased here.

Snowshoe trails are open and packed.

Snowfall past 24 hours: 5″

Snowfall past 7 days: 6″

Snowfall to date: 67″

Compacted base on trail: 7-18″

Snow depth in woods: 16-44″



Day and season passes can be purchased here.

NO services in the lodge at this time or ski rental available for day skiing. Parking in far lot near porta bathrooms and recycling bins. Please respect this policy so Maplelag can operate as safe as possible and remain open.

2010 Olympian Wynn Roberts on trail today helping OTNSA skiers prepare for the coming Sectional meet this week, February 6th, 2022.
Setting the down track to Twin Lakes, February 6th, 2022. Please herringbone on the non tracked side. Thanks!
Setting new track on Wavy Gravy, February 6th, 2022.
Section Skate course grooming, February 6th, 2022.
Setting track between Twin Lakes as part of Wavy Gravy trail, February 6th, 2022.
Twin Lakes fat bike trail, February 6th, 2022. Snow is starting to pile up!
Cutting fresh track on Roy’s Run, February 5th, 2022.
Moorhead Nordic ski team inspection the Section courses this morning under fresh snowfall, February 5th, 2022.
Another priceless artistic nature scene along Roy’s Run, February 5th, 2022.
Skaters Waltz grooming, February 5th, 2022.
Finishing up evening groom, February 5th, 2022.
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Ginzu grooming and cutting new track on Twin Lakes, February 4th, 2022.
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Family fun in the sun! February 4th, 2022.
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Skate trail grooming, February 4th, 2022.
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Sukkerbusk grooming, February 4th, 2022.
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Night ski on solar lit trail Sap Run, February 3rd, 2022.
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Setting track on Sap Run, February 2nd, 2022.
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Breaking down drifts on Twin Lakes, February 2nd, 2022.
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Twin Lakes, February 2nd, 2022.
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Leveling on Twin Lakes, February 2nd 2022.
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Cutting double track on Mother North Star, February 2nd, 2022.