Excellent ski conditions. Morning grooming on Rootin Tootin, Mother North Star, Sukkerbusk and Skaters Waltz. Snow held out great during warm temps on Friday. Temp below 32 on Saturday and gradually falling throughout the day to the teens. Friday night/Saturday early morning we set new track on all the western trails, Sukkerbusk and Sap Run. We also groomed the skate trails and Suicide Hill. Grooming during the transition period of temperature we pulled up cold drier snow, keeping the trails fresh. Might be a few areas glazed on other classic tracks not groomed the past 24 hours otherwise great skiing.
16″ of snow past 8 days. Grooming on 60km of trail this week setting all new track on the recently groomed classic trails and all skate trails groomed 2-3 times.
63km of trail groomed recently groomed. 53km groomed with classic tracks, 15km groomed for freestyle. Bullhead not groomed but has been skied in with a skier made track and fun adventure skiing to mix it up from the groomed trails and part of the 70km of skiing options at Maplelag. (Watch out for downed tree on AMA segment) Lucky’s Loype groomed (outside of the AMA segments) North Loup now groomed for both skate and classic.
Total snowfall since November 1st around 26″ Total snowfall since October 1st around 33″. October snow melted off but currently the packed base on ski trails snowfall is 5-8″. Please no walking or hiking on ski or bike trails.
The Twin Lakes singletrack will be open for winter riding/fat biking once again this season. Groomed three times this season, most recent grooming December 23rd. Click here for latest report and information.
Twin Lakes trail at dusk. Snow holding out great today. January 3rd, 2018.Crossing at Twin Lakes, January 3rd, 2018.Skaters Waltz at dusk, January 3rd 2018. Some of the best skate conditions of the year reported today by local skiers.Cutting new track on Mother North Star, January 2nd, 2018. 15km of new track cut today. Additional resetting on tap for January 3rd.Skiing through the pines on Lucky’s Loype trail, January 1st, 2018.Island lake trail after new track set, December 31st, 2018.Start of Roy’s Run, new track set, December 31st, 2018.North Loup groomed for both skate and classic today, December 31st, 2018.Hills of North Loup.North Loup groomed for both skate and classic today, December 31st, 2018.Roy’s Run after new track set, December 31st, 2018.Setting double track on Mother North Star, December 31st, 2018.Packing on North Loup, December 28th, 2018.Packing on Skaters Waltz extension, December 28th, 2018.Packing on Single green, a nice option after going down Suicide Hill. December 28th, 2018.Ski teams from Minnetonka, St Louis Park, Burnsville, Minneapolis Southwest, St Cloud Cathedral, Mound Park Academy and Moorhead. December 28th, 2018. Thanks for helping pack in the fresh snow and skiing in a nice track on Lucky’s Loype.Sun dogs over slough near Roy’s Run, December 28th, 2018.Sun dogs over slough near Roy’s Run, December 28th, 2018.Setting track on Roy’s Run, December 28th, 2018.Setting track on North Loup, December 28th, 2018. North Loup now groomed for Skate and Classic.Roll packing on North Loup, December 27th, 2018.Chef Deb’s husband Doug helping with packing today. Thanks Doug!! December 27th, 2018.Rollpacking on Skaters Waltz extension. Best kept secret at Maplelag is the inner loop. Around 1km but beautiful with snow flocked trees. December 27th, 2018.Tracking on Rooting Tootin, December 27th, 2018. Didn’t take long for the snow to cover the tracks!Tracking on Rooting Tootin, December 27th, 2018. Didn’t take long for the snow to cover the tracks!Burnsville Nordic Ski team ready to hit the trails. December 27th, 2018. Thanks for skiing on North Loup before the groomer came! Helped a ton.Moorhead Nordic ski team out for a headlamp ski before breakfast. December 27th, 2018.Tracking on Roy’s Run, December 27th, 2018. Nearly 2 feet of snow on the deep point.Tracking on Roy’s Run, December 27th, 2018.Evening grooming, December 26th, 2018 as snow was falling.Christmas day ski on Roy’s Run, December 25th, 2018.Christmas Eve ski fun! December 24th ,2018.Christmas Eve ski fun! December 24th ,2018.Fresh snow! Great conditions on the trails after 3-4″ of new snow the past 48 hours. December 23rd, 2018.Frosty tunnel on Skaters Waltz extension (inner loop) after grooming December 22nd, 2018.Fresh snow! Cutting new track on Sukkebusk, December 22nd, 2018.
**The race will be a continuous pursuit, starting with classic style and a quick change to skate at the halfway point of the race.
**The skiers may have assistance in the change over process.
**If skiers use the same set of skis for both the classic and skate race, the skier must step completely out of the ski binding in the ski transition area before they will be allowed to continue the next leg of the race.
Each leg of the race will be roughly 4.5 km in length.
***Varsity skiers will ski the pursuit format (limit 10 per school) Wave Start depending on numbers
***Jr. Varsity skiers will ski only a 5 km Freestyle race.Mass Start
***Jr. High skiers will ski a 3-4 km Freestyle race.Mass Start
Trails are open. 3-4″ new snow over the weekend. Recent grooming on 40km of trail, dusting of new snow on top of the grooming. The new snow improving conditions and making for a nice weekend and Christmas of skiing. Groomer’s choices for classic: Sukkerbusk, JibFly, Twin Lakes and Roy’s Run for classic and Skaters Waltz, Single Green and Suicide Hill for skating. Wavy Gravy, Rootin Tootin, Mother North Star and Island Lake nice skiing as well, just a few minor thin areas to watch for.
50km of trail groomed recently groomed. 35km groomed classic only, 15km groomed skate only. 4km lake loop groomed before snow with track for total of 54km groomed. Early season conditions but with new snow many areas skiing like mid winter. Use caution on the downhills as a few thin/rough/unmarked obstacles exist, especially on the outer trails. Even with new snow, some thin areas are covered and be careful on the downhills.
Double tracks have been placed on Sap Run, Sukkerbusk, Poki Loki, JibFly, and Twin Lakes. Rootin Tootin, Mother North Star, Wavy Gravy and Island Lake trail single tracked. No grooming between the marsh area. Best to take skis off and walk through but people have been bushwhacking through as well. Total km tracked around 35km. Skate lanes recently groomed on Skaters Waltz, North Loup and Skaters Extension as well as Suicide Hill for nearly 15km of groomed skate trail.
Ski rentals available for overnight guests.
Total snowfall since November 1st around 15″ Total snowfall since October 1st around 23″. October snow melted off but currently the base from November snowfall is 1-4″. The trails at Maplelag are maintained as such that we can have good skiing on less snow and we take pride in managing less snow.
Please no walking or hiking on ski or bike trails.
The Twin Lakes singletrack will be open for winter riding/fat biking once again this season. Groomed three times this season, most recent grooming December 23rd. Click here for latest report and information.
Christmas day ski on Roy’s Run, December 25th, 2018. Most of Roy’s skiing very nice.Christmas Eve ski fun! December 24th ,2018.Christmas Eve ski fun! December 24th ,2018.Snow globe day! Fresh snow all morning accumulating to 3″+. December 23rd, 2018.Fresh sweatshirt out of the gift shop and enjoying the fresh snow. December 23rd, 2018.Grooming skate lane on North Loup. All skate lanes groomed this morning. Track reset at end of Roy’s Run. December 23rd, 2018.Setting new double track on Rootin Tootin. Still some rough spots to watch out for on higher ground. New snow today helping with coverage. December 23rd, 2018.Cutting new track on Sukkebusk. Most of Sukkerbusk in good shape after refresh of snow. December 22nd, 2018.Cutting new track on Twin Lakes. A few thin areas here and there otherwise nice classic skiing today. December 22nd, 2018.Frosty tunnel on Skaters Waltz extension (inner loop) after grooming December 22nd, 2018.Roy’s Run with dusting of new snow on top of previously full depth track. Just a few rough spots here and there otherwise nice long ski option. December 22nd, 2018.Skaters Waltz extension, December 22nd, 2018. Two small thin areas in open on north side otherwise very nice skating. Be sure to ski the new inner loop around the pines!Ready to go! Start of 5km skate race between Champlain Park, Bemidji and St Cloud Apollo/Sauk Rapids this morning on Skaters Waltz. December 22nd, 2018.Start of 5km skate race between Champlain Park, Bemidji and St Cloud Apollo/Sauk Rapids this morning on Skaters Waltz. December 22nd, 2018.Skaters Waltz extension, December 22nd, 2018. Two small thin areas in open on north side otherwise very nice skating. Be sure to ski the new inner loop around the pines!Grooming on North Loup, December 22nd, 2018. Two rough areas on north side otherwise very nice skating.Champlain Park Nordic Ski team female skiers working on skills on Skaters Waltz, December 21st, 2018.Champlain Park Nordic Ski Team boys at the top of Suicide Hill, December 21st, 2018.Drietz family having fun on Sap Run! December 21st, 2018.Frosty scene at “Mac’s Mess” Wavy Gravy trail, December 20th, 2018.Frosty scene at Twin Lakes crossing, December 20th, 2018.
Trails are open for skiing. Solid hard base with good coverage throughout. Surface is hardpack with a few icylike sections. Trees etc. coated thick with frost making for winter wonderland scene. We have been working on the trails this week harvesting snow, mostly on Skaters Waltz. Conditions have improved and skiing has been good on Skaters. We will be working Twin Lakes, JibFly and Sukkerbusk the next two days doing our best to improve the classic conditions on these trails, mainly covering up the thin spots so the base will be consistent before next snowfall.
A handful of the southern exposed areas have opened up with sun and the warmth from last weekend and some thin areas exposed. With that said, we are recommending to classic ski on Sukkebusk and JibFly and skate ski on Skaters Waltz. Other trails are open but there are some thin areas with exposed ground in spots. Scattered leaves and other organic forest matter here and there on the trails. There is also a 4km loop on the lake that has been groomed for skating and also a track on the side. On the west side of the loop, there is a double track on one side for instruction purposes.
50km of trail groomed. 35km groomed classic only, 15km groomed skate only. 4km lake loop groomed (skate/no track) for total of 54km groomed. Early season conditions, use caution on the downhills as a few thin/rough/unmarked obstacles exist, especially on the outer trails after Saturday’s warm up.
Double track set on Sap Run, Sukkerbusk, Poki Loki, JibFly, and Twin Lakes. Rootin Tootin, Mother North Star, Wavy Gravy and Island Lake trail single tracked. No grooming between the marsh area. Best to take skis off and walk through but people have been bushwhacking through as well. Total km tracked around 35km. Skate lanes recently groomed on Skaters Waltz, North Loup and Skaters Extension as well as Suicide Hill for nearly 15km of groomed skate trail.
Ski rentals available for overnight guests.
Total snowfall since November 1st around 11″ Total snowfall since October 1st around 19″. October snow melted off but currently the base from November snowfall is 1-4″. The trails at Maplelag are maintained as such that we can have good skiing on less snow and we take pride in managing less snow.
Please no walking or hiking on ski or bike trails.
Champlain Park Nordic Ski team female skiers working on skills on Skaters Waltz, December 21st, 2018.Champlain Park Nordic Ski Team boys at the top of Suicide Hill, December 21st, 2018.Drietz family having fun on Sap Run! December 21st, 2018.Frosty conditions all day, dusk at Twin Lakes crossing. December 20th, 2018.Checking out the track on JibFly, December 20th, 2018. For the snow what we have and the recent weather, classic skiing not too bad.
Ice rink ready! December 20th, 2018.
Frosty scene along JibFly, December 20th, 20-18.
Setting new track on JibFly. We were able to set a new track on about 50% of the trail. Along with Sukkebusk, classic trail recommended to ski right now.
Setting new track on Twin Lakes. We set a new track on 25% of the trail as we walked along shoveling on the thin areas. December 20th, 2018.
Frosty scene at Eagle Nest view. Twin Lakes trail. December 20th, 2018.
End of Island Lake trail where it merges with Twin Lakes trail. Track in fine shape 70% of Island Lake trail. Scattered forest matter on top. December 20th, 2018.
Gone for the winter!
Frosty edge on South Twin Lake.
Patching up the base on south facing downhill on Twin Lakes trail. December 20th, 2018.
Another beautiful December sunset. December 19th, 2018.The clipping machine! Thanks Denny for all your help this fall/early winter. December 19th, 2018.Fun skate ski conditions on Skaters Waltz. December 19th, 2018.Spreading snow on Skaters Waltz, December 18th, 2018.Dr. Bob heading out for a skate ski. No complaints from Bob! Said the east side was best skiing. December 18th, 2018.Building up base on Kamikaze hill on Skaters Waltz. Two pick up loads thicker! December 18th, 2018.Harvesting snow from the basketball court, December 18th, 2018.Skaters Waltz with good coverage throughout. December 17th, 2018.Skaters Waltz with good coverage throughout. December 17th, 2018. Hardpack with some icy segments.Skaters Waltz extension, December 17th, 2018. Bit tougher conditions on the north side. Will be groomed before the weekend to soften up the deck.Building up base in open area at start of JibFly trail, December 17th, 2018.Great way to clear leaves off! Select segments cleared today. December 17th, 2018.St Paul Highland Park skiers getting in some last kilometers on Sukkerbusk, December 16th, 2018.Skaters Waltz, December 16th, 2018. Groomed yesterday evening during the transition time from warm to cold pulverizing the surface and setting as much new structure as possible. Most of Skaters Waltz in good shape. The thin/icy areas we will build up this week.Open area on Sukkerbusk facing the sun. December 16th, 2018. No tracks but on this short segment but came through just fine yesterday after mid 40 temps. Building up snow here during the week paid off!Ski Camp! Ready for a full day of skiing! December 15th, 2018.Start of Ski Camp ski race, December 15th, 2018.Climbing up Kamikaze Hill, December 15th, 2018.
Ben and Peder striding on Twin Lakes Friday morning, December 14th, 2018. Fantastic classic skiing this morning! Tracks set up hard overnight and held out great all day. Just a few direct south facing areas a little melting.Setting new track on Loon Return, December 13th, 2018.Cutting new track on Sukkerbusk. Both tracks reset today. December 13th, 2018.Setting second track on access to Twin Lakes. December 13th, 2018.Island Lake trail with dusting of new snow on top. December 13th, 2018. Island, Wavy Gravy and Roy’s Run all with good track for most of trail and should be nice skiing with new snow on top.
New track cutting on Loon Return. December 13th, 2018. Temp was around 34 today but snow held out great. Freezing down good tonight and should set up nicely for Friday.
Cutting new track on Sap Run, December 13th, 2018.Grooming skate lane on Skaters Waltz extension, December 13th, 2018.Grooming skate lane on Skaters Waltz extension, December 13th, 2018.Grooming skate lane on Skaters Waltz, December 13th, 2018.Ron and Sandy heading out for a snowshoe hike. December 13th, 2018.Denny heading out for another day of clipping brush. Thanks for all the help again this week Denny! December 13th, 2018.
Grooming Tuesday on Roy’s Run, Rootin Tootin and Mother North Star. We cut a track on all three trails in anticipation of this new snow cover up the thin areas. All trails have good sections of trail and other areas with thin cover we didn’t set a track but skiable throughout. Monday and Wednesday we shoveled on the Skaters Waltz trail and a few other segments on the classic trails, building up the base on the high traffic areas.
50km of trail groomed. 35km groomed classic only, 15km groomed skate only. Early season conditions, use caution on the downhills as a few thin/rough/unmarked obstacles exist, especially on the outer trails. Good reports from weekend skiers.
Double track set on Sap Run, Sukkerbusk, Poki Loki, JibFly, and Twin Lakes. Rootin Tootin, Mother North Star, Wavy Gravy and Island Lake trail single tracked. No grooming between the marsh area. Best to take skis off and walk through but people have been bushwhacking through as well. Total km tracked around 35km. Skate lanes recently groomed on Skaters Waltz, North Loup and Skaters Extension as well as Suicide Hill for nearly 15km of groomed skate trail.
Ski rentals available for overnight guests.
Total snowfall since November 1st around 11″ Total snowfall since October 1st around 19″. October snow melted off but currently the base from November snowfall is 2-4″. The trails at Maplelag are maintained as such that we can have good skiing on less snow and we take pride in managing less snow.
Please no walking or hiking on ski or bike trails.
Building up base in open area on JibFly, December 12th, 2018.Frosty scene. December 12th, 2018.Cutting track on Roy’s Run, December 11th, 2018. Full depth track where set. Some leafy spots and other forest organic matter but any dusting of new will improve the conditions.Far north section on Roy’s Run. Those that have skied Roy’s Run no surprise of the marshy segment and unique wildness of the trail. Not indicative of the whole trail. We try to be honest and straightforward as possible on trail conditions.Cutting second track on Rootin Tootin, December 11th, 2018. Double tracked for the first km or so than singletracked where good coverage rest of trail. Middle section with leafy spots.Base building on Skaters Waltz, December 10th, 2018.Building up the base on “Kamikaze” hill, Skaters Waltz trail, December 10th, 2018.Combing a loop on the lake, December 10th, 2018. The loop on the lake is groomed for the ski camps for instruction.Combing a loop on the lake for the upcoming ski camp, December 10th, 2018.Combing a loop on the lake, December 10th, 2018.Building up base on a downhill segment on Skaters Waltz. Although the base is in great shape, we build it up in anticipation of high volume of skier traffic for the ski camps. December 10th, 2018.Skaters Waltz, December 8th, 2018. Skiing very nice for early December. Still some bumpy spots but the most recent snow very silky on top of firm base and super fun skiing.Moorhead skiers heading down Suicide Hill. December 8th, 2018.Heading up!
Poki Loki double tracked with recent fluff snow on top. December 8th, 2018. Outside some leafy areas, most of the classic trail skiing good. Trails that have been skied more have the track a bit more washed out but still some good skiing to be had.Moorhead Nordic Ski team after a morning of practice at Maplelag. December 8th, 2018.Group of skiers enjoying a picture perfect day on JibFly ski trail. December 7th, 2018.Peder heading down Eagle View downhill as flakes were falling. Twin Lakes trail, December 7th, 2018.Poling through on Island Lake trail, December 7th, 2018.Skiing through Twin Lakes. This area called “Mac’s Mess” part of Wavy Gravy and Island Lake trails. Not groomed but skiable throughout on grassy. December 7th, 2018.Canadian friend Detlev out for morning ski after passing through “Mac’s Mess” December 7th, 2018.Light dusting of fluff now on top of yesterday’s grooming on Wavy Gravy. December 6th, 2018. Last nights sub zero temps setting the track up firm. Few leafy spots and one rough section otherwise good early season classic skiing.Double track on Sukkebusk. December 6th, 2018. Last nights sub zero temps setting the track up firm.Setting track on Wavy Gravy, December 5th, 2018. Some sections groomed up very nice. Other areas bit thinner with leafy material. Still some nice early season skiing to be had!Local skier and neighbor Carol out with friend Mary for a morning ski. December 5th, 2018. It’s an unusual year for leaves still on the trees in some pockets of the forest. Early freeze in October froze some of the maple and oak leaves and are still falling on the trail.Bruce ready to hit the trails for the first time this season. December 5th, 2018.Setting second track on JibFly. December 5th, 2018. Most of JibFly in good early season condition for classic. Like all trails, use caution on the downhills. JibFly is the groomer’s choice trail. Don’t pass it by!Sunset grooming skate lane on North Loup at dusk at Poplar Pass. December 5th, 2018. The skies cleared for a hour than another round of fluff snow early evening. North Loup has improved but still some rough spots on a few of the downhills. Best to ski where snowmobile track is for best line on downhill.Fallen red oak on Island Lake trail. December 5th, 2018.More wood for the sauna! December 5th, 2018.Rootin Tootin trail, December 4th, 2018. Track holding out well, scattered organic matter otherwise nice early season skiing.Local skier Bob out for a afternoon ski, December 4th, 2018.Peder Arneson enjoying fresh cut track on Rootin Tootin trail, November 30th, 2018.Setting double track on Poki Loki, November 30th, 2018. We set a bit deeper track since double tracking. Few more thin areas to watch out for.Track on JibFly. Out of all the trails tracked, JibFly skiing the best. November 30th, 2018.Wolf track on North Loup, November 30th, 2018.Combing on Skaters Waltz, November 30th, 2018.Combing skate lane on new Skaters Waltz extension inner loop. November 30th, 2018.Heading out to Twin Lakes, November 30th, 2018.
A Family Owned and Operated Destination Cross-Country Ski Center
