It’s been a tough week to decide what to do with trail grooming and decisions will continue to be challenging over the upcoming weekend.  A  typical spring skiing situation.  We still have a lot of snow, but melting from the more direct spring afternoon sun can create a very hard surface on the trails. 

In spite of daily afternoon melting, our trails stayed reasonably good.  A dusting of snow in the tracks kept conditions from deteriorating.  By Tuesday, however, that wasn’t working.  Bob went out with the Pisten Bully tiller and did Summer Home, Campground, Lit Loop and Oxbow Trails.  Tilling can be a gamble, but guests who skied afterwards were quite happy with the results.  Bob is going out again today to till Lower Beaver Dam, Poplar Creek, and Bear Cub. 

We did not get the massive amounts of snow that central Minnesota received overnight.  We have less than an inch of new snow.  It’s sunny enough to cause some melting, in spite of only 8 degree temps.  Conditions will be changeable over the next few days.  Call the lodges for the most up to date report on trail conditions.

On the plus side, at this time last year we had grass on hiking trails. If you are a skier, late season conditions are still better than no snow!