Winter arrived on Thanksgiving night. A light rain gradually turned to steady snow in the late afternoon.  We expected a couple of inches, so we were surprised to find 8 – 10 inches or more on the ground by morning.  This is a great start to the ski season.

Friday was spent plowing, shoveling, and generally digging out.  The first snowfall of every season is always a challenge.  The ground is not especially frozen underneath this snow, which makes plowing and shoveling much tougher.

If all goes well, Bob may go out on Saturday and try to roll the Summer Home Road Campground Loop Trail.  Meanwhile, it is back-country skiing at this point.  We had guests who skied out there today and reported having “first snow of the year” fun on the trails — not fast, not groomed, just fun to be out in the fresh powder.

Season passes as well as daily ski tickets for the 2012-2013 ski season are available at both Bearskin Lodge and Golden Eagle Lodge.  We share the proceeds equally between both lodges, so it doesn’t matter where you purchase your pass.  The funds from your ski pass go to pay a portion of the maintenance and grooming on the ski trails; passes don’t cover all of our costs, but they make it possible.  The US Forest Service/Superior National Forest takes a fee , as does the Minnesota DNR for the small portion of the trail on state land.  You are supporting excellent skiing on the Central Gunflint Trail System when you buy your pass.