Groomers were out on the trails this morning, and everything is beautiful.  Not much wind here at all, bright sun, and yes, it’s below zero  — but not really the ghastly day that the media was promising. Skiers are enjoying the trails, then heading in to warm up in front of the fireplace.

Poplar Creek Ski Trail

Conditions are beautiful on the Central Gunflint Ski Trail System this week.  In between holiday celebrations, our groomers were out on the trails whipping the most recent snow into shape for a busy skiing week.  There are still places on the trails where a bit more snow would help cover  giant boulders, or stubbly spots; but overall, snow conditions are much better than usual for late December.

Make it your mission to find the immense rock that a bear pushed into the middle of a trail late during the fall–the rock froze in position, so it couldn’t be moved.  You’ll know when you see it, that’s all we’re going to say.  Consider it one of the marvels of the world that a bear could move that. 🙂

When you’re ready to warm up from skiing, stop into the lodge for a cup of hot chocolate or a steaming bowl of chili or soup.  Sit by the fireplace and enjoy a glass of wine or a cold beer. Watch our musher go by taking guests on dogsled adventures–or maybe make an appointment to have that experience yourself.  There are still trips available this week.

Come out an enjoy winter at its very best.

Deer Mouse Trail on 12/18. Photo by Zach Baumann.

The Central Gunflint Trail System continues to get snow almost every day.  We love heading into the Christmas vacation rush week with such a good start on ski conditions.  Because of daily snowfalls, the groomers have been going out almost every day on various trails to keep improving them.  Ask at the Lodges for the latest grooming info on each trail because it’s been changing constantly as the snow comes down.  The general trend is very consistent: trails are just getting better and better.

Golden Eagle did some snow measuring on 12/18 and filed this report.  We’ve had a fair amount of snow since 12/18, so there will probably be a new measurement soon — but meanwhile, here’s the good news:

New Snow Last 24 hours: 1.0”

New Snow Last 7 days: 6.25”

Trail Base: Staked: 6.25” – 8”

Snow in Woods: Staked: Low 13″, High 16″

Groomed with classic tracks: 54.1K

Groomed for skating: 68.9 K

Surface Conditions: fresh packed powder

Total snowfall since Nov. 1: 28.65”

Bearskin and Golden Eagle have been out grooming daily this week Both the Tidd Tech and Snowcat have put on quite a few kilometers in the past few days. Although it’s still early in the season, conditions are great on most trails. All ski trails have been groomed and tracked with the exception of the North-South Link, and  the portion of Logging Camp through the BWCA. These trail segments have been snowmobile packed only.

We’ve been receiving snow pretty much every day this week so conditions are changing regularly. For specific information and trail reports on individual trails or routes, please contact Golden Eagle Lodge or Bearskin Lodge.

The trees are beautifully coated with snow.

The 2013-2014 winter cross-country ski season is off to an excellent start.  We’ve had steady snow for all of December, gradually building a nice base.

We didn’t get the 40 inch dump of snow that everyone talks about, like  Two Harbors, MN received.  We love getting lots of fresh snow for our trails, but that was more than any of us were ready to deal with!  We received a good start on our snow base during that storm and it has continued to consistently snow a few more inches here almost daily.  That’s a much nicer way to build a base. The snow is falling again now, big floppy soft snow-globe flakes that make everything look like a scene from a Christmas card.

Our groomers have been out regularly packing the trails since early December.  Many trails have been tracked, and more are being added to the list daily.  Summer Home and Campground are in excellent shape, ready for both classic and skate skiing.  Ridge Run and Upper Beaver Dam were groomed yesterday and today; Oxcart was groomed before that.  Poplar Creek, Bear Cub, Lower Ridge Run, and trails on the Flour Lake side of the system have all been rolled, packed, and tracked. More tracks are being set on trails each day; call for the most current updates, as this is changing so fast that we won’t be updating this report with every grooming improvement this week.

This trail report site is now up for the season, so you can expect regular grooming updates here until the snow finally melts next spring.  But remember, you can always call either Bearskin Lodge or Golden Eagle Lodge to get up-to-the-minute reports on trail conditions. Both resorts are family businesses, run by a small number of  hard-working employees who not only groom ski trails, but run our front desks, clean our cabins, shovel our paths, plow our roads, and deal with our delightful guests. If you don’t see a current ski report and you think conditions may have changed, we’re probably too busy to be fooling around on the internet.  Just call us!

Season passes as well as daily ski tickets for the 2013-2014 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 even begin to cover all of our grooming costs, but the ticket fees help support the grooming efforts. In addition, the US Forest Service/Superior National Forest takes a portion of the fees, as does the Minnesota DNR, to pay for the use of their land for many of the trails.

Skiing through the deep woods on the Central Gunflint Trail System is a memorable experience that is only possible because of the extensive work that Bearskin Lodge and Golden Eagle Lodge do year ’round to build and maintain these beautiful trails through the woods. You are supporting a unique experience skiing on the Central Gunflint Trail System when you buy your pass. Thank you!