Trail to Ox Cart, taken on Tuesday.

Skiing at Bearskin is great again!  Actually, it was always quite good.  The rain and melting two weeks ago affected the quality of our snow, making it icier, but surprisingly the quantity of snow was not greatly diminished. We had so much snow to start with!  Now we’ve added a new layer of fresh snow, and conditions are quite nice again.

We have had about 64 inches of snowfall so far this year, and still have a base on most trails of around 7 to 10 inches. We see reports from local snowmobile trails that they are down to dirt in spots, but that certainly is not the case on the ski trails.

The sun is having a bigger effect this time of year, so as is typical with spring skiing, the snow consistency will change from shady to sunny spots.  After quite a cool-down mid-week, our weekend forecasts are a little warm again so the best skiing will be in the morning.

If we would offer one piece of advice to anyone staying here this weekend, it would be to bring your Yak Trax or any contraption or boot that helps you walk on icy surfaces.  Walking conditions are a bit better than they were last week, but the fresh snow on top of the ice is a bit deceiving.  That ice in the parking areas is still there, you just can’t see it as well.  There’s not much we can do about this, other than to warn guests to be careful. You’ll find this to be a problem in parking lots down in Grand Marais, also; in fact, the G & K delivery guy from Duluth today said ice in the parking areas is a problem from Duluth on.  Be careful whenever you step out of the car on your trip up!

Are you a fan of the northern lights?  The aurora forecast is very promising through Saturday night.  Bring your camera and tripod, and if we have clear skies, which seems possible, perhaps you will get a stunning aurora photo!