It snowed again. Not surprising this year. At this point we’ve received more than 90 inches of snow, with no reason to believe it will quit snowing anytime soon.  We’re out of places to pile snow along the roadsides and parking areas. More snow is in the forecast, of course.

We had the same high winds over the past few days that made news all over the Upper Midwest, but we only added about 4 inches to our snow total. (That was fine with us. We’re done hoping for more snow!)  The way the trees were bending in the wild wind outside our windows, we expected the ski trails to be littered with debris and fallen tree trunks. The groomers were pleasantly surprised by how few trees went down during the high winds.

All trails are groomed except the little piece in the BWCA, which will be done Wednesday morning. There may be a little more snow this week.  Trail conditions are excellent.

Here’s the weather forecast for the rest of the week.  Not the warmest week of this winter, by any means, but not the coldest either.  Just normal winter weather.

Golden Eagle did some  snow measuring today. Here are the results:

New Snow Last 7 days:  6.50”
Trail Base, Staked:  Average 12” – 16”
Snow in Woods, Staked:  Average 30 – 34”
Total season snowfall:  90.28”

Bearskin is full for the next two weekends, but you are welcome to stay elsewhere and ski our trails.  Guests at Bearskin and Golden Eagle ski for free, of course, but a day ski visitor pass for a full day is $18, or a half day after 1 PM costs $12. (Parking is easier when you arrive in the morning.) Come early and make a day of it, with chili or soup available in the lodge for lunch. We also have hot chocolate, espresso, wine, beer, pop, and fresh-baked cookies available in the lodge.  See you soon!

Photo by George Pastorino

Trails are fantastic.  The clear skies, beautiful sunny days, and ideal ski temperatures have made day skiers and our guests very happy.  It couldn’t be nicer winter weather.

We will do it all again tomorrow. Come on up.  Soup and chili are cooking in the lodge, the espresso machine is brewing, hot chocolate is ready to go, and wine and beer are available all day.

The folks at Golden Eagle Lodge, our partner on the Central Gunflint Trail system, just did some snow measuring.  Here’s their report:

• New Snow Last 7 days:  6.25”
• Trail Base, Staked:  Average 12 – 14″
• Snow in Woods, Staked:  Average 25 – 27”
• Surface Conditions:  Fresh groomed snow
• Last grooming day:  2-16-19
• Total season snowfall:  83.78”
  
• Comments:  Snow accumulation has broken 80 inches on the year now! All ski trails are in excellent shape, requiring a lot of extra grooming this year to keep up with all the 2-inch snowfalls – a good problem to have! All trails were groomed again yesterday (Feb 15) and the groomers are back out again this morning to freshen things back up. Temperatures look very comfortable this weekend and into next week with most days in the mid-teens. Excellent skiing weather and trail conditions right now!

Here’s our weather forecast for the coming week:

The rest of the week looks like the pattern of pleasant days will continue.  Consider making a last minute plan to enjoy our ideal conditions.  Availability is a bit limited from now through March 10, but call our front desk and we will work with you to find your perfect stay.  We are transitioning to a new provider for our online reservations and the stop-gap system in place for the next few days is mediocre. Give us a call for the fastest assistance during this transition time.

We’ve had more than 80 inches of snow so far this winter, and as we write this the snow is pouring out of the sky again. Everything will be groomed during the day on Friday, 2/15. The skiing has been fantastic. Our regular skiers are saying this is the greatest skiing they’ve experienced in many years!

Ski passes for the Central Gunflint Trail System will be available at both Bearskin Lodge and Golden Eagle Lodge all weekend. If you are driving up to ski for the day, we encourage you to come early and make a day of it. We offer soup, chili, hot chocolate and espresso, as well as wine and beer so if you come early we have everything you’ll need to make a day of it here. Settle down by the fire in between ski adventures and enjoy the lodge.

If you will be coming after lunch for half day skiing, we encourage you to pass Bearskin by and head a little farther up the road to Golden Eagle. We share the same trails, and you will get the same trail experience by starting at either place. Bearskin’s parking lot tends to get nuttily over-crowded on long weekends; the situation has not been improved by the large snow piles consuming some of the parking areas. Ski over to Bearskin and have a glass of wine by our fire — you’ll avoid all the parking drama here.

If you drive up to ski, you may be amazed at the amount of snow we have piled up on the sides of the roads. Roads are very, very narrow now. There will be many snowmobiles up here for events on this long weekend. Drive carefully and slowly down the side roads–there’s not enough room in some spots for two vehicles to easily pass.  Plan for it and it won’t take you by surprise.

No big news from here. We had a dramatic cold snap and a little more snow, but regular grooming continued and the trails are in excellent condition for both classic and skate skiing.

Here are the latest snow measurements of the Central Gunflint Trail system from Golden Eagle:

New Snow Last 7 days:  1-3/8”
Trail Base, Staked:  Average 13 – 14”
Snow in Woods, Staked:  Average 23 – 25”
Surface Conditions:  Fresh groomed snow
Total season snowfall:  65.40”

We’ll have hot soup and chili, espresso and hot chocolate, and wine and beer in the Main Lodge tomorrow. Stop in to warm up!

Central Gunflint Ski Passes are free to all Bearskin Lodge and Golden Eagle Lodge guests. If you are staying elsewhere, you are welcome to come and ski here on Minnesota’s best cross-country ski trails. Purchase your pass at either Lodge.