So yes, the ski reports got away from us this year. For some reason, ski reports stopped right after Kate & Quinn’s new baby was born. 😊 Busy times. Everything will go more smoothly next winter. Meanwhile, here’s the situation as we near the end point of the 2021 ski season.

We have snow! We are skiing. It was a little dicey for a few days. The trails held up fairly well in warm temps until Monday afternoon, when the snow structure started collapsing. The lake appeared to be gigantic puddle — with 30 inches of ice underneath, but nonetheless, not skiable.

Wednesday night, when the Twin Cities had rain, thunderstorms, and tornadoes, Bearskin received 6-7 inches of fresh snow. More would have been even better, but this amount saved the day.

So now what? This buys us time. We’ll see what happens with the daily temperatures, and we will make the trails last as long as possible. The lakes might still be caution zones. The water that was on top of the old ice has frozen, but not very hard. Bob went through to water with the Pisten bully on a spot on Aspen today, which was not a fun moment. Unless you weigh 8000 lbs like the PB, this is less likely to happen to a skier — but pay attention on the lakes, as that top layer of ice is not as solid as the rest of the lake.

We have some highs in the 40s next week, and no snow in the forecast. Trails can survive that, but if the trails do become unskiable, we will open trails to snowshoeing, fat biking, and hiking. For many people who don’t ski, this is a very cool way to see the trails without skis. We are not ready for that change yet, but unless we get another big snowstorm soon then the 2021 ski season will come to a slightly early end.

It was fun to have such a warm winter (excluding the streak of the 10 coldest days ever!) but we didn’t receive as much snow as in most winters and this is the time when it’s starting to show.

We will update this blog as the season winds down, but also feel free to call or email (stay@bearskin.com) the front desk to ask about current conditions. They always have the up-to-the-minute view on what is happening.