Quick grooming update, no pictures. Skiing is still good. Bob groomed the main trails on our south side of the system this morning and thought the results were great. We are about to get hit with snow/sleet/ mystery weather this afternoon, although much of the predicted snow moved north of us. Pretty decent skiing for the last open weekend of the year!
The fresh snow groomed up beautifully.
Quick grooming update, pictures to come later: we did get between 6 – 8 inches of new snow (depending on where on the trail system.) The trees are snow-coated and everything is quite beautiful. Bob has been out grooming all morning. He stopped back into the lodge to report that conditions are fabulous, and is now out doing Ox Cart and Bear Cub. He will do the lake trail afterwards, and probably won’t get into the BWCA trail section until tomorrow morning. We’ll see — it’s a one man grooming show this week, with Quinn on spring break and other staff out sick. Poplar Creek won’t be groomed, as it has severe spring flooding.
This was a good amount of snow to cover the areas where a few rocks and sticks were beginning to peek through. The trails look good. Bring a camera, as it’s all super photogenic now.
We have more snow in the forecast for the weekend. The lodge closes as of April 1 but season pass holders will be able to continue to ski for as long as the snow holds.
Bearskin sponsored a high school Nordic ski coaches clinic this past weekend. Honestly, as we got to the weekend the weather forecast could not have been worse. Endless rain, warm temperatures, and wind —guaranteed to wipe out the trails early.
Luckily, the days were much better than predicted. We did have rain, thunder, hail, wind, and even a little snow, but the clinic worked out just fine anyway and the trails held up pretty well, considering. Temperatures dropped into a more normal winter range overnight, allowing Quinn and Bob to go out in the Pisten Bully this morning and groom the iciness out of our trails. They were very pleased with the results. Our track pan tillers work miracles. Lots of people out skiing and enjoying our trails this morning.
We groomed Summer Home, Campground, Lower Beaver Dam, Bear Cub and Ox Cart. There are a few spots with rocks poking through, but mostly it looks like good skiing.
We have snow in the forecast for Monday, which will clean up the whole winter look. Temperatures for the week ahead are typical mid-March, spring skiing temperatures. Get out early in the day for the best skiing. We will continue to maintain our trails regularly to keep up with the daily changes.
The northern lights forecast for the next few days has calmed down a bit but don’t take the lack of lights in the forecast too seriously. March 20 is spring equinox, a time known for surprise aurora shows. If we have clear nights, it’s worth a try to go out on the lake trail and scan the skies for a show.
Soup and chili still available in the lodge every day. Stop in for a quick lunch, or a taste of cheesecake after you hit the trail.
Get out to ski early on Sunday and Monday. We are going to warm up into the 40°+ range in the afternoon for two days, so it could get wet later in the day. We have snow in the forecast Monday, which will help improve conditions again. Classic spring skiing conditions. Our new track pan tillers should clean up the post-warm weather iciness nicely — they work wonders.
Northern lights last night — photo taken from the ski trail crossing the lake by Annette Cozzi.
We still have fantastic skiing at Bearskin! Everything was groomed over the last two days, and some skate lanes were touched up this morning. We’ve had fresh snow while other areas had rain, so our trails are looking good.
We had a couple warm days this week, and it looks like we will have a couple warm days next week too — but we have ample snow, so the trails will be fine. Our new track pan tillers work miracles on icy snow.
As is often the case by March, we’ve reached the point where you’ll start to wonder on the drive up to the Gunflint if we really do have snow. The snow along the North Shore and in Grand Marais has been decimated by warmer temps and rain, while we just had more snow. Don’t worry, when you drive up the hill you’ll start to see better snow and by the time you get to the mid-Trail area, you’re in true winter again. We are lucky to be in this magical winter location.
If you’ll be here in the next week, come prepared to watch for Northern Lights. The forecast is fabulous. We are nearing the spring equinox, so due to the earth’s tilt at this time we often have the best light shows of the year in mid-March. In fact, it’s fairly common to have amazing green lights in the sky on St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s our link to the info on how to watch for the aurora at Bearskin. Bring your camera and tripod.
As usual, we will have soup, chili, cheesecake, and hot chocolate in the Main Lodge for you to enjoy while you’re up here skiing. See you soon!
Bearskin Lodge Ski Trail Reports 