We never know if a forecast for massive amounts of new snow is all hype and drama, or if it’s going to be the real thing. Historically it seems like there’s about a 50/50 chance of these big snow forecasts being correct. On the latest prediction maps, we were right on the line between “inundated” and “a few inches.” “Inundated” won. We woke up to over a foot of new snow this morning and it just kept coming.

The system has all been groomed for round #1. Groomers will continue to be out there for the next few days, firming up the trails. This previous week we had good skiing but fairly warm temperatures, which means that under all this fluffy new snow there is a layer of undesirable ice. Drive as if your tires might make it down to an icy under-layer! A word to the wise from Bob, whose truck is currently stuck at the bottom of an icy hill in our driveway.

The week ahead looks like we’ll have relatively mild March weather. It warms up later in the week, so as is typical for March we recommend morning ski trips for the best conditions on those warmer days.

If you’re a Northern Lights aficionado, you’ll love the aurora forecast for the week ahead. Due to an anomaly caused by the earth’s tilt in mid-March, this is often an excellent time to observe a northern lights display. If we have clear nights, you are very likely to see the lights dance if you’re here in March. On this KP forecast graph, we get excited if we see a few red bars — so obviously there’s lots of aurora potential in the coming weeks.

We’ll see you on the ski trails!

We had unexpectedly warm temperatures this week, but the groomers were able to keep the trails in fine condition this week by regularly tilling and grooming. We actually didn’t lose much snow. Today was the first day in quite a while when temperatures stayed below freezing all day, so everything was groomed again.

The trees are coated in hoar frost today, making our winter scenes exceptionally lovely. The drive on the Gunflint Trail is absolutely stunning this afternoon with hoar frost — perhaps it will remain this gorgeous for you too.

The forecast for the next week has a few more warm days, a little more snow, and a few more typical days. Typical March conditions. Skiers were super happy with ski conditions this past week. The longer, sunnier days offset the warmer temperatures. We have a great deal of snow, so a few warm days don’t worry us much.

If you’re an aurora aficionado, this could be an interesting week ahead. Mid-March always offers better-than-average potential for northern lights, and the upcoming week is no exception. Watch for them in our skies on any clear night this week.

We will have soup and chili in the Main Lodge this weekend, so come in to warm up with us. We will see you on the trails!