Over the past two days we received 5-6 more inches of snow, which made an already busy weekend even busier. A lodge full of guests taking advantage of the long President’s Day weekend and an entire trail system to groom tested the limits of our staff. Thankfully all of the guests were taken care of, all of the cabins were cleaned, and all of the trails were groomed. Right now the ski trails are in excellent shape. We just finished grooming the section of North South Link that connects to Aspen lake today as the big hill down to the lake needed a little bit more work than the rest of the trails. That part of the trail has a tendency to form a large bump at the bottom of the hill just before the trail goes over the lake, rocketing skiers onto Aspen in midair. But every once in a while we remember that not everyone appreciates a cross-country ski trail that also incorporates ski jumping and then we go smooth it out. So now is the time to take advantage of a jump-less North South Link, the mild weather (it’s been in the 20s all week), and the other freshly groomed trails!

Well the snow fell, the temperature dropped, and the trails have been groomed.  We now have an additional 12 inches of snow and this morning the thermometer read slightly below zero.  This is more like the January we know.  With such little snowfall and temperatures in the low to mid 30s, the last few weeks didn’t seem like the frigid, snow covered January we’re used to, but instead seemed like the more mild and sunny March.  But not any more.  The forecast for the next week calls for more scattered snow showers and temperatures reaching just above zero during the day.

Yesterday, the groomer was out all day.  The snow was so heavy and wet when it fell that it made for harder work for the groomer.  The wet snow weighed down many of the small tress and branches that lined the trails causing them to bend to just about the right height to give anyone skiing in the tracks a few good slaps in the face.  It made for slow grooming since we had to stop frequently to clear the trail.  Nevertheless, the trails look much better.  We now have 10-12 inches of base.  There is no more stubble showing and areas with large rocks are no longer as much of a problem.  The Campground Loop, Summer Home Road, Beaver Dam, and Bear Cub were groomed yesterday and the rest of the trails should be groomed in the next day or two.

Lots and lots of heavy, very wet snow over the last 24 hours.  Temperatures hovering in low 30’s. Luckily, we did not get much of the rain that predominated in other parts of the state, but the snow is wet enough that even the pressure of a footstep turns the snow into ice.    

We groomed a stretch of trail with the G2 as an experiment this afternoon; we’ll see what it’s like in the morning.  Best guess, however, is that if we groom before it gets colder, we will just end up with hard-packed ice trails.  Groomers on both sides of the Central Gunflint Trail System are waiting for more favorable grooming conditions.  We’ll be watching the thermometer closely.

We’ve woken up to flurries the last couple of days, and while they are certainly pretty to watch out the window or while skiing the trails, they haven’t done us much practical good. These dustings haven’t added much to our total snow accumulation and we’ve had about the same amount of snow since our Christmas snowfall. Nevertheless, the skiing is still quite good. Many skiers enjoyed the trails over the long weekend (and the warm weather). Oxcart and Poplar Creek are being groomed today and the rest of our trails should be groomed within the next couple of days.

If you are going to be in the area this Saturday January 23rd you can be part of the Volks Ski 400. The Volks Ski 400 is an event in which relay teams will ski the entire 400 K of Cook County’s gorgeous wilderness ski trails. Stop by the lodge and join the Bearskin team to help us ski our section of trails. You don’t have to be fast or strong to participate!  Ski even a few K in the relay and you will be part of the team. Proceeds from the Volks Ski 400 will support pancreatic cancer research.

The groomers have been out over the past few days after another dusting of about 1-2 inches of snow.  Summer Home Road, the Campground Loop, and parts of Beaver Dam were groomed two days ago and Bear Cub and Oxcart were groomed today.  We’ve been having temperatures in the 30s and today was above freezing, but the ski trails are holding up well and the warm temperatures have made skiing a bit more pleasant.  

 Our last little snowfall has exposed all of the different critters that scurry across our trails.  The new snow made it easy to see and identify animal tracks.  Rabbit, fox, squirrel, and all sorts of bird prints were etched into the snow.  This morning a section of Oxcart was covered with wolf tracks.  A pack must have passed through, maybe in an attempt to check out Erik’s sled dogs that are currently living in the bay of East Bearskin Lake.  Seeing all of those different animal tracks mingled with ski tracks makes you realize that you’re not the only one out enjoying the trails.

We received a dusting of snow yesterday.  It only added about another half inch of snow, but we’ll take anything we can get.  The trails haven’t changed much since our little Christmas storm, but the lack of snow hasn’t stopped skiers from enjoying themselves.  The last few days of sunny skies and more mild temperatures are making for very pleasant skiing despite the scant snowfall. 

Quinn’s out straightening up some of the ski trails right now.  The Campground Loop, Summer Home Road, and parts of Beaver Dam and Logging Camp will have fresh corduroy.   Hopefully he’ll have a bigger grooming job ahead of him soon and he’ll be packing new snow, not just straightening up the old.

No new trail reports because, well…nothing is new.

The trails were used heavily over the last week, but they continue to be in good condition.  We never received the rain that  iced over the snow in some other areas of the state.  The Gunflint Trail area continues to look like a “winter wonderland” because there are so many snow-coated pine trees everywhere.

We would like to receive more snow.  One thing we know for sure–we will get it.  So it’s just a matter of when…