Tuesday’s ice storm left us a challenge –what to do now with the ski trails?  A number of ski trail areas  are now officially closed for the season.  It’s a hard call to make since we still have a number of guests who would like to ski.

We’ve had a sprinkling of on-and-off snow since the ice storm.  The snow made the trails a bit less icy. We still have a base, but a lot of it is now a base formed from something closer to hard frozen slush than to snow. Some areas of base have melted enough that equipment occasionally hits rocks, so any grooming we do can’t be very deep or aggressive in those areas.

We’ve heard a few skiers say that Oxcart Trail is ok–not great, but skiable.  Quinn went out today and tried to regroom  Campground Loop and Summer Home Road trails.  He also did part of Old Logging Camp and part of Beaver Dam.  He put in one track and a skate lane.  He wasn’t super pleased with the results, but it was an improvement.

If it would continue to snow quite a bit tonight, he might take the pisten bully out on some trails tomorrow.  Without more snow, he’s done what he can. 

Mushing is definitely over for the season.  It’s been fun.

 In spite of melting, the past week still offered skiable conditions. Groomers on both sides of the Central Gunflint Trail went out periodically trying to touch up a few trails.  Skiers on Sunday reported fairly passable conditions for skating on the trails, but mediocre crust skiing conditions due to bumpiness on the lake from high winds.

And then it started to rain.  We’ve had an ice storm for 2 days.  Everything looks as if it is coated in glass.  Kaitlin was carrying in groceries the other day and must have dropped a dental floss package outside her door.  Now, she says, she can see the white plastic container, but she can’t pick it up because it’s under a deep clear coating of glossy ice.

The trees make a beautiful noise when the wind blows.

So what did this do to the trails?  Honestly, you can barely walk outside without treacherously falling.  Nobody has ventured out on the ski trails, but it can’t be great.  More rain is forecast.  If it snows, instead, maybe the trails can be saved, but it could be the end of decent skiing for this season.

Downhill skiers from Lutsen have been in periodically today, driving up and down the trail looking for something to do since gravity-slave skiing isn’t feasible today, either. Snowshoeing seems possible, especially if you have snowshoes like the ones we rent that have metallic gripping teeth on the bottom.

Seems like a really fine day to get cozy with a book in front of the fireplace.

We’ll keep you posted on what happens with the trails.

Oxcart and Poplar Creek were groomed again yesterday.   We also regroomed various windblown skate lanes.  It was blustery yesterday, but the skies were cloudless and the sun was shining brightly. Several skiers reported that yesterday was one of their favorite ski days ever.

Today is more of the same, except warmer.  The Lake Trail was regroomed yesterday —  it hasn’t disappeared yet today.  North-South link across Aspen is still closed and will be until Andy and Quinn get back from Canoecopia Monday.  Getting that trail back is going to be a 2 man excavating job. On the first attempts to open it back up  they reported impassable 4 foot drifts and a fairly impossible “jump” on the hill down to the lake.  There are alternative routes and when it’s windy most skiers don’t expect that trail to stay clear anyway.

The moon is still nearly full.  Last night was as bright on the lake trail as it would have been if we’d have called it a “lit trail.”

Report from Golden Eagle: 

Conditions:  Good to Excellent Skiing for both Classic and Freestyle

Comments:  March skiing at its best!    We received lots of new snow which increased the base by about 3 inches.  We are grooming with double tracks to pack the snow in and with the cold temperatures the trails should set up very nice.  There is some drifting happening today so we will be out re-grooming tomorrow which will put the trails in excellent shape for the weekend.   

There is indeed some drifting.  Our groomers reported seeing drifts alongside trails that were close to 4 feet high.  Quinn did the Lake Trail between Bearskin and the Campground Loop this morning and honestly, by 3 PM this afternoon there was virtually no sign anymore that the trail had ever been groomed. Bob hopes to go out in the pisten bully again in the morning and redo trails.  If you plan to ski on Thursday, be prepared for occasional spots of “back country” challenge in open areas until the winds die down.

What a beautiful weekend!  The first Bearskin Wilderness pursuit race was great fun.  Sam Holmes, a high school skier to watch in the future, won it all.  But more importantly, there was shared sense of camaraderie during and after the races that made the experience memorable.  We will do it again next year during Winter Tracks, for sure.  We learned a few things about race organization and race grooming that will make it go even more smoothly next time.

Bear Cub was groomed as skating only for the race, but is now back to skate and classic as usual.  Beaver Dam was used for the second day of the race and groomed up beautifully. It was tilled and regroomed with the pisten bully afterwards to get it back in good post-race condition.  The cold snap after tilling set the tracks up extremely hard and firm.

Wind the last few days has caused a little drifting on some trails, especially on the usual problem spot, the North South link. We may be able to get out tomorrow again to make a few repairs. 

There were many, many skiers out the past few days; most are thrilled with the current conditions. Overall skiers have been effusively enthusiastic about the excellent snow conditions this year, but the skiers who were here the past couple days might have been the happiest group of all.   Lots of snow, more daylight and the warmer, sunny afternoons have made for perfect ski vacations for our guests. 

Plus the astonishing bird population around the lodge right now is turning even ordinary “Is that bird a robin or a blue jay?” types into fascinated birders.  The bird watching has been exceptional. One guest told us on Sunday that birds were preventing her from skiing  — she was too preoccupied watching birds out her cabin window. 

There is a slight warm up and a little precipitation in the forecast for a couple days.  We have a LOT of snow–even if temps get up in the 30s and the precipitation turns out to be some rain, there will continue to be ample snow on our trails. March skiing is great.

Trail overlooking Flour Lake after some snow. Photo by Karen Reynolds.

It snowed periodically yesterday and nonstop all day today.  The flakes were small, so at first it didn’t look like there would be a significant accumulation.  But the snow was persistent, so we actually have quite a few inches of fresh snow.

Bear Cub and Oxcart were groomed yesterday, just to give skiers some fresh tracks.  Today the groomers impatiently watched the sky, waiting for the snow to stop so they could get out to do the trails.  It never stopped snowing enough for grooming to make sense. 

Skiers reported that Bear Cub had just enough snow in the tracks to make going down the steep hills easier.  Another pair of skiers who came across on trails from Golden Eagle reported that the fresh snow made the trip slower, but still just fine.  Tracks were still visible and, as one skier said, she “fell down less because the snow was slower.”

Bob has headed out now to do some evening grooming and try to beat tomorrow morning’s predicted cold snap. It’s going to get quite cold tonight, but then gradually warm back up tomorrow.   The weather forecast for the weekend is actually not too bad, with pleasant daytime skiing temperatures predicted.