We received about 5 inches of snow during the day yesterday.  Bearskin groomers were out at 6 this morning and groomed most of the day.

At this point we have about 20-24 inches in the woods and a packed base on trails of  7 – 10 inches.  Skate lanes have set up very firm; classic tracks are hard and fast.  Skiers are reporting excellent conditions.

There are still a few slush spots on some lakes, but the situation is improving.  The North South link on Aspen is now open and the trail across Flour Lake is good.  East Bearskin Lake still has issues; odd air holes opened up last week  that were very interesting curiosities from an observer’s standpoint, but are problematic for grooming.  Quinn actually went into 12 inches of water today with the groomer when he was heading towards the Campground Trail which pretty much wrecked his morning.  The ice underneath the water is thick and solid, so there are no safety issues for skiers-but until the holes and cracks freeze up, it is an annoyance.  Access the Campground Loop via the other route.

More snow is expected this weekend.

A few pictures Quinn took from the pisten bully while he was grooming Poplar Creek on 12/30:

Groomed Bear Cub, Oxcart and Poplar Creek today.  The wind finally died down, so today’s grooming resulted in perfect ski trails.  The cooler temps should solve the lake slush problem.  Skiers are reporting excellent conditions.

Today started off with wicked winds and 3 inches or more of new snow.  A good percentage of yesterday’s newly groomed trails blew shut today. Skiers reported that many trails were an odd mix of completely groomed sections and drifted over areas.

Groomers at both resorts were out today. Bob did most of the system on the Bearskin side and will be out on Bear Cub very early Tuesday morning.  The wind continues to be very strong; it’s hard to believe today’s nice tracks will last.

Temps are getting a bit colder.  Hopefully that may put an end to the slush problem on the lakes.

Saturday’s “warm” temps played total havoc with the trails. Huge slush spots visibly grew by the hour on the lakes. By mid-afternoon, skiers were coming back from every trail totally encrusted in ice. It was a mess and there wasn’t a thing that could be done about it.

Fortunately, groomers at both Bearskin and Golden Eagle went out very early Sunday morning and most of the trails groomed up surprisingly well. Skiers came back all day reporting that the newly groomed trails were great.

What’s not good? Anything across water at this point is a slushy mess. The ice underneath is very thick — ice depth is not an issue. But recent conditions have caused water to seep up into the snow layer to form a slush; the warm temps yesterday just added to the poor conditions. We hope some colder night temps will eventually harden up this miserable stuff.  Meanwhile, there are a number of ways on this trail system to circumvent trails that cross water.  We recommend that for the time being you ski on routes that aren’t on lakes if possible.

Considering our seriously sub-zero temps before Christmas, it feels wrong to start wishing for colder weather again.  But a little drop in temps would be helpful at this point.