1.13.10

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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.

1.8.10

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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.

1.4.10

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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…

12.29.09 Newly groomed again

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Bob had the pisten bully out on the trails at 4 AM this morning.  He was surprised to see that an additional couple inches of snow  had appeared. 

He is also wondering about the strange orange glow he saw on the north side of Aspen Lake while he was grooming.    We assume it was an alien space ship landing.  😉   (If you know what it actually was, we’d be interested in knowing.)

A fairly good base has gradually developed.  All tracks are set, all skate lanes are open.  We are very busy with skiers now.  Forest Lake High School and Minnehaha Academy high school skiers are here training.  There are lots of recreational skiers out on the trails, too.  The pine boughs are still loaded with snow, so the trails are very beautiful.

12.26.09

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Winter wonderland this morning. Groomers are headed out.

For local skiers heading up today, keep in mind this is the first grooming of many of these trails this year.   It’s going to be a long day of grooming.  All trails should be done by the end of today,  but for much of today grooming will be a work in progress.

12.25.09 Still snowing, grooming on Saturday

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Here in the tip of the Arrowhead region, we didn’t receive nearly as much snow as some areas to the south of us.  The large snowcloud on the radar has been located between Silver Bay & Duluth since sometime yesterday afternoon, with the tip of the Arrowhead largely out of the cloud most of the time.  It’s been snowing consistently since sometime last night, but it’s not heavy.  We honestly would have liked to receive more.  And of course, we will. 

Bearskin should have this side of the system fully groomed by the end of the day tomorrow (Saturday).  Little serious grooming is happening today on this side of the trail system, as our employees are off for the holiday and it is continuing to snow and blow.  A few skiers are out there, but this afternoon it’s a bit of a “back country” experience.  Temps are fairly warm, though.

12.21.09

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Conditions: Good.

We received about 3 inches of new snow overnight, opening up a few trails for the first time this year. Summer Home Rd and the Campground loop are as good as ski trails get, with skate lanes and tracks. Upper Beaver Dam, Lower Ridge Run, The Lit Loop, and parts of Logging Camp have also been groomed. No tracks on these, and still stubble and an occasional rock, but a few more inches of snow will take care of that. This evening we will be grooming Ox Cart, and laying corduroy on the lake down to the edge of the BWCA.    (Quinn McCloughan)

Lake skiing continues to be good. Skiers are venturing out on routes that are far better known as canoe trips than as ski trips.

Report posted on www.skinnyski.com from Skinny ski team member Grant Nelson, one of several Skinny Ski team members staying at Bearskin this week:

Conditions: Good for those of an adventurous spirit.

Today, we skied into the Boundary Waters from Bearskin Lodge. 3 inches of fresh powder slowed us down slightly and gave us a great leg workout. The portages were gorgeous with freshly fallen snow laden on pine branches. We ended up investigating Johnson falls, which was a fabulous ice-sculpture waterfall. In the afternoon, we skied on the freshly groomed Bearskin trails along the Summer Home Road and Campground loop. Most of the trails are rolled, but rock-skis are recommended. The groomer is hoping for a few more inches of snow before he takes the Piston Bully out… (Grant Nelson, Skinnyski.com Race Team)

More ski reports at: http://www.skinnyski.com/trails/traildetail.asp?Id=48

Skiing into the BWCA

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The flurries this morning gave us a glimmer of hope.  Maybe we’d finally get the snow we need for a fully functioning trail system.  But sadly the snow has stopped, leaving us with little more than a dusting.  This lack of snow has prompted us to get a bit creative.  The Campground Loop and Summer Home Road are the only trails with enough snow to ski.  They are both groomed for skate skiing and do not have any tracks yet.   To expand our limited selection of ski trails we’ve begun to think outside of the box, or at least outside of our (now uselessly extensive) trail system.  To expand our skiing options we’ve groomed all the way into the north arm of the lake where it turns into the BWCA.  Some intrepid skiers have been taking advantage of the snowy lake to venture into the Boundary Waters.  But hopefully more snow will come soon and we can rely on our tried and true trails once again.

Early Grooming

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The  Tidd Tech saw its first action of the season yesterday.  With 3 to 5 inches of snow, the snowmobile glided around the Campground Loop and down Summer Home Road.  They are both groomed for skate skiing.  No tracks yet.   Portions of Beaver Dam are groomed with some stubble showing.  Conditions are ripe for a perfect early skiing experience!