At press time, local ski and snowmobile groups provided the following snow report:
Banadad Trails
Jan. 1 update: “Twelve inches of snow now on the ground
after another 3 inches fell last night. The Gunflint’s Nordic
trails are open. Along the Banadad Ski Trail System 10 km
of trails are tracked on the eastern end. The BWCA’s longest
tracked trail, the Banadad, has been packed and plans are
to track the entire trail early this week.”
For all the latest, see boundarycountry.com
Bearskin
Jan. 2 report: “Yesterday we had howling winds and blowing
snow. At one point Quinn groomed the North-South link
and as he looked behind him, within 20 seconds his trail
was gone. It was that kind of day.
The Golden Eagle Snow Cat and Bearskin’s Pisten Bully
and Tidd Tech G2 snowmobile groomer will continue to
be out on the trails improving them Having the Tidd Tech
G2 snowmobile groomer here allowed us to open trails
with a minimal amount of snow when no other resort in
the area was able to groom. The Tidd Tech does a very
nice job when needed, and allows us to groom in low
snow conditions and also, to quickly run out to regroom a
trail that has been messed up by people making poor
choices. It gives us the flexibility to respond to changing
conditions quickly.”
Groomers on both sides of the system will continue be out
on the trails regularly now, making our trails better and
better.
For all the latest conditions and the full report, see
bearskintrailreports.wordpress.com/
Golden Eagle
Jan. 1 report: “Dan was out grooming most of the day with
the snowcat. He groomed everything on the north side of
Flour Lake as well as Wolf Point, West End Logging Camp
and the North-South Link from Golden Eagle to the Beaver
Dam Trail. He was able to take over the grooming from
Bearskin on Ridge Run, the Upper Beaver Dam and Moose
Pasture and did those for the first time this year with the
snowcat, double tracking to help pack and level the trail.
The lower Ridge Run needs more packing and Jonathan
spent a couple of hours today on the snowmobile working
on prepacking the trails in that area so hopefully next
snowfall we’ll be able to groom those. Our trails are really
in great shape, especially those on the North Side of Flour
Lake as well as West End Logging Camp.”
For the latest report you can call 1-800-346-2203 or 218-
388-2203.
Gunflint Pines
Shari Baker of Gunflint Pines Resort reports on Jan. 2 that
skiers are commenting that the trail conditions are great:
“We have packed Amperage and are working on some
additional side brushing on the whole system. We had
more new snow yesterday but lots of blowing too so we
will re-groom the entire system as soon as the wind dies.
Currently all trails are tracked single track, single skate lane.
The forecast for this weekend is for sun and daytime temps
in the 20s. Perfect ski weather!”
Snowfall totals are 12-14 inches in the woods, with a
packed base on the trails of 4 to 5½ inches.
Visit www.gunflintpines.com for all of the up-to-the-minute
trail news.
Lutsen Area
Cascade/Deeryard Lake groomers’ comments Dec. 30: “20
km are open. Skiing is good on Pioneer loop, better on the
Deeryard Loop. Expect some spots of nearly bare ground
especially near the Lake. May need to walk about 1-2 blocks
before skiing but many skiers are starting right from the
trailhead.
Hall Massie/North Shore Trail connectors groomers’
comments: “We set a single track on the entire loop as
well as the connector from Cascade. Expect rock skiing
conditions.”
See www.norpinetrails.org for a complete report on ski
conditions.
North Shore snowmobiling
General synopsis Jan. 2: Trails are being prepared for this
season. Snow is starting to add up. Eager snowmobilers are
using trails and lakes along the North Shore. Counted over
45 sleds in operation today in Grand Marais, Gunflint Trail
and Lutsen areas. Marginal conditions on trails, but lakes
are so incredible. Make sure the lake you use is safe before
going on ice. Plenty of people up for New Year’s and ice
fishing… Check out our suggested trailheads and routes at
snowmobiletrails.com.
Pincushion
All trails except East Overlook were groomed for both skate
and classic Dec. 30. There is roughly a 3-inch base. Ole
Hyvaa and Hilfiker Hill have some thin spots and there are
a few thin spots in the track on the Pincushion Mountain
Loop, otherwise conditions are good on the whole system.
Visit pincushiontrails.org/trail-reports for the latest.
Sawbill Trail
Bill Hansen reports Dec. 31 that there is 13 inches of snow
on the ground and more is on the way…the crew drilled a
hole in Sawbill Lake yesterday and the ice is 16 inches thick.
Visit sawbill.com for the most up-to-date information.
Sugarbush Trail Association
All trails except for East Oberg were rolled and packed
on Dec. 29. Although the surface is uneven and some
obstacles (i.e. rocks, humps, and culverts) are close to
the surface, all trails are skiable. The high ridges (upper
Homestead and upper Picnic) have the most snow and best
overall snow coverage. As of Jan. 1, total snowfall for the
season measured 12 inches, with a 2-3-inch packed base.
See www.sugarbushtrail.org for the latest conditions.
Leave a Reply