Sugarbush Trail Association
All primary trails were rolled Feb. 9 and the Pisten Bully was out the next day, setting track and skating lane. Packed base is 10 inches, aided by 8 to 10 inches of new snow during the past week. Total snowfall for the season is 40 inches. More details may be found at www.sugarbushtrail.org.
Banadad Ski Trails
Storm clearing continues on the Banadad, and a “trail alert” has been issued Feb. 4 — Portions of the Banadad Ski Trail remain closed due to the accumulating snow on alder brush and small trees caving them into the trail and making the trail impassable. Crews of two to four people composed of Boundary Country Trekking’s staff, members of the Banadad Trail Association and other Gunflint Trail residents have been out daily clearing the trail but the going is slow, wet and cold. It has been taking the crews four to five hours per mile to clear the brush. Thus far the Lace Lake and Tall Pines trails are open and tracked. Twenty kilometers of the Banadad’s 30 kilometers have been cleared. It is expected that the remainder of the Banadad should be cleared and re-opened by the weekend. Visit www.boundarycountry. com for the latest trail conditions.
Bearskin Lodge
Trail manager’s report: “Skiers are having a fantastic time skiing our trails right now. Several skiers reported that today was one of the best ski days ever — sunny skies, pleasant temps, and newly groomed trails. We get many calls lately asking if we actually have snow. A large percentage of them are from people staying along the North Shore, who are dismayed to find that the snow conditions are not what they had hoped for. When we received all the snow last week, many other areas received rain. Our snow was dense, wet, and heavy. It caused thousands of trees to bend and break along the trails. The clean-up job was huge and not every trail system is finished yet.
“Our trail system groomed up surprisingly well, especially given the difficulty of grooming that particular snow. Most of the trails have been groomed one to two times since the snowfall.”
For a complete wrap-up, see bearskintrailreports.wordpress.com.
Lutsen Area
All runs should now be open. Thebest skiing is still inland, especially near Deeryard Lake. Ridge Run is icing up and skiing is difficult; skiers are advised they may need to walk the first 150 yards of Cascade’s system in order to get to better snow.
There was no new snow, but some ice near the shore as of Feb. 4, and the base varies from 2 to 16 inches. Visit www.norpinetrails. org for the latest information.
Cook County Ridgeriders and Grand Portage Trail Riders
Warmer temps and fresh snow prevailed this past weekend. The Poker Run made for a busy weekend on the Gunflint and Upper North Shore Trail systems. Plenty of snow and groomed trails await on the North Shore! Lake effect snow dropped 5-10 inches on the lower North Shore Monday night. Call the snowmobile club at (218) 387-9392 or visit www.boreal.org/RidgeRiders/ or call Grand Portage Lodge at (218) 475-2401 or toll-free (800) 543-1384.
Golden Eagle Nordic Ski Center
Staff was out with the snowcat Feb. 8, grooming the west end of Logging Camp, Ridge Run, Moose Pasture, the north side of Beaver Dam, the North South Link from Aspen Lake to Golden Eagle, Wolf Point, Red Pines, Cross Fox, Deer Mouse, Moose Ridge and the Logging Camp along the north side of Flour Lake. The2 inches of snow received was perfect: just enough to freshen up the woods and pack in on the trails nicely. Thebase is firmfor skating and tracks good for classic skiing.
Year-to-date snowfall totals stand at just over 37 inches. The system is classified as “excellent.”
See the Golden Eagle website at www.golden-eagle.com for the latest on the central Gunflint Trail conditions.
Pincushion Mountain Ski Trails
The entire trail system was groomed Feb. 8. The fresh snow has groomed up nicely and we now have the best skiing of the year for both skate and classic. Go to pincushiontrails.org for the latest conditions.
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