Calling all Chickens! Attention Please!

I just thought I should mention that our Facebook page will now be the primary organ for the dissemination of up-to-the-moment grooming news. This is because I can update that page from my phone, and I haven't figured out how to do this blog from my phone. A sorry state of affairs, no doubt. But it's the reality we are going to have to deal with for now.

Anyway:
The entire Chicken got a full-on grooming session again this evening (Friday) in order to have the best possible conditions going into the weekend. New skate track everywhere and new classic track on about 90% of the trail miles.
When I say 'best possible conditions' what I mean is we did the best we could with what was there. No, we were unable to convert chunky ice into perfect corduroy. But, conditions tomorrow morning ought to be quite tolerable.  The track underneath is firm (to put it mildly) and we used our chicken teeth to stir up the existing snow to create something related to awesome conditions. The kinship is a tad distance, but really it ought to be quite good.

See you out there!

Dave K and Peter B put in a total of 7.5 hours grooming, admin, maintenance, etc.

Leftovers for lunch

A bit soggy, a bit stale, and kind of crunchy in the mornings. That is the current state of affairs at the Chicken Creek ski area.

Today, Tuesday, there will be some touch-up taking place late afternoon. Bauer Loops will receive some attention, but the upper loops will probably have to wait until tomorrow evening. And with any luck we may receive more moisture this weekend - hopefully in the form of snow. That would be a most welcome refreshment for a tired chicken.

John G was out there late on Sunday evening for a few hours, plus admin and other volunteer hours (maintenance, blogging, social media, etc) for a total of 6.5 hours since last update.

Chicken Salad Days

Good news in the poultry palace:

• All trails are groomed as of 8:00 PM Friday Jan. 25
• Classic track exists on 97.35 % of the trails
• Classic got a touch-up tonight in certain spots which had been in particularly poor shape prior to grooming
• This does NOT mean all the classic is "primo."  In fact, it is not. There are some scattered rough and/or non-existent sections

BUT
Mostly, the skiing tomorrow (Saturday) ought to be superb. Chicken tenders cooked to perfection with an herbed butter sauce. Firm yet forgiving. At least until noon-ish. Then our friend the sun will be changing things up minute by minute.

Due to a string of warmish days with lots of sun on the horizon, we will be using a light touch with grooming efforts over the next couple days (read: not much - if any - grooming until after the weekend).  We still want to balance the joy of fresh track versus trying to keep snow on the ground.
IF we experience very heavy usage, we reserve the right to actually do some work on the track over the weekend. Don't count your chickens...

Early birds will get the fresh corduroy. Check back for updates on planned grooming events.

Brad F and Peter B shredded it for a total of 7.5 hours, fuel fetching plus admin brought us up to 8.75 hours of volunteer labor since last entry.

The Plan for the weekend

Just a quick update to let folk know about what to expect at Chicken Creek Nordic through the weekend.

Today, Wednesday, the lower loops are getting a touch up with the groomer. They have seen some use over the past couple days but overall still holding up well. The touch-up ought to make skiing very smooth for tomorrow morning.

Next planned grooming session will take place Friday evening into the night. All trails are slated for grooming in anticipation of a sunny, busy ski weekend. We are looking at higher temps over the weekend, so grooming may take a back seat for a little bit until one of the following happens:

• The track gets beat up enough that we are compelled to smooth it out
• The weather turns colder and/or cloudier
• Snow returns to the region

Don't worry; we won't let it get too bad. But we once again have to balance keeping conditions smooth versus stirring up the snow too much, especially with warm-ish sunny days coming.

David B groomed today, Brad F, Allen F and Peter B groomed Tuesday (yesterday) morning. Total volunteer hours accrued since last update is 14.75 hours.

The Chicken Wishes Everyone a Happy Holiday

Yes, Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday celebration holiday. And it looks like more snow is on the way. Yipee!
That was an amazing couple days of skiing today and yesterday. Today may have been the finest conditions I have ever experienced at Chicken Creek Nordic. WooHoo! My drumsticks are all wore out. Time for a day off.  And it looks like tomorrow will be a good day for respite. The current forecast is calling for snow pretty much all day.  Hard to say right now whether we'll get any real accumulation, so we'll just keep an eye on things.

Last night (Saturday) John P and David B put in some long hours taking out the ruts and dog tracks all over the place. They also put up some sweet classic track, which was getting a workout today. As I mentioned, conditions were off-the-charts amazing, especially for those who chose to hit the track early with cold wax on their skis.

As of this moment, further grooming activities will be on hold until Monday's storm plays itself out. So look for more grooming to take place Tuesday either early morning or in the evening.  Our volunteer groomers need a break as well. All hail the groomers!

Volunteer hours accumulated since last update is 14.5 hours.
 

READY FOR THE BIG WEEKEND!!

It's true:
All of the terrain currently open at Chicken Creek Nordic Ski Area was groomed this evening (Friday) and ought to be in tip-top shape for Saturday morning.

Skate and classic track are in place all the way around. (You're welcome, Cap)

David K and Peter B were out late making it happen. 13 volunteer hours accrued today.

GO SKI!
ENJOY!

Buttered Chicken. Yum.

Thursday Update:

All trails were groomed for skate skiing last evening (Wednesday) after the storm moved out. The resulting skiing has been quite nice (though the track is a mite choppy in places). The trees were all loaded with snow and the snow was buttery soft; a tad too soft for fast skating uphill. BUT:

Overall a delightful skiing experience. Our new grooming equipment was most helpful in accomplishing as much as we did last night. Peter B and David B (no known relation) were at it for over 5 hours yesterday.

Tonight’s forecast calls for as much as 7 inches in Mancos. The current plan is to groom it out Friday evening and into the night. This should lead to nice ski conditions for the upcoming holiday weekend.

Volunteer hours since last update total 18.5 hours, including grooming, equipment repair and maintenance, admin, social media updates, etc.