Oops, I forgot to mention...

Our liaison with the US Forest Service mentioned he saw the tire tracks from 2 "snowbikes" yesterday.  He wanted me to pass along that these are not allowed on the groomed trails of Chicken Creek for safety purposes.
So sorry, no snow bikes.

The few, the tired...

Saturday night update for you hungry weekend skiers:

John G. Spent a lot of time grooming this afternoon and got it all!  Everything that's been done so far, anyway, which is:
Bauer, upper and lower
Rush Connector
Rush Creek Loop
Hamlin Loop
The road linking them all, but only to the top of Rush Creek Loop

He also Set classic track on Bauer Loops, Rush Connector, and the road.  Thank you John!

John was using the only remaining working machine we have at the moment, with 2 machines out of action due to mechanical issues.  Looks like Ol' Yeller is done for the  season, perhaps eternity.  And the relatively new machine we got last year will not start (four stroke, fuel injected).  And when it was running, it would not go backwards.  Our board president, Hank, is pretty-much singlehandedly trying to get these issues in hand.  He is feeling out of his depth, and if anyone out there can help, please email me at jpeterbee@yahoo.com

Hopefully the high winds won't undo all John's work tonight.  See you at the base tomorrow!  Better get some before our last machine decides to quit...

New Years Resolution? SKI, SKI, SKI

What a beautiful winter wonderland up at the Chicken Creek Cross Country Ski Area these days.  Today was filled with a whole lot of great volunteer helpers to help rectify the little Christmas burp that our jolly old St. Nick encountered on Christmas morn.  John Gilbert groomed out the Upper and Lower Bauer loops, Rush Connector, and up the Rush Spur.  Then the fine engineering by John Gilbert and Hank Taylor, along with Tom Rice, Allan Farnsworth and passerby skier David Blaine (Absolute Bakery), were able to get the very stuck and dead Ginzu Groomer fired up and dug out and back in service.  Allan F. ran the Ginzu groomer over the Upper and Lower Bauer Loops then handed off the snow machine to Tom Rice who rolled Rush Connector, Rush Loop, the road (twice), and Hamlin.
However, we regret to say that the yellow machine (Old Yeller) is still at a standstill on the top of the Rush Loop.  It may be a sad day for Old Yeller and for the humbled volunteers of Chicken Creek.  The prognosis so far does not look good.  But needless to say the skiing is fabulous so get out there and ring in the new year with some great resolutions like . . . "I'm going to ski like crazy this year" . . . or . . . "This time I'm really going to put money in the Chicken Creek donation box" . . . or . . ."I'm going to save money by just paying for the suggested membership listed on the envelopes in the SIGN IN box" . . .or even . . ."I'm going to sign in every time I ski, because this is my contribution to help these crazy volunteers possibly get some much need grant money."
Oh yeah, see you up there.

Christmas Day Extravaganza in the Chicken
Fine Folk of the Skiing Kind . . . hear ye, hear ye.  The Lower and Upper Bauer Loops got a fine grooming on Christmas Day by non other than our Good Ole Jolly St. Nick (Hank).  Yes, your wondering eyes DID read correctly.  However, when St Nick was planning his get away up Rush Loop some of the reindeer decided to go on strike.  "NOT ENOUGH CHICKEN!" seemed to be the chatter among the retaliating fleet.  So they left the sled right in the middle of the Rush Road and off they went to . . . greener pastures?  Hmmm.  So watch out for the sled in the middle of Rush as Santa and his helpers are planning just what strategy it takes to get that sled full of presents and toys back to it's proper home.  Keep checking for more updates on this very pertinent event for the Chicken.

T'was the flight before Christmas...

Good news classic skiers:

Cap got up there yesterday and set fresh classic track all over the joint.  That combined with nice cloud cover today should make for some nice skiing.  Burn off a few extra calories today, eat a few extra tomorrow.  Ah, balance.

Fries with that?

Little did I know when I titled the last blog "Turkey McNuggets" I would witness the aftermath of a feathered feast soon after, making my title eerily prescient.  Anyone who skied up by the picnic table overlook on Hamlin Loop today probably noticed the profusion of turkey feathers scattered along the trail, and the late Thanksgiving meal 25 feet off the trail.  A good time was had by one.

Ski Report:
Little Bauer is getting lots of traffic and feeling the heat a bit.  Still pretty good but needs a touch up soon, both with snow and grooming.
(We ask people to please respect the work of the groomers and not walk on the groomed trail without skis or snowshoes as it puts big holes in the snow.)
Rush was mostly righteous with a few choppy spots here and there.  Overall very good.
Hamlin still quite nice, probably the best conditions up there right now.
The road is mostly OK, but the top section is a bit uneven and/or choppy in spots; rough for skating.

70-80% chance of snow Sunday night through Monday night.  We need it.  Keep your wings crossed.

Turkey McNuggets

Saw a few wild turkeys up on the Hamlin Loop yesterday; looking for some scratch and trying to stay warm. No chickens, though...

Condition Report:
The snow is super lovely all over the joint up there.  Fresh and cold, cold, cold.  For skating yesterday I wanted the coldest wax available (too bad I didn't have it on!)

What's Groomed:
Both Upper and Lower Little Bauer got some attention yesterday and are in superb shape.  Hamlin also got it yesterday and is a dream come true.  Even the road to the top and Rush are all newly dialed in.  This is amazing considering how quickly all the snow fell, and that we had a glitch with our major grooming machine already.  The Bearcat apparently really wanted to climb a pine but was not up to the task.  Inconvenient, but no one got hurt.

AS GOOD AS IT GETS; so go get some...

More snow, more grooming

I finally got away from the computer screen yesterday to enjoy the "hero" snow up at Chicken Creek.  What a delight!  Soft and firm all at once.

Grooming report:
Groomers Tom and Andy reported in last night that they Re-rolled the Bauer loops, as well as track-packed the road up to the top.  They also got some track packing done on the Hamlin loop, so with any luck we can open Hamlin to skating in the next couple days.  All the internal gates are now open so grooming can take place everywhere.

With the heavy snow taking place as I write this, it is doubtful there will be any hope of skating until this afternoon at the earliest.  John has volunteered to go up and try to pack this dump out, and maybe even set some classic track on the Bauer loops.  We'll see how that pans out and I will try to keep the blog as up-to-the-minute as possible.

This storm may be over with as early as about 1pm today, and then temperatures are supposed to plummet.  Should make for some nice conditions!

Afternoon Update

Mark and Brad Fearlessly flew up and down the hill of the Chicken Creek area all morning, and the Bauer Loops as well as the Rush Creek Spur (The West Leg of Rush) are now well-groomed.  The FS Road up to Rush has been track packed but not yet groomed.

Looks like lots of people are checking out the blog, which is great.  Some pent-up demand, I think.  Let it out, people!

It snoweth, let's go-eth!

Apparently Winter is here, or at least the snowfall aspect of it.
There is grooming action happening today and more to come Tuesday.  I will endeavor to keep you all up to date as soon as reports come in.  Sounds like soft, loose snow; not so well suited to skating as classic stride skiing.
Rush was groomed yesterday afternoon, and reported to be in fair condition with the occasional rock sticking out - so caution is advised.
More later, after the groomers report in...

Good News! And a request for blog readers.

Hank and Mark Groomed both sections of the Little Bauer loop today, so disregard the earlier blog entry.  Actual grooming has taken place! Yes!

More grooming scheduled for tomorrow and lots of snowflakes on the forecast.  Maybe our luck just changed.  I will keep you as updated as possible.

Here's the request part:  Please share with anyone you think may be interested the fact of this blog's existence.  Let's spread the word.  Post it on Facebook, link to it on your own blogs, shout it from the mountain tops, whatever.

Season's first snowfall!

Yes!
Snow is finally here, and a lot of you are wondering what we plan to do about it; grooming wise.
The information I have so far is that two groomers are up there attempting to track pack as much terrain as possible.

Track packing simply means they are out there zooming around on the snow machines having a blast.  Well, not exactly.  But it's true they are not hauling any grooming equipment like rollers or track setters.  Before any actual "grooming" can take place the snow must be packed down.  Otherwise the grooming equipment floats along behind the machines and creates multiple levels of snow and just generally makes a mess of things.

It is a possibility that tomorrow some actual grooming may take place.  I will endeavor to keep you all posted.  Once the grooming begins the poultry puns cannot be too far behind.  Brace yourselves.

Anticipating the Coming Season / Call for Help

Believe it or not the hardworking board of the Chicken Creek Cross Country Ski Area are already in full swing in order to make yet another ski season happen for everyone.
Towards that end, we have three requests for our happy readers:

• If you happen to be out hiking or biking on the Hamlin Loop (Hamlin especially, but anywhere we ski up there would be good)  in the next couple weeks, please help us move the recently cut brush, rocks, passed out cows, or any other trail obstacles you encounter, off the path.  You can even make a special trip of it - a pre-season party - if you like.  We won't mind.
• We are now planning our groomers meeting for the volunteer groomers.  Anyone interested and able to spend time and energy grooming the trails please respond to this entry.  We'll provide free training!  You could also call Peter at 533-1605.
• Don't forget to join!  Membership rates are ridiculously cheap at $50  for individuals, $90  for families, $150 for "Sponsor," or $200 for "Benefactor."  Of course if you want to give more, that is acceptable too.  Make checks payable to Chicken Creek Ski Corp (CCSC) and send them to PO Box 111  Mancos, CO 81328

Thanks for your support!

OMG! What happened to that chicken?

Thursday

Hank groomed everything 2 days ago.  So much for up-to-the-minute bloggerman.

Conditions:  Icy in the morning, surprise.  Slushy in the afternoon, though today might be pretty good in the late morning to early afternoon window, since it's supposed to stay pretty cool all day - predicted high of 36.

Some large bare spots opening up, and with each passing day less likelihood that we'll be able to groom again this season.  Do chickens cry?  Or do they accept the passing season with perfect equanimity?

The upper trails ought to be in relatively fine feather.  It's a matter of getting to them, possibly walking around the bare spots.

Have you planted your onions yet?

Plucking the feathers

Just a quick notice to let all you hungry skiers know that conditions at Chicken Creek are what the ski areas euphemistically refer to as "Spring Skiing."  In other words, alternately icy, slushy, sticky, scary and generally not-so-awesome.  Bare spots are emerging in the usual places, the warm days are creating a rutted out layer of ice in the mornings, etc. etc.

This begs the question "why don't the trails get groomed more often, to improve the surface?"
I'm glad you asked.  The grooming does improve the surface - temporarily.  Sadly, it also results in the more rapid melting of what little snow cover we have.  The only long-term solution to the problem is a good dose of snow, followed by consistently cold days and nights.  What do you think the odds of that are?  There is a chance of some snow coming up and we will keep an eye on it to see if we can extend the skiing a bit more.  That would be fantastic.  Stay tuned...

Bi-Polar Chicken

Sorry to be so late in the day with the grooming report, but life just kept on happening today.  Anyway, here it is:

Cap and Peter fired up the stinky grooming machines early this morning and laid down some nice corduroy on the Bauer Loops, The Rush Connector, The Road to the top, and the Rush Creek Loop.  Everything mentioned got fresh classic track as well.  Current conditions as of this afternoon were good to excellent.

Still needing attention are Hamlin - which was severely blown in at the top - and the west Turkey Creek leg.  With the very warm temperatures in the forecast it remains to be seen whether those two legs will receive any further attention this season.

About the bi-polar comment.  The snow was super friendly on the way up, while it was still cool and fresh.  It was a bit crabby/grabby and temperamental on the way down.  A bit hot and cold, you might say.  Nevertheless, it was a worthy late-season skiing experience.  I suggest you try it tomorrow.

Brrrrrrrrr.....

Good morning: Saturday.  Frosty.  Really.
Mark and Allen groomed Yesterday - Friday.  Really they did.  Then the wind de-groomed.  This morning, Cap and the groomer yet to be named, will be re-grooming.  Unless their faces fall off.

This is just a heads up.  No details available as the grooming hasn't happened yet.  But it probably definitely might.  Could be happening now, as you read this.  Time is so relative...

Uncle Chicken.

Rubber Chicken

The area bounced back with that fresh snow, and I don't think it's a stretch to say there's a good 6"+ of new snow on the higher reaches of the ski trails.

Mark and Andy put in 6 hours of groom time today to pack things down and freshen up.  Bauer loops and the Rush connector both got groomed, complete with new classic track today.  The Road to the top, Hamlin and Rush Creek all got new corduroy but no classic track.

Really nice late-season conditions prevail right now.  There is decent to excellent coverage (except for the few perennial trouble spots) and the track was soft and forgiving.  So bounce on up there and sink yer teeth into some fine skiing.

Snow is flying

The snow did fly today - Tuesday - though it looks to be winding down for now.  It sounds like Mark and Andy are planning on doing some grooming tomorrow morning.  So if you're jonesin' for some skiing, check it out.  I'll update the blog as reports come in as far as conditions.

More snow possibly on the way.  The chicken keeps getting a reprieve on her final flight.

Friday Freshener

Happy Friday morning to you all.  This is just a quick note to let you all know that Tom R. is up at the area at this writing and is freshening up the Bauer Loops, breaking up the crust and making the world safer for chicken lovers.  I will update later when I know exactly how much terrain he has groomed.

Between the warm, the wind, and the sun, it's a bit like a convection oven for the ski trails out there, so conditions will be something less than optimal.  And with no credible promise of new snow, the more grooming we do the quicker we will lose the coverage we have.  However, the fattened hen has not loosed her final song yet, so if time allows get up there and enjoy it while you can.

On the fly/ Chicken flight RE-revisited on Tuesday

Just a quick note to let you all know that the area received some grooming attention today from Mark and Brad, and as a result the following runs are groomed:
Upper and lower little Bauer
Rush Connector
The road, to the top
Rush Creek Loop (no classic track)

Still needing attention are the South portion of Hamlin Loop and the North portion of Turkey Creek.

As of 1:00 pm today (Tues) Andy is up there making things super-sweet again:
Bauer is Buffed!
Rush Connector is righteous;
the road is radical;
and it looked like Andy was headed for Hamlin to polish it up.  I'll give more information on Hamlin, Rush Creek Loop, and the south "Leg" of Turkey Creek Loop when I get a report from Andy.

Cap Allen claims it's the best Classic Track we've had all year.  The skating lanes all firmed-up overnight, and so the skiing was truly superlative.  We've got January conditions in late February, after having the reverse last month.  We'll take it (like we have a choice).

LATE UPDATE:
Andy says he buffed EVERYTHING, yes that includes Hamlin and both Turkey legs (since when does a loop have legs?).

Enjoy!

Thawed or unthawed?

Which is it? Does anybody really know?

Honestly, this morning it was frozen solid when I was out there; and so was my face for the first half-hour.  Technically, I believe that would be "unthawed."

Explanation:  I have actually seen that term - unthawed - in cookbooks.  Easy to determine from the context what was meant was "thawed," as in not frozen.  "Unthaw a whole chicken."  Where was the editor?  Possibly passed out from too many chicken mcnuggets.

Regardless, the chicken was quite frozen this AM, though I'm sure it "unthawed" later in the day.  Mark and Fred groomed this morning despite several technical problems - everything from a dead battery, to a shredded drive belt, to a broken wiring harness.  Still the mighty chicken tamers forged on; grooming for about 5 hours total.  Way to go, guys. Many thanks.

With today's heat,  my guess is the track will be fast and perhaps a bit treacherous tomorrow (Sunday).  The road to the top got groomed and will most likely be firm tomorrow, though it was a bit soft today.

Frozen or thawed, it's all good; so please have another helping.

Fricassee

OK, all you militant vegetarians can stop reading now as I'm going to wax poetic about chicken fricassee.  In Catholic grade school, first and second grades, everyone's favorite hot meal was the chicken fricassee.  That includes me.  I didn't often get to buy the hot meal due to the high cost (.25 cents) but the 2 or 3 times per year the lunch ladies threw down with fricassee I was right there.  It was tender, smooth with creamy gravy and biscuits.

Well, that's what the area was like today.  We may want to consider renaming the area if this keeps up.  The good news is it will be even better tomorrow.  That's right; Mark and new groomer guy Fred are planning to be out there bright and early Saturday morning to buff things out for you all.

Speaking of biscuits, a gentle reminder to the dog owners to clean up after your pooches.  There's a bunch of pooch-poo lying around right by the trailhead.  Yuck.

See you at the area tomorrow; and bring your forks.

So Sweet (Revised)(And re-revised)

Many thanks to groomer Andy who appears to be making a day of it up there.  We hit fresh sweet corduroy and matching classic track on the Bauer Loops, the Rush Connector, and the Rush Creek Loop, including the road.  The upper loops are still a touch soft for skating, but no complaints.

I'll update more completely later when I get a report from Andy.  But for now I just wanted to let you know the skiing is quite tasty.
Warm and sunny in the forecast, so don't dawdle...
PS  Andy also groomed Hamlin Loop!
Andy logged about 5 hours of grooming.  He also got stuck 3 times and had to change out the battery in the machine.  Groomer of the year? Huh, whaddaya say, folks?  Andy.  Rocks!!

Hearts to the Groomers

Hearts to the Groomers.

Snow falling lightly

Sun is peeking behind clouds

Skis on - set to go

Corduroy patterns

Blissful and ever serene

Thank you all groomers

Volunteers are they

Working hour by hour

Hearts to all of you!

And Hearts to the Skiers!

Remember to sign in (no name necessary) it’s the skier numbers that matter!

Thank you for your donations.  Chicken Creek Nordic is an ALL-Volunteer group.  Donations are used for gas/fuel/oil, equipment and equipment repairs.

Want to get an e-mail each time the blog is updated??? 

Just add your e-mail to the box at the top of the page.

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

...May I have another?

Thank you Ullr.  And it looks like more is on the way, at least through tomorrow (Tues) night and perhaps into Wednesday.  Just in the nick of time as far as the Bauer loops are concerned.

So, here's what we are doing about it:
We groomed the Bauer loops today to a fine state of corduroy.  They turned out quite nicely, thank you.
The Rush Connector got two passes with the roller.  It's not pretty, but skate-able.  Same story for the road up to the top of the Hamlin Loop.  So there is some skating to be had.
Hamlin Loop, Turkey Creek Loop, and Rush Creek (West) got packed by snow machine followed by one roller pass.  They are all pretty soft and need more work before we can set classic track or call them fit for skating.  Our main concern was getting that snow packed down in case we get a big dump over the next 2 days.
No classic track set anywhere yet.  That will be and end-of-storm priority.
Mark, John and Peter were your groomers today, putting in a total of about 10 hours worth of work.  We will work to keep up with the snow, but it's probably going to be deep at some point when you go up there, so if you're a skater, take your classic skis along in case.  I'll try to keep the blog updated the best I can.

Thanks for all your support!

More grooming news

Tom R buffed out the Bauer loops today, and also did a lane up the road to Hamlin and down Rush.  He claims the skating is super fine.

It looks like the snow promise may become a reality by the weekend.  Last night's snowfall didn't even qualify as a "skiff."  Let's see what the weekend brings...

Groom Time - Amended (thrice)

This just in...
Sounds like Andy is up at the ski area right now, freshening things up for you.  If I get more detail later I'll send it your way.

LATER:  Sorry, false alarm.  Andy did get in a good ski though and he deserved it, since he is ace groomer supreme.

MORE LATERER:   Cancel that "false alarm" notice.  Andy did groom.  Did.  Did.  Yes he did.

For the time being, no blog entry means no grooming has occurred.  We'll wait and see if this weak system moving through yields any scratch for the bird.

LATER STILL:  And it appears there are more storm systems moving in, each later storm packing a larger wallop than the previous one.  So we will try to best utilize our volunteer resources to the greatest effect.  Stay tuned...

Yeah!

Garuda, forgive me

Alright, so the Vedic god Garuda probably isn't a chicken (but he might be).  Still, the skiing at the area was fit for the gods, kings, and all the people I saw up there just loving it today.  Mark and Peter were up there early doing the Ginzu twinz thing and making the snow just so sweet, flat, phat and forgiving.  Look in the dictionary under "hero snow."  That's what it was like today.  No crusty, scary, uneven, rutted-out track today, no way!

Some bare spots are reappearing, true; especially at the lower reaches of the west side of the Bauer loops.  Just go around 'em, I guess.  Or take a shovel up there and cover 'em up.  That would be OK too, as long as you don't use snow from the track to do it.

Everything got groomed today.  Don't miss out!

As of today, the plan is to groom again tomorrow evening (Wednesday).  Keep checking the blog for updates.  If you choose to subscribe to the blog, you'll get an email notification every time we update.  Unfortunately, it takes a long time for those emails to go out - like overnight - 12 or more hours.  Lazy electrons I guess.  So the best bet is to subscribe (or "follow", in the lexicon of the day.  Be advised, if you follow me you may need counseling; I have no idea where this thing is going), AND to regularly check for updates the old fashioned way.  Bookmark us!

Good Cluck!

Grooming Update Monday Evening

OK, ok, we hear you!  It looks like there will be some grooming activity up at the area tomorrow morning.  Right now the classic track is sitting pretty, but the skating lanes, maybe not so much.  So we'll have at least 2 groomers out there in the AM trying to take advantage of the latest snowfall.

We know you all get excited about the snow, and we hope you'll have patience with the fact that all grooming is done by volunteers, 6 of whom donated time this weekend to snazz up the area for the weekend.  Snowfall has been spastic this year (as you may have noticed) and it's been a bit jarring to try to get in the grooming groove all-the-sudden like.

Anyone who has the time and energy, and would like to be involved with the grooming end of the operation is cordially invited to reply to this posting and we'll get you into the loop.  Many hands make light work, and all that.  So please don't be shy...

Tender and sweet, if not boneless

Guess what kids?  The area got another 3-6 inches last night!  Cap, Tom and Peter were on it early and got the grooming done in short order.  Conditions are really incredible at the moment, and the parking lot was full.  Lots of smiling faces out there for sure.

Everything got groomed, including upper and lower Bauer loops, Rush Creek loop, Hamlin loop, and Turkey Creek loop.  There is classic track everywhere except for the west side of Turkey Creek loop.

So don't be a turkey; go ski the chicken!

When Chicken Meets Turkey

OK, so last night's snowfall was pathetic.  It's true.  HOWEVER, today's grooming efforts were anything but.  Mark, Andy and John got on that snow bright and early, grooming everything and setting classic track all the way up.

Joan and I got up there at the crack of 10 and I must say, conditions were absolutely fantastic.  We skated the west side of Bauer, all of Hamlin, and Rush.  We started up the top of the road, but it needs to set up overnight.  It was just a touch soft and we didn't want to tear it up.  Turkey creek is a ditto.  Please let it set up tonight.  Tomorrow (Saturday) ought to be superb.

To recap; go ski.

Darn Rooster!

Hank was out grooming Bauer, cleaning up after the weekend crowd.  There are some bare spots out there and getting worse with each steamy day that goes by.  (Rooster, leave those poor hens alone!).  There appears to be a slight chance of more snow for Thursday, so we'll keep an eye on how that develops.  We'll keep you posted.

Filet

Boneless and tender.  John got on it early this morning and laid down some perfect corduroy all over the joint.  Should be amazing conditions on everything that's been groomed:
Bauer Loops
Hamlin Loop (now including the road)
Rush Creek Loop
Unless we get more snow soon, this is as good as it's going to get.  Reports coming in from skiers this morning indicate the Chicken is quite tasty.  So help yourself.
Please don't neglect the donation box.  Many thanks to those of you who have made generous contributions so far.  Our capital expenses vary only a little bit no matter how much snow we get. 
Enjoy!

All Wings Considered...

It's really nice up at the area.  Yesterday Joan and I skated everything that got groomed and conditions were ranging from good to sublime.  Most of Hamlin was simply superb.
Of course the warm days are messing with the snow and at this rate it'll go quickly.
Today - Thursday - Andy and Alan are making the Bauer loop shine and even setting some classic track.  Get it now before it all thaws!

...Executed!

It wasn't pretty, or easy, but with the help of Joan and Cap we got the upper loops groomed.  Middle of the day temperatures were problematic and will probably remain so for the next few days - if you believe the weather forecast.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Mancos&state=CO&site=GJT&lat=37.3465&lon=-108.293
The best plan is to get up there early in the day while it's still nice and crispy.  Tomorrow morning (Wed) the skiing ought to be pretty amazing.

The Plan...

OK, here it is...

Two, maybe three groomers will be out tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, making some noise and flattening out the snow.  Making sweet corduroy.  Come on.  Enjoy.  Every girl, every boy.

Grooming Report Revisited: Skaters Read This!

OK kids.  I need to revisit last night's overly optimistic assessment of conditions at the area; especially for those of you hoping for a good skate.

As of right now, my suggestion for skaters would be to stick to the Bauer Loops, as they received the most attention from the groomers.  Joan and I skated everything that got rolled, but honestly it was pretty tough going above the Bauer Loops.  And, not everything got rolled.  Most notably the FS road from the bottom of Hamlin to the top of Hamlin, and the road above Hamlin as well.  Sorry for any confusion.  I will get my facts straight before publishing posts.  Mea maxima culpa.

If you are kicking and gliding, conditions are good, but be advised no classic track has been set as of today.  If we get adequate snowfall tonight, then maybe, just maybe we'll have enough depth to lay some parallels down for y'all.

As I peer out my window at 3:16 pm I see a few flakes floating freely by.  Yippee!

Gettin' Deeper

Many thanks to Mark and Hank for getting on the fresh snow today.  Mark is claiming 14 inches of new snow up at the higher reaches.  The guys groomed everything except for Dolph Kuss and Turkey Creek loops, so there should be a ton of great skiing up there (and a lot fewer rocks to ruin your day).

A slight to moderate chance of more snow through Tuesday means hopefully we'll hang on to what we've just gotten, and perhaps add to it.  Wouldn't that be nice?

Master of the Obvious

Fresh Snow!  We got some, and that is exciting news.  As soon as we get any information on how much fell up at the ski area and plans for grooming it, I'll publish it in the blog.
It's about time the skies opened up.  And it appears there may be more on the way.  Chick chick, Hooray!

Just Enough

Sorry for the late posting, but we needed to let you all know that the skiing is pretty decent up at the area.  Hank started to groom on Tuesday but ran into equipment trouble.  Mark bailed him out yesterday and got everything groomed.  Coverage is thin, but it looks like more is on the way (perhaps).

So, in the immortal words of Hank, "the skiing is pretty good since it snowed."  Better coverage up higher, as usual.  Leave your good skis at home.

All trails groomed.  Go get some.