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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Thursday Morning Buff

Groomer Tom made the rounds on the Bauer Loops this morning to freshen things up after a couple days of almost warm temperatures.  The upper loops were still in very good shape as recently as yesterday afternoon, having seen very little traffic over the past few days.

Warmer days are on the way; this could be the last gasp of the chicken.  We recommend you get a big helping now, while it's still edible.  Ciao for now...

Monday, February 25, 2013

Monday Preening

The Chicken got it's feathers preened this morning:  Fresh corduroy all around.  The existing classic track was preserved and is in tolerable condition.  All things considered, it's pretty dang nice up there...

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Saucy! Friday 2/22

Heavenly gravy was ladled all over the chicken the past couple days, albeit sparingly.  Still it was enough to breath fresh life into a very tired bird.  I'd guess about 4" of new snow at the parking lot and more like 6-7 inches at the upper reaches.

John G, Alan F, and Peter B all hit it hard with the groomers starting about 10:30 this morning.  Everything got groomed and the area is in Very Good condition.  The snow is still a bit soft / un-bonded but cold temperatures tonight ought to help that out.  The weekend skiing really should be terrific. And it looks like we may be getting even more gravy tomorrow and possibly into Sunday.  We can sure used it so let's hope it materializes.

Sorry folks!  I thought I published this Friday night, but I accidentally saved it as a draft.  My bad.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Hank Loves Chicken

Sunday early afternoon:
Hank was out doing some scratching on the Bauer Loops around mid-day today, which should improve the conditions considerably; for now at least.

Snow coming Wednesday??
Lets hope it is.  We need it.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Grooming report for Friday PM

All trails were re-groomed Friday afternoon in anticipation of the weekend.  We did not finish until almost 6pm, so Saturday morning skiers will be greeted with some nice fresh corduroy. 

The classic track is getting pretty beat up, and I cannot promise it will be spruced up in time for the weekend.  It could be Monday before it gets a freshener, just so you know.

The warm days are taking the new snow away quickly, and there doesn't seem to be any credible promise of new stuff on the way, so this weekend looks to be the time to get out there and enjoy it while you can.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Crikey, that's good, mate!

Many thanks go out to our superlative team of groomers, who were on this last storm like white on snow.  The whole area is groomed into a state of blissful chicken-ness, and in record time.  Today Andy spent many hours grooming the upper reaches to perfection, including fresh classic track.

Yesterday was the trio of Mark, Capp and Brad who laid the excellent groundwork for today's groom-a-rama.  In fact, by yesterday afternoon, Brad had the Bauer Loops already dialed in.

No way to know what the rest of the season will bring, so really - get out there and enjoy it while the getting is this good.  I didn't skate the whole area tonight but what I did ski was nearly perfect.  Just a hair soft for fast skating and by tomorrow that will most likely remedy itself since the night is predicted to be quite cold - single digits in town.

Enjoy!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Grooming Update

To bring you all up to speed on what happened today at the ski area, here's what I know:
Three groomers went out the gate at 10am.  They reported there was quite a bit of new snow just over night.  The Bauer Loops sound like they ought to be in excellent condition, having been groomed AND given a classic track.

The upper trails received attention today, including the roller.  They did not however get a final grooming or classic track set.  I haven't been up there myself yet, so I don't know how soft (or level) the upper stuff is as far as skaters are concerned. My best guess: still too soft to skate enjoyably.  If we can muster the volunteer groomer manpower we will get those firmed and leveled up.  I'll keep you posted as time allows.

Grooming Action!

I had a report last night that 3 groomers would be out there this morning around 10am.  So as of this writing that is what's happening (as far as I know).  Once they report back in I will update trail conditions in as much detail as possible.

Experience says the skating will be less than optimal for the next couple days, until things firm up some.  We got a pile of snow.

More later...

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Deep Fresh Powder

And lots of it, especially at the higher reaches of the area.  Hank and I went out and track packed today around mid-day.  We left the Bauer loops in pretty nice shape, with a couple roller passes.  Still too soft for enjoyable skating, certainly.  But classic skiers and their pooches will find the trail delightful.

The upper trails only got a single pass (with 2 machines); some of it rolled, some only track packed.  We are trying to stay on top of this storm, as it may dump quite a bit more snow.  If it gets too deep, grooming becomes "difficult" (can you say 'unsafe, unpleasant, and maybe impossible?').

Looks like Ullr threw the chicken a nice bone!  Stay tuned for more updates.

Do Chickens Dream?

If they do, this is what they dream of.  Nice light fluffy snow falling continuously, day and night.  We're trying now to coordinate getting the fresh snow packed, rolled, leveled and groomed for some serious chicken delight.  Stay tuned to the blog for updates as the storm(!) and the grooming progress.  Rock the Chicken!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I Feel More Chicken-er

It's true, the snow is starting to get thin up there at the Chicken.  And yes, I have felt slightly terrified while descending the steeper sections over the past few days.  But all that's changed, as of today.  Our favorite bird got some needed attention this morning/early afternoon.  This is a small, homespun outfit so your blogger doubles occasionally as a groomer (not to mention skier) and that's what happened today.  I spent some time disrupting wildlife and inhaling exhaust fumes so we can all have a more enjoyable skiing experience.  At least for a couple more days.

All trails previously groomed got re-groomed today and so are more level and generally more enjoyable to ski now.  The classic track is 98% intact but is getting a bit (!) icy in spots.  And a couple days ago, Mark track packed the Dolph Kuss loop, so that is now available for classic skiers into a more rustic experience.

It was the best ski I've had in a while, with conditions about as good as they can possibly be given the weather we've been having lately.  So I hope you can get up there and enjoy!

Friday, February 1, 2013

A Beautiful Bird

Grooming Report for Friday, February 1
Yes, that's right:  February!
Groomers Mark and Andy got it done today, with all loops now groomed, including the road to the top.  So skaters will be pleased to have plenty of terrain open now.  Sadly, the days are heating up to the point where the snow is getting mushy mid-day and then getting crusty by late afternoon.  We skated Bauer loops and the Rush connector yesterday afternoon and it was getting a bit sketchy as things set up.  The fresh grooming ought to help that out considerably.

No chance for precipitation in the forecast and daily highs in the mid 40's.  My recommendation would be to go out and get it now while we've got the snow.