November 10, 2023-Matt Leischer from DNR and volunteers Jon Thralow and Jon Jurek have been working diligently on increasing our bike trails this fall. Areas that they have worked on include trails both north and south of six corners and extending down to the Brule River in between the White Pine trails. I expect that once we have colder weather and things freeze up you should expect these trails to be groomed for winter biking beginning at the parking lot where snow shoeing is also happening.
Ski club members and volunteers joined together on the White Pine trail in mid-October to open up a new vista overlooking the Brule River where White Pine trail users will enjoy the open waters except during the coldest times. The location is a natural place for skiers to stop and rest before the long climb back up to six corners.
December 8, 2022: Last week all the trails were rolled and yesterday all trails except the Classic only trail were groomed. The skate deck is firming up well with a 1-3” base. Expect a nice wide trail with very few sticks thanks to the dedicated volunteers and staff. No tracks have been set yet. Please monitor skinnyski for the most accurate conditions.
January 12, 2022: After 15 inches of snow fell, trails are in very good condition for Classic and Skate skiing
December 11, 2021: the trails were rolled last week after a five inch snowfall. We received about an inch of new snow overnight. No work has been done on the trails beyond that for this season. No classic tracks have been set. Some skiers are using the trails, but the overall condition is variable depending upon the part of the trail that you are using. We will need another 3-5″ of new snow to groom successfully so we can level the trails for general skiing.
March 6, 2021: Conditions have been warm for several days with the trail freezing at night and thawing during the day. So, skiing early in the day is icy. By watching the temperature and coming later after the trail has softened up as the temps get above freezing, you can still enjoy some good skiing. A few places on the trail are now bare spots due to the melting conditions. I skied about an hour and a half today and enjoyed my ski.
March 1, 2021: After we got between 2 and 3″ of snow yesterday, the trail was groomed today. We had a couple of warm days previous and a very windy day Friday when many needles and twigs fell from the trees. However, todays grooming took care of most of that, plus some down trees across the trail. It was single digit cold last night so when a friend skated by me today, he said he tried 3 pairs of skis and they were all slow. However the skate lane was in good condition. I classic skied 16 or 17 K today and the tracks were excellent and poor depending upon their location. In sunny areas they were icy and in protected areas, the snow was like it was, new fallen and beautiful to ski on. Warm weather is forecast for the next week, so the trail is sure to deteriorate if the 40 degree highs forecasted happen as expected.
January 20, 2021: The trail was groomed on Tuesday 1-19-21. The trail was groomed after we had freezing drizzle. The skate lane has ice particles mixed in so it is fast so beware on the downhills. The classic tracks were reset, but vary from good to shallow and poorly formed because the base hardened below as a result of the drizzle making it difficult to set without grinding down the shallow base in some areas.
January 16, 2021: Even though we got about two inches of snow yesterday, we also got some misty freezing drizzle, or mixed snow and drizzle. so the trail was groomed for the River View Loppet overnight, but conditions are a bit rough and sometimes icy depending upon your view of things. The trail is fast but takes skill to negotiate. Only the race course was groomed today so the other trails will have a mix of snow left un-groomed.
December 28, 2020: After about six inches of new snow last night, the trail was groomed for classic and skate. All of the trails except Sally’s classic trail was completed today. Tomorrow morning, the groomers will work on Sally’s classic so conditions should be excellent for the holiday weekend.
December 24, 2020: over the last five weeks we were able to do some skiing on a few of the trails as warm and dry weather took over later in November and into December until this past week. Earlier this week we got about 4″ of new snow which was rolled to cover the trails. Then yesterday we got about 8″ more snow. By this morning, the temp dropped to zero. A portion of the trails were rolled today so the trail is skiable except White Pine, Little Joe ,the Red Pine loops and Sally’s classic were not rolled. Because of the holiday, the trail will likely not be finished until Monday December 28th. I would expect that the remainder of the trails will be groomed and tracked on Monday.
November 16, 2020: Yesterday we received about 8″ of new snow. Today we began rolling the trail to pack the snow so that the snow is not insulating the ground under the snow. We want the new snow to freeze down and we want the ground under it to freeze solid so future snows will produce a good base for skiing and grooming. So, skiing is now possible but bring your rock skis because you can expect to hit some things not fully covered by the snow as it is now.
October 21, 2020: We’ve continued our work on the multi-use trail (snow shoe, hike and fat bike) over the summer. We worked today on building a short bridge over a wet area and have two more areas to work on before full use of the trail can be made by bicycles. We’ve had two snow falls so far including about 4″ last night and more is expected tomorrow, but its still early for the snow to stay and since temps get up above freezing during the day we can’t groom at this point.
March 20, 2020: Overnight we received about an inch of new snow. We groomed all of the trails for skate skiing. We set classic tracks on the Easy Entry to Balsam and Spruce with return on Aspen to the difficult return. We also set tracks on Maple to Sally’s Classic with tracks on Easy Return to the warming house. In some locations, the tracks are thin due to the hard packed icy snow underneath, but overall the tracks are good. They should remain good thru the weekend. The warming house was closed today because of Covid-19 restrictions.
March 19, 2020: We plan to groom the ski trails for skate skiing tomorrow, but this may be for the last time as temps are forecast to be in the mid-forties next week during the day. There is still plenty of snow and we will try to set a track for classic skiing but the ski snow base is very hard from melting and refreezing. So we aren’t sure if we can grind up and set the track without lots of effort. Come and enjoy the skiing. It should be good through the weekend.
March 13, 2020: Just returned from skiing. Fresh grooming today. It is excellent for skating. It is fast with crushed icy snow for good control and the deck is flat and solid. Doesn’t hardly get better.
Classic skiing is tougher. Sally’s classic has tracks as well as the route on easy entry out to Maple and Sally’s classic, but tracks are shallow and icy. I used klister skis and they worked fine. The skin skis not so good for grip. Its better out of the track
February 27, 2020: We received 1-2 inches of new snow over night so the discussion about icy conditions in yesterday’s update is cancelled. You should now have much better ski conditions than yesterday and grooming will typically be done again on Friday for the weekend.
February 26, 2020: There were three days of melting temps really beginning on Saturday and going through Monday. The trail held up well refreezing each night, but today the trail was little affected by temps in the low 30’s and turned icy. The skate lane was groomed on Monday and was fairly hard but quite skiable today, though skiing the steeper hills was a bit treacherous. The classic tracks held up for the most part but were icy today. I needed a Klister wax to have grip on the uphills in the tracks. My ‘skin’ skis didn’t give me much grip at all on the uphills unless I got out of the track. We are getting a little snow tonight and depending upon the amount we get, it could change the conditions significantly. So stay tuned.
January 24, 2020. We have mild temps in the low 30’s today. We also had about 2″ of new snow yesterday and overnight. Last week we had around a foot of new snow. The groomers are out on the trail as I write this note and so everyone should have great skiing tomorrow with the fresh snow and fresh grooming.
January 2, 2020-We got about 4 to 5 inches of new snow on Monday. The trail has been groomed for skating. Sally’s classic has been tracked. Tomorrow the race route will be groomed for the River View Loppet Saturday morning beginning at 10:45 AM. No one will be allowed on the course except for warmups Saturday morning. After about 1:30, the race will be completed and the trails will again be open to all.
December 25, 2019: The course is covered with about an 11″ packed base of snow. We have had several days where the mid afternoon temps got to the mid-30’s but that had only a little effect on conditions. Today, however we are experiencing mist at about 33 degrees and we may get more of that thru tomorrow. By Friday, the trail will be re-groomed and we should be fine again.
December 14, 2019: Today I skied in about 2-3″ of fresh snow on the trail. We probably received about a foot of new snow this week. A lot of work has gone into packing and grooming, but we are not fully caught up yet from all of the snow this last few weeks. The forest is gorgeous with heavily laden pines with deep snow cover. I skied thru the pine forest today on the New Nebagamon Creek trails and stopped at a beautiful overlook above the partly frozen Brule river. It was wonderful skiing in fresh powdery snow.
December 7, 2019: Yesterday all of the trails, except Sally’s classic were groomed for classic and skate skiing including the new Nebagamon Creek Loops that you enter off of White Pine Trail. A missing connection part on our small groomer used on Sally’s Classic trail kept us from setting track on the narrow trail. We will build a new part and then get that groomed too.
March 15, 2019; After about 48 hours of drizzle and some heavy rain, we woke up today to about 5″ of new snow. The parking lot is icy after it was plowed, so show care when you get out of your vehicle. The trail has been packed and partially groomed. The trail was soft when they worked on it today and the trail has tracks left in it from the ‘Gator’. Classic tracks were set on ‘Sally’s Classic trail, but the tracks were soft today and may set up overnight.
February 2, 2019; After our cold week, we now have mild conditions and good snow with excellent tracks for classic skiing and beautiful corduroy for skating. We have our second ‘Free learn to ski day’ today. So, everyone should have a great time with the snow fast and smooth.
January 25, 2019-After 3-4″ of new snow this week, the trails are in excellent condition. Temperatures are cold. Today, when I left the trails it was at -4 degrees at 4PM so cover up, stay active and you’ll stay warm. The pellet stove at the warming house though was running brightly and the house was comfortable. Out on the trail, there were a lot of fresh deer tracks, some fox tracks and I observed one large canine track, perhaps a wolf along the difficult return.
December 28, 2018; Starting Wednesday night it began snowing. By this morning we had at least 8″ of new snow. Parts of the trail were rolled today with additional work scheduled for tomorrow. The snow was heavy at first and lots of saplings were bent over by the heavy snow. Cleaning up the downed trees has slowed progress on packing and grooming, but we should have excellent conditions when all of the work is done. Many were skiing the trails already today even though grooming was still in progress.
December 15, 2018: skiers have been out on the trail now for a couple of weeks. Trail conditions are not good yet. The trail has been packed, but there aren’t any classic tracks. For lack of snow, the trail is uneven and I would recommend using your rock skis.
April 6, 2018: Well after 3 to 4″ of new snow this morning thanks to Lake Superior, strong lake winds and the Brule Forest grooming crew, we have great skiing. We have April sun and snow like January. I just skied classically and the snow is really great for skiing with my ‘waxable’ skis. So, come on out and enjoy some great spring skiing.
March 27, 2018: After about 3″ of heavy snow yesterday, the trail has been re-groomed. The base has lasted well to this point with freezing nights. There are a few places where the sun has cut the trail particularly on White Pine Loop due to the overtopping white pine trees and sun angle. Skating was excellent today and the tracks for classical skiing was variable, but good overall.
March 6, 2018: After less than a half inch of new snow, I skied most of the trail with classic skis today. The new snow made skiing easy and I climbed all of the hills in the tracks without difficulty today. In a few areas under the white pines, cones have fallen in some numbers. Otherwise, the trail is pretty good everywhere except on River where the track is covered over. The old snow underneath is crunchy sounding but quite skiable and should be good through the weekend with the current forecast. I skied down ‘Little Joe’ without difficulty and with good control. So, skiing is good and can be enjoyed for the present.
March 2, 2018: We’ve had a lot of snow, around 2′ in the last two weeks. There has been some melting so depending on time of day, conditions will vary. This morning at 9 AM the temp is 19 degrees F, but temps may reach 40 degrees by mid-afternoon before falling again below freezing overnight.
Groomers will be out working on the trail overnight in preparation for the River View Loppet tomorrow morning. Trail conditions will be excellent at the race start with the 5 K tour at 9:45 AM.
January 28, 2018: Several inches of fresh lake effect snow fell over night. The snow is very light and fluffy, but covered the trail, so the icy conditions from Friday’s warm temps should be covered and there will be a dramatic shift for the better for skiing at After Hours today.
January 27, 2018. The trails were all groomed on Thursday January 25 and were in excellent condition, but yesterday, temps got up in the 40’s in the afternoon, so today after freezing overnight the trail is icy. The classic trails will probably require a klister for climbing the steeper terrain. The skate lane seems less icy, but watch your speed on the downhills.
January 12, 2018: We benefited from 3-4″ of new snow yesterday. The trails were all groomed today and the conditions are probably the best so far this season. I classic skied tonight and the tracks are firm and reasonably fast despite cold temps. It wasn’t hard staying warm though because there wasn’t any wind finding its way into the forest. The new warming house is cozy and warm for you to change and relax in following your skiing adventure.
January 6, 2018 The skate lane was freshly groomed yesterday and the classic trails the day before. We have had small lake effect snow falls each night this week, so everything has a fresh look of new snow. The temps got above zero for a change so it felt better skiing today and a face mask wasn’t always necessary. Tomorrow promises to be warmer yet, so it should be a good day on the trails.
December 26, 2017: The temps got up to about minus 5 today when I went out for a hike on the snow shoe trail. A face cover felt good. The new snow this week, 3-4″ was soft but others proceeded me, so the walking was easy. It took about an hour to cover the trail and arrive back at the ski hut. The groomers had been out today and the ski trail looks beautiful. Both classic and skate sides of the trail were freshly packed. Time for me to put on some hard wax for tomorrow.
December 16, 2017: All of the trails were groomed yesterday including Sally’s Classic trail. We had about 1-2″ of new lake effect snow by yesterday morning. Two of our snow machines were down for repair, so there was some delay in getting all of the trails groomed. Timber harvesting adjacent to some areas of the trails has been completed. There still may be some timber to haul away from the area via the River Road.
December 14, 2017: Last week after 4-6 inches of new snow fell, the state forest groomers began packing the trail to build a base. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday another 4-6 inches of snow fell on the trail. The new snow was again groomed. We now have good or very good conditions for skating. I skated a portion of the trail today and though it is a little soft, snow coverage is good and the skate lane is reasonably flat. The classic skiing is mostly good, but some spots still have some leaves or twigs where the snow base is still not deep enough to groove out deep tracks. More snow is falling tonight, so this can only improve the trail conditions. I plan to classic ski tomorrow.
February 28: About 3″ of snow has fallen on the trail today bringing the total to about 6″ of new snow since Sunday. The trail will be groomed tomorrow. Conditions should be good for the River View Loppet ski race on Saturday, March 4.
February 26, 2017: Luckily, most of our ski trail base held up under the high temperatures experienced last week. Since the Big Meltdown, we have now gotten 2-3″ of new snow. There are occasional places along the trail where large white pines overhang the trail and keep the snow from getting down to the trail. These areas are the places where snow is thinnest. So, come and ski, but beware of some rough spots and use your older skis just in case.
February 18, 2017: The trail held up well to yesterday’s mid 50’s temperatures, then froze overnight. I classic skied today between 9 AM and 10 AM with klister and it worked well. The classic tracks were still well formed, but fast due to the ice crusted snow. The skate lane is a bit irregular from skiers cutting up the snow while skiing in yesterday’s warm conditions, but overall the trail is good. You will want to show care on the downhills as you pick up speed in a hurry.
February 11, 2017: After about 5″ of new snow on Tuesday, trail conditions are excellent for both skate and classic skiing.
January 27, 2017: Finally got out to skate the trail today. Skating is fun and fast. The groomed crusty snow gives good easy control with lots of speed. Classic tracks are not good. There is about a quarter inch of snow in the tracks, but they haven’t been redone since last weeks meltdown due to the hard nature of the base. Watch out in the parking lot. It is very icy.
January 26, 2017. Cooler temperatures have caused the trail to form a hard crunchy surface. The classic tracks have flattened out due to all of the melting conditions we’ve experienced over the last two weeks. The trail was groomed yesterday evening for skating. Expect a hard firm base with light snow on the surface to give skaters control while skating. We’ll have to wait for fresh snow to get classic tracks again.
January 22, 2017: Temperatures have remained above freezing now for two days with rain and fog. That was preceded by record high temperatures. Though the ski trail is still well covered in snow, the wet conditions are not good for skiing. Later this week, the weather is due to change to cooler temps and snow is expected. So, by Thursday, we should be able to again groom and ski on the trails.
January 15, 2017: After 5-6 inches of new snow fell last week, we have very good skate conditions and excellent classic conditions on the ski trail. So, its a great time to enjoy the trail. The Brule River is only partially frozen so, you’ll hear the rushing waters as you ski the river trail.
January 6, 2017: About an inch of lake effect snow fell on the trail Thursday. This small amount of snow should improve conditions for classical skiers as the tracks were somewhat icy or crusty from cutting the tracks out of the crusty snow that fell on Christmas.
January 3, 2017: The trail was groomed today for skate and classic skiing. Skate skiing is very good with a flat firm base. The mix of icy snow and recent snow will make the conditions fast with good control.
Classic ski tracks were added today and it was difficult to get in good tracks due to the hard icy, crusty snow that had to be cut to form the tracks. I put on soft wax today to get grip on the hills. Double poling in the flat areas was easy and fast. You may want to get one ski out of the tracks on the downhills to help maintain control around the corners because it is fast.
Dec. 28, 2016 Following the sleet and snow on Christmas, a thick crust formed on the ski trail. Monday and again today we got some light snow of about a half inch. The new snow has adhered to the trail, and the crusty snow leveled and firmed up the base. So skate conditions are now ‘good’.
Classic skiing is still not good because no new classic tracks have been set. You can of course ski in the new snow, but not with the usual tracks.
Dec. 24 Due to warm conditions, some new snow and no recent grooming, trail conditions are now only Fair’ for skating. In some locations oak leaves are an issue in the classic tracks. Rain is forecast for Christmas along with sleet and 2-3 inches of snow.
December 18, 2016. We had about 4″ of new snow Friday night into Saturday. The trail was groomed Saturday morning for both skate and classic. I skied the trails for about an hour and a half yesterday. The trail is much improved with the new snow and grooming. Some spots on the classic track is a bit thin, but overall skiing is good.
December 14, 2016: The trails are again open for skiing. All of the trails have been rolled however no classic tracks have been set due to the thin base conditions. The trail is soft because as of yet, there have only been a few skiers on the trail since this past weekend when the trail was initially packed. The trail has firmed up since the initial work last week, but expect slow skiing due to the current cold temperatures and the soft new snow.
November 26, 2016: About half a foot of snow fell on the trail this week. Temperatures following the snowfall quickly rose to the low to mid-30’s and has stayed there. These temperatures are too warm for grooming effectively. Temperatures this coming week are expected to reach into the 40’s, so it is likely that no grooming will be possible in the near future and the present snow cover should mostly disappear.