Doug Cornell says Forbush Corner has been fantastic for skiing!
Five photos with captions from Jim Meyer, Sr.
Eli Brown and Tracy Hardin pulled away from their rivals to easily win the Black Mountain 31K Classic.
After today's 5th place finish in the Lahti Spinrt, Randall now holds a 138 point margin over Russian Natalia Matveeva with two sprints left and a total of 150 points available.
It started with a 6:00 AM phone call from Jim Meyer, who with his partner Nick Johnson, had started at 1:00 AM and had just then completed one full loop of the race course...without pulling a grooming device!
Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) led three Americans into the points in a World Cup skiathlon event Saturday in Lahti. Randall was 12th followed by Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN) in 18th and Liz Stephen in 21st.
Due to huge amounts of snow and wind, the Black Mtn classic is delayed until noon.
There will be a race! As a contingency plan, if it is snowing hard at the start, we will hold off the start 30-60 minutes to give Jim Meyer a head start so we do not run him down and he will be grooming in front on the lead pack.
Snowfall amounts will range from 8 to 14 inches by Saturday morning...with a few more inches of fluffy snow on Saturday.
UPDATE #2: Wax recommendations from the major wax companies for the weekend's cross country ski races.
Mother Nature has thrown everything in her arsenal at the groomers in the final two days of preparation. Approximately 10 inches of heavy snow were noted this morning on the course. More snow is forecast!
It looks like the overall Team Title belongs to VASA but it could be a different story with the Brumbaugh Cup. But Eli Brown has already captured the Men's Title.
Kikkan Randal from the US and Canada's Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey are in contention for the best-ever American and Canadian finishs on the Overall World Cup standings.
Free Beginner Ski Lesson
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
XC Ski HQ Ski: George Frye Live
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
XC Ski HQ Ski: JoeFrye Live
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Forbush Corner: Just confirming that we will be closed today due to the rain and warm up. Cold temperatures will return tomorrow along with some lake effect snow. We do plan on reopening tomorrow and welcome the return of winter over the weekend.
Hanson Hills: Trail Closure Update
Due to today’s rain and warmer temperatures, we are temporarily closing our Cross Country and Fat Bike Trails until colder conditions allow the trails to firm back up. This helps protect the trail surface so we can get back to great conditions as soon as possible.
Please be mindful if you are skiing, walking, hiking, or snowshoeing. A good general rule of thumb: if you are sinking in and leaving ruts or footprints, the trails are too soft and we ask that you discontinue that activity.
Thank you for your patience and for helping us protect the trails—we’ll be back to smooth conditions soon.
Hiawatha Highlands: Happy Middle-of-the-Week Wednesday :) Wow, it was a windy one overnight....and continuing with quite a bit of wind this morning, kind of felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
There was no grooming overnight. The groomers will be out today cleaning up the trails.
Note: There is a big branch down on the Pinder 4k halfway to the White Pine extension over the skate lane.
Have a fantastic Wednesday!
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: The trails will be closed today and tomorrow to try to protect the base though the warm weather over the next 2 days. Things should get cold again Thursday night into Friday morning with a bit snow, so with any luck, we should still have good skiing by the weekend!
Huron Meadows Metropark: Skated Coyote from 8 to 10.
Softer and more control than Tuesday. Tracks are good with a lot of leaves.
Forbush Corner: Based on the predicted rain/warm temperatures we will continue to be closed today and Thursday. Should be able to reopen on Friday based on cooler temperatures returning.
Hanson Hills: It’s currently 36° and raining in Grayling, and with snow preservation in mind, we’ve made the decision to close the Cross Country Trail System for the day.
Warm rain is tough on our trails, and taking a short pause now helps protect the snow base so we can get everyone back out skiing sooner once conditions improve. We truly appreciate your cooperation and ask that you please respect the closure as we do our best to care for this precious winter resource.
Thank you for your understanding—and fingers crossed for colder temps ahead!
Huron Meadows Metropark: I skied from 10-11:30 today. A very icy wind blown skate deck but still fun. Classic tracks were mostly intact on cedar trace and coyote run, but wind had filled them in on hawks hills. I had a very nice ski.
Huron Meadows Metropark: I skied from 10-11:30 today. A very icy wind blown skate deck but still fun. Classic tracks were mostly intact on cedar trace and coyote run, but wind had filled them in on hawks hills. I had a very nice ski.
Vasa Trail: Fairly fast conditions on a firm deck this morning. Rex blue was the glide wax. Completed the 25k and 5k loop. Some dirt showing from the grooming effort. Would recommend B skis. Otherwise a good course and fun ski.
Independance Oaks: Start@ 10:00 AM. Trail hardpack with 1/2" of powder on top. No tracks. Swix Blue worked well. Snow softened up a bit after noon. Overall, a good ski with full coverage and minimal leaves. Get it while you can.
Crystal Mountain: Thanks to a significant accumulation of natural snow, we are currently sitting on a deep, solid base. Our grooming crew has been out in full force, and we are happy to report that the entire 25 km network is 100% groomed and in peak condition.
Classic tracks have been set and are firm, and coverage is excellent. We invite everyone to come out and enjoy these great conditions while they last.
Nubs Nob: All trails power-tilled flat with a classic track and wide skate deck. Conditions are very good.
Boyne Highlands: Unfortunately, The Highlands will have limited XC skiing available this season. There will be a trail on the golf course. Rentals will be available through the downhill center. The XC shop will not open.
Boyne Mountain: Lower trails are groomed and good to go! Upper trails need raspberries trimmed, which will happen soon. The shop and trails will open on Friday, December 19 for the season, from 9 to 5 daily.
Huron Meadows Metropark: I started skiing about 12:30, classic. Skate lanes were hard and fast - pick out your most stable skis of you plan to skate anywhere but Buck's Run.
There are classic tracks beside all skate trails. They vary from rock hard nice tracks (Cedar Trace / contractor's trail) to a mix of nice track/skied -in snow-blow track (golf course trails) to deep perfect tracks (Buck's Run). Connector trails did have track: the trail to Cedar Trace had no track, and the trail directly adjacent to Buck's Run had no track. No track was set where the snow depth wasn't there.
Overall, I had a good classic ski! It's was already 28 when I got to the park, but Toko Yellow kick wax worked pretty well on the mix of snow conditions.
Huron Meadows Metropark: I skied from 10-11:30 today. A very icy wind blown skate deck but still fun. Classic tracks were mostly intact on cedar trace and coyote run, but wind had filled them in on hawks hills. I had a very nice ski.
Hiawatha Highlands: Hey everybody....happy Tuesday :)
The groomer was out last night -- the entire Pinder system and the 2k Lighted were Piston Bully groomed both classic and skate.
We hope everybody has a fantastic day!!
Hanson Hills: Lodge and Trails Open 9am.
Fresh corduroy is laid down on Blue, Brown, Yellow, and M-93 Hills this morning.
Wilderness has fresh classic tracks set yesterday—prime conditions to get out and ski!