Doug Cornell says Forbush Corner has been fantastic for skiing!
10k groomed at Timber Ridge
12/30/2011 - By Mike Muha
Photo of Timber Ridge cross country ski trails from last night (Thursday, Dec 29). Occupy Winter will be held here tomorrow (Saturday, New Years Eve) at 10:30am.
Boyne Valley Lodge XC Ski Camp - Day 2
12/30/2011 - By Mike Muha
The temperature dropped 25 degrees overnight - it is the coldest day so far this winter. Lots of hill climbing, lots of skating without poles, and then some classic technique work in the afternoon.
Randall strong in Tour de Ski opener
12/29/2011 - By USSA
The U.S. Ski Team's Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) set the pace for the USA in the opening leg of the 11-day Tour de Ski. Randall was tenth in the 2.5k freestyle prologue.
Kickland now on Kindle for 99 cents
12/29/2011 - By Kevin Hayes
With Christmas over, and so many kindles under the tree, I want to let the xc ski community know that at amazon kindle, Kickland is now available as an ebook for just 99 cents.
Snowmaking saves US Cross Country Championships
12/28/2011 - By USSA
With an array of 14 snow guns, trails are nearing readiness for the Jan. 2-8 U.S. Cross Country Championships thanks to a dramatic effort by regional businesses to ensure the success of the event.
Boyne Valley Lodge XC Ski Camp - Day 1
12/27/2011 - By Mike Muha
Day 1 and the search for snow. It started out in the low thirties with wet snow, and the temps dropped the entire afternoon. Supposed to get down to 10F tonight...
Six US Athletes to compete at Tour de Ski
12/27/2011 - By USSA
The U.S. Ski Team, which is enjoying its strongest season opening in modern history, has named six athletes to compete in the Dec. 29-Jan. 8 Tour de Ski.
Brown takes Cook in FLASH 2
12/24/2011 - By Hap Wright
Eli Brown claimed glory for Club VASA with a 39:51 winning time over the 8 mile course, followed by Jeff Cook in second with a time of 40:28.
Free ski lessons at Huron Meadows and Hudson Mills
12/23/2011 - By Washtenaw Ski Touring Club
Want to learn the basics of cross country skiing? Volunteers from the Washtenaw Ski Touring Club will be offering free “learn to ski clinics” on selected Saturdays in January and February.
UPDATE: FLASH RACE 2 - Saturday morning, Christmas Eve, Dec.24.
12/23/2011 - By Hap Wright
NEW RACE OPTIONS! We're gonna try it again as the last one was pretty cool! We meet in the parking lot of the restaurant at Lakes of the North on Mancelona Road between Gaylord and Mancelona.
Free introductory ski lessons
12/22/2011 - By John Johnson
Free introductory classic or freestyle cross-country ski lessons will be offered at Midland City Forest, Pine Haven, CNC, Hanson Hills in Grayling, or local golf courses depending on snow.
Fast Wax – A Great Alternative
12/22/2011 - By Ken Dawson
The best thing about Fast Wax is that you can have your skis waxed with their top of the line fluorinated waxes for the same price as the top line brands storage wax. It is a great value that cannot be ignored.
UPCOMING
SAT, DEC 20, 2025
Free Beginner Ski Lesson
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
SUN, DEC 21, 2025
XC Ski HQ Ski: George Frye Live
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
THU, DEC 25, 2025
SUN, DEC 28, 2025
XC Ski HQ Ski: JoeFrye Live
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
THU, JAN 1, 2026
SAT, JAN 3, 2026
Winter Wolf Skiathlon
Hanson Hills Recreation Area, 7601 Old Lake Rd, Grayling, Michigan 49738 (989-348-9266)
Skate and Classic Ski Clinics with Jordyn Ross
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
SUN, JAN 4, 2026
Nordic Ski Junior Racers training session (Team NordicSkiRacer)
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
Skate and Classic Ski Clinics with Jordyn Ross
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Eric McDonald Live (2:30-4:30)
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
More events...
LATEST TRAIL CONDITIONS
FRI, DEC 19
Dunes Golf Club: Thanks Ken,
The dunes has always been an amazing place the way it repairs itself after a weather event that we just had. The topography sets it up as as snow catcher in a gorgeous setting.
Plowed parking at entrance.
4mi east of Empire on m-72
No charge no park pass
Dunes Golf Club: Fresh snow on top of good base. Great Evo conditions, setting track for Karen skiing behind me. She sad a good equalizer. Nice base everywhere on golf course. Looks like we didn't receive much rain which was great to keep what we had. Skied 18 holes under par.
Kenny Slower Skier
Huron Meadows Metropark: There was a tree down blocking most of the trail at around 3:30. Marv, Vasili and I cleared most of it. Otherwise, the trail in the woods was great, pretty fast. No connector. Had to walk across the golf course
Huron Meadows Metropark: Bucks is open. No connector. It is pretty much how you’d expect. Fast and a bit icy in a couple spots, but mostly controllable for skating. There are tracks which looked solid but some parts looked quite icy. Only one small dirt spot near the top of the “big hill. There is however quite a bit of small debris blown on to it.
Hanson Hills: 12/19/2025
Trail Closure Update
Trails are OPEN! As of 1:30pm we have combed Red, Yellow, Blue, M-93 Hills. Tracks have been set on All Trails out to Blue, Blue to Sue's Return.
Huron Meadows Metropark: Posting from Huron Meadows Metropark website: "Bucks Run will be groomed for skate and classic skiing today, but please know that there is no connector trail available. Without the connector available you will have to walk to the start of the trail. For your safety and the safety of our staff please adhere to Bucks Run hours. Bucks Run is open Monday – Friday 12 pm – 7:45 pm and Saturday – Sunday 9 am – 7:45 pm, weather and conditions permitting.
Due to the weather conditions yesterday no other trails are available at this time."
Hanson Hills: Operations Update
Trails will remain closed today.
The rain has moved on, and now we’re in patient mode—waiting for that moisture in our snow base to lock back up so we can safely fire up the grooming equipment. Cold temps, do your thing.
Forbush Corner: Larry is grooming east side trails. Current temp is 19. Moist new snow over skate deck. Same for tracks.
Hiawatha Highlands: Happy Friday! It is snowing up here (great job keeping your dancing shoes on)! However, the conditions this morning are icy on top with slush underneath due to the amount of rain we got yesterday and into the evening.
The groomers rolled all the systems yesterday in preparation for the dropping temperatures. Tracks were not set. They will be waiting until we get more snow to get back out on the trails.
Reminder: Jackrabbit program runs tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
We hope everyone has a great Friday!
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: Although the temps have gotten back below freezing, we still need to let the trails firm back up from the warm wet weather yesterday. The trials will be closed today in order to make sure we can have good skiing for the weekend. Luckily, we still have a good base, and, it is snowing right now and we should see a little accumulation today. We plan to head out either sometime later today or tomorrow morning to scrape up the crusty top coat and blend it with the new snow to get some great skiing for tomorrow and through the weekend. We'll be skiing again in no time!
Forbush Corner: Winter has returned overnight. Flash freeze, lake effect and windy conditions will contribute to taking longer today to determine a grooming plan, so consider delaying coming out right away.
THU, DEC 18
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.
More trail reports...
