Happy 50th Anniversary Cross Country Ski Shop! Northbound Outfitters purchased the Cross Country Ski Shop in the fall of 2011 from owner Dick Fultz and looked forward to carrying on his 34-year presence in the Grayling community. And they did!
Northbound Outfitters / Cross Country Ski Shop owner Heather Compton received a plaque from the Michigan Cup that she awarded to Dick in honor of his founding the Cross Country Ski Shop 50 years ago. And it was party party party at the store after the Cote Dame Marie!
Why Not Use Isotropic Surface Structures?
2/4/2011 - By Mark Waechter
I am occasionally asked why ski bases don't have random or non-directional structures. Typically the question is posed with the addition of "...like a golf ball!"
White Pine and MI Cup Sprints wax recommendations
2/4/2011 - By Mike Muha
UPDATED: Wax recommendations from Solda, Toko, Swix, and Fast Wax for this weekend's Michigan Cup races. (Added Solda wax recommendations)
Cheboygan State Park lit XC ski outing Feb 26
2/4/2011 - By DNRE
Cheboygan State Park will hold a “GO-Get Outdoors” lantern lit cross-country ski outing on Saturday, Feb. 26, from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Waxing with Solda for cold snow
2/3/2011 - By Bert Hinkley
In cold snow it is a good idea to harden the bases with F15 Blue. Then go with other wax options based on snow and temp and humidity.
J1 Scando Cup Team announced
2/3/2011 - By Andrew Gerlach
NCCSEF, USSA and its 10 JO divisions, are pleased to announce the 2011 J1 Scandinavian Cup Team
White Pine online registration ends tonight
2/3/2011 - By Jack McCaig
Online registration ends Thursday night, Feb 3 at 9:00pm (that's TONIGHT!). Phone and in-person registration continues to race day. NOTICE 10 KM SKIERS - The start time has been moved 15 minutes to 11:15 AM.
SuperTour standings to date
2/3/2011 - By USSA
Four CXC skiers, three APU skiers and a Sun Valley skier top the standings.
Timber Ridge Tuesday Nordic Sprint Results
2/2/2011 - By Mark Esper
Classic Sprints at Timber Ridge, Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Vauhti ski wax manual
2/2/2011 - By Rick Weir
Vauhti ski wax manual: Flour powders, Flour liquids, Flour emulsions, LF Flours, kick waxes, etc. and instructions...
A Workout Ate My Marriage
2/2/2011 - By Kevin Helliker
With exercise intruding ever-more frequently on intimacy, counselors are proposing a new wedding vow: For fitter or for fatter. "Exercise is getting more and more couples into my office," says Karen Gail Lewis, a Cincinnati marriage and family therapist.
Q&A with Eli Brown at Noon Today..OR NOT.
2/2/2011 - By Mike Muha
UPDATE: Eli and the station got their signals crossed. The chat will be NEXT Tuesday...
JetStream Application and Rotocorking Tips
2/2/2011 - By Ian Harvey
There are various ways to apply JetStream (or any other fluorocarbon). Sometimes the end result is the same and sometimes one method of application yields an advantage over another. Here are 3 main options and their merits.
UPCOMING
THU, FEB 5, 2026
Masters World Cup 2026 in Sappada/ITA - Long Distance Races
Sappada - Forni Avoltri, Italy
SAT, FEB 7, 2026
Super Bowl Foodie Face-Off!
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
White Pine Stampede
Mancelona High School, 9300 W Limits Rd; Mancelona MI 49659
Pre-Birkie 26K and 42K
Hayward, Wisconson
Valley Spur Classic 5/10k
Valley Spur, E8017 State Highway M-94, Munising, MI
Free Beginner Ski Lesson
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Barnelopet
Maasto Hiihto, Hancock
2026 Winter Olympics - Women's 10 + 10 km Skiathlon
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
SUN, FEB 8, 2026
Super Bowl Foodie Face-Off!
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Nordic Ski Junior Racers training session (Team NordicSkiRacer)
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
Forbush Memorial Classic Race
Forbush Corner, 4971 W County Road 612, Frederic, MI 49733 (989-889-2843)
Learn to Skate Ski Clinic
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
2026 Winter Olympics - Men's 10 + 10 km Skiathlon
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
TUE, FEB 10, 2026
2026 Winter Olympics - Men's/Women's Sprint qual.+ final
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
THU, FEB 12, 2026
2026 Winter Olympics - 10 km freestyle women
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
FRI, FEB 13, 2026
Winter Fest Kick-Off
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
2026 Winter Olympics - 10 km freestyle men
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
SAT, FEB 14, 2026
50th Annual North American Vasa Freestyle
Timber Ridge Resort, 4050 E. Hammond Road, Traverse City, MI 49686
Loppet Junior Qualifier & SuperTour (JNQ) - Classic Mass Start
Theodore Wirth Park, Minneapolis, MN
Gourmet Mac ‘n Cheese Bar
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Nordic Ski Junior Racers training session (Team NordicSkiRacer)
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
Free Beginner Ski Lesson
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
2026 Winter Olympics - Women's 4x7.5 km Relay
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
SUN, FEB 15, 2026
Loppet Junior Qualifier & SuperTour (JNQ) - Freestyle Individual Star
Theodore Wirth Park, Minneapolis, MN
Gourmet Mac ‘n Cheese Bar
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
50th Annual North American Vasa Classic
Timber Ridge Resort, 4050 E. Hammond Road, Traverse City, MI 49686
2026 Winter Olympics - Men's 4x7.5 km Relay
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
MON, FEB 16, 2026
Gourmet Mac ‘n Cheese Bar
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
WED, FEB 18, 2026
American Birkebeiner, Kortelopet & Prince Haakon Open Track
Hayward, WI
2026 Winter Olympics - Team Sprint Women's/Men's Qual.+ Final
Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Italy
FRI, FEB 20, 2026
Kortelopet 29K Race
Samuel C. Johnson Family Outdoor Center, 12205 County Hwy-B W, Hayward, WI 54843 (OO Trailhead)
Prince Haakon 15K
Phipps Road, north of Hayward, WI
More events...
LATEST TRAIL CONDITIONS
WED, FEB 4
Nubs Nob: Mother Nature’s snow - Nubs groom : it doesn’t any better - LF 7 works .
Understand there is a 28 inch hard pack base beneath that groom ! See you in April at Nub’s .
Nubs Nob: Mother Nature’s snow - Nubs groom : it doesn’t any better - LF 7 works .
Understand there is a 28 inch hard pack base beneath that groom ! See you in April at Nub’s .
Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail: Two feet of snow in the Laurel Highlands, fairly soft, and tough trail breaking on the LHHT. Ski trails and/or skining up and descending a better bet, or the snowmobile trails off peak hours. Or, bring a small army of skiers and take turns on the front.
Vasa Trail: Another Piston Bully groom, perfect classic tracks & corduroy, low 20s temp & no wind = great afternoon ski! I even passed 3 groomers skiing Special K, John S, Mike B, & Jim D, and thanked them for their dedication to making the trail so nice for all to enjoy! You can too at Sat’s Open House at the Bartlett Trailhead from 10-1. Come by to see all of the grooming equipment & enjoy some hot chocolate & cookies, too!
Independance Oaks: Fresh groom with very shallow skied in tracks here and there. Skate deck very firm. Hills on Oak & Rock Ridge fast and fun. Blue swix was perfect again. Leather arm chairs in rental building. Nice homey touch.
Huron Meadows Metropark: Classic skied bucks, coyote and cedar trace. Bucks is in great condition for skate or classic. A little soft today since they added snow.
Coyote has grass and dirt in some tracks but can be avoided. Cedar trace doesn't have tracks till you get out there. But the loop is good.
Thanks again evryone at HM
Noteced most of the snow piles are gone. Any chance one of the guns can be turned back on. We usually get to ski till the first week of March.
Thanks again.
Huron Meadows Metropark: I mostly skated the golf course trails. Firm skate deck, deep classic tracks with occasional (easily avoided) dirty spots. I used my good skis and had a great time.
Crystal Mountain: I groomed everything yesterday. Trails are in great shape.
Independance Oaks: Skied at 8:30 am around lake and the back hills all trail freshly rolled(no tracks) great skate
Hanson Hills: Lodge and trails open at 9:00 AM
Red, Brown, Yellow, Blue, Easy Return and M-93 Hills were combed and tracked yesterday.
TUE, FEB 3
Kensington Metropark: Classic skied on parts of trails A,B, and 2. All were freshly groomed with a skate deck and classic tracks. No bare spots.
Huron Meadows Metropark: Classic skied Coyote Run and Cedar Trace. Good times! CR had a number of spots where grass and dirt were showing in the tracks only. Easy to ski around. On CT the long hill (2 to 3) has no tracks. But there is a tracked loop from 3 to 4 then to 9 and back to 3. No grooming from 4 to 5, but skier-made tracks looked pretty good.
Kensington Metropark: Classic skied on parts of trails A,B, and 2. All were freshly groomed with a skate deck and classic tracks. No bare spots.
Stokely Creek: Perfect grooming up to King Mt summit and then a bluesky bright sun view of Lake Superior and the hills of Algoma. Light wind even made the sun feel kinda warm. Nordic pulse shows they groomed the entire system - except the long lost seemingly forgotten Mcguffin trail?
Huron Meadows Metropark: Huron Meadows website updated for the date only. Communication between groomers and website manager appears to be down.
Bucks Run: groomed for skate and classic.
Coyote Run: groomed for skate and classic today. Skate deck is soft.
Hawks Hills: groomed for skate today. Skate deck is soft and should be good for classic.
Cedar Trace: unknown by this skier.
Unlisted trail: Filmore county park, Livingston Co
Skier track set on 3 loops totaling 5k
Decent skier set track conditions, trails are shared with walkers, but if you catch it right, it can be nice. Classic only, no grooming, wider skis are better. No bare spots currently. A nice quiet place with a plowed parking area, with a vault toilet.
https://milivcounty.gov/parks/fillmore/
Kensington Metropark: The golf course was awesome! Freshly groomed double track and double-wide skate lane. Beautiful snow. No scruff ( except one minor spot). As I was leaving, I could see the groomer setting track elsewhere in the park. Kudos to the groomer for a great job!
Michaywe: We picked up 2-3 inches of fresh snow since yesterday. All of the ski trails have been combed for skating with new classic tracks set on the Lake Trail, Herringbone Trail, Rivers Trail and Golf Course Loops. Conditions are very good!
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: The hits just keep on coming! Enjoy freshly groomed trails and classic tracks today. Lots of beautiful snow in the pines. With a high of 18 degrees, you'll be quite comfortable out there! Warm up with lunch at the Stone Turtle Cafe. Try a pasture-raised Lamb brat with Tzatziki sauce and pickled onions, oh la la!
Hiawatha Highlands: Good Morning Everyone!! It's another beautiful bluebird sky morning.....temperature currently at -16 C.
The groomer was out last night -- all systems were Piston Bully groomed for both classic and skate....and looking great!!
NOTE: The High School City Meet is this morning....they will be utilizing the 2k Lighted.
We hope everybody has a beautiful day....come on up and enjoy it!!
Hanson Hills: ?? TUESDAY UPDATE — FEBRUARY 3, 2026 ??
?? Nordic Trail Update:
We picked up 2 inches of fresh fluff overnight! The PB100 is out, setting fresh classic tracks and combing the skate deck on Red, Brown, Yellow, and Easy Return. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic ski day.
??? Nordic Tuesday Special:
Enjoy the trails today with a $13 Nordic trail pass.
Fresh snow, fresh grooming, and a great midweek deal—see you on the trails!
More trail reports...
