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!
60 degree temps for UofM Nordic at USCSA Collegiate Club Nationals
3/11/2016 - By Ellen Wiitala
On Day 3, athletes competed in a 1.3km Skate sprint. Originally, the sprint was set to be Classic, but 60+ degree temperatures and persistent rain made it impossible to set a track. The course was slushy and wet, but, in the end, it was still a great day
Tour de Spam Nordic Ski Stage & Night Race
3/11/2016 - By Wendy Swenson
Everyone is invited to take part in our new Nordic Ski Event March 18-20th, 2016. Tour de Spam is a three (3) day Nordic Ski stage event, featuring Montana’s first night race!
U-M at USCSA National Championships
3/11/2016 - By Ellen Wiitala
The big story: UM Ladies are in 3rd place after day one in Lake Placid! The race was a 15km mass-start classic, and the warm, wet conditions made for an interesting event.
Video - 2016 Michigan Cup Relays
3/9/2016 - By Ethan Gibb-Randall
Video of the 2106 Michigan Cup relays by one of Team NordicSkiRacer's junior racers, Ethan Gibbs-Randall. The Relays took place at the Cross Country Ski Headquarters.
Photos from the 2016 Michigan Cup Relays
3/9/2016 - By Mike Muha and Blair Zordell
Photos - 699 of them - from Mike Muha and Blair Zordell of the 2016 Michigan Cup Relays at the Cross Country Ski Headquarters.
Vasa Ski Club: Most powerful senior team in the Michigan Cup Series!
3/7/2016 - By Mike Muha
It's a Vasa Ski Club year: The club officially wins the 2016 Brumbaugh Cup for the most powerful senior team in the Michigan Cup Cross Country Ski Racing Series.
Vasa Ski Club wins Michigan Cup Relays
3/7/2016 - By Mike Muha
The Vasa Ski Club dominated the Michigan Cup relays by winning three categories (both female divisions and the male over 165 division) and finishing second in the other three categories.
Nick Power and Rosie Frankowski victorious at Great Bear Chase
3/7/2016 - By Angela Luskin
Nick Power, Minneapolis, MN and Rosie Frankowski, Anchorage, AK took victories in the 50km skiathlon, which incorporates the two different styles of cross country skiing – the classic diagonal stride technique and the freestyle or skating technique.
REVISED STANDINGS: Vasa and Headquarters separated by 23 points
3/4/2016 - By Mike Muha
REVISED Unofficial standings: The Cross Country Ski Headquarters is just 23 points away from the Vasa Ski Club's top standing:
Get waxing! Wax recommendations for this weekend
3/3/2016 - By Mike Muha
Wax recommendations for this weekend's Michigan Cup cross country ski race and the Great Bear Chase.
Hamilton and Diggins Podium in Gatineau sprint
3/2/2016 - By USSA
Simi Hamilton (Aspen, CO) and Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN) led the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in the opening races of the Ski Tour Canada in Gatineau on Tuesday. Both Hamilton and Diggins finished third in a 1.7k freestyle sprint.
Unofficial Michigan Cup Standings: XCHQ inching toward Vasa...
3/1/2016 - By Mike Muha
Unofficial standings: The Cross Country Ski Shop has gained a bit on the Vasa Ski Club. And check your individual standings!
UPCOMING
TUE, FEB 3, 2026
Masters World Cup 2026 in Sappada/ITA - Relay Races
Sappada - Forni Avoltri, Italy
WED, FEB 4, 2026
Masters World Cup 2026 in Sappada/ITA - Long Distance Races
Sappada - Forni Avoltri, Italy
Kids Learn to Ski Program
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
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)
More events...
LATEST TRAIL CONDITIONS
MON, FEB 2
Milham Park Golf Course: Skate deck reset after a week end of heavy usage. Deck is well compacted and pretty fast. Classic track will be reset tomorrow after hopefully another couple inches of fresh snow. There are a number of leaves in the interior loop track but nothing to worry about.
Hiawatha Highlands: Happy Groundhog Day!! So far it's looking like 6 more weeks of winter, and then some (whoo hooo)!! The snow has started to lightly fall, making for a beautiful morning, with a perfectly balmy temperature....-7 C.
The groomer was out last night....the skate lanes on all systems were freshened up with the ginzu.
Mabel Flats was also groomed last night.
We hope everybody has an absolutely fantastic day out on the trails!!
Maybury State Park: The tracks are holding up quite well. A little dirt in a couple avoidable spots.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: Fresh grooming on all trails. Excellent conditions.
Hanson Hills: Lodge and trails open at 9:00 AM
Light snow is falling this morning and Groomer Dan is out in the PB100, resetting Yellow, Brown, Blue, Green, M-93, and Easy Return. Fresh snow plus fresh grooming makes for a great start to the week.
Midweek Nordic Specials:
Nordic Tuesdays: $13 trail passes
Senior Thursdays (65+): $13 trail passes
Forbush Corner: Some light snow moving through now, shaping up to be another nice day to get out and ski. Trails are in great shape, several east side trails will get a fresh groom along with the green trail on the west side. Open at 9. Gates close at 5.
SUN, FEB 1
Pigeon Creek: Excellent conditions for both skate and classical skiing. There is a deep base and well groomed snow. The groomers do a good job and the lodge offers a cozy spot to relax and warm up. The milder temperatures on Sunday made for fast skating conditions. The only exposed soil was a sandy spot on a hill on the Mounds Loop--there was room to ski around it.
Forbush Corner: 19° F and 7mph wind, no snow overnight. I started late (12:30) waiting for the fog to lift and clouds to part. The low was -12° F overnight, so the snow was cold until the sun came out around 2 PM. Rode super blue worked great 2.5 hours, decent grip skiing in shadows on Linda’s Link back to the shop (at 3pm). Today’s highlights were a beautiful 360° view from the top of Hammerhead and fast, smooth as butter run from D to A to B. 10.6 miles/17.1 km
Kensington Metropark: Near perfect conditions at Kensington today. Skate lanes could use a minor touch up since they haven’t been groomed since Friday. Classic tracks looked superb. Lots of skiers out there today. Thanks to Kensington staff for keeping us skiing!
Vasa Trail: Classic skiing doesn’t get better than this afternoon with high 20s sunshine, Piston Bully grooming yesterday & skate deck freshened up with snowmobiles today, and lots of friends out enjoying the trail from Timber Ridge. I didn’t ski for 2 wks during the single digit & below temps & wind chill, so glad to get out again. Looks like our Lake Effect Snow may be coming to an end as the lakes are starting to freeze, but we’ve got a good base now. What a winter!
Stokely Creek: Some trails were spectacular deep tracks and firm skate lanes. Some trails were as Hugh Pritchard was known to say "rubbish" (with a Monty Python accent) due to the excessive snow bombs falling from trees and the 3-4 day gap in groomings.
Huron Meadows Metropark: Bucks run in great condition for classic or skate from building and back. Nice deep fast tracks and skate lane getting a little faster with some warmer temps.
Skating was also great on the whole golf course and Cedar Trace even without it being groomed today.
Thanks everyone at HM.
Vasa Trail: Best day of the ski season so far: (1) freshly groomed flat and level skate lane, (2) perfect machine set classic tracks, (3) moderate temps, (4) under bright sunny sky brought out a good weekend crowd of happy skiers. LF6 worked well on my skate skis, especially fast in the sunny areas resulting in my fastest 10K lap time of the season, though my lap times are nothing to get excited about these days.
Michaywe: All of the ski trails received a full groom this morning with fresh tracks. It’s a great day to get outside and enjoy an afternoon skiing!
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: Groomer Mike is out snowcombing and setting fresh tracks where need be today. Great conditions on all trails, and a high of 26 today! Come ski with us!
Forbush Corner: It’s been a pleasure to post that all of our trails have 100% coverage pretty much all winter long. Temps are chilly again but moderating as the day goes on. East and west side trails get the fresh groom today. Pines loop was recently groomed and is in great shape as well. Open at 9. Gates close at 5pm.
Hanson Hills: The Meijer State Games – Hanson Hills Classic Ski Race will be held this morning.
Nordic trails will open to the public at 11:00 AM once the race concludes. Thanks for your patience and good luck to all racers!
SAT, JAN 31
Independance Oaks: Any update on IO?
Want to hit it tomorrow but worried about the truck Tracks?
Independance Oaks: Skied at 11:30 around the lake was in good shape did not get to the hills
Independance Oaks: Any update on IO?
Want to hit it tomorrow but worried about the truck Tracks?
Huron Meadows Metropark: Simple as that. Skated entire golf course. Can’t be any better.
Some thin spots on the taller grass areas.
Thank you to the team.
Winter is rocking it!
Forbush Corner: 12° F and 10 mph wind at 1pm. The freestyle race had finished and I classic skied. Given the fresh groom and expected skied in track, I used Rode super blue grip. I found 3/4” dry, cold snow on areas that were not groomed for the race very slow, so I skied the racecourse. The classic track was not impacted at all by skaters, it was deep, firm and clean. Speed was medium, becoming quite fast as the sun, in a clear blue sky, warmed the snow surface. At the end, I couldn’t go uphill in the track. 19° F at 3pm. Beautiful views, snow in the trees. 15km/9.32 miles
Stokely Creek: 34k Loppet started at well below 0F, but bright sun and blue skies. Most folks were bundled and touring it to enjoy the scenery, a few went hard off the front - mostly to build heat and thaw out their thumbs. The brief view on Batchawana Mt across the bay before rocketing down Belleau Lk trail hill was the best I've ever seen. Reminiscent of a Cascadian snow capped volcanic peak. Tracks were hard and fast despite the cold.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: It doesn't get much better than this, folks! Clear blue skies, fresh tracks and grooming, hot fires, good food, and tons of snow. This is the winter we've been waiting for!
Hanson Hills: Lodge and Trails Open 9am
The trail system is looking great! Classic tracks are set on Red, Yellow, Brown, Blue, M-93, Easy Return, and Wilderness.
Groomer Dan will be back out today freshening up the trails, and the skate deck is in great shape as well.
Hanson Hills Classic Update:
We have reopened online registration and it will remain open until 2:00 PM today. Register online to help us keep check-in running smoothly Sunday morning:
https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/Grayling/MeijerStateGamesHansonHillsClassic
More trail reports...
