Trail Conditions

We were able to enjoy a few more hours of  fun skiing in the Blue Hills this morning. The weather forecast suggests we are done grooming for the winter of 2011-12.Here's a bit of a recap:

1. We started grooming on December 4th, & have skied in the Hills regularly since then (a total of 98 days on groomed snow).
2. We groomed a total of 39 times.
3. December was dry, allowing only 5 opportunities to groom - but we kept skiing on our rock skis.
4. January snowfall picked up, groomers worked on 17 days that month.
5. February was drier again, requiring 11 days of grooming.
6. March produced our only decent snowstorm - & another 6 days of grooming.

We owe a big thank you to our groomers. Equipment break downs and mechanical problems were handled efficiently & never compromised the grooming. Thank you to Dan Bartels, Steve Gest, & Jesse Wimer for capturing every available snowflake & saving the winter of 2011-12! It certainly was an unusual winter (warm & dry). Fortunately, we were lucky to receive just enough snow to enjoy fun conditions for most of 3 months. Welcoming the many happy skiers that traveled to find snow in the Blue Hills was very rewarding.

‍Recent comments from the logbook in the warming house

• 3/8: Great ski today all alone!  Thanks to the groomers for all the great work this winter.  Hate to see it end. --Ladysmith, WI
• 3/9: Awesome! --author's location unknown
• 3/10: Got going 7:30 a.m. when "the window" was still closed & locked.  Thanks to yesterday's grooming (by Dan the man) we threw the window open 'til it started to get slow ~9:30.  What fun! --Ladysmith, WI
• 3/10: Another fabulous year in the Hills.  Thank you to the crew! --Barron, WI
• 3/10: Great spring skiing.  Thanks. --Minneapolis, MN
• 3/11: Great hike thru woods.  Stayed off trails.  This is what makes real outdoors men & women. --author's location unknown
• 3/13: Just checkin' out old playground. --author's location unknown
• 3/13: I was able to ski out the 'gravel road' about 2.5 km, crossing two short bare sections. to a wide melted out area then returned. --Ladysmith, WI
• 3/23: Snow completely gone - can you believe it! --Rice Lake, WI

True wintry conditions were enjoyed by a surprising number of skiers Monday morning (March 5th) - & again Tuesday morning.  Obviously these skiers have been watching their calendar and the weather reports.  Cross country skiing of this quality has been sorely lacking this winter.  If you missed out, take a look at a video submitted by a Tuesday morning skier (turn the volume way down if you find southerly breezes disturbing).‍

Recent comments from the logbook in the warming house

• 3/4: Mankind speaks & I long for the whispering silence of the forest; the forest speaks & I forget the clamoring voices of mankind. --author's location unknown
• 3/4: XC skiing for us is one of the most glorious parts of living in northern Wisconsin. Thanks so much to the Blue Hills Bunch for saving winter 2011-12. --author's location unknown
• 3/4: The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe - Through the Wardrobe into the Winter Magic of the Blue Hills beautifully groomed. --author's location unknown
• 3/5: Monday morning & there were at least 5 cars in the parking lot when we arrived! The conditions were fabulous!! Thank you groomers! --Ladysmith, WI
• 3/5: It was all worth the long wait this snowless winter just to ski on the trail today! Thanks to the groomers & Mother Nature. --Eau Claire & Ladysmith, WI

Freeze-thaw cycles have created a crusty hardpack base.  With temps starting at 14° F, grooming was a challenge early this morning - tough to penetrate that frozen surface.  Almost the entire Eastside skate lane yielded to the knives on the grooming implement, producing enough of a loose surface for skate skiers to ski with abandon.  Rocket fast skating lasted throughout the morning, slightly sticky conditions didn't show until about noon.

Looking at the parking lot by the warming house, this was the place to be! Nice to know that all those skiers don't find themselves crowded while exploring this lovely trail system - they just seem to disappear among the many different loops. If we groom it, will they come? More grooming planned for tomorrow morning!

‍Recent comments from the logbook in the warming house

• 1/29: Beautiful day & trails were so nice!  We especially appreciated the tasty caramel corn! :)  --Chetek, WI
• 1/31: I came to see your wonderful forest! and ski track! --Switzerland
• 1/31: Beautiful grooming!  The Westside was outstanding! --Ladysmith, WI
• 1/31: Skijoured the Westside/team effort/excellent snow! --Rice Lake, WI
• 2/2: That infamous groundhog - BLUE HILLS BILL - couldn't find his shadow anywhere!  Better ski while you can.  Great fun today! --Ladysmith, WI
• 2/2: Very nice.  1st time. --St. Croix Falls, WI
• 2/2: Amazingly good skiing!  Thanks. --author's location unknown
• 2/3: Back again today for some great skiing! --Amery, WI
• 2/3: A little icy at the start, but great "spring" skiing as the sun came out.  Great job groomers, we appreciate your hard work. --Apple Valley, MN
• 2/4: Possible the BEST ski of the season - perhaps my life!  Woo Hoo!  The best line of the week: Groomer replying to person asking how he made the grooming so good, "I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you."  Thank you groomers for scratching up the surface. --Ladysmith, WI
• 2/4: Wow!  Good edge control and blazing fast!  Thanks to everybody that makes these trails GO! --Ladysmith, WI

Local groundhog Blue Hills Bill didn't see his shadow this morning. "You call this winter?"

‍

Blue Hills Bill spent the past six weeks,

Sunbathing beneath a big tree;

It's been too warm to call this a winter,

And Bill has some advice for thee:

"Do not hesitate,

go ski the Hills now,

'Cause my shadow

I could not see;

Enjoy those trails

while they're covered with snow,

This winter has

perplexed even me!"

Two things to report

1. Thanks to John Kann (Rice Lake) for his enthusiasm and hard work laying out and clearing a snowshoe trail as part of the Blue Hills Trail system. The trail starts just behind the warming house, and heads north through the tall pines. It then loops to the east before returning to the warming house via a different route. The trail is well marked. Once you've used this trail, feedback is welcome.
2. It looks like a brown Christmas in Ladysmith. However, despite the warm weather and rain during the past week, there is still enough snow in the Hills to provide a semblance of cross country skiing. 1/2" of granular snow sits on top of the base; the base is thin but adequate; and where groomed on December 5th, the base is quite solid. Skate skiing was OK on the grassy trails today, and actually quite good on the gravel road (1-22-33-21-29). Based on my experience today, I think most of the trail system can be skied if you use rock skis, and exercise extra care on downhills. I'd avoid the back loops on the Eastside until we have more snow. If in doubt on downhills, remove your skis and walk down the side of the trail. Check out the photos to get a better idea of current conditions.

Great fall hiking is available right now. 20+ miles of trails carefully maintained by our many volunteers.

Many thanks to the crew that turned out for the annual work day on October 15th.  On that day - and on many days in the past few weeks - volunteers have liberated most of the trail system from encroaching branches, briers, and rocks; bridges have been reinforced; creeks have become more passable; & the warming house received a good dusting.

The entire system of Westside trails was cleared on November 7th (a huge thank you to Dick P, Steve G, and Tom P). All of the remaining downed trees on the Eastside were cleared on November 8th (major thanks to Jerry W and John Z).

Earlier this summer, one of our major challenges was repair of our most important bridge. It's on the East Side of the trail system, and allows multiple trails to interconnect with the East Side Core Loop.

The following pictures are from spring/summer/fall 2011 on the Blue Hills Trail.

The winter of 2010-11 was a roller coaster ride from a weather standpoint. Temps fluctuated widely, precipitation was variable, and periodic warmups and meltdowns added to the mix. But along the way, there was abundant snowfall, great grooming, and loads of happy faces from cross country skiers on the Blue Hills Trail in northwest Wisconsin. To top it off, winter hung on and provided great crust skiing in mid/late March.

This was a great winter for snow enthusiasts, the following pictures tell the story.