Nordic Pulse

6:30 AM Temperature: A refreshing -4.1°C—just brisk enough to remind you that yes, it is still technically winter, at least until dawn + “x” minutes. Environment Canada says we’ll hit a toasty +14°C today, just a notch up from yesterday. It is definitely a shades & ‘screen day. You won’t see Aaron in his usual prime tanning spot, checking out how his 6 pack is browning to its usual summer atheltic golden hue, as he has a well deserved day off. Lots of room for the rest of you to congegrate on the Lodge Balcony, and drink in the rays. If you see Brian F or Ivan H, check to see how their ski days are coming along this season. Both of them are likely well north of 140. They start skiing before the staff do in the fall, & finish sometime long after the groomers have hit the golf courses.

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NON-GROOMING UPDATE: The most recent grooming occurred Thursday night when our skidoo-ginzoo combination, along with our trusty operator valiantly flattened the wildest skate-ski ruts while the snow was still soft and emotionally vulnerable. However, This morning? Trails are concrete bumpy fast from yesterday's rutted remains: mildly terrifying, and ready to test your life insurance policy. By 11:00-ish the snow will feel like skiing thru a warm smoothie. Typical spring vibes: frozen before coffee, mashed potatoes by lunch.

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SNOW COVERAGE: Still good on part of all trails, duck soup on others. But heads up—portages are popping up like Whac-A-Mole. Bring your rock skis, your optimism, and maybe a small canoe. And if you're headed to higher elevations—well, hope you're into Nordic hike-skiing. Bring your retro rock skis. You know, the ones you should’ve retired in 1998 but keep around “just in case.”

 Anything you see on the Trail Report below that was groomed Thursday is likely portage-free.

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SKATE SKIERS  Early birds get the luge run. Seriously, those steeper trails in the early morning are one sharp turn away from needing shock absorber bindings, a helmet, full goalie padding and a waiver. Love the thrill of high-speed gliding with absolutely no control? You’ll have a blast. Prefer having knees that still work by lunch? Maybe wait.

Timing is everything. Too early: ice rink. Too late: welcome to Slushapalooza 2025. Midday-ish might be the sweet spot—aka “Goldilocks Zone.” Good luck finding it.

CLASSIC SKIERS: Last official track set: March 30th. Current status: somewhere between "historic artifact" and "melting memory." You’ll start on concrete tracks and finish in a slurpy. Want a fighting chance at decent skiing? Head to the Northern Lights section—shade is your best friend. If that fails, go off-script and pretend you're blazing a new trail. Just you, your skis, random sprouting devils club, and your imagination.

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WALKERS 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶  We get it—sunshine, fresh air, deep philosophical chats about fermentation & brainstorming how you can make your very last bottle of Tennessee bourbon last till Xmas. It’s tempting to march right up the ski trails, arm in arm like a human slush-plow. But please, resist. Those boot craters freeze overnight into ankle-breaking landmines for skiers. So unless you're auditioning for a National Geographic snow elephant special, please don’t. Let's keep the peace for the die-hard skiers squeezing out the last few days of the season.

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HAZARDS & ADVENTURE ZONES 🚧  Snow is playing hard to get in the upper elevations. Birch Bend? More like Birch Bare. It's patchy, wind-swept, and probably laughing at your wax choices. Proceed with caution—or embrace the inevitable and add “backcountry portage expert” to your résumé.

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If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’ll share a mathematical secret. (Slightly less challenging to understand than the terrible tariff computation). Length of the Grooming Report is inversely proportional to the average depth of snow on the trails. Until they both zero out(Report Length & snow depth that is), which will be very, very  soon.

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Enjoy it while it lasts, folks. Spring skiing: where every trail is an adventure and every ski is a surprise.