Nordic Pulse

Saturday, May 17th. 7:40am

Good morning, Nords! It's Pole Pedal Paddle race day! Wintry conditions are present at the mountain this morning, setting the mood for an epic day of skiing and multisport racing. Whether you are heading up to the Nordic Center to compete, spectate, support, volunteer, or avoid the race scene altogether as you head for the solitude of the non-impacted trails, there is plenty of ski goodness to be had. And a few freshies too! 1" of heavy snow coated the trails and slopes over the past couple of hours, and occasional flurries are still blowing through the base area. The forest is freshly flocked and low foggy clouds are enshrouding the peaks and vistas. There is a stiff breeze this morning that makes 31*F air temperature feel a bit chillier than the reading on the thermometer. A slight warmup into the mid-30's along with continued chances for snow showers round out the race day forecast. 

 

Today, the entire Nordic network (less Maiden's Bluff and Todd Creek) is groomed with skate corduroy and classic tracks. Grooming occurred during the late afternoon and evening hours then (somewhat) firmed up throughout the night as temps dropped. The fresh layer of snow this morning came down thick and wet, so anticipate draggy skate conditions and nice, fresh gliding on the classic skis. The snow temp is -2C / 28*F. It's a good day for a quick coat of liquid glide on the skinny skis! (Regrooming this morning would briefly look nice, but it wouldn't set up at all and would turn into mash potatoes very quickly.) The PPP course navigates Blue Jay's, Upper Devecka's, south-side Woody's Way, Emil's Clearing, and Screamer. Non-racers can enjoy quiet trails throughout the Upper Trails, Zig Zag, Easy Back, Rich's, and all of the Lower Trails. Racers will be on course from about 9:30am until noon. The snowshoe trails remain open for hiking, and they are quite nice with the fresh snow. 

 

Please be advised of traffic pattern changes due to PPP. The uphill lanes of traffic on Century Drive will be open and unimpacted all day long. The downhill lanes of traffic on Century Drive will be closed between the Sunriver turnoff and Bend while cyclists are on the road (from about 9:30am - 1pm). Downhill vehicles will have to detour through Sunriver during this timeframe. There is heavy traffic control in the Mt Bachelor parking lot. Please drive slowly, stay alert, and follow directions. Thanks for your cooperation! 

 

The Nordic Center is operating on Spring Hours (8am - 1:30pm daily) and grooming gets underway at 2pm sharp this time of year. It is essential that all skiers are off the trails at 1:30pm each day. Skiing in the later afternoon or evening on the fresh afternoon groom before it has had time to set can leave deep ruts that will freeze overnight and become treacherous for skiers the following day. We are happy to report full compliance so far and sincerely appreciate your cooperation.