Nordic Pulse

There will be a brief closure of the BCT this afternoon at Mountain Springs Lodge from 2:50pm - 3:50pm due to a wedding ceremony. Signs will be posted closing the trail and unfortunately there is no detour because of Rowdy Coyote being closed, so please plan accordingly.

It's the last day of January, yet it looks and feels more like the last day of March... We do still have snow on the trails, but it may feel more like mashed potatoes as the day goes on. Temperatures only got down to the mid 30's last night and the forecast for today looks like temperatures around 40 degrees with the potential for light rain and fog this morning. There was a mix of really good looking grooming up north with conditions in the Meadow Loop area being more challenging with trails being more uneven and not wanting to lay really smooth corduroy especially on the Sprint Loop where it is getting too thin around the corners for the SnoCat to groom. We will continue to do our best day by day to maintain the trails we have, so get out and ski while there is still snow!

The grooming happened last night with a mix of skate and classic being put down. The SnoCat did the Meadow Loop, while it was ginzu's did the Cut-Off's, Sprint Loop, the Beaver Creek Trail all the way out to the northern terminus, Stonewater Loop, Beaver Creek Loop and the Swamp Creek Loop, with new classic being set where needed. It's hard to say where the best conditions will be as it will be a mix of soft in the open areas and thinner/icy spots in the tree wells as you get into the trees.

The main areas of concern are still Hot Tub Hill (there is a map posted showing a walk around the lodge to rejoin the trail on the other side of the garage), driveway crossings, the Walk-In Trailhead, the far entrance to the Sprint Loop and one small section on the ascent of Grizzly Mtn, which are narrow and have bare/icy spots. Trails in the trees will be thin and uneven, so use caution. Almost all of the BCT (minus Hot Tub Hill and driveway crossings) still has coverage and can be skied in its entirety. We are using the Stonewater detour to their walking bridge, so be sure to follow the signs.

CLOSED TRAILS are all of the Mill Hill Complex (Mill Hill, Rowdy Coyote, Chainsaw Ridge, Cougar Run and Lumi Lane) due to trail wide exposed ground, icy spots, melt outs and a mud slide. Signs are posted.

All wheel drive is recommended in all of the parking lots as they are all holding up pretty well, but they are ICY and there are puddles, so please use caution when walking to the the trails.

It's day 2 of TOUR de PLAIN with a short course and a modified long course both starting from the Meadow Loop Trailhead. Conditions will be a bit rougher once you get to the Sprint Loop. Tour de Plain is our annual, family-friendly race series that brings community together for a fun race series including 3 more events. Each one welcomes skiers of all ages and abilities to Tour the Plain Valley Ski Trails while raising support for the Plain Valley Nordic Team’s barrier-free ski education program. Join us on the snow! 

You can still sign up for our Saturday Clinics 10am - 12pm. They are great for all ages and can be customized for skate or classic. It's a great way to learn better technique and the ability to enjoy our sport even more. Information and sign up can be found HERE.

TRAIL PASSES ARE ALL ONLINE and can be purchased HERE, and as always, kids ski free, but they also need an online PASS.