Ski Trail

Ski Trail Report

Trails are open. Another beautiful crisp January day with brilliant sunshine. Absolutely no wind today. Windchill is a word we rarely use at Maplelag. Just Ski. Today we groomed on the start and finish segments of the Western trails, renovating and cutting new tracks and groomed the course for the JV JR High classic race tomorrow. (See below).

The trails are skiing well and the tracks are holding form from last weeks grooming. The inch or so of new snow before the weekend helping improve the conditions combined with daily grooming on all of the trail system. Hard crunchy base, some trails skiing a bit faster than others but everything very skiable and overall the reports have been good from skiers. The tracks are holding good form and we won’t reset until later this week and only if we can set equal or better. Skate trails will be groomed daily through the week starting on Tuesday.

Tuesday we will be hosting a JV and JR High race on 2.5km of trail consisting of half of Sap Run, part of Mother North Star and return on Sukkerbusk back to trail head on the east side. All other 60 or so of km open. Access Sukkerbusk on west side to ski all the other trails.

Gromers choice for classic is Roy’s Run. A few rough spots there and there but overall nice skiing.

Classic only skiing on trails with machine set tracks: Sukkerbusk, Sap Run, JibFly, Mother Hen, Rootin Tootin, Mother North Star and Loon Return. Roys Run, Twin Lakes, Wavy Gravy and the first and last part of Island Lake trail now tracked as well. North Loup has a track on the side and a skate path. The crossing between Twin Lakes is a bit rough as well as the marsh areas on Bullhead lake trail. Take skis off and walk for the adventure!

Skating on Skater Waltz, the extension of Skater Waltz, Single Green climb, Kristin’s Kutoff, Eira Bikwadinaa hill and North Loup. Also possible to skate ski the last part of Bullhead lake trail as out out and back.  Please do not skate on trails outside of the designated skate trails. Thank you!

We have been grooming and skiing since November 20th. 1″ new snowfall past 48 hours. 19″ of snowfall this season, compacted base on trail 1-4″. Snow depth in woods 3-6″  

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Season and day passes can be purchased here.

Fat Bike trails open. Click here for latest fat bike report

Fun to ski with the MPLS Washburn Nordic team on the outer trails of Bullhead Bootleg and Wavy Gravy on Sunday. Start of the ski was -13 air temperature but no wind and sunshine made for great skiing. Few photos below.

Resetting track at start of Island lake trail, January 6th, 2025. Be sure to look for the big eagle nest just after the start of the trail!
Resetting track along the fat bike trail on Island Lake trail, January 6th, 2025.
Resetting track at end of Wavy Gravy trail, January 6th, 2025.
Combing and leveling out end of Wavy Gravy trail on last downhill, January 6th, 2025. We did not set a track in effort to provide a more level surface to glide down.
Crisp morning as MPLS Washburn skiers get ready for a morning ski, January 5th, 2025.
Crisp temps, heartening sunshine on Poki Loki, January 5th, 2025.
Skiing across the Bullhead lake, January 5th, 2025.
Balsam trees at end of Bootleg loop, January 5th, 2025.
Return on Bullhead Lake trail, January 5th, 2025. 
Members of the MPLS Washburn team getting a full day of skiing despite the cooler temperatures, January 4th, 2025.
Loon Retun trail serves as both a ski and fat bike trail, January 4th, 2025. Fat Bike loop is in good to excellent condition. 
Sunset skate, January 4th, 2025. Hardpack deck with good edging and glide. Watch for a couple icy spots down to Bullhead bay on south end of Skaters Waltz. 
Saturday night grooming, January 4th, 2025.
Cutting new track on Island Lake trail, January 3rd, 2025.
Cutting new track end of North Loup/Roy’s Run, January 3rd, 2025. Track on North Loup has dusting of snow on top. 
Combing out side of Rootin Tootin trail, January 3rd, 2025. Track was reset yesterday. 
Cutting new track on connector to western trails, January 3rd, 2025. The connector is double tracked, everything else on west side is single tracked. 
High bush cranberries for lunch! January 3rd, 2025.
Hygge time! January 1st, 2025.
Pisten Bully had to make an appearance for at least one day in 2024! Helping break up ice in the open areas. 
Morning sun highlighting the frosted trees on west side of Little Sugarbush lake across from Maplelag, December 30th, 2024.
dFrosty scene along Mother North Star, December 30th, 2024.
Family ice skate on the Maplelag ice rink, December 29th, 2024. 
Sledding hill action, December 28th, 2024.
Woodpeckers have been busy along the trail! December 27th, 2024.