Course Conditions

We’ll post any updates related to the race course and conditions here, and you can also keep an eye on the Skinny Ski reports for Ashwabay.

2/2/24

The course groomed up SO NICE this morning! Thanks to Mike W who mobilized a crew, of CANSki Middle School Skiers and the Thursday night dudes ski group, and to a dedicated pack of groomers this morning, the course actually looks better than it did a few days ago! We are feeling so great about the race tomorrow.

throwing snow on the trail
Groomers ready to head out
near the sugarbush
Top of Seagull Hill climb
Abby Rd
Abby Rd

2/1/24

Remarkably, the trails held up fine yesterday and last night during the warmup. Tonight it was back down to 25 degrees, frozen hard and very fast. There is still a lot of white snow out there!!! We’ll do our best to scratch it up, but it will be icy on the downhills. But I think that is better than the alternative…

1/30/24

I skied the course this afternoon, and it is holding up OK. The course was groomed on Monday, and today there were only a few spots where there was dirt showing, which I patched. The stake deck was still firm, getting a little dirty in places. We’re going to keep our fingers crossed for tomorrows warmer temps, and plan to shovel snow on the thin spots and groom on Friday morning after it freezes again. We are still planning on using the entire 12k loop, and will keep an eye on how things develop tomorrow. The tracks are very thin in some places. See photos below.

On Abby Rd near the sugarbush cabin. The snow is dirty but not too thin here.
Top of Northern Lights. Upper Northern Lights was in GREAT shape. Just one thin spot, easily avoided.
Top of Seagull Hill
Dirty snow on the descent past the “tin shed” intersection on Abby Rd.
Example of a thin spot before patching.
Tracks are very thin in places.
Same spot as above, after patching,
Example of thin tracks.

1/28/24

I skied the entire course (modified 12k loop) today, (1pm-3pm). The photos below are from Seagull, Abbey Rd, and Northern Lights. Overall the trails have held up better in the past few days than I had expected.

Skate Lanes: The skate lanes are generally very firm and flat, with a few thin spots that are easy to avoid. I threw some snow on the thin spots to try to prevent more melting this week, and we’ll likely do that again later in the week. It was very fast. The base is a hard packed 1-3 inches.

Tracks: The tracks are OK in some areas, and not in others. Unless we got some unexpected new snow, I don’t think we will be able to reset any tracks, based on snow depth and temps. Classic skiers will have to leave the tracks at times.

-Kate

1/25/24

The current conditions on the course are remarkably good, there is a thin but very solid base! We’ve got a crew lined up to patch a few thin spots, and are hopeful that we’ll be able to keep the snow we have over the next week. We’ll announce any changes to the course next Thursday.

1/24/24

We are keeping a close eye on the forecast, which calls for temps above freezing next week. One thing to know is that sometimes Ashwabay gets a little bit of lake effect snow that isn’t in the forecast. Also, the temps up on the trials are often 2-4 degrees colder than the Bayfield forecast. That’s all to say that we remain optimistic that we’ll maintain snow on the trails, but are also planning for contingencies, including a modified course, a shorter race, or a more informal “tour” or other creative event in the even of more significant melting.

We are committed to SOME kind of event that gets you on skis, a whole lot of delicious pie, fun, and camaraderie!

You can keep an eye on our webcam for up to the minute conditions!

1/22/24

The course is in great shape, all things considered. The only exception is the section coming down “The Buzz” where there are some uneven and thin spots. However, that shouldn’t be an issue for the race, I’m feeling confident that we can patch those spots and the descent will be fine. The rest of the course is in good shape, there are a few dirty spots but the skate deck is firm and flat.

We are monitoring the conditions, and working to preserve the snow we have. The coming warm temps should be OK as much of the course is north facing. We often get a few inches of lake effect snow throughout the week even when it isn’t in the forecast.

Here are some photos of the trail taken on 1/21/24 to give a sense of the snowpack. I’ll post additional updates as we get closer to the race. -Kate

1/20/24

After a slow start, this past weekend finally felt like winter (and ski season) have arrived at Ashwabay. Ashwabay benefits from a little extra lake effect snow, and all (or nearly all) of the trails were open and in good to great condition as of 1/20/24.