We picked up close to 6 inches of fluffy dry snow yesterday. We both headed out for rides hitting some St. Germain, Lake Tomahawk, Sayner, Arbor Vitae and Sugar Camp trails. The St. Germain and Sayner trails I rode had been groomed. The Lake Tomahawk, Arbor Vitae and Sugar Camp ones I rode hadn’t been groomed. The groomed trails were smooth. The ungroomed ones ranged from some bumps to very bumpy. I found some trails that were all white, smooth and beautiful. Then there are trails which have snirt, majority of corners are pushed out making them icy and/or thin on snow. Carbides will scrape in areas. Be very careful as some trails are very icy, especially in corners.
Plowed road trails are a mixed bag. Where the ice base didn’t melt they are fine. Where they melted to bare pavement, carbides will scrape a lot.
We’ve noticed that the past week grooming isn’t as consistent as it was earlier in the season. We’ve gotten 21 inches of snow since last Monday. Clubs aren’t grooming as often or only grooming some trails but not others. What does that mean – well, you might have to be more flexible in your route. If you come to an area that wasn’t groomed, turn around and find some that have been. We’re hoping that clubs aren’t giving up on grooming this season yet.
Note: Trails in some pics will look whiter than they are due to the fresh snow. Also, it’s suppose to be warm and sunny so expect to see melted areas later in the day.