April 12, 2020 Grooming Report
GROOMING WILL CONTINUE with Ginzu as long as we can!
Today’s report is brought to us by the people still providing necessary services. AND GROOMING OUR SKI TRAILS IS NECESSARY! THANK LORI, DOUG AND NICK WERE OUT AGAIN LAST NIGHT, SAY THANKS. If you see someone that is providing required services, please thank them. Please do what you can to help. Buy local.
Please help us continue to groom as long as possible. You may follow the link https://noquetrails.org/product/nordic-fund/ and contribute or feel free to contact the office or reply to this grooming report. No contribution is too small.
Trail memberships can be purchased on the web site. Please visit www.noquetrails.org and follow the links. You too can be feted in an up coming grooming report.
SPRING SCHEDULE IN EFFECT: Trail Head is closed and the privy is locked. Practice save social distancing and enjoy the beautiful skiing.
| Forestville: Lori and Nick were out again last night. I am including her late night comments in their entirety but will also offer some preliminary observations. First of all, Lori has always undersold the grooming she does herself; good groomers tend to do that because they know what it could be. So too, the quality of the skiing is often belied by the optics. Running the Ginzu over the top of a thaw/frozen surface knocks off all of the high ridges and lessens many of the low troughs. Removing the high ridges makes Goldie Locks come far earlier and makes decent skiing immediately. So, because there is no silky corduroy one thinks skiing will be substandard; not true. Mark my words, it will be very good; I’m going to find out shortly. Often times my schedule is crowded on half of the weekend. Today I could roll a bowling ball down the calendar. See you out there.
Lori says: Trails took a beating in Saturday’s warm temps….more bare spots and uneven melting is taking a toll. Snow is really thin at powerline and a truck got on and did some damage. Nick and I did Ginzu groom the Noque to the end of the Pines and Animoosh to Grand Central cutoff with variable results. We also attempted to reset tracks but they are only fair to non-existent condition. Overall the fresh groom on the trails we hit and crust skiing should provide some fun Sunday entertainment.
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Yesterday just before the race direction down hill at 11k. Ninety nine times out of a hundred I will holler at the top of my lungs, “COMING DOWN” as I crest two way hills in either direction. I also holler going down to the Bismarck Bridge, above the lower Mead gate and the hill at 22k along with other obvious pinch points. Anyway, I spaced it out yesterday and just got in my tuck. I have to haul this carcass all the way up so I ride it all the way down and hate to kill any speed. So, it was to our collective good fortune that both myself, Wally, Dan and Jon are proficient downhillers. We passed (six feet apart) at the bottom turn and at top speed on a blazing fast day. Blood is so red on snow so we are all glad to have avoided springing a leak.
Way too Long Grooming Report:
I do trust you both got out yesterday; it was grand. Goldie Locks came and left early with temperatures climbing rapidly in the morning. Sections with some of the recent snow remaining were getting sticky (especially for dry skis. Bad ski technician!… Bad ski technician!, now look what you’ve done). However, the pure corn snow areas remined soft right through the noon hour. The base was still firm but the surface forgiving. Everyone was in shirt sleeves and sun glasses. I do hope you weren’t shoveling off your front yard or some such other critical pandemic task.
Now, the picture shows not only great skiing but great danger. As you can see, the base remains over a foot thick even under this snow stealing hemlock grove. Look at the under cut section near the edge. Imagine how fast you would stop if one of your skis punched through such a spot. It must have been April or May just a few hundred meters further west from this spot. Now I have a conversation starter ski. I was fairly flying east bound in the pine plantation. I was in the classic tracks with my skate skis as the corn was blazing fact. And then I was not. Kind of like a door slamming shut, my face was creating a grove in the snow. Fortunately, it all took place so fast I didn’t have time to put out my hands. A surgeon friend of mine once said, take it on the face; who cares what you (emphases is mine, I don’t know if he meant it that way) look like. Bleeding can be stopped with a suture and then you can have a conversation scar. Besides, putting your hands out is the reason you have had all those surgical procedures on your hands and shoulder. So, other than some face rash, I was fine. My ski was not. The tip drove into the ice wall at the other end of the failed bridge and exploded. I limped home from 17k on one ski.
Saux Head:
Trails will be hard until about 9:00 in the morning. After noon skiing may be too soft. There is a bare spot on the Pep-O-Day and one is beginning at the top of the Beast major hill but most trails are still well covered.
Big Bay Pathway:
Trails are still well covered but classic tracks are likely gone. Trails will be rock hard until about 9:00. After noon skiing may be too soft.
Fit Strip: Grooming has been suspended. Expect some bare spots.
Snow Bike Trails: Trails will be hard and likely slick in the morning. Things will get very soft afternoon so please protect the trails by avoiding them if too soft.
To learn more about the NTN, to join, volunteer, become a sponsor or make a comment, please visit www.noquetrails.org .
Sondo