Carr Woods - Iowa Everglades Experience

Saturday - S, E & I skated Carr woods this morning - SUCH a March adventure. Rock skis, naturally, the trail such as it is, a soft, reasonably well-trashed ribbon of sufficient white for a nice combo of skate glide/snow shoe type experience. It was work but wonderful, and the rising waters of the creek have transformed the place! A whole new meaning to skiing alongside the stream!
S thinks we can eek out another day, but ...
well, we'll see. it would definitely be an eek. cheers all ~ Jeri

Virtical rise in feet at Briggs Wood Ten Hills course

As requested, hill #1 has a 16' rise, hill#2 a 13' fall, hill #3 a 26' rise, #4 a 20' fall, #5 a 30' rise, #6 a 28' fall, #7 a 45' rise, #8 a 45' fall, #9a a 45' rise, #9b, 35' rise, #10 a 25. fall.

The lowest elevation on the course was 1025' above sea level, and 1089' was the highest.

As the rain continues it may soon be Sayonara, but who knows?

Grades of Webster City Briggs Woods Ten Hills 5k

First of all the original 4.3k flagged course is soft but skiable as of 10 AM Monday, but the new loops...forgedaboudit! Using both GPS and Google Earth I entered the wild and wacky determination of grade percentage of our "Ten Hills" course. For uphills I measured from the start of when the uphill gets steep to the crest. For downhills I measured from the steep at the crest to the end of the steep grade (not the flat runout).The results are as follows:
#1 130' uphill with a 16'rise or 12%
#2 110' downhill (beside the 1st uphill) 12%
#3 170' uphill (at the base of #2) 15%
#4 315' downhill to the valley 6%
#5 210' uphill (from new loop) 14%
#6 320' long downhill traverse 9%
#7 235' uphill 19%
#8 375' downhill 12%
#9a 210' uphill (original on 4.3 k) 23%
#9b 215' next year traverse uphill to replace 9a 16%. #10 190' downhill (to long runout) 13%

Adams Nature Preserve, Sioux City

Adams Nature Preserve, Sioux City, Iowa
Don't pack your stuff away quite yet. I skied for a few hours this morning at Adams. It rained last night and never dropped below freezing but there is still quite a bit of snow to ski on. There were no slushy areas but the Lake Loop and trail to the Barn are the best since they are the most hard packed of all of the trails. The other trails started to get very soft and became a little tricky in spots. Tonight it is forecasted to drop below freezing so tomorrow morning should make for a nice ski. We are within a few days of 90 consecutive ski days at Adams this year so it's been an unbelievable year.
Cody McCullough

Briggs Woods 5k in the rain

Gary Sandholm and I skied the race course in the pouring rain this afternoon with our GPS to plot the minor revisions to the course we plan for next year. The net result is a course that is 5.00k exactly. The revisions will be as follows: The new start and SE diagonal. Then no changes until at the bottom of the long NW downhill we will swing to the east a bit further N to allow a broader turn at the base of the last downhill. After the second long downhill, we go deeper S into the valley, and replace the extremely steep N hill with a long traverse along the side of the hill then East to the top of the hill. Finally, we added some distance to the loops just north of the clubhouse entrance road and the loop that goes out from the chokepoint to the big flat before the last downhill. Then to avoid the icy area under the big tree going up to the finish we took that stretch out 20' west.

For those who liked our course before, trust us, the changes are minor. The new finish line will be 10 feet from the start, so a 10k (or Matt's 50k) will be easy.

P.S. My GPS has elevation, and I will attempt to measure and report approximate vertical rise and fall if the course remains skiable.

Twin Pines Golf Course (NE Cedar Rapids)

Crust skiing this morning was fantastic. I arrived at the golf course at 8:15 am. the temperature was in the low 20's, the wind was out of the SE at less than 10 mph, and the sun was shining.

The temperature for the last two days had climbed above freezing for part of the day and so had started to melt the snow. It was then refreezing at night. When I walked out onto the snow to put my skis on, my boots did not sink in. I knew then that I was going to experience some unique skiing conditions.

I put on my skate skis and started coasting on a very slight slope. The friction was no more than being on ice skates on a fresh frozen pond.

I stuck my poles into the snow and pushed off with my right foot. The ski bit into the snow with no slide. I was off across the golf course at speeds I only experience on my Roller Blades on a smooth asphalt trail. It was amazing how good a bite my skis got in the snow while getting a great glide.

For the first hour the snow stayed hard in the sunny areas. I did sink 3 or 4 inches into snow in areas north of pine trees and the northern slopes were a little softer, but created no problems.

Around 9:30 the top layer of snow started to soften up, but I skied until 10:00. I don't expect to have the same experience tomorrow morning because it is suppose to rain tonight, but I will be ready to go tomorrow morning if we get a hard freeze tonight.

Webster City/Briggs Woods

I skated 8 laps on the golf course Fri morning. The trail was still very good up until about 11 when it began to get soft. By noon my skis were really "sucking" and I had to abandon my 50K attempt. I'd expect it to be good Sat Am and maybe even later in the weekend at night if we don't get too much rain.

I can hardly express how much I appreciate the work that has been done to create this great trail. It's been the highlight of the winter for me. It's such a fun trail to ski that even after many laps I was fully engaged, never bored.

I really hope we can figure out a way to measure the vertical distance of the climbs as I think that would be a real draw to skiers from all over. And I hope we get more snow after this thaw so we can continue to ski for a few more weeks. If not, I'll be one of the first on the trail if we get snow next winter.

And here's a view of Iowa's snow pack as of Thurs afternoon.

MNRA

Noon-40 degrees. Corn and ice. Classic track no good for climbing but in spots OK for picking up speed on double-pole. In the sun there's lots of suction going on. Your most beat-up bases will travel best due to their coarse structure. Fine structure bases are getting sucked down.

PM skaters were putting pretty big dents in the track. The blue trails were great for downhill: corn snow you can spray with a hard parallel turn.

Get it while it lasts.

Big Creek

Made a quick trip to BC after work last night and it was predictably a mixed bag. It was 34 degrees when I got there so there was some slush, ice, great snow, ruts, and crust. Actually I was surprised at the quality of the skiing. That was for the skate lane.

As for the classic track....not so much. There were two hearty souls classic skiing but the track is shot. Their only hope over 80% of the trail was to ski in the skate lane. There is just too much ice in the classic track now and what isn't icy is washed out. But from the big smiles on their faces you would have never known it!

It appears the skate lane could still handle a grooming but I'll leave that up to the guys who know best (Tom & Kevin). If it's done, it's done, and thanks to them (and all of you groomers throughout the state) it has been one hell of a year.

With a little luck, we'll get a few more days in or maybe it's time to head north to Lime Creek or Adams.

Health issues with ski waxing and fume inhalation

From the world of science a bit of scary news about ski waxing; PFOA's - flouracarbons in humans result in decreased fertility aside from not being good for you in general.
The 1st web site is a quick blurb, the 2nd one goes more in depth, seems inhalation is the means of exposure.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/03/scienceshot-no-gold-medal-for-sk.html?etoc&sms_ss=email

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es9034733

Everybody raise their hand who's been waxing skis for years and years. Perhaps we all need to remember to wear that respirator. I'm wondering on top of ironing in wax if a hotbox is releasing fumes as well, one would think so considering the purpose and function of a hotbox.

Webster City Waterfall View

Just enough glaze for effortless gliding on the Webster City Woodland Loop Trail. For an extra treat, ski the trail clockwise, entering the woods by the outhouse, and at the base of the final hill, branch off to the left on the ungroomed, but easily skiable waterfall loop. As snow melts the rapids increase daily. Then herringbone up the hill and rejoin the trail. I suggest you take the parking lot trail loop as the little hill to the lake will become icy. This 3k loop is an easy 35 minute trip for novice skiers. It is a perfect after work trail as days grow longer.

Adams Nature Preserve - Sioux City

Adams Nature Preserve
Despite the warm day time temps, our trails are still in great shape. We have at least a 12 inch base and are still grooming. I skied last night as the trails were in the process of freezing up and had a great ski.
Cody McCullough

Final Grooming for Webster City Trails before meltdown

All three Webster City Trails were groomed and tracked yesterday while temperatures were in the lower 20s. Snowmobilers and joggers had all but obliterated the tracks on the Boone River trail from 7B to Briggs Woods, and it is likely that we will discontinue grooming that trail for the season. As the river opens up, those pesky machines will use our trails more and more. On the plus side both the expanded 5k race course on the golf course and the fully shaded Woodland 3k loop should last well into the warmup. Whether we can groom or not, I will post trail conditions frequently. (Yes, I ski as well as groom.)

Thanks C.T. and Matt for your comments. The only changes to the 5k turns will be to increase the radius on gradual turns so classic skiers skis will stay in the tracks, but the tight turns will remain untracked. Some skiers suggest we have both a shorter and longer course. If we do, we will clearly flag using different colors next year ie. orange for the 4.3k, and purple for the expanded 5k.

Next year: Those Iowans who live in flat country but go to the Birkebeiner, please consider using our 5k course as your advance training. Briggs Woods will give you all the hill experience that you need!

As of 4PM Tuesday the 5k course was fast and just beginning to get tacky in the freestyle lane. The deer herd are so used to skiers that one stayed on the track as I passed 3 feet away.

MNRA - North Liberty/Iowa City 3/2 12PM

MNRA - North Liberty/Iowa City 3/2 - 12PM, temp rising, wind - calm
The skate lane was icy and quick with a little bit of edge available, not for the learning skater however, pretty fast and trecherous. The classic track wasn't too skied out and was gliding rocket fast. Hopped onto the snow fields that baked in the sun yesterday and they actually were skiing well until it warmed up. Might be the way to go tomorrow or the day after, Crust Skiing that is. Find a large snowfield that's been baking in the sun and ski it early as it could be really good skate skiing.  Brett

Big Creek - Des Moines/Ankeny

The skate lane at BC is in pretty good condition as of last night after work. Obviously the warmer temperatures are starting to have their affect. There were ruts and some glazed spots but most of the trail is still in great shape. Of course the warmer temperatures also bring out disc golfers and dogs, neither of which help the trail at all. On Saturday there were 4 dogs out while I was skiing and the sad thing is that based on gear and clothing their owners looked like skiers that should know better. Be that as it may, even with grooming the skate lane will be a bit of a mixed bag and time of day you choose to ski will have a big impact on your conditions.

The classic track is a whole different issue. Ice and skied out tracks are everywhere. What is left of the track is very shallow, wide and icy over 90% of the trail and I can't see it getting any better without new snow. I didn't try to classic last night but maybe you can get around with klister.

Webster City 5k course lengthened

First of all thanks to those who gave us feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of our 4.3k course, and those who tried our new extended loops. Today I added a skate lane to all the new loops, but caution that the new sections are unlikely to be packed well unless we get new snow. The extended course is now a full 5k to 5.1k. On the classic lane, there are no tracks on tight corners or steep downhills. or uphills. By next year we plan to "tweak" the course, removing tight corners, and adding an extra width skate lane. If you want a hilly course with 30+ deer as spectators, then Webster City Briggs Woods is the course for you.

Both the golf course and Woodland 3k loop were fully groomed today. Snow is fast but doesn't seem icy.

Prarie Springs - Cresco

Sunday morning the trails we freshly groomed and in great shape. I ran into Mark Johnson and his wife who maintain the trails while skiing. They obviously take a great deal of pride in what they have going in Cresco. This would have to be in my top two or three really fun places to ski in Iowa. If we have any good conditions left, give it a try!

MNRA

MacBride was groomed and tracks reset tonight. Set Tracks will continue to be iffy unless we get more snow or a nice G2 groomer. Skate lane looks like it would be fast and fun.