Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco, Iowa

12/31/2010 4:30 p.m.

Trails are icy and rough. Skiing not recommended. I will start rejuvenating the trails sometime tomorrow or Sunday. We still have a good base, even after the thaw and rain. Stay tuned. Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

Mark

The Big Melt off...

2/3 of Iowa is melting or melted off. Seems like Mason City, Cresco, Decorah, Dubuque, and maybe Waterloo have hung on to some snow. Would those with the snow keep us without in the know???  Brett

Postponed, 1/1/11 nordic ski race for Ashton, Iowa City

Postponed
At this time we've decided to postpone the Nordic ski race planned for 1/1/11. A future reschedule date will be planned for once the weather helps out, sorry folks.

Winter Ski Stoke 2 (non-Iowa)

Conditions are junk in Iowa with the warm temps, but great in the land of Teddy Roosevelt, Lewis and Clark, and the Sioux Nation. Here's a little stoke from Dec. 27, 2010, to pick up your spirits:This is at Cross Ranch State Park, roughly 15 miles from the McClean County seat of Washburn, N.D. That's about an hour north of Bismarck. This park has a full 10 miles of groomed single track for classic skiing. No room for skaters here. You can ski a loop as small as 1.5 miles or go for the full monty. It's well worth it to go all the way. You ski in a wind-protected cottonwood forest on the banks of the Missouri River. Deer and pheasant abound. It's $5 for a one-day vehicle pass or $25 for a year-round sticker. A great buy. The ranger at the lodge said they groom about every 3 days. There's 2 feet of snow for base right now and 20 more inches expected by Saturday. You can rent a yurt here for something like $65 per night ... sweet.

Absolute solitude.

See you on the trails one of these days.
--CTK

fine foggy farewell to snow

Wed noon and mid-day at Big Creek was a fine farewell, I fear, to our snow! skating was actually quite good, especially on the disc golf loops. I did my best to tamp down the sagging snow on the outer loops, a good workout. As I was leaving, many folks were showing up for last minute capture of the winter's first snow and the winter's first --fog? and rain??? cheers ~ Jeri

Moonlight Ski - MNRA North Liberty/Iowa City 1/21/11 8-10PM

Moonlight Ski - MNRA North Liberty/Iowa City
1/21/2011 from 8:00 - 10:00PM, Skis and S'mores.
This event is weather and snow dependant of course.
University of Iowa Rec Services, 319-335-9293 | rec-services@uiowa.edu

Lime Creek-best trails in IA I've skied yet

Hi All--my home turf is Wyth park, but made the trek to Lime Creek in Mason City this morning. Was on the trails by 8:10 and they were fabulous. Certainly they will break down today, as the temp increased 10 degrees even by 9:30. There's only about 5-6K of skate loops (guesstimating) and not very technical or hilly, but best-groomed and maintained trails I've experienced in Iowa yet (sorry--I'm a MN native). Thanks to the Mason City volunteers keeping it nice!

Big Creek - Polk City/Ankeny/Des Moines

6:00 PM on 12/28, temps in the upper 20's. Started with a lap plus on the skate lane. Since the guys had touched it up Monday it has started to set up. Still pretty soft in some spots and uneven in others, and none of this is being helped by all the foot traffic, but it is starting to glide better. As Tom pointed out yesterday, watch out for those grassy nubbins poking through that can grab a ski or even a pole and pull you down. This is specially true out on the Prairie Loop.

After switching gear I checked out the classic track and it is still in great shape too. With the warmer temps I added 2 thin layers of V45 Violet Special kick wax to the setup from the day before (Blue Extra V40 on top of Blue V30) and it worked very well. The slight warm up may have actually helped the glide as it was pretty fast over most of the course.

Much thanks to Kevin & Tom for their efforts - get out and enjoy while you can!

Mines of Spain, Dubuque

Mines of Spain, Dubuque, Skated at Mines of Spain tonight. Rumor had it that Earl was grooming today. Classic tracks were also set. Going to burn it up tonight and tomorrow and see if I recover for the weekend.   Bruce Timmerman

Ames - Carr Woods

Ames - Carr Woods
Good news folks there is a groomer working for the city of Ames still. Yes Mike Mullin has moved, but Todd the other groomer is still around. Bad part is Todd is out of town for the holidays and Ames hasn't picked up another groomer yet.

Weather heat up coming...

Two days of over 40 coming to most of Iowa with rain in the forecast as well. Get out tomorrow (Wed.) and ski till you drop folks as rain will absolutely destroy the snow.......  Brett

MNRA - Iowa City/North Liberty

MNRA - Iowa City/North Liberty, 2-4PM, temp 26, wind - S5;
Skating lane was mostly firm, high traffic is taking a toll on holding an edge.
Classic groove was actually in good shape and gliding well, no idea on kick as skating day.  Brett

George Wyth-Cedar Falls

Skated at George Wyth between 9:15 and 10:15 am this morning. 16 degrees Fahrenheit, and the snow was good. Trail conditions are good to fair--it has certainly been groomed since 12/24 storm, and skied on since. There is about a kilometer in the middle that has been seriously damaged by foot traffic. Definitely some parts of the trail are in better condition than others--best is towards 218. Saw about 7 other skiers, some skating, some classicking.

Ames - Carr Woods

Ames - Carr Woods, to date has not been groomed. The status of the regular trail groomer(s) is unknown. I choose not to speculate at this time due to the lack of information regarding trail grooming for Carr Woods. I would suggest that all Ames area skiers contact the City of Ames and voice your concerns. As an outside observer who has heard many thoughts on the grooming situation in Ames I can attest that everything, so far ,is speculation. I would ask that when inquiring please be patient and diplomatic until the facts are known. Brett

Big Creek trail conditions

December 28 - Big Creek Trail conditions are mostly good at the moment. A classic track was set on Sunday and it has held up pretty well with moderately heavy skier traffic. The skating lane is gradually getting more solid. It was groomed Sunday and again yesterday afternoon. Today's skiing conditions should be pretty good for classic and skating.

The trail is 99% snow covered and the packed trail generally has a 2"-4" base. However, be on the watch for occasional thin spots and ski-grabbing shrub nubbins, particularly around sharp corners and the connector spur out to the prairie loop. Also, watch out for a few tractor tire ruts in the middle and right side of the skating track immediately beyond (East) the prairie loop intersection on the north side. I tried to fill them with snow and it helped a little, but be cautious and ski gingerly through this short length of trail (<50').

Big Creek - Polk City/Ankeny/Des Moines

Monday after work, 5:30 PM, 19 degrees, no wind and great snow! Me plus 2 other skiers and the deer.

The skate lane looks like it had been re-rolled sometime during the day as there were almost no marks on it. Not sure as to its condition because I was going classic but it looked to be in great shape. The few times I wandered out of the track it seemed much more firm than Sunday.

The classic track was in really great condition. My ski setup was: Kick wax, 2 layers each of Swix Blue V35 and Blue Extra V40. Glide wax, Swix CH7 (all on top of base waxes). This worked very well except in a couple of spots on the trail. For the glide, CH6 probably would have been faster but I didn't have any with me to try. The kick wax really didn't need much improvement but a light coat of Violet Special might have helped those extra slick spots.

It will be interesting to see how it holds up today with the temperature going up 10 to 13 degrees.

Lime Creek Conservation Area

The prairie skate trail loops at Limey were groomed this afternoon and classic tracks were also set on the prairie loops. I skied Limey this evening and the trail is in excellent condition with great width throughout. Most of the trail is firm. Thank you Mr. Jason Friday (professional groomer!) for your HOURS of volunteerism to the community!

Where is maffitt reservoir?

Google it. it is south west of west des moines off the hwy 5 bypass. Take sw 105th street off the four lane. Head south and then west on maffitt lake drive. Turn into the first park entrance and drive south to the gates. Trail starts there.

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maffitt reservoir groomed today

maffitt reservoir groomed today. Best. Conditions.ever.

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Story City Cross Country Ski Trail

The Story City trail has been groomed for classic skiing, and has never looked prettier. There are a few thin spots, but overall the trail is in great condition. The trail, which follows the perimeter of the Riverbend Golf Course, is perfect for families and early-season skiing, with gentle ups and downs and smooth curves. Thanks to Evan for the great grooming work.

Weather, MNRA & Ashton

Based on the weather forcast and state budget cuts, MNRA won't be groomed tonight. We need to save up for snow with a longer life. Although it kills me to agree with Paul.... Ashton will be left as is for now... We are watching the weather very carefully and hoping the melt off is minimal...

Ashton - Iowa City, 2PM

Ashton, Iowa City - 2PM, +18, wind relatively calm.
Skate lane is med to soft but firming up, the classic track was gliding well - Brett.

Big Creek - Ankeny/Des Moines

As you may have heard Big Creek is now up and ready with both a skate lane and classic track throughout the trail system. I wasn't able to get out until sundown yesterday but Kevin & Tom had it ready Thursday night.

The skate lane has good coverage but in many places it is very soft and subsequently it seemed pretty slow. Although, that may have been at least partially a wax issue as I wasn't ready for 13 degree temps.

I didn't classic but I did talk to a couple of folks who were enjoying the track and they had big cheery smiles. They were skiing waxless so no report on what kick wax they used. From what I could see there was some grass poking through but not enough to be of consequence.

All in all, really good conditions so get out and enjoy.

Mines of Spain, George Wyth, Big Creek conditions posters needed

Mines of Spain, George Wyth, Big Creek, etc. We need folks to post conditions for these trails. If you see a lack of posting for your favorite skiing area but no posts then step up. Send me a note and we'll get you set up to help out your brother and sister skiers. Brett - aeripedis (at) yahoo.com

Ashton - Iowa City Groomed

Ashton - Iowa City, skate lane groomed and a classic track has been set. We'll see how things set up overnight. I'd say get out and ski in the next three days as the temps are heading up Thursday and Friday.  Brett

MNRA Groomed

MNRA (MacBride) was groomed and tracks set this morning. Super soft and lots of sticks and stuff but it's snow! I'll regroom it Monday evening so it should be stellar for Tuesday. There isn't as much snow down as it looks, probably only about three inches of packed base, so, hope for a couple more inches this week.
Try to help you friendly groomer while you're out there by picking up sticks and breaking off branches that are bothering you. The less time we have to take cleaning up, the more time we spend on the sled making pretty corduroy and tracks.
Have fun!

Maffitt Resevoir, West Des Moines IA

Maffitt Resevoir, West Des Moines new 4 mile groomed trail is open for business. Great rolling trail that is protected from the elements. Look for another update with directions.

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Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco, Iowa

12-26-2010

Combed skating lane and reset classic track on Main Trail (Bike Trail). Packed and combed skating lane and set classic track on Nature Center Loop and River Trail. All trails now groomed for skating and classic skiing. Temps today around 20 and temps for week predicted to be in the 20s and low 30s. Skiing should be excellent. If only we could get the deer to stay off some of the trails, but I guess its their home!

Maffitt reservoir groomed (WDM)

Merry Christmas! Thanks to the new nordic club and supporters, we have new equipment and four miles of rolling trails to geek out on. Base its set and a few more inches will really help! Check it out!

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Ashton CCC - Iowa City

Ashton was rolled but not completely as the sled is out of gas. We'll try to get after it tonight or tomorrow. Brett

Happy Holidays Ski Type Folks!

 Happy Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas and Kwanzaa! Did I leave anyone out, sorry if I did as it wasn't my intention... The best to you and yours, enjoy the snow present mother nature has bestowed upon us and go skiing!

Happy Holidays from the groomers around the state and the Update!  Brett

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco, Iowa

Packed, combed and set classical track on all loops and trails except River Trail & Beginners Loop in front of Nature Center. We received 6" of new snow today (Christmas Eve) on top of 24+ inches of packed base. Skiing conditions are excellent! Temperatures for the weekend are predicted to be in the mid-teens. Merry Christmas!

MNRA, Iowa City - North Liberty

Snow still coming down here. MNRA will not be groomed until first thing in the morning Boxing day - Paul 

Webster City groomed and tracked today.

Merry Christmas. We have had 7" of powder on top of 2-3"of base, and both the Woodland Trail and Five Hills race course were groomed this morning. The race course has one tracked lane and a skate lane I expect to hit it again on Sunday, widening the skate lane and then do the Briggs Woods to 7B trail too. The Golf course road and parking lot were not yet plowed, but it was drivable. The new flags on the race course are much more visible this year. Come on out!

Playing with the interactive snow map

I've been playing with the NOAA.GOV interactive snow map some more. Using the drop down box in the upper left hand corner titled, Select Physical Element. You are able to look at snow depth, snowpack temp, snowpack density, etc. You need to click on redraw map directly above to change modes. Above is a zoom feature as well, pretty neat stuff. Looks like Cresco and the Prarie Springs trails are the snow depth winners in Iowa right now!

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco, Iowa

Packed and combed all trails Wednesday evening -- Skating should be very good to excellent.
Currently planning to comb and set classic track on Friday weather permitting, but several inches of snow predicted for Thursday night into Friday afternoon so that may be pushed back.
Weekend temps are predicted to be in the mid to low teens.

Winter ski stoke (non-Iowa)

Happy first full day of winter, everybody. Hopefully the snow that's banging the West will slide out to Iowa at some point. Until then, enjoy this ski stoke and trip report from Red Lodge, Montana.

Strangely, there's no real backcountry culture in Red Lodge. Even the grizzled, gray-bearded telemarkers were ripping it up at the downhill resort that's near town. Apparently, because Beartooth pass is closed early in the season, you really need a sled to get to the goods. And you can buy a lot of season passes at the ski hill for the cost of a sled.
So, since there's no real backcountry culture, there's a TON of grooming and skier-broken regular trails. I have been told that everybody who lives in town owns at least 6 pairs of skis.
The ski hill has the steeps for those of you so inclined. Also, ski joring is huge here. The first race was held in 1960 and the prize was a bottle of whiskey. This year, their race is going to have a $20,000 purse.
For nordic action, there's several options: First, there's a few well-marked and mapped trails the Forest Service maintains. Both are near town and free topo maps for them are available at the Beartooth Ranger District office in Red Lodge.
The best groomed action near town is run by a 501-3(c). Red Lodge Nordic Center. All volunteer labor. You pay $5 to ski. A great system they've got set up, and it's on private land.
The area looks a lot like Boulder, Colo., probably because this is the foot of the Rockies up here, just like in Boulder. Here's the nordic center:


We finally found some fresh snow to break. Luckily Mrs. C.T. brought the Fischer Rebounds:

Lots of aspens. The nordic center was like Ashton on steroids. Something like 15k:

Then it was some time for some speed. From the top of Grizzly Peak, looking down on the eastern plains:

At the ski hill. Now we're talking:

Happy holidays everybody. Here's to about a foot in Iowa between now and the Aston race. If I don't make it back for the race, Brett, you can log me for my best time out here: 2.5 mi. in 4 min. 15 sec. I'm sure the 2,000-foot vertical had nothing to do with the time. Cheers! --CTK

Decorah Conditions

Scott got every trail packed and tracked, except Luther College, before the machine broke down. It will be down until some time next week. Hopefully the 1" predicted for the next couple of days will just lay down in a nice even coat over the beautiful trails we have now.

If you want a nice long flat run, try out the trail to the Fish Hatchery in SW Decorah. If you want a little up and down, try the South end of Palisades. I don't do the steep North side of Palisades, but the rest is beautiful.

The driveway at Silvercrest Golf Course has not been plowed since the last snow, but our four-wheel drive made it to the parking at the top. We have broken a new track through about half of Silvercrest by human power. The snow was a little sticky, so the downhills were not exceptionally fast. You can follow our trail by bearing left of the clubhouse and following the loop. Beginners might want to take a less steep downhill. If you like downhill, ski all of the way down the driveway at the end! There is plenty of outrun before you hit the highway!

Merry Christmas skiing to all! Nancy

Decorah Trails, echo echo echo...

Decorah Trails;
Dug Road, Oneota Trail, Trout Run Trail, Van Peenan, Palisades, and Decorah Prairie were all groomed and tracked yesterday (Tuesday, Dec 21).  Luther College was going to be tracked and groomed today, but the groomer broke again and was hauled to our local implement store for their prognosis.  We have plenty of snow for skiing regardless, with more to come in the next couple days. - Judy

George Wyth-Cedar Falls

To corroborate Carson--skate skied Wyth around 9 am and trails in very good shape! The new signage is fantastic and it seems that people are following them (they indicate classic/skate/walk lanes). Thank you to the groomers and sign posters! Hopefully we'll get a little cooler temps and maybe a new dusting for really fast conditions. Humid snow= slow snow, but trails in good shape for both skate and classic.

Cedar Falls/Waterloo George Wyth Park

With the recent snows in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area. George Wyth State Park has groomed the paved trails for Classic, Skate, and Snowshoeing! Over the past few days, there has been a steady increase of traffic on the two ski paths! Very beginner friendly, I have only done 3 days of classic in my life, all in the past 3 days. Today I was able to do 3.5hr and the trails are great! Carson

Big Creek, Ankeny/Des Moines

I have yet to get to Big Creek assuming that we just have not had enough snow to groom. And, according to Kevin, one of BC's groomers, I'm both right and wrong.

Kevin made a valiant effort and was able to pack what snow we have in the Disc Golf Loop and he tried in the Prairie Loop and had mixed results. Definitely rock skis. Nothing could be done with the Lakeside Loop and there definitely isn't enough snow to set a classic track. If you head out, be wary of sticks and long grass that can snag a ski tip.

Classic-wise I have had some reasonable results skiing anywhere I know that the little snow we have is covering a grassy base. Waxless skis with F4 glide wax produced some fun skiing both Sunday and last night at Cottonwood Recreation area just north of Des Moines. Even with the mid 30's temps yesterday there was just enough snow to get a decent glide. Maybe Thursday's potential snow event will get us going - think white stuff.

XC Ski Trail Etiquette

Just some basics on XC ski trail etiquette that we all should know and pass on.

1 - Yield to the skier coming down the hill, this is from the aspect of control or lack there of.

2 - When you hear "Trail or Track" behind you, slide over and let the other pass, provided there is room. If it's tight, faster skiers should wait for a good opportunity to pass and be patient.

3 - Skaters stay out of the classic tracks as skating really tears up the classic groove.

4 - Classic skiers stay off the skating lane as classic skiing packs down the skating lane. A packed skate lane means poor kick off. If one has to classic ski on the skate lane then stay to the edges.

A - HAVE FUN! If it's not fun then what's the point? If you've got new skiers out with you give them a heads up on what expectations are about how the ski trail flows.

B - Stewardship for your trail, take a second to pick up a stick or twig that might cause a fall. Break off that limb that you have to duck under going around a corner. Volunteer when trail clean up days are scheduled as the prep work doesn't take care of it's self.

C - Most important is education, politely ask walkers-hikers-joggers-runners-snowshoers to stay off or to the edge of the trail. Chances are they have no idea how tough it is for the groomers to clean up after them. If you bring your pooch be sure to pick up Fido's do do. If you're an experience skier and see a new skier having trouble, take a moment and toss out a pointer or two. Remember we all were beginners once upon a time.

Decorah Oneota and Palisade Trails

Skied Decorah's Oneota and Palisade trails this brisk but sunny a.m.--I skated, my friend was diagonal striding---looked to be well-tracked for classic and she had no complaints. Palisade trail was decent for skating, but the riverside Oneota skate trail really isn't "groomed"--it's packed from the tracker, which left a big ole ridge in the middle. But still a great day for skiing, and beautiful scenery, so worth it for sure--all well covered!

Prairie Springs XC Ski Trails - Cresco, Iowa

All trails have been packed and combed and are skateable. Conditions are very good.
18" base with 3-6" new predicted for 12/20/2010.
Classic track will be set after new snow and skating lane repacked, probably Wednesday.
Temps in the 20s through Friday, single digits for the weekend.
We have added a new trail/loop this year. All trails and loops approximately 10 km total.
All trails start at Prairie Springs Nature Center 2 miles south of Cresco.

Ellis Park Golf Course- Cedar Rapids

Skied Ellis golf course Sunday the 19th and while it is un-groomed it provided very satisfactory classic skiing. This is a great ski venue featuring a nice mix of hills and flats.

Wikiup Hill- Cedar Rapids

Skied Wikiup on Sunday the 19th and found it groomed for classic and skate. We took one lap around and found it all too thin to ski. Rock skis only until we get more snow.

Morgan Creek Park- Cedar Rapids

Skied Morgan Creek Park Saturday the 18th and found it groomed for both classic and skate. The classic lane was too thin to ski so we ended up in the skate lane. New signs directing walkers and pets to a separate groomed lane to the inside if the upper loop. Nice touch and it seemed to help as there were no footprints in the ski lanes.

Larry

Ashton Cross Country Course, Iowa City

Ashton CCC, Iowa City, 20-22F, wind - NNE 5mph, humidity 60%
The packed classic tracks skied OK with some nice grip and glide if skiing your old waxables. Skating looked to be well packed from traffic so some gliding was to be had. Still stick with your rock skis if you've got them. - Brett

Prarie Springs XC Trail - Cresco IA

Prarie Springs CC Trail - Cresco IA
The trails will officially open on Monday, December 20, the first day after deer season ends. We have added a new loop to the Prairie Springs Cross Country Trails for the 2010-2011 ski season.  I will have a new map available for download next week.  We currently have about 18' of snow, and are expecting 3-6" more on Monday.  I will update conditions after Monday's snow.

Thanks, and have a Merry Christmas! Mark

Lime Creek, Mason City

ec,sc & I rolled up to Lime Creek today for a wonderful ski - we all skated and the loops were fine Fine FINE! as in - SO FINE! : ) thanks to our Mason City friends for the trail attention -- very good conditions, and they have a sweet little conservation center, to boot. WE ARE SMILING!!!!!

Ashton CC Course, Iowa City

Ashton, Iowa City, 2PM - 20 degrees - wind WSW 5-10.
Snow depth 3-4 inches, a couple of classic grooves have been packed. The kick and glide were good. Decent snow for getting out on the classic skis, pretty tough for skate skiing so far as there isn't any structured base to work from.  Brett

Adams Nature Preserve - Sioux City IA

Adams Nature Preserve, Sioux City IA - We have 5 to 6 inches of snow and about  4k loop groomed at Adams, although some places are a little thin.  In any case, we have been skiing since last Sunday.  Unfortunately, any areas exposed to wind have no snow.  Cody

Decorah is Ready!

The Decorah trails are packed and tracked.  Come and ski!

Ames report

Though a few folks have been stride skiing at Carr Woods there really isn't enough snow. However, on the Skunk river adjacent to the trails reasonable skating can be done. From the foot bridge one can skate about 3/4 mile upstream, and about 1/4 mile downstream to the warning sign for the low head dam. I started last weekend and ran up and down this section several laps 2 different days. Wednesday we got about an inch of powder so today a friend and I tried it again. There are some icy areas that aren't too great but overall one can do pretty well and at least get a decent start on the season. Be sure to wear your life jacket just in case.

Twin Pines Golf Course - Cedar Rapids

While we wait for good groomable snow, the golf courses can supply some good classic skiing. Cedar Rapids received about 4" of snow today so I put on my ski clothing, grabbed my skiis and poles, opened the back door, and skied to my neighborhood golf course.

The snow was powder and made for very low resistance in establishing a track. The winds were non-existent as a few flurries settled to the ground. The temperature was around 20 degrees and I had no problems with sticking snow. The day made for a very nice start to the season.

Webster City... just another inch.

Webster City at least looks white. One can ski, but we're way short of trackable or packable snow.

MNRA, North Liberty/Iowa City

The place is ungroomed, obviously. Got 3rd tracks today, which was nice. Problem is, after another 10 folks get out there, it's going to be tracked out. Snow's a little thin to say the least. To stay out of the duff you need to basically break your own trail through the fresh in spots. Good luck.

Lime Creek Conservation Area, Mason City

Snow in depth has finally arrived! We received snow and HIGH winds last weekend...which made for thin cover. New snow on Wednesday!
Lime Creek:
Skating Trails - packed Sunday, drifts leveled on Monday PM. Re-packed on Wed PM. Groomed on Thurs AM (12-16-2010). Latest report is 100% cover of the skate trails, with some thin areas. Trails should set up nice today. I'd expect some soft areas. Not enough snow depth to set classic track on skate trails yet. Enjoy!!
Woodland Classic Trails - Trails packed and tracks reset on Thurs AM (12-16-2010). I've not been on the trails...talk is some areas are very good, other areas thinner snow cover, but skiable.
New addition to this area for ski enthusiast. The Cerro Gordo County Personnel are grooming Wilkinson Park in Rock Falls, IA. This is a NEW ski venue this year. THANK YOU TO THE STAFF FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PROVIDE ANOTHER RECREATION VENUE FOR US THIS WINTER!!! They plan to pack the trails today and set new tracks this PM or on Friday.
As of this post North Iowa Nordic (NIN) has yet to have time to groom Pilot Knob State Park near Forest City, IA.

Todd Juhlin
NIN

Good Skiing in Decorah

Decorah got 10" of snow over the weekend and we have a great pack on all of the trails. We went out yesterday to ski Palisades and were blocked by trees bent over by the snow and ice from the weekend blizzard.

Today the Park and Rec. guys were able to cut some downed trees and roll the River Trail and Palisades. Then the tracker, which has been in the shop for the past few weeks, broke down again! Part of Van Peenan Park could not be rolled. They are hoping that the part they need will arrive tomorrow and they will be able to track on the new snow falling tonight.

Lime Creek - Mason City

DATE:   DECEMBER 13, 2010

TOPIC: LIME CREEK CONSERVATION AREA TRAILS

The Conservation Board staff have initiated cross country ski trail grooming activities for the 2010-2011 winter season.  Bicyclists and horseback riders are reminded that effective immediately all designated multi-purpose trails at the Lime Creek Area are closed for the winter months.

The woodland trails have been groomed for diagonal stride/classic skiing and the conditions range from poor to very good.  Due to the lack of any pre-existing snow base, the initial rainfall, the strong winds and cold temperatures the ski surface has no snow in some spots, is icy & rutted in others and allowed for excellent track setting in certain protected areas.

The trail around Quarry Lake has been packed with the snowmobile and all recreational walkers, snow shoe enthusiasts and dog walkers are asked to utilize that trail for their winter activities.  As a reminder hikers and other foot-powered traffic on the groomed ski trails damages the trail for cross country skiing.  Due to a very short winter ski season we strongly urge cooperation from all users, to respect the groomed ski trails when optimum conditions exist.

The skate ski or freestyle prairie loops were packed with a roller by the volunteer group on Sunday and the conditions are similar to those described for the woodland areas.

At Wilkinson Park in Rock Falls an initial rolling/packing of the expanded ski trail venue was completed Monday morning.  Due to the nature of that site much of the trail is icy or wind blown and does not present itself for recreational skiing yet.  Snowmobile traffic is no longer allowed in the Wilkinson Park area, per policy set by the Conservation Board at their November 2010 Board meeting.

  please contact our office at 641-423-5309.

Cedar Rapids area ski trail grooming

The word for the Cedar Rapids area is like many others, not enough snow to groom...

Mines of Spain, Dubuque

The word from Wayne at the Mines of Spain is yes the grooming snowmobile is fixed. No they won't be grooming till next week as shotgun deer season is going on in the park right now. So please don't go out and add your name to the growing hunting accident list that is currently building in Iowa right now.

Matsell Bridge and Pinicon Ridge

I know we won't be grooming for some time in my district (Wapsipinicon District), which would include Matsell Bridge Natural Area and Pinicon Ridge County Park.  Matsell gets hit hard by deer hunters and I won't groom there until after January 10th, the close of the late muzzleloader deer season.

We only received a couple of inches with this past storm in the Central City area so we will need a good base before we get started - but it's looking like that may be coming soon!

Best wishes,

Aaron Batchelder

Wapsipinicon District Park Ranger

12/13/10 Webster City: Not Yet

During the blizzard Webster City was in a dry hole. Our total snowfall was less than 3 inches with all open areas left bare, and up to 4 foot drifts in lee areas and ditches. There are skiable patches and trail sections, but that said, not yet groomable. Pray for vertical snowfall!

Interactive Snow Information webpage

Courtesy of Phil from the Des Moines area.

http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/interactive/html/map.html

I've added this link onto the weather info page of the Update for reference.

I'm not sure of all that this page does yet, messing around with the drop down box on the upper left give you a list of  snow depth, snowpack density, snowpack temp, snow melt, etc. For the geek in all of us...

Waiting for tracking in Decorah

Decorah Park and Rec. is waiting for parts for their tracker, so no trails will be groomed within the next few days. They expect to have the parts by the end of the week.
In the meantime, people are making their own tracks. The 8" of snow will probably blow a little today, but it is wonderful powder right now. We had some huge flakes come down early this morning. It will be beautiful when the sun shines.

Webster City just dusted as of 12/6

We had about an inch and a half. Not skiable (I tried). However, when we get snow here are the improvements for this season: Briggs Woods 5k Five Hills course is now lengthened to exactly 5k.

We have hundreds more trail marking flags. We will be grooming both a classic track and a double wide freestyle track.

The Woodland loop has a short alternate called the Waterfall loop by the cascading stream. We have more and better signs to the trails. Finally, at about the 4k area of the race course there will be a groomed and marked shortcut from the golf course over to the lake parking lot to start either the Woodland Loop or 7B Trails. From The golf course clubhouse to the shortcut and on to 7B is About 10k (one way). I'll measure more precisely if and when we get snow.

Wapsipinicon

Did 4 laps around the perimeter of the Wapsi State Park golf course in Anamosa today. I used 110-66-96 skis, so I guarantee you that you will be able to fit into this track. (If your skis go wider than that, shoot me an e-mail so we can ski together this year.) There will be a little drifting overnight, but the track should still be there for Sunday snow-seekers. This is about as far south as I found skiable snow today. About 1 hr from IC. Do not go to the clubhouse, follow the lower road by the river to the "road closed" sign near the playground and restroom building. This is near the 5th tee. Start there and work your way clockwise around the course. The main trail groove is pretty easy to see. Climb up left and traverse the 3rd hole tee and you're up in the flats and good to go. Here's the flats up top:

Coming back down the main hill toward the car you can choose your own adventure. There's five or six good routes back down the hill. Here's a mellow one:
In the center of the course there's a nice valley for sessions:
Get after it classic and BC folks. This is all the grooming you're going to get for awhile.

Also, lots of great wildlife: the eagles were terrorizing geese on the Wapsi this morning and there were some bucks chillin' in the ravines on the first day of shotgun season.

Mines of Spain, Dubuque IA

At least 8 inches of snow at Mines of Spain. Hopefully will get trails groomed on Monday. Shotgun Deer Season started today, Saturday. Not a good time for skiers or groomers to be out there. Stotgun deer season runs thru December 19.

Palisades in Decorah

We broke a classical trail around the South half of Palisades this morning. The snow was fluffy but a little sticky. Downhill was a little slow. We are going to try out Silvercrest this afternoon.

Oelwein IA 4-5"

Dan Ratcliff says 4-5" in Oelwein IA, maybe break out the rock skis...

5-6" in Decorah Iowa!

1st snow post for Iowa this season, 5-6" in Decorah! Thanks to Update contributor Nancy Sojka!