Track Report

Doug groomed as much as he could yesterday, but the wind blew apart the track today.  There are three nearly-equal parts to the "Track":
1. Deep drifts covering the track
2. Some visible groomed track, including both skate and classic, that is actually pretty nice
3. Long patches of wind-swept bare grass

I tried skiing today, and it was nice to get out even in the crazy wind and snow (better than a treadmill), but I wouldn't necessarily call it all skiing.  It was more like just covering the distance as best I could while getting lost every few minutes (easy to lose sight of a track when the track is buried or blown away).  Definitely a mix of skating, double poling, walking, and shuffling.  There's always hope that the wind settles down and we get some snow to work with.

If you're dead set on going out, avoid the east half of the Cow Pasture.  The west half is okay and you can ski a small loop on the north and again on the south side.  The rest of the Perimeter is just hit and miss.  And there's no point trying to do the Boot or Clover Leaf skate tracks.

Good luck, if you go out.

Grooming Report

Doug has been working on the new snow at the golf course (thank you!).  Here's what he reports:

The snow is minimal in enough places that I would not ski the track with new skis.  There is not enough snow to have a classic track set.  I groomed (for skating) as much as I could find snow to drive on.  The Cow Pasture on the east by the Freeway was completely melted off and the wind took care of any new snow, but there are some great areas on the east where the trees shade and protect from wind. Go try it - it'll be a different adventure.

Track Report

The skate track is still skiable, although it is breaking down.  Be especially careful to stop before going down hills to scope out the grassy patches.

Track Report

Believe it or not, the skate skiing is really good for much of the track right now - not so great for classic, though (there's no classic track to speak of).  The Perimeter, Clover Leaf and Cow Pasture have all been rescued for skate skiing. The Boot, however, is completely inaccessible because of a huge ice patch.  Don't even try it.  Or go ahead and try, but be forewarned.

So once the snow froze again, Doug was able to skirt around the ponds and create some new paths to avoid the water/ice and bare spots. Please be very alert, however.  There are still some scary patches and you need to be prepared to slow down and double-pole carefully in a few places.

Although we probably have a few days left, I still want to send out a huge end-of-season THANK YOU to both Doug and Randy for the many hours, many gallons of gas, and lots of amazing equipment they voluntarily contribute for the community's free use.  They have worked hard to create yet another magical winter wonderland this year.  Good Skiing = Happy People.  Thank you!

Course and Grooming Update, Kelly Report

Teton Lakes

Randy fixed the broken snow machine that pulls the groomer and got it off the track where it's been stuck for a few days.  Thank you, Randy!  Then Doug called around 10:30 this morning, saying he had managed to groom the skate course (nothing can be done with the classic tracks unless we get new snow).  Thank you, Doug! He said it's not great (very icy), but definitely skiable.  I'm frankly amazed that anything at all could be done so soon after last week's meltdown.

A lot of the water has seeped away making the standing water shallow enough to ice up; be careful, please. I'm not sure where all the water went since the ground is pretty frozen.  Maybe the ground warmed up enough to absorb some of the water?

It's true that the course was not at all skiable on Saturday - except maybe waterskiing - and absolutely not ready for any machine driving over it.  So maybe we can hold the race tonight instead, just for fun... Kidding.  Kind of.

Kelly Canyon 

Pat's suggestion of skiing at Kelly Canyon intrigued me, so I went up this morning.  It's been two years since I tried Nordic skiing there, and it has come a long way since then!  The trails were beautiful and I'm so glad I went.

If you arrive before the resort opens, you can put $5 in the fee box at the trail head.  It was a lot of climbing - you know, like you're skiing at a ski resort - but it was actually really nice.  Unfortunately I took the fast trail back ("Moose"), and it was NOT a friendly trail.  My legs are still shaking from snow plowing on the churned-up trail.  I actually took my skis off and walked for a while, which just shows what a bad hill skier I am.  In hindsight, I should've gone back down the road, "Broadway" trail, instead.  Live and learn.

Winter isn't over

Just because the low parts of our track are in knee-deep water doesn't mean it's the end of skiing!  There is still a great deal of snow on the Cow Pasture (southernmost loop) at Teton Lakes, although the groomer might not be able to get there with all the water in the way.... But if you don't mind skiing in circles on old hard track - practically an ice rink - then that's still an option, I guess.  I haven't given up hope that we will still resurrect the course yet.  There are a few days of snow predicted.  (I'm ignoring the few days of rain predicted).

Nearby Options:

There are lots of places for Nordic skiing.  Besides the nearest ones highlighted below, there's also Teton Canyon (check out tvtap.org), Jackson Hole, and of course West Yellowstone's Rendezvous and Park trails.  We keep a link to some of these places down on the right hand side of the blog.

Kelly Canyon

Pat sent a picture of Kelly Canyon this morning (did you know they groom for Nordic skiing?).

 It's breathtakingly beautiful and worth the trip.
Pat says trail passes are just $5 (I think for half day).  Not surprisingly, the best skiing is at the top of the mountain, which you can ski up (climbing hills is good for us, right?).  However, they also have a one-time chair lift pass for $5 that puts you on top, so that's another option.
The trails are open for fat bikes and snowshoes, too.  Parking is in the main lot with access to the lodge.  Very nice!

Harriman

Jeff spent Saturday skate skiing at Harriman, which was gorgeous.  He said it was a cement track, so it was icy-hard but fast, but there were some sun-exposed portions that were suddenly soft.  I didn't get any report on classic skiing.  Their grooming schedule is Friday evenings and (I think) Mondays?  They update their Facebook page when they've groomed.  Yesterday they wrote that the interior trails were pretty soft and the groomer sunk in a couple of times, so parts of the trails are better than others.

Crust

I can't quite recommend crust cruising yet - still a little early for that, I guess.  My girls and I tried to crust cruise Saturday on the dry farms on the bench above Rexburg.

If you are a 65lb. 9 year-old, you'd have no trouble gliding all over the fields.  My older daughter and I, however, kept punching through, and the crust was pretty pock-marked.  We quit after about 40 minutes, but it was nice to be out anyway.

January Weather Recap

Just for kicks, here's January's Rexburg weather recap from Lee Warnick:

High temperatures: 21.8 / 6.0 degrees below normal

Low temperatures: 5.4 / 5.2 degrees below normal

Zero or below days: 12     Normal: 6.6

Highest wind gust: 36 mph on the 9th, 10th and 11th

Number of windy days: 6    Normal: 3.3

Highest temperature: 38 on the 9th

Lowest temperature: -20 on the 6th

Lowest wind chill: -31 on the 5th

     • January's bone-chilling comparative temps were similar to December's: highs were again 6 degrees below normal, and lows were 5.2 degrees below normal versus December's 6.3 degrees. We amassed another dozen 0-or-below days, added to December's 14. This was the 4th of the past 5 months with below normal highs but just the 2nd with below normal lows.

     • January's high temps were the 4th coldest in 45 years and, notably, the lowest since 1985. The low temps were the 10th coldest in 45 years but the lowest only since 2013. 

     • Despite the month's generally cold vibe, there were a few multi-day surges to or above freezing, also accompanied by the month's snowiest (or rainiest) weather. The high temperature on the 6th was a daily-record-breaking 4 degrees (following a low of 20-below); three days later the high was a balmy 38 and rain was falling.

Cupid Cup 2017 **CANCELLED**

With heavy hearts we announce the CANCELLATION of the Cupid Cup 2017.

We will refund any registration fees via PayPal shortly.

Due to the warm weather several ponds of standing water have developed along the race course. These are large enough that we are unable to work around them to provide a safe and adequate racecourse.

Furthermore, due to the conditions, we recommend that skiers NOT try to access the nordic trails at Teton Lakes until further notice. We worry that skiers will either hurt themselves or the course in such a way as to jeopardize our ongoing use of this venue.

We look forward to an excellent (and perhaps earlier) race in 2018.

Thank you for your support!

Teton Lakes indeed!

Cupid Cup Toko Wax Recommendations

Thanks to Randy Anderson for this wax tip!

Just in case you're worried about Saturday's race conditions, the track is holding up very well.  

Pat reports that when he skied the course at 5am this morning it was wet and raining, but still pretty firm with only a couple of wet spots.  Read on for a race-day forecast. 

Grooming Report

Doug has been out working hard on the tracks last night and again this morning - thank you!  He ripped out the classic tracks and reset them, and he groomed all the skate tracks.  It's beautiful. 

Track Report

The ski tracks are holding up nicely, although there are a few places on the classic track where the walls have toppled and skis have punched down.  The skate track was icy fast this morning around 9:30.  When I finished around 11 there was a thick layer of new, soft snow on top.  Doug was out skating, too, and said he's planning on tuning up the track later today.  We are getting lots and lots of snow right now.   I think we might be just fine for the Cupid Cup, even with some warm days coming later this week.  

Track Report - Cupid Cup still a go (for now)

These 40F days and rain are killing me!  Doug said this morning that the track is still snow covered, although how long that lasts is anyone's guess.  He also said that if we had some freezing temperatures to stabilize the snow, he could groom, but it's so soft now that the groomer would likely punch through to the grass.

As of now, the Cupid Cup is still a go.  A couple of years ago we had to cancel due to rain melting away our track just days before the race.  Ugh.  I know there's not a thing we can do about it, but it still is frustrating.  We will just have to wait and see how things are at the end of the week.

Grooming Update

Doug just used the new groomer for the first time and said it was great. He also reset the classic track.  Skiing should be pretty wonderful. Thanks, Doug!

Sunday Falun

30km World Cup Classic race this past Sunday.  Lots of double poling!  Listen to the commentary around 17:30-17:40 as they talk about herringbone skiing with a flat or edged ski.

Saturday Falun Sprints - In English

In case you need something to watch, check out this past Saturday's sprint races.  Watch at about 10 minutes to 10 1/2 minutes - the broken pole exchange was smooth!

Grooming Update and Schedule(?)

Randy just finished up grooming the course this evening - yippee! Can you say, "Fresh corduroy"?  😀 Thanks, Randy!

Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but... a rumor is circulating that grooming is done daily, so it's "no big deal" to walk or snowshoe down the middle of the skate lane...

Please remember that grooming is done purely on a voluntary basis by Doug and Randy, and they groom when they can, but there is no schedule. 

We shouldn't have any expectations that the trails will be groomed, and in between we should try to take care of the wonderful grooming we get. 

Messing up the skate track might not seem like a problem - unless you're a skate skier. The holes, ruts and prints left by walkers, bikers and snowshoers ruin the corduroy and can trip up skate skiers, who are often skiing very fast. (It can trip up skate skiers who are skiing slowly, too!) 

  

Doug and Randy work very hard to provide the best classic and skate skiing trails they can. Please respect their work by seeing it for what it is: trails groomed for Nordic Skiing (with snowshoeing off to the side as an acceptable use, too). 

 
See this post from a few days ago for a good overview of ski etiquette at Teton Lakes.

New Groomer

Surprise! Randy came by this evening, sporting a brand new Ginzu groomer on his trailer.  Oh my goodness, it feels like Christmas.

Randy made the trip up to West Yellowstone this afternoon to bring back this marvelous new addition from Yellowstone Track Systems.  Wow, thank you! The old Ginzu has been great, but this new one has some pretty spiffy updates.
Our already-amazing grooming is just about to get even more amazing.

Awesome.

New BYU-I Trail Maps

From Scott: We made some revisions to the trails. The green line is the classic track, the red line is Fat Bike Groomed and then inside that is skate deck.

This map can always be found by clicking on the Trail Maps tab above.