Dec 31 Fri. Morning update

Doug groomed last night (thank you!). Here’s his report from late last night:

I think we finally have a good track (both skate and classic). The snow was dense and packed well. Given a few hours to set up it should be durable and firm (that is unless it gets snowed on or wind blown).  There were some scary drifts, I wondered if I was going to make it through then.  One right at the corner of the big hill where the bench was, it is covered up now. That drift stopped me, but I backed up a few feet and hit again and made it through.  The skate track three rounds to make it so you didn’t have a hump to skate on.  After tonight it should tune up  easy.  

Happy New Year and enjoy the great winter.

Dec 29 (Wednesday) 11:30pm

 Jeff just got home from four hours of grooming the skate deck and setting classic tracks. We have lots and lots of new snow! He says it should set up pretty well tonight, but I bet we will have plenty of drifts from the wind. Thank you, Jeff!

Happy trails!

December 29 morning report

Doug has been hard at work. I think he’s groomed at least five times this week - and it’s only Wednesday! Thank you, Doug. Here’s his report this morning:

The trail is groomed with a set of conventional tracts and one trip around for skating.  Not much time this morning but the ground is covered.  The conventional (classic) track looked great but is not very durable, very soft snow.  Skiing will help. Have a great day.

December 28 morning report

 Thanks again to Doug for his work. He groomed three separate times yesterday! Here’s his report from this morning:

The classic track and skate track were both tuned up last night about 10:00 pm. Barring wind drifting they should be well set up and very skiable.  Most of the grass is covered and we are slowly move toward great skiing.  See you on the trail.

December 27 Morning Grooming

 Excellent news this morning! Many thanks to Doug. He just sent this report:

The trail was groomed this morning and skating should be fair.  There are bare spots where the wind cleared off the snow.  I tried going out around those areas and on whole we have snow.   The classic track will he good about one third, blown in one third and skiing on grass one third.  I will go touch it up when it stops snowing.   It's the best it can be with our conditions.

FYI

 We’ve been out of town this past week, but are now back. I’m sure the wind has wreaked havoc on the course. I won’t be able to get out to check on things for another day or two. However, I will post any updates I hear from Doug or other skiers. 

December 17 Grooming

 I still haven’t had a chance to get out, but Pavel reports that Teton Lakes has a trail! Doug said he has been rolled it twice. It still hasn’t set up completely and there’s not enough snow to cover all the bare patches, but it’s a start!  

Thank you, Doug - what a great gift this is for all of us. Jeff H. is heading out now to either roll again or possibly pull the Ginzhu groomer. Thanks, Jeff!

Classic tracks have not been set (we still need some more snow), so please either kick your own trail off the track or ski on the sides of the track and not down the center. Tracks left by classic skiers in the middle of the skate track can really trip up a skate skier.

Pavel just sent this report after skiing:

No classic, pretty thin, soft, challenging. Grass and cart paths showing through in places. Big thanks to the groomer.

March 23 Surprise

Doug just texted this unexpected report. Thank you, Doug!

If you want to ski March 23 at Teton Lakes Golf Coarse today is you chance.  Don’t bring your best skis.  The loop is a little funky.  Starts at the parking lot going backwards.

It will be best with classic skis, the skate track is very soft.  Have fun.

Last tuneup this season

 Doug again tuned up the course one last time. Looks like it’s time to pull out the rock skis today. Here’s his report:

“I tried to touch up the course last night.  Much of it is good, but we lost two bridges yesterday and a couple of hill top to skiing on the grass.  There are two places where cart paths are exposed most of the way. It will ski good this morning, but after today we are finished.”

Thank you to Doug for the many hours he volunteered. He made it an amazing season. See you again in November or December.

Saturday Morning

 Jeff and I just finished skiing at Teton Lakes (10am Saturday). It’s a bonus day! Doug tuned up the skate track last night (thank you!), adding some alternative routes to avoid bare patches. 

It was really fun and fast. The classic track looks mostly very good, although the south facing hills are melted out. The Cow Pasture is still skiable but it is fading fast. Please keep your eyes open for grass, ice and puddle patches, and there’s a little asphalt peeking out. I think we should get a few more days of skiing there. 

In another week or two, we’re moving to higher ground for skiing and also transitioning to dry-land sports. Meanwhile, don’t forget the groomed Nordic skiing at Kelly Canyon, Teton Canyon, Alta, Targhee (if the thin air at that altitude doesn’t bother you), ski trails in Jackson Hole, Mink Creek (Pocatello),  Harriman State Park, and - always a favorite- the Rendezvous Trails in West Yellowstone. (They had a good 12” of new snow earlier this week, by the way.)

Crust cruising on the dry farms can be so much fun, just be conscientious if there are no-trespassing signs. We love our farmers and respect their farmland.

Thursday, March 11, 2021 Track Status

Just finished a lap on the classic tracks. Sadly I think we’re at the end of the season. We may be ok to tune the skate track tomorrow if it doesn’t get too warm but probably not a good idea to try and tune up the classic tracks. If one of us does go out we’ll have to remember to not go out onto the Cow Pasture loop, the South facing slope on the East side by the river is all melted out. 

Regardless of the warmth this has been a great year - thanks to Doug, Stephanie and Randy for all their hard work in our behalf!

Wednesday March 10, 2021 (Evening)

Doug laid down a new set of classic tracks and Jeff made a single pass on the skate lane this evening.  Watch for the right hand detour on the second loop of the Clover Leaf (ice wall is gone) and a couple of icy and narrow patches on bridges and south facing slopes.  Coming out of the parking area there's also a bare patch but you can scoot around the trees to the east on the classic tracks and keep your skis on.

Hopefully the cold will keep things solid into the weekend...

Wednesday Morning Report

 The classic tracks have pretty much melted down, but you can definitely follow them or just scoot around on top of the crust. The skate track is icy and hard in the morning, but will likely soften in the afternoon. If you hit it just right, you’ll avoid it turning to slush.

Thankfully Doug tuned up the skate track so you have some purchase on the icy track. It was incredibly fast this morning.

There is a hazard you have to watch out for: the second downhill on the Clover Leaf (nearer the highway) has a new track just to the side of the original track. Please stop at the top of the hill and look ahead (unlike what I did...). There’s a big wall of ice and snow that crosses the track on the way down. It’s too icy to snowplow to a stop, so unless you go off track you are in for a painful crash. Yep, it hurt. 

The icy mornings make the track a little challenging and technical, but still really fun. It’ll be easier and slower in the afternoon. There are hardly any thin patches as of this morning. The black stuff on the greens and all the tracks from the Maverick (from spreading the black stuff) are rather ugly, but it’s still so nice to be out. Enjoy - and be careful! 

This is a picture from below the ice wall, looking back up the hill after I managed to stand back up. :) I tried to move the chunks of ice and clear a path for anyone else, but it was all frozen into one solid mass. Go around, or maybe scope out the old/original track. Just don’t try to ski over this.

Tuesday Morning Tuneup

 Doug tuned up again! He has put in an enormous amount of time this season, for which we are all extremely grateful. Thank you so much, Doug. We’re also very thankful for Jeff and Randy’s contributions. Here’s Doug’s Tuesday morning report:

The skate track should be good until noon,  just tuned it up.  The golf guys took the Maverick to spread black stuff on the greens.  I will touch up the skate track until snow is gone with the  RZR.

Monday morning tuneup

 Looks like Doug made one pass on the skate track. Thanks, Doug!

 Enjoy this Spring Skiing while you can. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last week of groomed skiing at Teton Lakes. It’s still amazes me that we lasted this long. Have fun!

Friday Night Grooming

I got this report from Randy just now (9:30pm Friday). He just finished tuning things up for Saturday skiing - thank you, Randy! He was able to groom one pass of the perimeter for skate skiing, and it should skate well tomorrow while the snow stays cold. The track tends to get a little slushy later on in the day when it warms up.

 He also made three passes to get the classic track reset. He said it was a little challenging, considering the snow conditions, but it should be pretty good for this time of year. We’re all amazed that we have so much snow still. Enjoy!

Friday tuneup

 Doug has been hard at work again. Thank you, Doug! Here’s his report:

Skate track was tuned again last night and I did my best to redo conventional tracks.  Snow is so hard in places the tines will not penetrate enough for the track setter to do its work.  Where I could find new snow, I set the track out on new territory.  They are better than no tracks.  Skating should be wonderful until the sun warms things to slush.   It is spring skiing.  Have a great day!

Thursday Tune-up

 Doug just texted. Thanks, Doug!

The track was tuned this morning and skates very well.  Tonight I will attempt to replace the conventional (classic) tracks.

Monday Morning

 Looks like Doug tuned up the skate track. The fresh corduroy is beautiful and should be great skiing. The classic tracks look sturdy and are holding up. Thanks, Doug!

Saturday morning update

Doug just sent me this update - thanks, Doug!

The trail was groomed last night but as I finished the wind and snow came up and it was late, so this morning I made a pass down the middle of the skate track, like I did Thursday evening. I also put a new set of conventional (classic) tracks in this morning, not much could be seen of the old tracks. The crowd is good this morning so you better get out here before it is all chopped up; it won’t take long as soft as things are. 

Friday Morning Update

 Once again, Doug groomed last night, finishing after midnight. We hope he is getting enough rest with all the work he’s doing! Many, many thanks, Doug.

Here’s his report:

Just a note, the skate track will be good for Friday skiing with the center smoothed and ice broke up.  If it snows tomorrow I will groom when it ends.  The conventional tracks are mostly good except in a few open areas where the wind filled filled them in with the little snow we had.  It was late tonight when the snow stopped and there was not enough snow to repair them .  I will tear them out after the snow tomorrow so they will be good for Saturday.

Ski Lessons:

I’ve had a few people ask again for this information, so I’m re-posting it. If you don’t manage to get a lesson in this season with Aelin, save this information for next season. It’s well worth it!

Improve your technique with 2002 Olympic skier Aelin Peterson Allegood. She's excited to offer lessons at Teton Lakes Winter Park! Contact Aelin at (907)378-1205 or aelin2002@gmail.com. Private lessons are $45/hour and prices vary for group lessons. To register for a group lesson, please visit https://nordicski.mailchimpsites.com 

Wednesday Morning Nordic and Fat Bike Update

 Teton Lakes Winter Park - Nordic Skiing:

Doug finished grooming at midnight last night - thank you, Doug! Here’s his report:

The trails are groomed as best as I had time for and conditions would allow. The snow has gone from soft fluff to boiler plate hard. The skate track will be great, but the classic track leaves us wishing it was softer. It is ok and I think will give some good skiing. Have a great evening.

Legacy Golf Course Fat Bike Trail:

John groomed the Legacy Golf Course fat bike trail and says it should be in pretty good shape with this cold weather. Thanks, John! (Just a reminder, this is a different golf course than the one groomed for cross-country skiing)

Tuesday update

Heads up: there are a lot of “might be’s” in this post. :) I wanted to update you on what we (well, not me - just Doug) will be working on this afternoon.

Jeff skate skied yesterday evening and said it was pretty rough with the windblown areas and soft track. Doug is heading out this afternoon to tune things up. He has to pick up the Maverick (it was being repaired) so it’ll be a while yet before he’s done grooming. 

This might be a better day to classic ski (although it might be good to skate on by this evening), and tomorrow should hopefully be a good day for both skate and classic skiing. Thank you so much, Doug!

Saturday Night tune up, Monday morning winds

Good windy Monday morning! I hope the snow has settled enough that the wind isn’t bothering it too much.

Doug’s Saturday night report arrived just now (it didn’t send at first).

״I did finish the grooming last night (late Saturday).  Literally plowed the clover leaf out and touched up the rest of the skate track.  I put in new conventional tracks and with the night to set up they should be good for a few days.  The skate track is soft and may need a daily tune up until the new snow packs.  One last note the Maverick track is jumping again so I will have it looked at tomorrow.  Used my RZR last night.״

Saturday Afternoon

 After our big snow-and-wind-storm, the sun is out and it’s calm! Randy is grooming right now (3:45pm). He is almost done with the classic tracks and will do two passes on the skate track. He expects the first pass of grooming for skate skiing to be available in about 45 minutes. Thank you, Randy!

Friday

 I’m not skiing today, but a quick look from the parking lot shows that Doug has groomed one pass on the skate deck. I can’t tell if the tracks have been re-set or if skiers have packed down last night’s new snow, but there are tracks. Feel free to send a report if any of you ski this afternoon. Thanks!

Wednesday Grooming and Fat Bikes

Nordic Skiing at Teton Lakes Winter Park

 Doug is out right now (8:30am), tuning up the course. The classic tracks are set nicely. Thank you, Doug! It’s amazing that we still have so much snow. We’ve had years where the grooming stops in early February. I hope you’re enjoying this bonus winter.

Fat Bike Trail at Legacy Golf Course

While no fat bikes are allowed at Teton Lakes Winter Park (our Nordic ski course), the City does groom a course for Fat Bikes at the Legacy Golf Course - that’s the golf course next to the Rexburg Airport, just next to Main Street on the west side of town. John, the city groomer, keeps the fat bike trails groomed nicely. Thank you! Here’s his update: 

I just groomed today but the snow isn’t packed hard yet. It’s probably fine to ride on but will be better by the end of the week

Nordic Ski Lessons 

Also, I’ve had a lot of fun learning to ski better - both classic and skate - with Aelin. If you’re interested, I’ve included her information from a previous post:

Improve your technique with 2002 Olympic skier Aelin Peterson Allegood. She's excited to offer lessons at Teton Lakes Winter Park! Contact Aelin at (907)378-1205 or aelin2002@gmail.com. Private lessons are $45/hour and prices vary for group lessons. To register for a group lesson, please visit https://nordicski.mailchimpsites.com .

Tuesday Report

 The trails are groomed! Thanks, Doug. 

Monday Snow

 Doug texted. Thanks, Doug! That’s a lot of work, only to have it all snowed over so soon again.

I groomed today in a heavy snow just so the crowd could see we had a ski trail. It has stayed ok with the crowd.  It will needed groomed after the crowd leaves and the snow stops.

Saturday morning

9:30am -  Jeff is heading out to groom the skate track and set the classic track. It’ll take up to 3 hours before he’s all done, so we all have time to snow blow our driveways in the meantime. :)  Thanks, Jeff! 

Grooming Friday Morning

Jeff is on his way to groom the skate track right now (9am). His time is limited to just do the skate track this morning. I’m not sure if Doug will be available to set the classic tracks later, but I’ll post any news I hear.

Also, I’m copying an earlier post to make sure all are aware of this unique opportunity:

Improve your technique with 2002 Olympic skier Aelin Peterson Allegood. She's excited to offer lessons at Teton Lakes Winter Park! Contact Aelin at (907)378-1205 or aelin2002@gmail.com. Private lessons are $45/hour and prices vary for group lessons. To register for a group lesson, please visit https://nordicski.mailchimpsites.com .

Thursday Evening Track Report

 Doug tuned up the skate track earlier today or last night. The classic tracks are holding up nicely. Everything is a little icy, but still great skiing. 

Ski Lessons from an Olympic Skier

 I am beyond excited to post this:

Improve your technique with 2002 Olympic skier Aelin Peterson Allegood. She's excited to offer lessons at Teton Lakes Winter Park! Contact Aelin at (907)378-1205 or aelin2002@gmail.com. Private lessons are $45/hour and prices vary for group lessons. To register for a group lesson, please visit https://nordicski.mailchimpsites.com .

I (Stephanie) want to add that besides racing in the 2002 Winter Olympics, Aelin also competed in the World Cup circuit as a member of the U.S. Ski team for several years, and spent the last 15 years teaching skiing in Alaska. She's really a lot of fun to ski with, no matter what your ability is. The kids in the Nordic Ski Club got to have her visit, and brought home glowing reports. We are so happy to have her here in our neck of the woods now.  She teaches all levels, from beginners on up, in both skate and classic technique. 

Tuesday Report

 I actually didn’t ski today, but it was great yesterday. (I teach Tuesdays and Thursdays so it’s hard to get out those days.) Anyway,  I made a trip to Idaho Falls this afternoon  and noted how little snow is left to the south of us. So, to our Rigby and IF skiers, the snow in Rexburg is still holding on and is great skiing. We even have more snow in the forecast. We’re not through skiing yet! Enjoy.

Monday Grooming

 It looks like Doug has been out grooming this morning. There’s at least one pass on the skate deck. It also looks like the classic tracks have been reset. These super cold mornings (3F this morning) tend to better classic than skate skiing. It’s supposed to warm up to 28F this afternoon, although it’ll be a little breezy. Sadly, we are at the point in the season where things will soon wind down, although hopefully we can extend the skiable days with some crust cruising as spring gets closer. Some years we’ve had a groomed trail into March. 🤞🏻

Track Update

 Doug just sent this:

The track is skiing great except for a couple of wind areas .   The conventional track has a few more than the skate track and I will try to fix them before class tonight.  James also got our Maverick up and running. 

RZR Grooming

Hooray! Doug is out grooming right now (10pm Wednesday), using his RZR while the Maverick is in the shop getting repaired.

Thank you, Doug!

Grooming on temporary hold

 The groomer is out of commission for a few days while we wait for parts for the tracks. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. 🤞🏻

The skate deck is skiing well and hard enough not to be rutted. The classic tracks are wearing down a bit, but it’s still fun to get out. Enjoy!

Doug groomed Saturday night

 Doug just texted this update. Thank you, Doug!

 I put the track back together last night.  The skate track is good, but the conventional track is just ok.  The snow and the tracks are very hard and difficult to soften enough to get the track setters to go to depth.  I should have gone over it twice but working the Maverik like I was, the back track began to jump.  I think we have a problem and I will have James look at it tomorrow.  We are skiing and much better than yesterday.  Have a great Sunday.

Friday report

 There’s been no new grooming because of the warm, wet weather. But the snow is holding up and looks like it has transformed - both the classic and the skate should be pretty good. There are some thin patches you need to watch out for, and also blown-over areas. It’s not ideal, but it’s still good to get out. Enjoy the warm, windy day!

Wednesday Night Grooming

Jeff is just back from grooming.  Lots of drifting going on, so in the exposed areas, YMMV.  Did a quick groom on the classic track that might get blown in.  The skate track was holding up ok between the first and second pass, but drift busting left some spillover in the track.  We'll tune it up when the snow and wind settle down in the coming days.

Tuesday Morning report

A huge thanks to Doug again for his work. He sent this text last night:

I spent time working on the skate this afternoon and evening. It should ski well. I put the groomer inside over the weekend and thawed it out. I found a few missing screws from the back mat that may have contributed to the abrupt edge in the middle. Added some screws and the track blends better in the middle.  I need to watch better and thaw it out more often, if nothing more than to take some weight off. Anyway, it looks better, hope it skies better.  Let everyone know for morning. Happy skiing

Monday Night Grooming

 My daughters just got back from Ski Club and said they saw Doug out grooming. The track was covered, soft and slow this morning, so we’re happy with, and grateful for, the grooming (always!).

Race this week

 The City of Rexburg is hosting a virtual cross-country ski race this week. Check out the link for details:

https://www.rexburgraces.com/yeti-chase-race/

Note: This is not the citizen-sponsored Cupid Cup we’ve traditionally held (we have not planned to host it this year because of COVID-19), but is a brand new race entirely run by the City. 

Grooming Report

Doug groomed the skate deck this morning. Jody reports that it’s still soft but nice. The Clover Leaf hasn’t been groomed, but it has been skied on enough that it’s okay.

Thursday Night Grooming

 Jeff is just heading out now (Thursday, 10pm) to groom, so we should have good (but soft) skiing in the morning, although the snow may continue to fall throughout the night and leave a fresh layer on the track. Have fun!

Note: Grooming takes 2-3 hours each time. In order to respect the volunteer time and effort, please remember not to walk, snowshoe, or sled on the ski trails, and please no dogs on the course.

And while we’re at it, please also don’t throw trash in the port-a-potty. Thanks!

Skate update

Doug just sent this skate track update:

“I softened the skate track this morning early and should be good skiing all day.”

A huge Thanks! to Doug for his excellent work.

Also, the classic tracks are holding up, although they have been getting a lot of traffic (which is fantastic!). Jeff classic skied tonight and said the tracks are just fine.

Please don’t sled on the ski trails

 We’ve had a group of sledders using the hills on the Clover Leaf and the Perimeter for sledding down and walking straight back up the middle, leaving big boot prints in the snow and also flattening out the grooming. If you see that, will you kindly direct the sledders back to the sledding hill? I’m sure it’s simply a matter of not knowing the ski trails are intended for skiing only, and a little gentle education can hopefully clear it all up. 

Thank you!

Saturday Jan 16th Grooming Report

 Did two passes with the ginsu groomer on the skate track (all loops) to try and soften things up a bit.  Classic tracks should still be in good shape.

Thursday update

 Jeff groomed the skate track last night and the classic tracks are well set. Have fun!

Track report

 There hasn’t been any grooming since last night’s snowfall, so the skate deck and classic tracks are covered in crusty snow. The skate track is surprisingly skateable (because of the crust and also the firm base) but it is a little punchy. Be careful not to trip up in tracks left by previous skiers. A couple of classic skiers say the classic track is good, just a little icy. Enjoy!

We expect high winds this afternoon, so even if it is groomed before then, it could blow over in a lot of places later today. We are planning to groom late this evening once the afternoon wind dies down.

Monday Tune-up

 Doug tuned up the course. Reports are that it is skiing really well. Enjoy!

Tune-up

 Jeff tuned up the skate deck last night and Doug groomed a small practice loop inside the Clover Leaf. There wasn’t much they could do with the classic track, but it’s holding up well. 

The kids Ski Club meets this afternoon. There are all levels of skiing among those teens, from brand-new beginners to more-experienced. It’s great to have them out there. Happy trails!

Morning Report

 Here’s an update from Doug:

My son Joe last night touched up the skate trail, it looks very nice.  We did not touch the conventional track so it’s not perfect, but it’s still in very good condition.  Skiing should be good today and Jeff will make it perfect for Thursday ski school.  Our Maverick Groomer should be back on line today with a heater, defroster for the window and a front light bar so we don’t run over a bridge or in the river.  If for some reason the Maverick is not ready my RZR is ready for another evening run.  Have a great day.

Grooming

 The City’s four-track groomer is in the shop getting a much-needed heater, so Doug’s son is out now (9pm Tuesday) grooming with Doug’s razor. Many thanks! The skate track will be ready for skiing tomorrow, and the classic tracks are set really well already. Enjoy!

Track report

I just stopped at the course to take a look. So far there’s no grooming yet (10am), but the parking lot has a good 15+ cars and there are skiers out enjoying this sunny day. The snow is very soft with a powder layer on top. I can see one skate skier pushing through the snow. Looks like he’s getting some glide. The classic skiers are having a good ski, it seems. I will post again if I get a grooming update.

Grooming report

Looks like the course has been groomed for skating and the classic tracks are set. Thanks, Doug! Heads up: The youth Ski Club starts today (Monday and Thursday afternoons), with over 40 teens signed up and out on the course. Should be fun!

Remember the Great Toilet Paper shortage last year? Jeff mentioned an article he read saying that Nordic Skis are the new toilet paper - there’s been a run on cross-country skis. It’s a great outside, socially distant, fight-the-winter-blues activity. This is definitely a bumper year for skiing.