Now We're Groomin'

After a couple of weeks of negotiations, anxiety and overnight deliveries from British Columbia we're finally up and running.  Check out Doug tearing it up and then laying it down smooth with the Ginzu behind our brand-new Trackmobile.  Suggestions for an appropriate name can be left in the comments below.  I'm going with "Silver" for now. ;)

Groomed and ready to go

The course looks great! Come ski on the freshly groomed trail (thank you, Doug!).

4 Track (almost) Good to Go

Hooray! Just got word that the braces for the 4 track (which will pull the grooming equipment) just came in this evening.  It should be delivered to the golf course tomorrow morning.  Grooming will start hopefully by mid-morning.  It's always nice to let a track set up a couple of hours after grooming and before skiing, so I would suggest waiting until mid-afternoon if you can.

I'll post if I hear anything else.

No Grooming yet

The new snow today was beautiful, and it completely covered all tracks at the golf course.  Good luck snowshoeing on your skis until it's groomed.  We're hoping to hook up a smaller snow machine to the roller since the big snow machine we've been borrowing is no longer available.  Our 4 Track is practically ready, except for a part that got shipped accidentally to Louisville (pretty sure that's where it went) instead of Idaho.  Hmm. I doubt they'll need it in Louisville.  Word is, however, that the part will be here tomorrow.  I hope.  I'll post as soon as I know anything else.

Track Conditions and Moose Alert

The skate and classic tracks are holding up really nicely. With the skiff of new snow, it wasn't super icy on the hard skate track.  It was fun and fast skating this morning, although I did trip up on some old bike ruts that were hard to see in the flat light.  Our local Classic expert, Bethany, reports that the classic track was a little sticky today because of the fresh powder, but it was a good grip for poles.

Watch out for the moose. Bethany and I each saw them at different times of the day today in the same spot (see map below).

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but here we go again: 

Please only ski on the skate track if you're skating.  No bikes.  If you're on classic skis, please use the classic track or if you need to be on the skate track, please stay to the side of the skate track.  If you're pulling a chariot or some kind of sled for kiddos (which we love! Get the whole family out!), please stay to the far sides of the skate track.

The V-shape that skate skiers use when skiing make it so the skis can get caught in straight line ruts.  And if a skate skier is moving really fast, catching a ski in non-V-shaped tracks can lead to a painful crash and even cause serious injuries.  Please be careful and considerate.  Thanks!

Moose Alert

The mama moose and her baby like to bed down in the willows near the Cow Pasture.  I saw them in time to skirt around without getting too close, although Mom did get up and walk towards me a bit.  I spent the next few minutes eyeing the trees, figuring out which one I could hop into with skis on if she charged.  I skied really fast for a while.  :) They may be anywhere around the ski tracks, of course, but this does seem to be a favorite spot.  Just keep your eyes open, be respectful, and use good judgment.

Mom and Baby Moose like to bed down here in the willows.

If the moose are in the willows, avoid getting too close by taking a short cut here.

If you'd like to get on and off the Cow Pasture without getting too close to the Moose, take this bridge both ways.

Kids Club Photo

Matt Johnson from the Rexburg Standard Journal took the club picture yesterday.  We are missing a few of our skiers from the picture :( but they are very much a part of the Nordic Ski Club!

Ski and Moose Tracks Report

Bethany reports that for classic skiing this morning the track is FAST (and very cold). Yesterday the skate track was getting pretty icy.  We're hoping to get our new 4 Track out today or tomorrow to clean up the skate track.  Heads up, watch for the moose (and moose tracks)!  Bethany saw her through the fog this morning and avoided running into her.

Moose through the fog

Moose Tracks.  Bethany said she saw the moose while on the trail and from the parking lot.