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Our mission is to promote all forms of Nordic Skiing as a healthy form of individual and family activity. There are many diverse aspects of this mission including maintaining and grooming over 170 kilometers of world-class ski trails designed for touring, performance skiing, and racing. Serving the local Nordic community requires a year-round commitment involving a small but energetic workforce, many dedicated volunteers, and a fleet of specialized heavy equipment.
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Thursday, April 5, 2012 -- 9:30am

Good morning skiers. We've been blessed with some amazing conditions the last couple of days. But with the natural evolution of Spring comes weather like we have today. The good news is our base is holding up well and for this time of year it's still quite deep:

Hillside -- 12 inches.
Kincaid and Beach Lake -- 6 inches.

In many places it's even deeper, but we're mostly concerned with minimum depth. 

Late season grooming is both affected by and contingent on a few important elements:

Base Depth
We have a great base for this time of year, but every time we groom there's an impact on depth and quality. Cutting into the base and exposing cold snow might create great conditions for a few hours, but in some cases it actually significantly shortens the season. This is one reason why we selectively set classic tracks in the Spring. Setting track requires a deep cut. In places like Hillside we can continue setting track for a while because of the deep base, but in places like Beach Lake and Kincaid you might see tracks disappearing merely for the sake of preserving base.

Weather
Warm nights - Bad. Cold nights - Good. In terms of snow quality it's much better to lose our snow pack slowly through daytime radiation and then have it freeze back up at night. Rain, warm wind, and overcast conditions on a warm day will all accelerate melting. The long and short is keep your fingers crossed for cold nights. Another snowstorm would be even better!

Topography
Southern aspects get cooked during the day and when the dark, heat-absorbing ground starts to appear the clock really starts ticking on the number of days left for that particular part of a trail. For example, if we can't make a complete loop on a trail we'll stop grooming it (usually because of standing water or because there's not enough snow left in the base).

All that being said here's what we have for you today:

Kincaid
Trails groomed this morning include Elliott's, Easy Street, World Cup, S Turns, Old Six, Margaux's and Jodphur.

Hillside
Trails groomed this morning include all Lighted Loops.