This certainly has been an interesting opening to the snowmobile season. Frigid temperatures during the first five days, leading into early March-like temperatures, has made grooming our trail system a challenge.

We started our grooming schedule this past Wednesday and when the warm spell crept up on us Thursday, we didn’t groom that evening. Today, because the temperatures fell into the 20s we were able to get our machines out and play catch-up during the day. We should be on schedule beginning this evening.

Trails:
For the most part, our groomer operators are reporting that the trails are in Good Early Season Riding Condition. We have a base of about 4 inches and you might see bare spots creeping up in the corners and in heavily wooded areas.

Lakes:
The trails on Booth, Pier, Squirrel & Sunday Lakes are marked. Please stay off unmarked lakes.

Grooming:
The overnight temperature determines if we’ll be able to follow our regular grooming schedule. Here’s a summary of how often the trails are groomed (this may change depending on trail usage):

• 4 times per week: Corridor 10; Trail 5 (from Corridor 10 to Corridor 12); BB
• 3 times per week: Corridor 12; Trail 8, Trail 8B, Trail 7, Trail L, Trail W
• 2 times per week: Trail 5 (from TIN-524 to Hwy 8); Trails 9,A, C, D, G, I J, P, R and S

Weekend Forecast (as predicted by AccuWeather):

Saturday: A high temperature of 27 degrees and a low temperature of 26 degrees. Expect SSE winds at 7 mph under cloudy skies.

Sunday: A high temperature of 33 degrees and a low temperature of 22 degrees. Expect WSW winds at 7 mph under mostly cloudy skies.

Long Range Outlook:
To start the week, the high temperature will hover around the freezing mark and will then drop into the 20s mid week. There’s a good chance of snow starting Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday. The weather guessers are saying 5″-8″ are possible.

Have a Happy New Year Everybody!