A few updates on course to mention.
Note that all final course details will be made available at bag pickup/ski expo on Friday Jan 26th at the Superior Dome. The race bulletin will be final and readily available in print. Please also note that we are in the time of year that things can change quickly…so stay up to date. Show up, get your things, read the race bulletin, and ask questions!
The forecast and current conditions:
We are in a warmup right now and will be anxiously waiting to see what’s on the other side of it. The NWS forecast has quite a bit of uncertainty as to the path of where the heaviest amounts of snow will go once the colder air arrives behind the approaching system that has a lot of moisture in it. We are reading it regularly – and probably too much. We do expect to get a little rain prior to the temps dropping and snow beginning. Key factors will be how much rain do we get, and how much snow falls after. Current estimates are very minimal rain and 2-4 inches of snow across the area and then Lake effect arriving after that. Wind direction after that will be key. All of that to say, the skiing at Forestville right now is excellent and the trail to CR 510 is good although grooming on this portion has halted so as not to pull up any dirty snow or leaves/debris etc.
Here’s the big announcement at this time – right now we are not planning to use the brand new Mead Hills bypass route for the 24K. Due to the terrain on the new section and some excavator ruts created during our very wet November, we would need major/significant snow in order to make that safe for 500+ skiers. We have options still for the Half Noque bypass of Mead Hills, but are disappointed that the brand new section won’t work out for us this year. We’ll have time to get that squared away this upcoming summer and use it for 2019.
There’s currently 10 inches on snow on the ground on the west end of the 50K Marathon course. We are really hoping for more on the west side. We will keep monitoring conditions. We think 3 more inches could actually make a world of difference on that side of the trail. Say your prayers for snow! (PS I’m told, if you’re a UP resident, and you put your snowblower away in the garage in a really inconvenient spot we are bound to get hammered with snow).
~NSM Race Committee