The recent deep cold has done amazing things for our water crossings. Trail prep today was concentrated on Forestville to the Log Yard finish line (final 4K) behind a day and a half of some lake effect and in front of some more impending snow. There is a lot of snow in the terrain from Forestville to Ishpeming (start of the 50K) which should give us some of the best trail conditions we’ve had on the west end in some time. Once it is groomed up and the air is out of it, it should be stellar. Trying to time the final groom, to ensure we’re done in time, and try to account for possible new snow on a point to point course like ours is always a bit of a game. It takes all night to complete the final groom on Friday night. We did just learn there was a short section of trail that was plowed up by a brand new landowner between Deer Lake and the Dead River Basin. The new owner simply wasn’t aware of the course (something we have run into before) but that’s been resolved. The new snow in the forecast and the grooming equipment should take care of it and we will notify skiers at the start line to be aware of an uneven surface at that spot if we don’t get a lot of new snow in there. This short section should not be a problem by race day.
More snow is in the forecast for the 21st through late on the 22nd although it seems new snow depth might be highly variable. 1-4 is expected with higher amounts in certain locations and the potential for more (5+) if a heavy band of snow develops over the area…the weather term is called a mesoscale system (think of it like a snow squall). We’ll see what happens with that if it even develops.
The big talking point right now is temperatures. There is a brief return to normal January temperatures mid week and then Thursday the bottom falls out and arctic air returns. We will be watching the temperature forecast closely but for now we are not expecting any delays of the start on Saturday. It will be cold, but very likely not “we can’t race” cold. The really cold day, at this time, appears to be on Friday.
Stock up on face tape, dress appropriately, and drop a few old fashioned hand warmers in your pockets incase of any equipment malfunctions that would cause you to stop skiing and start walking. We will keep you updated on any changes to the forecast.