GROOMING SCHEDULE
All Photos on this page by Kenton Shaw
Tentative schedule for grooming at County Line and Skyway X-C Ski Areas will be on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays with volunteer grooming on Sundays. Schedule may change due to weather conditions, events and holidays.
Help us keep the trails in good condition! PLEASE follow the standard X-C etiquette rules and signs posted at the trailheads. And kindly educate others of the intended proper use of our cross country ski trails. Report to the GMNC any unusual activity, such as snowmobiles on the ski trails or obstacles like fallen trees. If you have a large group coming up to Ski or Snowshoe, please let us know ahead of time, so we can assist and groom accordingly.
Send your questions and comments to the GMNC in care of Kenton Shaw at [email protected]
Grooming Photo Gallery Updated 3-6-04
Grooming Reports for 2003-2004
3-27-04:
Skyway - County Line: 1" of new snow overnight took the edge off of the crust. The wind today helped to partially fill in the unauthorized snowmobile ruts in the open parks in the closed ski pods. Areas with minimal snowmobile tracks for good crust skiing are, the open valley between Dog Trail and Loop 3, the open area south of Vista Loop and Scales Lake #1. Use caution when skiing across lakes and ponds. Recent grooming on Scales Lake Rd and Kannah Crossing was also good today. No grooming today. Kenton
Picture of crust skiing
3-25-04:
Skyway-County Line: 1" new snow Wed. night on a base just under 5'. No fresh grooming, but crust skiing was very good in the open untracked areas. Still tough to ski over unauthorized snowmobile tracks that were made 15-20 days ago in the closed ski pods. I might try grooming some classic track this weekend. Kenton
3-22-04:
Skyway-County Line: Volunteer grooming today by Lynda Walters. She groomed about 17k for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line. Kenton
3-21-04:
Skyway-County Line: Another great day. Lo temp. 20*F. Temp. at 11:30 am was 50*F. Volunteer grooming today by Greg Randall on Lions, Arroyo and Wills Hill (5k). Crust skiing was stayed good until about 11:30 am. Kenton
2-20-04:
Ward: There is 42 inches at Ward Campground. I have taken all the equipment and the remaining signs down for the season. Skiing is challenging and fast at Ward. Hope we get some more snow before all the present snow melts, it is going fast on the South side. Thanks to all the people who have helped on Ward this season and those who broke trails for the rest of us. Fred
Skyway - County Line:
T-shirt and shorts weather - Klister classic skiing and Crust skiing on 5 1/2 feet of snow. No grooming due to warm weather and only a few people showing up. I will keep the grooming equipment on the hill in case it does snow in the next couple of weeks.Off trail crust skiing was good to excellent with good glide and firm pole plants from sunrise to 10:00 am. After 10:00 am it was better skiing on the trails. Scales Lake #1 was excellent and the open park that parallels the Dog Trail was good for crust skiing today. Many of the other open areas that would have been good are rutted from all of the recent unauthorized snowmobile traffic.
If your interested in an early morning crust ski skate tour, let me know.
This time of the year is also a chance to get a head start on next years trail work. For those of you interested in doing volunteer trail work, there always seem to be those overhanging limbs that need trimming along the edges of the trails. And since standing on 5 1/2 feet of snow is much easier than carrying around a ladder in the summer, now is a great time to get some of this yard work done. I'm sure most of you know of at least a few low hanging limbs that have required a little head ducking. I have a pole saw hanging on a tree next to the GMNC grooming equipment at Skyway that you are welcome to use.Kenton
3-14-04:
WARD: Skiing was great today, very fast but you could go anywhere. Groomed Ward with Yellowstone grader and filled in the holes on upper Ward Trail near the campground. About 1 p.m. the snow softened and the comb was leaving good marks. At Ward Creek Reservoir's trail head the sand and dirt were blown on the trail from CDOT snow blower making it a little rough. Ken Simpson, Grand Mesa Lodge, found a good walkie-talkie on County Line. If you lost one give him a call and ID. Thanks to Paul Conway (carried nine signs) & Joe Wataha for getting all the signs except at both trail heads, which will be left for a few more weeks. We have renamed the red line WARD deleting Outer Limits and parts of Deep Slough. Old Ward will become E WARD (east ward). Thanks to Rae Meagher for helping put up new diamonds with the names. Fred
3-13-04:
No new snow on 6' base. Lo temp. 12*F. Temp. at noon was 32*F. Groomed 16k at Skyway and 9k at County Line - skate lanes only. I have no chance of setting track in this hard snow with the equipment we have. Groomed the race trail in late afternoon. Should be a good race on fast snow. Some spots are a little rough due to tough snow conditions, four wheelers and snowmobiles on the trails. Kenton
3-11-04:
Skijored Main Ward Trail today from campground to Wild Trial. The trail remains in good shape with about 50" at top and 40" at the bottom. Came down the Wild Trail which was icy in places. South & west facing parks near Ward Creek Reservoir, are good skiing with crust softening as temperature increases but still bearing weight. Fred
3-10-04:
Lo temp. 23*F. Didn't get the high temp. Snow pack has settled to 75". Groomed skate lanes on all trails at both Skyway and County Line today. The snow is too hard to reset new classic track, but skiing is still very good with some crusting in the colder parts of the day and some sticking and slightly mushy snow during midday in the exposed areas. Speaking of crust, its baking, about a 1/2" thick now, enough to support a small dog. It maybe done in a couple of days. The bad thing is a lot of the good open areas for crust skiing has been tracked up by snowmobilers. Kenton
3-7-04:
No new snow on 81" base. Lo temp. 5*F. Warmed up to 30*F by 11:00 am. Skiing was good in the morning and late afternoon, but a little sticky during midday. Groomed skate lanes on all trails. Quit grooming early due to warm temperatures. Then went out and chased snowmobilers off of the ski trails on skis. I observed two different groups in the ski pods, one of which destroyed at least one kilometer of Scales Lake Rd on the County Line side They were out in swarms today. I need your help, the ski pods are off limits to snowmobilers. If you see them in the ski pods, flag them down and tell them they are not welcome and are supposed to stay within 100 ft. of the orange poles that define the snowmobile corridor for 3 miles from Lands End Rd. Better yet, get their registration # and you can turn them in and they will get fined.
Most of all YOU can help by writing to the USFS!!!
Kenton
3-6-04:
Skyway/County Line: No new snow on 85" base. 1" new snow during the day Groomed Loop 3 and the overlook loop at County Line for skate and classic skiing plus touched up the skate lanes on some trails. 31k groomed for skate and classic skiing. Skiing is good to excellent, but some of the track in the open areas has been wind blown in. Plan to groom tomorrow. Kenton
3-5-04:
Skyway/County Line: 6"-8" new snow on 86" base. All trails groomed for Skate and Classic skiing at both areas except for Loops 3 & 4 at County Line. Skiing is good on soft packed powder. Will groom Loop 3 tomorrow and touch up some of the skate lanes. Kenton
Ward: About 6" of snow on a 60" base at the Campground and 50" at the Reservoir. The main Ward Trail 7k was groomed by Mary Bohl and crew. Want to thank Roxanne Koehler, Jill Olson & Sharon Riegel for trimming branches on Staircase and Wild Trails. Fred
We are getting into Sping skiing on Ward but the snow is wonderful, the best in years, you can go about any where. Probably you will find morning skiing the best. Fred
3-4-04:
Skied by the spillway of Ward Creek Reservoir Wednesday morning. It was open & spilling. All the reservoirs should be used with caution from now on. There is slush or water beneath the snow. The ice will hold you but the skies will get wet & need to be scraped. Snow bridges on live creeks should be suspect. Ward is planned for grooming on Saturday. Fred
3-2-04:
Skyway: 1" new snow overnight plus 3" during the day as of 3:00pm. Groomed Loops 1,2 and 3 at County Line for skate and classic skiing. All trials have been groomed in the last two days except Loop 4 and Wills Hill for a total of 30k. Next grooming scheduled for Thursday. Kenton
Ward: Nine inches of new snow at Ward Campground and 7 at the Resevior. A total of 62". Groomed the main Ward Trail 7k. The remaining 11.5k are for tracking out which some have done. Snow is still cold and fluffy and more on the way. Fred, Sam & Ray groomed today. Fred
3-1-04:
Skyway: 8" of new snow overnight bringing the three day storm total to 39". Total snow depth is at 92". Lo temp. 5*F. High temp. ? Groomed 16k at Skyway and 7k at County Line for Skate and Classic skiing. Should be good skating on Vista, Kannah Crossing and Scales Lake Rd. Will groom more tomorrow. Kenton
Ward: Forgot to report last night that yesterday there were 60+ inches at the Campground and 54 inches at the Reservoir. Sam Vasicko and crew groomed the 6 inches of new snow. It was still snowing and wind was blowing when they finished. I hope to go and groom the trail again tomorrow. Skiing was great for back country. Fred
2-29-04:
7" new snow overnight plus 6" during the day. Snow pack at 7 1/2 feet. Snowcat grooming on Scale Lake Rd, Dog Trail, Dog Loop, part of Loop 1, Kannah Crossing, NW side of Vista, Arroyo and part of Lions. Snowmobile grooming on Sunset, Winslow, Lions and Vista. Loops 1,2,3 and Wills Hill ungroomed. Will try to groom more tomorrow. Kenton
2-28-04:
6:21 PM12"-14" new snow at Ward since Friday's grooming. Groomed the main Ward Trail about 10' wide.
The Highway was reopened at 3:00 pm today. Roads are in good shape with the parking lots plowed. 14"-18" new snow at Skyway with the snow marker at 7 feet.
Spent 1 1/2 hours digging out the trailhead entrance and the outhouse's at Skyway. Did not have time to groom any trails at Skyway or County Line. Will start grooming the trails tomorrow. Kenton
8:35a.m.
Kenton called from Grand Mesa Lodge and the road is closed due to avalanches and it may be after 2 p.m. before CDOT has it open. Kenton and Fred will try and groom Ward's main trail this morning. Fred
2-27-04:
Ward: Mary Bohl and crew groomed the 7k during heavy snow, some wind and poor visibility. Reported 4-6 inches of new snow but the drifts made it deeper in places. I may try and groom tomorrow or Sunday again. Fred
Skyway/County Line: No grooming scheduled today due to the storm passing through. Will groom Saturday. Kenton
2-24-04:
1" new snow on 69" base. Lo temp. 18*F. High temp. 35*F. Groomed skate lanes on all trails and left classic tracks for skiers to ski in. Warm temp in the middle of the day made the trails a little punchy with some sticking reported by some of the touring skiers. Otherwise excellent skiing. Kenton
2-23-04:
2" new snow on 6' base. Lo temp. 17*F. Temp. at 4:30 was 25*F. Groomed all trails for skate and classic with the exception of Will's Hill, Arroyo and Loop 4. About 30k total. Great skiing on soft packed powder and fast snow. Next grooming scheduled for Wednesday. Kenton
2-22-04:
Skyway: Repeat of yesterday. It was clear for the first 3 hrs and I had 3 to 4 trails nicely groomed with fresh track set and then it began to snow around 9:00 am and dumped another 3" by about 1:00. Classic skiing was so-so and skate skiing was a work out, although the snow was fast. Lo temp. 17*F. High Temp. 28*F. 4" new snow overnight and about 3" during the day. Total snow depth at 6'. Kenton
Ward System:
About 8" of new snow at the Campground making a total of 48". The Main Ward Trail was groomed 7-8ft wide. Excellent backcountry skiing on all the remaining trails. The snow was cold in the morning, toward afternoon it beginning to get warmer. It snowed most of the day. Sounds like there will be snow all week. Keep in mind this time of year the skiing will be best during the morning. Fred
2-20-04:
Skyway: 4" new snow on 66" base. Lo temp. 5*F. High temp. 30*F. Groomed all trails for skate and classic (31k). Soft packed powder conditions. Posted some new snowshoe etiquette signs. Kenton
Ward System: Groomed Ward Creek trail with the roller & Nordic comb to 8' wide. Snow is 10" of powder at the campground & 3" at Ward Creek Reservoir. If you are up to an intermediate area try Ward. Fred
2-19-04:
No new snow overnight on 62" base. Light snow began falling in the afternoon. No grooming today due to new snow in the forecast. Took the repaired roller up today and did some maintenance work. Thanks to Fred Wild for fixing the roller. Conditions today were hard packed snow with some glazed spots and most of the track in the open has blown in. Screaming fast skiing though if you had skis waxed warm and with good edges. Kenton
2-16-04:
Trace of new snow in the early morning hours on 66" base. All trails groomed for skate and classic skiing except for Loop 4. 31k total. Fresh grooming today on Loops 1,2 and 3 at County Line. Next grooming scheduled for Thursday. Kenton
Snow whale
2-14-04:
