Photos 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 kshaw4062 at msn.com
Grooming Photo Gallery Updated 3-6-04
Grooming Reports for 2004-2005
5-15-05: Still 7 1/2 feet of snow in the shade. Crust skiing was near perfect today! The surface is extremely smooth and fast, and the snow is very clean. Skiing across the lakes is still safe as they haven't shown any signs of thawing. Even saw some bear tracks today. Kenton
4-30-05: About 12" of new snow since last weekend on 105" base. Set 30 K of classic track for the last grooming of the year. Crust skating was just a little bit to soft today, maybe better tomorrow? I would suggest parking at County Line, since the Skyway parking lot is not plowed and the best skiing in my opinion is in the morning before 11:00. Kenton
4-15-05: Had a chance to go up and see if any grooming was needed this morning. Fortunately Mother Nature has groomed for me in the form of crusted snow. Go anywhere skiing was great up until about noon when it started getting mushy. From what I figured the two ski pods of Skyway and County Line are about 8 sq miles, half of which are trees and the rest open parks. So 4 sq miles groomed at 15' wide comes out to 1,408 miles or 2,270 km that is crusted over and "groomed" for some excellent skiing. This of course doesn't include the rest of the Mesa top which is probably 25 times this amount. Lo temp. 29*F. Temp. at 11:30 was 36*F. Snow depth in the shade is at 9 feet. Kenton
4-9-05: 1/2" of new snow on 9 1/4' base. Lo temp. 20*F. High temp. 29*F. Set fresh classic track on some trails and left the skate lanes since the crust has hardened up enough to ski off trail. Classic skiing was great today up until about 1:30 when the snow started falling. I used Special Purple and had consistent kick and good glide on all trails even striding up the south facing hill on Lions at the 4-way intersection. Skating was also good on and off the trails. Scales Lake Trail is pretty tough in places negotiating the wind drift bumps. I will attempt to groom some tomorrow too. Kenton
4-5-05: Lo temp. 12*F. High temp. 24*F. 6" of new snow overnight, but the snow depth has dropped to 9 1/2', either due to settling or wind. Groomed all trails at both areas and set classic track on trails mainly in the trees due to blowing snow. Kenton
4-2-05: No new snow on 10' base. Groomed about half of the trails at both areas. There is about 17k groomed for skate and classic skiing. Should have more groomed tomorrow. Skiing is still pretty good. Kenton
4-1-05: 2-3' of new snow. The thermometer is buried so didn't get temps but it was a warm sunny day. Tough grooming conditions and a late start meant I only got Winslow/Sunset groomed for skate (still a little rough) and classic and one grader width packed around Lions-Will's-Arroyo. Kenton will be grooming more on Sat. Tom
4-1-05: Ward Trail System: Mary Bohl and Sam Vasicko, groomers, estimated over 2' of new snow at the Campground. The consistence of the snow was like sugar. It took them 2.5 hrs to go down to the bridge where E. Ward takes off from the Ward trail, just past the campgrounds and returned getting stuck 5-6 times. With the Spring weather it is no longer efficient to groom at Ward. As the snow hardens the skiing should be good for the backcountry skiers. Fred
3-27-05: No new snow on 9' base. Lo temp. 8*F. High temp. 30*F. All trails at both areas are groomed for skate and classic skiing (31.5k). Skiing is good on packed powder to spring conditions. Kenton
3-26-05: 4-6" of new snow on 112" base. Lo temp. 15*F. High temp. 27*F. Groomed Skyway trails for skate and classic skiing (14k). Packed out most of the County Line trails. Grooming was a little slow today due to dense fog until about mid-morning then it turned out nice for the rest of the day. Should have all trails groomed for skate and classic tomorrow at 10:30 or so. Kenton
3-25-05: Low temp 18*, high 32*. Approx 10-15" of new snow since last grooming. Got another 3-4" through the day and looks like more coming in the evening. Groomed all of Skyway for skating and set track on Winslow/Sunset. More grooming on Sat. Tom
3-25-05: Ward Trail System: Since the last grooming on Tues. there has been about 8" but with the wind some places are 12-18" or more. Visibility was poor and I was only able to run the snowmobile down and back. It show 84" at the Campground and 78" at Ward Reservoir. Fred
3-24-05: Highway 65 Closed. Highway 65 between Mesa Lakes Lodge and Grand Mesa Lodge will be closed today, Thurs., for avalanche control, hence no grooming at Skyway/County Line. An attempt will be made to groom on Fri. depending on conditions. Tom
3-22-05: 8-10" of new snow since Sunday on 100" base. Lo temp. 9*F. High temp. 30*F. Groomed as much as I could until the snow started sticking to the equipment. All of the trails at Skyway are groomed for skate and classic skiing (15.5k). Packed out Dog Loop, Dog Trail and Scales Lake Rd at County Line (7.0k). Good skiing, especially in the morning and then again in late afternoon. Kenton
3-22-05: Ward Trail System Mary and crew groomed Ward Trail with the roller today. They said there was about 12" of new snow. The weather and conditions were great. When we went skiing on Sunday it was some of the best back country conditions we have had all season. Sunday afternoon it was about 28*F. Fred
3-20-05: Low of 21*, high was 26*. 5" of new snow overnight and another 5" fell through midday, much of it horizontally. Actively snowing when I left at 2PM and sounds like it's going to continue stacking up in a substantial way through tomorrow covering up everything I did today. Groomed Skyway and did some packing at County Line for the dozen or so hearty souls who braved the conditions. Tom
3-19-05: 2-3" of new on 7 1/2' base. Lo temp. 15*F. High temp. 31*F. Groomed skate lanes on all trails and set some new classic track. Skiing today was good on soft packed powder with snow showers off and on during the day. Kenton
3-19-05: Ward Trail System: Skiing was good from Ward Lake @ 4 p.m.
Friday. The temperature was 26 F with 1" of new on 66" base. Was joined by the
husky at Deep Slough. He continued down Ward & I went down Wild Trail. I left the
trail to ski between trees in the steeper areas. The bottom of Ward had 1/2" of new
on a 62" base. The husky met me there indicating Ward was OK. I gave him a small dog
biscuit & he started back up the trail.
Fred
3-13-05: No new snow on 7 1/2' base. Lo temp. 15*F. Didn't get the high temp. Groomed selected trails at both areas today, mainly for the race. Skiing was hard and fast today with not much melting due to lower temps. Kenton
3-12-05: No new snow on 7 1/2' base. Pretty much the same
conditions as yesterday. Still some great skiing!
Groomed skate lanes and reset classic track on most trails at Skyway. Kenton
3-11-05: No new snow on 7 1/2' base. Lo temp. 18*F. High temp about 35*F. Groomed skate lanes and reset classic track on County line trails. I will work on Skyway trails tomorrow. Skiing is good to excellent on hard packed powder with some slightly mushy snow in spots in the afternoon. Plus we have a new trail to ski on, the snowmobile corridor. It was recently snowcat groomed so snowmobilers would stay on the trail where they are supposed to be, but since they don't use it we might as well make some use of it. Kenton
3-8-05: No new snow on 94" base. Lo temp. 18*F. High temp. 26*F. Graded skate lanes on a few trails at Skyway and reset classic track on a portion of Lions and Winslow. Most of the trails are still in good shape with a little bit of blown in track. Skiing is still very good on firm packed powder with some glazing on the south facing slopes.
Will probably set new track on Thursday or Friday.
Kenton
3-4-05: No new snow. Low temp was 4* F but warmed up nicely.
Didn't note the high. Re-graded the skate lanes for both Skyway and County Line, set a
short race loop south of the Skyway parking lot for tomorrow's Barnelopet, and groomed the
Kid's Park. Skating and classic should be excellent for the weekend. It fortunately didn't
get quite warm enough to create slushy or icy conditions.
Bring all your kids to the Barnelopet--it will be good fun!
Tom
3-2-05: 3" of new snow on 100" base. Lo temp. 5*F High
temp. 26*F. Groomed all trails for skate and classic skiing at both areas (31.5k).
The GMNC bought a new "track setter-renovator" that I tried out today. This new
implement should allow us to set track faster and have a higher quality track too. The
shape of the track is a little bit different from the old track setter, so ski it and tell
me what you think. Kenton
2-28-05: Ward Trail System: Just 2-3" of new snow since last Thursday. At the Campground there is a total of 78" and at Ward Cr. Reservoir 72". Graded 7k of the Ward Trail with the Yellowstone grader. Use CAUTION near tree wells because some of the snow brought in by the grader will be soft. Skiing is good to Very good. Fred
2-26-05: 4" new snow on 102" base. Lo temp. 15*F. High
temp. 25*F. Periods of snow with partly cloudy skies today.
Groomed all trails at Skyway and County Line for skate and classic skiing. (31.5k). I will
groom tomorrow if necessary.
Kenton
2-25-05: Skyway and Country Line Nordic Trails:
Bad news first.
I was late in getting to work today by heavy traffic on the road. Just south of Mesa I had
to stop for several minutes while about 80 head of elk crossed the road single file in
front of me. Then just a half mile later I was slowed again by a flock of turkeys crossing
the road. Oh, its tough with what I have to put up with.
Good news
All trails are groomed for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line. Classic
skiing was excellent today and skating was pretty good too, but a little punchy.
No new snow on 100" base. Lo temp. 1*F. High Temp. 26*F.
Also found a pair of skis today that someone left at the Skyway Trailhead.
Forgot to tell you that I also groomed the Kids Park at Skyway today with several bumps
and jumps.
Kenton
2-24-06: Skyway and Country Line Nordic Trails: Today was a gorgeous day for skiing! No new snow, low temp was 2 but warmed up to 28. Graded all of Skyway plus Kannah Crossing again to make skating as well as classic excellent. Began packing Scales Lake Road and the County Line trails. Made two passes with the grader before I had to quit. Kenton will finish those trails Fri. morning. Should be another fine day. Tom
2-24-05: Ward Trail System: Groomed with roller, 7k of Ward Trail. Marks show 80" of snow about 10" new since Monday. The weather is great but be sure to either go early or wax for the warmer weather as you will find it sticky when the sun is out. Fred
2-23-05: Groomed Skyway plus Kannah Crossing for classic and skate over 6-10 inches new snow. Will try to get County Line in Thurs. if Skyway doesn't get reburied. Thanks to Richard Hypio for helping out. Tom Ela
2-21-05: Skyway and County Line Nordic Trails: 2" of new snow overnight on 98" base. Light flurries in late afternoon. It took all day, but all trails are freshly groomed for skate and classic skiing. Skiing was good to excellent. Kenton
2-21-05: Ward Trail System: Another great day for back country skiing. Sam Vasicko and crew groomed the 7k of the Ward Trail this afternoon. Reiko Meagher and myself put up a couple of new signs on Staircase, trimmed low branches and raised some signs on poles. The snow depth at Ward Reservoir was 72" and about 6"- 8" of new snow since the grooming on Thursday. Fred is off on Red Mountain skiing with son and grand sons. Ruth
2-20-05: 4" of new snow overnight plus 2-3" during the day. Tom Ela and I groomed all trails at Skyway and County Line for skating (31.5k) and set classic track on most trails (27k). Skating was fair to good and classic skiing was good to excellent. More grooming scheduled for tomorrow (Monday). Kenton
2-19-05: 5" of new snow overnight plus 6" more by the
end of the day. Snow depth is at 94". Didn't check the temp today, but it was at
least in the upper 20's for the high. Went around all trails at Skyway and County Line two
or more times with the roller and set track on Sunset, Winslow and part of Lions Loop.
Skiing was pretty good in the trees.
More grooming tomorrow. Kenton
2-17-05: 1" of new snow overnight on 90" base. Lo
temp. 4*F. High temp. 33*F. Groomed all trails for skate and classic skiing at County Line
and Skyway (31.5k). Track skiing was excellent today.
Highway 65 is scheduled to close tomorrow morning for avalanche blasting from Grand Mesa
Lodge to Mesa Lakes Resort. Might be a good day to ski Ward? Kenton
2-17-05: Ward Trail System: Mary Bohl and crew groomed Ward Trail, 7k, with roller. There were 3-5" of new snow since Monday. The Campground had 72" and the Reservoir had 66". A great day for skiing but with this warm weather a person needs to go early in the morning or take the chance on sticky snow unless it is cloudy. Fred
2-16-05: 5" of new snow overnight plus 3" during the day on 90" base. Lo temp. ? High temp. ? my thermometer is buried again. Groomed all trails at both areas for skate and classic skiing, although it was tough to tell with steady snowfall throughout the day. I will groom the next 4 days as needed. Kenton
2-15-05:
1" of new snow with light snow and some wind during the day. No grooming today. My
boss said "Take the day off, give the machines a rest, besides grooming on a day like
today would be like trying to dry dishes in the rain."
Will groom Wednesday and Friday.
Also I have another batch of hats for sale.
Kenton
2-14-05: Ward Trail System:
Skiff of new snow. Roller groomed 7K. 66" of base @ Upper campground.
Also, forgot the other day to Thank "The Women On the Move" for doing trail work
on the trails. There were 8 women, 4 on snowshoes and 4 on skies. They cut branch and put
up some more diamonds. Fred
2-12-05: 5"-6" of new snow on 90" base. Lo
temp. 25*F. High temp 30*F. Light snow in the morning with about 1" accumulation.
Groomed all trails at Skyway and County Line for skate and classic skiing. Had volunteer
help grooming from Tom Ela. Skiing was good for classic, but a little slow and soft for
skating.
Want to thank David Strong for cutting limbs on Sunset Loop last Thursday and Tom Ela cut
a few on Loop 3 on Friday. I had a chance today to cut some more of the bad overhanging
limbs on the County Line trails. But there are still hundreds more that could be cut to
make the trails better. Most of the trails have been limbed during summer trail work, but
when there is 7-8' of snow, we're now on a whole new level.
Also the GMNC takes a lot of pride in having well marked trails, but again the blue
markers for following the trail when there is no grooming could be improved.
Please let me know if you want to do some of this trail work.
Kenton
2-9-05: No new on 87" base. Lo temp. 0*F. High temp. ?
Groomed 153 kilometers at Skyway and County Line. That's actually how far I went on the
trails today (95 miles). From 7:00 - 11:00 widened and rough packed the remaining trails
that I didn't get to yesterday. 11:00 - 2:30 set classic track on all trails. 2:30 - 5:30
groomed skate lanes on most of the trails to firm them up. So all trails at both areas are
groomed for skate and classic skiing (31.5k). Should be great skiing tomorrow!
Kenton
2-9-05: Ward Trail System. The back country skiing was great today. In the campground about 66" and at the Reservoir about 64". Between 6-10" of new snow on the trails. Mary and crew groomed with the roller 7k of Ward Trail. Fred
2-8-05: 16" - 24" of new snow on a 7 1/2' base.
Groomed about half of the trails at both areas with the roller. Didn't have enough time or
gas to set classic track, but I should be able to get the trails in good shape by
tomorrow.
For skier safety and to get snowcat grooming done, we really need some tree limbing
volunteers! I have a pole saw hanging on a tree by the grooming equipment for anyone to
use. Send me an e-mail for directions if you have some extra time and are willing to help
out. Kenton
2-5-05: Ward Trail Sytem: Shoveled in some of the tree wells and use the grader on the Ward Trail, 7k. No new snow but 62" at the Campground and 59" at Ward Reservoir. The weather was great as well as the snow conditions. Fred
2-4-05: No new snow. A fabulous warm but not too warm sunny day. Graded skate lanes on all Skyway trails, Scales Lake Rd., Kannah Crossing, and around the perimeter of the County Line system (outer #3, Dog Loop, Dog Trail). Classic tracks still in great shape. Should be excellent for the weekend. Tom Ela
1/22/05: Ward Trail Sytem: I groomed the main Ward Trail, 7k, with the grader early this morning it was hard packed in the sun but softer in the trees. In some open areas I tried to bring the softer snow into the track. Snowmobiles hard crossed the trail under Twilight and caused bumps. No track was set. Fred
1-20-05: No new snow on 6 1/2' base. Touched up some of the skate lanes, mainly knocked down tree bomb humps although more fell today. Most trails are in great shape and are not deteriorating much at all. Classic skiing was very good in the morning. 31.5k groomed for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line. Kenton
1-17-05: No new snow on 82" base. All trails groomed for skate and classic skiing at both areas. Did get the snowcat today and opened up Scales Lake Rd, plus he groomed his normal route -Dog Loop, Dog Trail, Kannah Crossing, west side of Vista, Arroyo, south side of Lions and Scales Lake. Great Skiing! Kenton
1-16-05: No new snow on 86" base. All trails are groomed for skate and classic skiing (28k) at Skyway and County Line, with the exception of Scales Lake Rd. The snow has set up and skiing is good to excellent. Cut and removed two more downed trees on Scales Lake Rd so now (hopefully), tomorrow Simpson's snowcat can level out some of the huge snowdrifts on Scale Lake. Some of the drifts have developed cornice type drop offs of 4' - 5'. Kenton
1-16-05: Ward Trail System: No new snow and the Campground shows 66" and Ward Reservoir 55". A beautiful day for being out. Lots of work, clearing some of the down trees on Ward and pruning limbs was done by volunteers: Bob Remmerde, Mary Pfalzgraff, Joyce Tanihara, Forbes & Lois Davidson, Rieko Meagher, Morrie & Jan Rupp, Ruth & Fred. Thanks for all the work.
1-15-04: Hwy 65 was finally opened after a three day closure.
New snow from Wednesday storm was probably about 2' but has settled and the total snow
depth is at 92". Groomed 9k for skate and classic at Skyway and rough groomed another
11k at Skyway and County Line by the end of the day. The new snow was tough to groom, but
what was worse was that Tom Ela and I had to cut and remove 5 blown down trees today. Tom
volunteered his time (5 hrs) and I spent 10 hrs grooming today.
Kenton
1-14-05: Ward Trail System. Registered
68", down from 72" yesterday at Ward Campground. Thanks to Sam Vasicko and Ray
Tolbert for their hard work, we groomed with roller Ward Trail 7k. There were at least 5
trees down across the trail. Went around some but others we went over, so ski with
caution. Will try and take a saw up to cut out the bad ones. The other trails are being
tracked by skiers and snowshoers. Thanks also to the lady skier who helped get me unstuck
two times.
Other than the hard work grooming it was a beautiful day for skiing.
On some of the trails we could use some help with clippers and/or saws to cut the low
hanging branches. If you would like to help give a call, 874-8318. Fred
1-11-05: 14" - 18" new snow since Sunday on 80" base. Tough day for grooming and skiing. Heavy snow and strong winds. Managed to groom about 18k at Skyway and County Line with Tom's help.
With all of this new snow some of the "You Are Here" signs are getting close to being buried. Could use some volunteer help to raise these signs on the posts. Also volunteers needed to check the trails to see if any blue diamonds and posts that mark the trails are missing or not visible. Plus there are now some low overhanging limbs that needed to be trimmed. Kenton
1-9-05: 2"-3" of new snow overnight + 2" during the day on 68" base. Groomed 22k at Skyway and County Line with 10k of track set. Next grooming will be Tuesday. Kenton
1-8-05: 2" new snow on 68" base. Lo temp. 10*F. High temp. 22*F. Due to high winds only groomed 7.5k for skate and classic at Skyway. Will groom more tomorrow. Kenton
1-7-05: 4"-6" of new snow overnight, but the snow depth fell to 70". Lo temp. 4*F. High temp. 19*F. Groomed same trails as yesterday (22k) for both skate and classic skiing. Kenton
1-7-05: Ward Trail System:: Mary Bohl and crew groomed the deep snow on the Ward Trail, 7k. Between 12" & 18" of new snow. Deeper in the drifts. Reports of more snow and WIND tonight. Fred1-6-05: 10" - 14" of new snow overnight + 2" during the day on a base of 76". Lo temp. 9*F. High temp. 14*F. Groomed 22k at Skyway and County Line, but was only able to set about 9k of classic track. Next grooming will be tomorrow. Kenton
1-5-05: 12" of new snow since Sunday with about 3" during the day. Total snow depth at 64". Lo temp. 10*F. High temp. 19*F. With volunteer help from Tom Ela, we groomed all trails at Skyway and County Line for skate and classic skiing, with the exception of Scale Lake Rd. for a total of 27k. Will groom again tomorrow. Kenton
1-4-05: There was 40" at Ward Campground. I groomed Ward Trail, 7k. It snowed another 4" during the day. Fred
1-1-05: 2" new snow + 3" during the day. Groomed 26k at Skyway and County Line with Richard Hypio's help. Skiing was good in the trees, but very difficult in the open areas due to the strong winds. Kenton
12-31-04: No new snow on 55" base. Groomed all trails at Skyway and County Line, but didn't set much track due to high winds and more snow forecast for tonight. Will groom tomorrow and Sunday if needed. Kenton
12-31-04: Ward Trail System: There was 38" of snow at Campground and 36" at the reservoir. Mary Bohl and crew groomed 7k of the Ward Trail. HAPPY NEW YEAR, Fred
12-30-04: About 14"-16" of new snow at Ward. Ward Trail groomed 8'-10' wide in the a.m. The road opened at 2:30 pm. Groomed Sunset, Winslow and Lions Loop at Skyway. About 9" - 12" of new snow at Skyway with the marker at 57". Will groom more tomorrow. Kenton
12-30-04: Ward Trail 7k, was groomed today. Kenton reported that it was difficult to say how much snow because of the high winds and drifting. He said he was stuck in one drift about 45 minutes. The road was closed over the top this morning so Thanks to Kenton Ward got groomed. Fred
12-27-04: Further smoothing of County Line skate lanes done. Temps 20 at 7:30AM, 29 midday. No new snow. Wind came up midday so open areas have some drifting now. Tom
12-26-04: Did a minimum two passes with the grader on all Skyway and County Line groomed trails to smooth and get rid of minimal drifting. No new snow. Temps 18 at 7AM, up to 31 midday. Skiing is generally excellent. Tom
12-24-04: Ward Trail System: Between 1-3 inches of new powder fell on the Ward Trails. Leaving a base of 28" at the Campground. No grooming was done because the track which was set last week was still in good shape. Some drifting of snow in the open but over all great skiing. Merry Christmas-Fred
12-23-04: 3" of new snow on 48" base. Lo temp. -6*F. High temp. 0*F. Scales Lake Road is now skiable. Fresh classic track set and skate lanes groomed on all trails at Skyway and County Line. 31.5k total. Kenton
12-22-04: No new snow on 46" base. Lo temp. -10°F. High temp was 19°F at 1:30, I think? But by 3:00 pm the temp. dropped to 9°F. Groomed skate lanes to loosen up some of the hard snow. The two week old classic tracks are still very much skiable in most places. Scheduling with the snowcat to fix Scale lake Rd didn't work out today, will try again tomorrow. Kenton
12-18-04: No grooming today as the trails are still in great shape. With a high temp of 28*F. the snow is firm and consistent. And the classic track is holding up extremely well. I will touch up a few spots tomorrow. Below is the skier of the day, Henry Swenson.
12-16-04: 1" of new snow on 48" base. Low temp. 4*F. Hi temp. 23*F. Groomed skate lanes on all trails at County Line and Skyway. Classic track is still pretty good on most trails, except the open areas where drifting has occurred. Kenton
12-16-04: Ward Trail System. Since last grooming, 1 1/2" of new snow on a base of 30" at Campground. Ward Trail 7k, groomed with track set. Good base and snow was not sticky because of the cloud cover. CDOT has done a nice job of plowing the parking lot at the Campground as well as at Ward Creek Reservoir. Fred
12-12-04: No new snow on 50" base. Temp. at 6:30 was 18*F. Temp. at 1:30 was 41*F. All trails are groomed at Skyway and County Line for skate, classic and touring. Total of 31.5k. Touched up skate lanes on some trails. Track is still good with hard kick wax. Best day skiing yet. Kenton
12-11-04: No new snow on 50" base. Temp. at 6:30 was 22*F. Temp. at 2:00 was 39*F. All trails are groomed at Skyway and County Line for skate, classic and touring. Total of 31.5k. Touched up skate lanes today. Great skiing! Kenton
12-10-04: No new snow on 52" base. Temp. at 6:30 was 20*F. Temp. at 1:30 was 30*F. All trails are groomed at Skyway and County Line for skate, classic and touring. Total of 31.5k. Excellent skiing! Kenton
12-9-04: 2" - 3" of new snow since Tuesday on 4 1/2' base. Lo temp. 20*F. High temp. 22*F. Turned out to be a pretty good day. No snow during the day, but it was low clouds, dense fog at times and frosted trees. The wind was actually not that bad and the snow surface developed a micro crust that made blowing snow minimal. Groomed about 22k for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line. Kenton
12-9-04: Ward Trail System: About 2" of new snow. Ward Trail (7k) was groomed with roller. It was overcast and snowing lightly. Fred
12-8-04: Ward Trail System: There was a 36" base at the Campground. Overcast with light snow. The skiing conditons were perfect. No snowmobile tracks on Finney Reservoir. All the trails have been used by back country skiers and the peaceful, quiet setting was fantastic. The Ward Trail was groomed yesterday by Fred and still had an excellent base with 1-2" of new snow. Fred
12-7-04: 4" of new snow since Sunday, plus 2-3" during the day. Snow depth at 54". Lo temp. 8*F. High temp. 18*F. Groomed a few selected trails that are in the trees and out of the wind. Will try to groom again on Thursday and Friday too. Kenton
12-6-04: Ward Trail System There has been 4-6" of new powder on a packed base, 36" at Campground and 22" at the reservoir. Skiing and skijoring was excellent today. Homer took staircase down to the trail head. It was well tracked out and the snow has remained cold, blue wax worked well in the afternoon. Fred
12-5-04: 4" new snow overnight plus about 2" during the day. Snow marker is at 52". Lo temp. 14*F. High temp. 20*F. Groomed about 25 kilometers for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line. Although air temp was low the new snow had more moisture and glide was as fast or faster than yesterday on soft packed powder. Kenton
12-3-04: No new snow on 50" base. Hi temp. today was 28*F. Warmer on the Mesa than it was in the valleys. Excellent skiing for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line (31.5k), especially on the snowcat groomed trails. Kenton
12-1-04: No new snow on 52" base at Skyway and County Line. Lo temp. of -5*F. High temp. around 20*F. All trails groomed for skate and classic skiing (31.5k). Some groomed with snowmobile and some with snowcat. Kenton
12-1-04: Ward Trail System There was 32" of snow at Ward Campground and 24" at the Ward Creek Reservoir. Mary Bohl and crew groomed the main Ward trail (7k) with the roller. The grooming crew carry blue flags with GMNC written on them. When you see them on the trail be sure to wave and smile. Remember they are the good guys. Staircase and Wild Trial have been skied. Today the weather was great and perfect for skiing. Fred
11-30-04: Tough to tell how much snow fell in the last two days. My marker is only up to 4 1/2'. But while grooming there was 18" - 24" of new snow on the trails. Lo temp. at 6:30 was -2*F. Temp. at 2:30 was 22*F. With the help of volunteer groomer Joe Ramey, we groomed about 9k for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and rough groomed Scales Lake Rd and Loops 1,2 & 3 at County Line. Hope to have some snowcat grooming done tomorrow. Kenton
11-30-04: Ward Trail System: Our contract groomers (Mary Bohl and crew) plan to groom Ward's Main trail tomorrow, Wednesday, December 1. Fred
11-28-04:
| CO 65 Grand Mesa (CDOT web page) Existing Conditions: (sno)(icy)(snpk) Restrictions in Place: CLOSED due to poor visibility and adverse driving condiitons. Comments: Expected to open Sunday evening, weather permitting. |
11-27-04: U.S. 65 to Grand Mesa closed due to avalanche danger late Saturday afternoon. No news on when it will reopen, but in the past it hasn't been until late in the day after they blast avalanches and clean up afterwards. Also consider that Kenton probably won't be able to get up there to groom. Jerry
11/27/04: There was a 28" base at the Campground. The main Ward Trail (7k) was groomed with the roller but had about another 4" during grooming. There is now enough snow on lower Ward to cover most of the springs. Bob Remmerde and Warren Wild helped with shovels putting additional snow on the wet crossings. Fred
11-27-04: 4" new snow on 4' base. temp @6:30 was 9*F. temp @ noon was 20*F. Groomed about 13k at Skyway then shut it down due to white out conditions. Skiing was ok in the trees though. Will try to groom tomorrow. Kenton
11-26-04: 14" new snow on 44" base. Temp. @ 6:30 was 20*F. Temp. @ 4:00 pm was 15*F. Didn't get much grooming done in the morning due to heavy snow falling. Did get Sunset, Winslow and Lions groomed for skate and classic skiing (7.5k) with the help of volunteer, Eric Krch. Also packed out Vista, Scales Lake, Dog trail and Dog Loop. Kenton
11-25-04: 1" new snow on 40" base. Lo temp. 18*F. High temp. 33*F. Groomed loop 3 and touched up some of the other trails. All trails are groomed for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line (31.5k). Great skiing today. Track skiing was exceptionally good on hard wax. Kenton
11-23-04: Ward Trail System. Groomed Ward Trail, 7k with roller today. Utilized Mary Bohl and crew. Snow depth 18" at Ward Campground (top) and 15" at Ward Creek Reservoir. An additional 1.6k from the visitor center to Ward Campground has been tracked by snowmobile for skiing. All the "You Are Here" signs have been put up and maps are available at trail heads. Thanks to Joyce Tanihara, Mary Pfalzgraff, Reiko Meagher, Ruth Wild and back country skiers Jim Brown, Rex Cole, & Jill Olson. Spent several hours Sunday shoveling snow into wet crossings. A few are still wet on lower Ward. Until colder weather and more snow I recommend Staircase or Wild Trail where the snow is the best. Fred
11-21-04: 8" new snow overnight, plus 3" during the day on 41" base. Groomed about 23k for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line, although it was tough to tell with snow falling throughout the day. Kenton
11-20-04: Trace to 1" of new snow overnight at Skyway and County Line. Only a little grooming done as most trails were in good shape. Classic track was getting wind blown in in the open areas by midday. Light snow during the day. All in all a mighty fine day. Kenton
11-17-04: No new snow on 3' base. Groomed skate lanes and some of the trails at County Line that I didn't get to on Sunday. Classic track is still very good. Plus Ken Simpson groomed Scales Lake Road, it is now very wide and quite a treat. You have to get up here, fast snow for 10,700' elev. 31.5k groomed for skate and classic skiing at County Line and Skyway. Kenton
11-17-04: Ward Trail System: I packed the trail starting near the Visitor center on the South side of Cobbett Lake. There is 150 yds. of shared trail which is full of dips from snowmobiles. The Ward trail turns right & is well marked with blue diamond & flagging. At 1.6k you will need to cross the paved road into the Ward CG. There is about a 30" snowmobile trail thru Ward CG for 6k to Ward Creek dam. Deep Ward Lake has a thin layer of ice so the nights are colder. The best skiing is before 11:00 AM. Fred
11-14-04: 9" of new snow on 41" base. Groomed 28k for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line. Soft conditions today as much of the grooming was done with the roller. I'll try to do some grooming during the week, but I don't know when right now. Kenton
11-13-04: 3" of new snow since Wednesday, on 34" base. Groomed all trails for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line (31.5k). Then at 2:00 PM it started snowing and 3"-4" of new snow had fallen in an 1 1/2 hours when I left. I'll be up there again tomorrow packing the trails. Kenton
11-10-04: 4" of wet new snow on 33" base. 30k groomed today for skate and classic skiing at Skyway and County Line. Next grooming will possibly be on Friday afternoon, but for sure on Saturday. Kenton
11-7-04: No new snow on 30" base. 31.5k groomed for skate and classic skiing. Kenton
11-6-04: No new snow. 30" of snow in the shade. 26k groomed for skate and classic skiing. Great skiing on most trails. Kenton
11-5-04: 18k groomed today for skate and classic skiing. Good to excellent skiing. Waxing is a little tricky during midday, but still blue to purple wax in the morning and late afternoon. Kenton
10-30-04: 24 plus inches of snow on top, with no hunters. 10k groomed for Skate and Classic skiing at Skyway and County Line Cross-Country Ski Areas. Fast snow and great skiing with Extra Blue-Sp Purple kick wax. Some of it’s a little rougher as you can see in the picture, although these stray cows had pretty good trail etiquette and stayed out of the classic track for much of their journey from the Tower to Skyway.
A few more downed trees cut too. Kenton
10-31-04: 6" new snow during the day. 7.5k groomed today on Sunset, Winslow and Lions Loop. 99% of all rocks are covered and
as much snow now as some years by mid December. Kenton