Trails, as of April 23 at 10, are still in extremely fun shape for skating. It's amazing how little they have degraded.

Part of this is meteorological. Part is Jason's fine job in his first full year. A standing O from this skier who commutes to work, and enjoys the trails after hours, too. Thanks, man.

Trails were in terrific shape today. Thanks for extending our season!

How about using the sandwich boards to inform walkers and bicycles that it is still ski season. And thanks for continued grooming. Without grooming it is rather tricky to skate ski. Is anyone still classic skiing? Maybe just groom for skating.

Today I met a walker starting at the Ballaine Lake parking area.. This person was genuinely confused by the sign. She interpreted it as meaning that to get on the walking trail one should go forward and then turn either left or right on the Skarland Trail. That is exactly what the sign implies. This sign needs to be replaced with one that clearly indicate the walking trail goes along the bike path to range road, not on the Skarland trail.

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

Hi Jason,

I hope you can roll Smith Lake inner and outer today and the big loop around across Ballaine and back down Estle C. soon. I'm still a beginner skate skier and it is too packed down for me to practice technique.

Thanks!

mj

Thanks for continuing to groom, Jason!

This is some of the best skiing of the year, and your combing of the trail makes it better.

I agree with 410! I skate skied on Tues. and the trails were in great condition. Thanks.

Awesome trails. I had an awesome ski and the trails all look really really good. Thanks!

There are way too many walkers on the ski trails. Sunday I observed human boot prints on Reishis, Skarland from Reishish to Estle, Estle, lower end of T field, connector from Lower T-field to Smith lake and around smith lake. The largest concentration is in the general vicinity of Ballaine Lake. I don't know if more signs would do any good.

UAF expects to continue grooming for a few more weeks - weather dependent as always. Icy conditions develop at this time of year and cause the groomer to attempt to break up those surfaces as best as possible. Let's hope for cool night time temps. NC Manager

I was skate skiing on Smith Lake Thurs. and it's still rough. Divots from boots and the surface is really uneven, I guess because of the races that occurred recently. I'm hoping we'll be able to ski for another 2 weeks so please keep the grooming ongoing.

There is a human who walks frequently on the Reishis, the Skarland paralleling Yankovich road. When the snow was softer they took the inside of each curve and left huge holes criscrossing the trail. The boot treads are distinctive. Moose can be excused for walking on the trails but the human is totally disrespectful or terribly ignorant.

It seems like the trails are fairly 'rough' with alot of walking tracks. It makes it difficult to skate ski with those conditions.

I see skating marks on classic only trails, namely the baseline and the connection from the middle of the T field over to the Skarland coming down Miller Hill. Classic only trails need signage at each end so that beginners not familiar with the trail system understand that they should not be skating on them.

I was wondering if the west portion of the skarland trail could be tracked without significantly widening the trail. I like skate skiing, but there are so many days when it's too cold. Also, there are a lot of strictly classical skiers that use the trail and it would be nice to have a few dedicated and groomed classic trails. BTW, the trails have been in really good shape this season. Thanks for the efforts.

There is overflow on Smith Lake as well as an open hole in the ice beside the trail that cuts across the lake from Potato field to T-field, it is marked with an orange cone.

The trails need more packing. When the deep skate marks made on the soft base freeze in they will be hazardous

Yes, the trails will be maintained during break. Most trails are rolled. I set tracks on several trails last night only to see them disappear by this morning. The base is really soft and needs grooming and time to firm up. Grooming will be ongoing until the trails are all done.

I'm wondering if the trails will be maintained during spring break?

I do not understand some of these complaints, but since the U took over trail maintenance a few years ago, I have noticed dramatic improvements in the speed and quality of grooming. Look no further than this week, when Jason has been out every day. I am out there most weekdays, and the trails are flatter and wider than ever before, and though the addition of the walking trails must be a huge amount of extra work, they're a nice service.

I have my share of comments, namely that the classic tracks of late have not been particularly deep and could be harder.

That said, I'm getting fed up with the snipes taken here, nearly all from "Anonymous". I can say with a straight face that based on this year's experience, grooming has been better and more consistent at the UAF trails than Birch Hill.

Hopefully changes in manpower can be made for improvement. Why did Facilities Services management take over grooming from the ski club? Obviously the ski club was doing a great job. Was the ski club charging too much?

We do have backup personel in case I get sick. So no matter what the trails will get groomed.

Jason is a very hard working dedicated employee. He put in a huge amount of effort to get the trails back in shape. The problem lies with Facility Services management that took over grooming from the ski club and then provide only half the staff that the ski club provided. That combined with added trails and slower speed of grooming results in it taking over twice as long deal with fresh snow - perhaps 3 times as long. (Not that I favor high speed groooming on our rough narrow trails - too hard on equipment). The manpower issue has been raised repeatedly and we keep hearing that someone else is going to be trained and help out but it hasn't happened that I know of. We are going to be really hurting if Jason gets the nasty flu bug that is going around. Is there any back-up?

Great job on the trails! Keep up the good work, Luke! Thanks for the double rolling effort. That was a lot of snow to pack down. We should have great skiing well into April at this rate.

When it dumps, people should go powder skiing at Moose or Skiland instead of complaining about XC trails not being groomed instantaneously.

Why is there only one person to do this work? In past years the grooming was done much sooner after snow fall. Now when it snows I can't even guess when the trails will be groomed at UAF so I just go to Birch Hill where I know it will be ready to ski. Less grooming means fewer skiers. Why was the grooming personnel changed? Please answer. I still love to ski the UAF trails.

After all the snow that we had Saturday and Sunday, I certainly wasn't prepared for the wonderfully groomed and tracked sections that Jason had done today. He had rolled all the trails twice before combing and setting tracks on about half of the skiing trail system. This is a huge amount of work for just one person. The fact that Jason had rolled everything twice meant that the classical pole line was firm even with tiny racing baskets. The skate platform seemed pretty firm and relatively fast as you could keep speed up around untracked corners.

A huge thank you to Jason!

Thank you for your commments. Comment #388, All trails have been groomed with the same frequency, about once a week. In order to groom all trails it takes about 24 hrs of work, that is why they don't get it done all in one day. On Friday, the wind had completely covered the tracks on Smith Lake that is why I reset them. With snow expected on Saturday I wasn't going to reset all tracks on Friday. Comment #389, I spent 10hrs rolling trails on Saturday, I came back in Sat night and attempted to set tracks but the snow was still too deep so I had to reroll all trails, another 10hrs. I started setting tracks first thing this morning. Comment#390, I read these postings everyday. Some suggestions I have taken or at least tried out, others I have not. If there is something specific you are concerned about let me know and I will address it.

This website is great for providing feedback and comments to the groomer and for trail use and management. But it doesn't seem like any of the suggestions get listened to since there is continued problems with the trail conditions, track setting, etc. Does anyone review this material or pay attention to our comments? Some answers back from the groomer would be helpful. Maybe he has good reasons for doing some of what he does and if we understood that it would alleviate the concerns/complaints?

Have the tracks been set on the trails after all of this weekend's snow? You could tell that portions of the trail had been rolled since the big dump Friday night, but as of yesterday afternoon still no tracks had been put in. Has that been done now?

It's nice that the groomer is doing such a nice job on the trails, but it seems that only applies to the trails on the Smith Lake/T-field side of things. I skied Friday from Ballaine Lake and the skate part of the trails had been rolled, but the existing old classic track was left unchanged. That is until I got to Smith Lake where all new skate area had been rolled and nice, new deep classic track had been set. To the groomer, please remember that there are plenty of us out there who still classic ski and we want/deserve to have equally well maintained ski conditions. Plus, I don't understand why all the trails can not be groomed in one day? Why does it seem that the Skarland trail and Ballaine Lake side of the north campus area does not get as much regular grooming attention as the other side? Please see if you can find a way to groom this area the same.

If you lost a pair of glasses in a hard case while skiing on Tues Feb 24 late afternoon....I found them. Please call 457-1526 so I can get them back to you.

I, personally, think the trails are in great shape this year.

Pole thief found...actually a nice guy who made a mistake.

As I was skiing the West Ridge trials today I came upon a young man with quite old 3-pin skis and my sons missing poles. We chatted about the poles and he returned them with apologies. The moral if the story is there is still hope that ones gear is safe on the trails...as long as you don't set your carbon poles next to a trash can when you head our for intervals w/o poles. Whew.

FYI, although it is also a "no dog" ski area, Birch Hill has also hosted skijor races on occasion.

I have a comment that has nothing to do with gooming, but everything to do with our UAF trails. On Saturday afternoon my son was doing intervals with a friend and they set their poles on the side of the trail. My son's blue Swix Star poles were stolen. These will cost nearly $300 to replace. I encourage all trail users to keep their poles with them, or at least in sight, since at least one trail user among many great people in our ski community is a despicable thief. If you know who may have picked up my son's poles, please call me (474-7733). Thanks, Bert

Hey NC Manager where are those maps with trail distances you promised on 1/7???

Wow, I am a UAF trail user too. I am glad we can share these trails with other groups. It was fun to see skijorers out on the trails on Sunday. I was not inconvenienced in anyway by this race. I used many of the trails that were not being used for their race and actually skied by some of the racers. They were very friendly and said hello. Congrats skijorers and great job cleaning up.

Whether the trails were cleaned up immediately or not, the skijor race should never have been allowed to happen. UAF ski trails have never allowed dogs and that policy should remain. I do not believe the north campus manager had the right to decide all on is his own that it was ok to go against this long standing policy and that by informing other users with signs that makes it all ok. Basically, by having the race, you prevented all other users from using the trails during that time block, plus post race for cleanup. Now, I don't see that as fair access and use of our trails. I believe as north campus manager you have a responsibility to abide by uaf policies, which means no dogs, not to decide which rules you like or don't like depending upon who applies for an event. Please do not repeat this fiasco next year. There are plenty of other places where skijor races can be held that does not lead to such conflicts. Having the uaf trails dog-free makes it a great place to ski where we know the trails will be clean and well maintained and where we can be certain there will be tracks. This is very important for many skiers in Fairbanks, especially classic skiers. Please don't make Birch Hill the last place for good skiing in Fairbanks. It is too far on the other side of town and often is crowded or busy with race events. UAF is great the way it is and that means no dogs, or dog races.

OK, "Groomer", my mistake, that must have been someone else out there with their own groomer and snow machine whose tracks I saw.

I beg your pardon Roger, but I did not groom the race course until Brian finished his clean up. Please get you facts straight if you are going to comment publically.

As I said earlier, I completely support the use of UAF ski trails by the skijor group. I skied from approximately 1:45-2:30 on Sunday and saw nobody on the trails cleaning up dog poop. Moreover, the groomer DID start grooming before you started cleaning however - as I noted in my comment. But good on Brian and his helper for cleaning up the trails!!!!! Our trails are used by Trail Nazis who explode at the sight of a dog - I'm not one of those people - but any perceived violation by people not picking up poop ruins it for anyone who happens to be out their on the rare occasion with their dog. My recommendation for the skijor group is to have everyone who participates also participate in picking up poop - that way you can cover the trails more quickly and get poop picked up before the groomer or other skiers comes around.

Hello, First off I would like to thank the University and Facilities Services for their assistance with the skijor race recently held on the UAF trails. I was the person responsible for the clean up of the trails. I, with a helper, toured the entire course, removing all dog waste (both forms) with shovels. Following this the trails were regroomed. The parking area was also gone over by a half dozen people to clean up any unsightly residue. We are sorry if some users were inconvenienced by the 3 hours we had use of the trail system for our race and clean-up efforts. The 50 some racers, volunteers, and spectators had a great time and once again thank UAF for their help with this event.

February 13, 2009

FROM: Police Chief Sean McGee SUBJECT: Moose on campus This is a reminder that moose living near the University of Alaska Fairbanks may pass through campus. Members of the campus community should use common sense if they come in contact with wildlife and be aware that wildlife could be present, especially in the wooded areas of campus.

Do not attempt to feed wild animals or try to approach them.

The University Police Department has had a dramatic increase in the number of nuisance moose calls on the Fairbanks campus this year and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is reporting an increase in the Fairbanks area moose population.

Moose can be easily frightened and have been known to charge without notice. They can be especially dangerous when trying to protect offspring.

If you see a moose on campus, please call the UAF Police Department at 474-7721.

Sundays Skijor Race was approved through the UAF Events application process with specific requirements agreed to by the race organizers and UAF. I initially approved the event for the NC area. As North Campus manager, I place conditions on the event that were designed to inform other trail users during the race event and clean up / re-grooming requirements for post-race actions. It is very unfortunate that you experienced trail problems. I am sorry that occurred. As noted in later posting to the UAF NC recreation web pages, the re-grooming was completed by UAF groomer after the race, following a trail clean up and found the area appropriately clean for skiing. If there was a specific location that was not cleaned, I would appreciate knowing the area.

Comment #373 removed for inappropriate content.

Great job cleaning up after the race!! I skied this afternoon and couldn't tell that there had been a skijor race.

I just finished grooming from the skijor race. They did a great job cleaning up. The trails are not scattered with dog poop. Maybe you should have held your comments until we had finished cleaning up the trails.

I'm all for having ski jour groups use the ski trails, but after today's use, the trails are scattered everywhere with fresh dog s@#t - including a stretch where the groomer smeared poop all over the trail surface with his snow machine.

I'm a dog owner and avid skate skier with the rare opinion that dogs should be allowed on the trails during winter. HOWEVER, the use of the UAF Ski trails by dog groups who DO NOT pick up their dog's poop is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who allowed this and what the hell were they thinking?????

You can see detailed trail grooming info on the trails details link on the left of this page.

It's nice that you're grooming and setting such nice classic track on the Smith Lake and T-field side of the trails, but could you please do the whole trail system, ie. from the Ski Hut to the Skarland 6-mile loop around to Ballaine Lake and back to the ski hut. This section of trail has not been re-set in a long time. Some sections of track are getting bad and even skied through by skate skiers.

It would be great if you could put the classic track on the other side of the trail from the GI parking lot to Ballaine Lake. It used to always be on the right side when skiing from GI towards Ballaine. Currently, on the left side there are many more blind curves and tight turns when coming downhill if skiing from GI to Ballaine, which is the direction the trails were initially set up for. So on the right side, there are fewer blind spots and tight turns you have to make in tracks.

Also, when setting track at hills, please extend the track farther, ie. on he big u-shaped hill just before you cross the road and go up to Cutler apts the track ends before you get around the corner to go down the hill if coming from the GI. And the hill on the skarland trail just after intersection with Karl Reishus trail has a big break at the bottom before you start up the other side with tracks.

Also, please set tracks on the piece of trail between Ballaine Lake and the parking lot. Here and on the connector trail between Beaver Slide and Estle Connector you always seem to stop setting track. It's a pain to just have track disappear like that. Why not have the tracks be continuous? How do you think we get between these tracked locations - by teleport? It's helpful to have tracks the whole way if you're skiing fast in tracks. Especially at night, these breaks can be problematic. Thanks for working so hard to make the uaf trails so nice.

I just got off the trails by the GI parking lot and came across a sign in the middle of the trail about skijor race this weekend. What is up with that?!!!! Dogs are not allowed on UAF trails. Never have been. Never should be. They should not be allowed to have this race on our ski only trails. The dog tracks and other remains ruin the nicely groomed trails. Is this part of a make work program so that now you have to go groom the trails again after the race? There are plenty of other trails where dogs are already allowed that should be used instead. This is not the first year of this Race Across the Valley and they have found other locations in the past besides coming and ruining uaf trails. Birch Hill and UAF have always been set aside as no dogs for a reason so that we can enjoy well groomed and quiet trails without the fear of being run over by dogs and the trails being well groomed and maintained. Who has the authority to all of a sudden open up our non-dog trails to dogs and this race? Obviously not someone who skis the trails. I think such a decision should be made by a trail user group with a lot of public input by those of us who use the trail. This race should not happen on uaf trails!

This Sunday, Feb 15,from 11-1, the third leg of the "Race Across the Valley", a Skijor Association Race, will occur on some NC trails - along the T Field Rd, western Skarland trail, Smith Lake, Potato Field, Big Whizzy back to the Staduim starting line. Watch for race signs on the trails. Grooming will occur after the race.

Commetn #364 - Ned We working to get it added to the left side bar. Thanks for the suggestion

Can we make a link to this NWS thermometer on this website? It's right on the trails, about 100 feet from the ski hut, by the IARC parking lot. Would be an accurate one for people to check before skiing:

http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/roman/meso_base.cgi?stn=FAOA2&time=GMT

Yes why can't all the tracks be set in one day.

Sure hope you set tracks on the rest of the trails on Wednesday.

I think the trails here at UAF are fantastic. Great job, keep up the outstanding work.

Comment 359 and 352 We are working to get the distances for commonly used trail section posted to this website and bigger, easier to read maps at the kiosks. Thanks

I would be nice if the distances were on the trail maps that can be downloaded for personal use.

It is harder to skate ski in 4 inches of new snow than it is to classic ski in tracks.

I agree with comment #356 that it would have been nice for the classic tracks to be set considering the new snowfall and that the weather forecast is for temperatures to drop. With below zero temperatures I imagine that the majority of skiers will be doing classic technique as opposed to skating. I hope that classic tracks will be set very soon.

Thnaks for grooming the skate ski trails but I would appreciate you also setting classic tracks. Today when I was on Smith Lake, out of the ~15 skiers, 12 were classic skiers. I wonder if you have a priority which trials you groom first, etc.? Seems like Smith Lake is often used by beginners so it's nice to keep the tracks set there.

The trails will be groomed over the break and, as noted in comment #353, it will be done when there's more than an inch and the groomer will still smooth / set the trails even if no snow falls.

I am wondering about why tracks are set on opposite sides of the trail on the Skarland trail. When there are tracks on one side only of the trail, trail etiquette dictates that one skis in the direction so that the tracks are on the right hand side of the trail. One cannot ski the entire groomed Skarland trail without skiing the wrong direction for half of the trail. Basically I'm wondering about the section from the IARC parking lot to Ballaine lake--it would be more logical if the tracks were on the opposite side of the trail.

I am pleased with the condition of the trails this year. I hope that the trails will continue to be groomed during the campus closure Dec. 26-Jan 4. The University is going to a lot of expense (WIN for Alaska) to promote healthy lifestyles among employees. It would be nice for the trails to be maintained during the closure so that employees can get some healthy exercise when they have more time. As a minimum the trails should be groomed if there is any significant amount of snowfall. Keep up the good work!

In reference to comment 349, if the fine print on the maps you are referring to is on the maps posted around the trails, then forget about being able to read it. It is hard enough to read the larger map information because the signs are iced up or are difficult to get up close to on skies. And not all trails users are members of the clubs or listservs (or even know about these), so having a notice posted at trailheads along with the maps, like sign that said to be polite to walkers, would be helpful.

Also we need new maps put up. Ones that show the walking trails and that are more clear to read and understand. I agree that having distances on them is a good idea.

An earlier version of the Ski Trail maps included distances in kilometers. My copy of this map is nearly worn out. I would be delighted to see the distances put on the new maps. Thanks for setting the tracks again on Thursday. I am enjoying the beaver slide and baseline once again. The baseline is vastly improved. Pole marks show that it is heavily traveled.

Is it possible to set track on that short stretch from the north side of Ballaine Lake up to the two trails? It would make that stretch easier. thanks

Can't wait to ski those new tracks - I don't care how cold it is I am going enjoy my favorite trails that got set Thursday. It is a little hard to get info to frequent users of the trails because they don't take time to read the fine print on the new maps. I think this web site was also discussed in the Nordic Ski Club newsletter. Information also went out on the trails club listserve. We hope to make more use of volunteers next summer so if you want to hear my calls for help sign up for the listserve. You can sign up yourself or send me your email and I will add you. My email is ffsrj@uaf.edu.

Thanks for setting track on the connection sections between Beaver Slide and Estle, Potato Field and lake, and top of stadium area by the satellite dish. It's nice to be able to ski the whole way in track when one is wanting to track ski. It's great that there is this site to put in comments about the trails for the groomer to hear from all of us regular trail users, but how are people supposed to find out about it. I only found out by calling facility services to talk to the groomer and they told me about the site. This site needs to be advertised, like putting signs at the trails so users who have thoughts, concerns, compliments to make will know where to go. I have heard lots of discussion amongst regular skiers over the last couple of years since uaf took over the contract and nobody seemed to know that there was a forum where their concerns could be voiced. We were just venting to ourselves which was just that much more frustrating because had no possible resolution. So I suggest you do something to spread the word about this site. I think will cause skiers to feel less frustrated when run into difficult trail situations. Might help them to understand why the groomer does what he does which could lead to less anger.

WATCH OUT FOR MOOSE! I was nearly charged twice this morning at the intersections of the Powerline trail and the T-Field, and again at the Powerline trail and the Potato Field. Otherwise, trails are in great shape.

I have been skiing on the UAF trails for 6 years, and the grooming this year has been far more frequent and superior to years past. Keep up the good work.

Why was the grooming contract changed? Lets keep the comments constructive.

Go ski at Birch hill then you whiner.

No trails were packed or groomed as of late Sunday afternoon. At Birch Hill all trails were groomed Sunday morning. Who knows when all trails will be groomed at UAF? Bring back NSCF to groom at UAF. Why was it changed? Please provide info. Thanks

Thanks. All I did to those trails was pack a wider base. I could try getting side by side tracks in there, I think that the snowmachine would ruin the first set of tracks when setting the second set. I was planning on resetting those tomorrow I will check it out.

Good work Jason. Is there a chance of getting side by side tracks on the trails west of the T-field. It seems as though some work has been done to widen these sections and it's a great spot for a ski and conversation.

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Thanks for returning the k-rail barrier at the end of North Chandalar Drive. Far too many people were speeding through there making it perilous for pedestrians.

Also, I noticed the archived comments section only seems to show the first paragraph of text (which is sometimes just "Good Morning" etc). Can this be fixed?

Thanks!

The Skarland trail has indeed been groomed at least the section north of Ballaine lake. Relax

Once again the spreadsheet says the trails close to campus have been groomed but the Skarland trail has not. At least give equal attention to all of the trails instead of repeated coverage of the trails closest to the ski hut. People do use the Ballaine Lake Trailhead and parking.

Thanks for setting tracks on the Skarland, they do help. For those who want to contribute for trail maintenance, you can do it through the UAF Trails Club: http://www.uaf.edu/trails/

The trails at UAF need to be smooth and level from side to side. Then when we get snowfall it needs to be packed as soon as possible to get the best base which means uniform thickness and consistency across the trail. That way tracks can be set even with marginal snow depth such as this year. That is how it is at Birch Hill this year even with minimal snow depth. Pack ASAP after snowfall. The ruts, rocks and roots on the Skarland trail will make that difficult however. The groomer can only do so much because of the condition of the trail surface to begin with.

In reference to comment 331. Hey, I can ski without tracks. I do it all the time on multi-use trails such as in Goldstream and enjoy it just fine. That is not the point. Point is that I come to groomed trails like uaf specifically for track skiing, which is a different type of skiing, and so find it frustrating when they are not set properly. These are supposed to be groomed and maintained trails which sets up a different level of expectation. I expect them to be in good shape for all types of skiers. And if you've ever tried to teach someone to ski, you'd realize how much easier it is for beginners to learn where there are tracks. Shouldn't the trails be in shape where all skier levels can enjoy them?

It is sad to hear that someone who lives by uaf chooses to spend the time and waste the gas to drive all the way across town to Birch Hill because uaf trails are not safe or good enough. Isn't this more a commentary on the state of our trails? Shows that birch hill has better trails. I think uaf used to have equally good trails and in last two years they have deteriorated with poor maintenance. Too many trails have been added to be able for one person to maintain them all well. Should would be nice if our trails could get back to superior quality. Hey, maybe our ski team might find them good enough to come back and train on them instead of using birch hill?

We make choices based on our own goals. We could go with what is more convenient. It only takes a few minutes to drive across town to use world class trails and it is worth it. I still ski UAF trails sometimes because I enjoy them too. I choose the trails that are safe to use.

The trails are fine. If you can't ski without classic tracks and still enjoy your self then learn how to ski. You will be much happier overall. Comment 329-- You would waste all that gas and time just to drive over to Birch Hill? Come on!!

Is there a fund that UAF trail users can contribute to to help with the trail improvement/maintainence? I know that there used to be. If not, would establishing such a fund help with some of the aforementioned issues? UAF trails have always been rougher than Birch Hill, even when the NSCF did the grooming. I just had a great ski on the trails.

Luke, thanks for having the maintainence guys move the barrier at the east end of North Tanana Loop. Its much easier to get through now!

I agree with the groomer that the roots and rocks need to be covered and the trails leveled out. Please somehow get the money to do this. So far this winter I have been driving across town to Birch Hill, even though I live a mile from UAF, because of the trails conditions. I enjoy both but UAF is limited. I can't understand skiers whining about footprints on the trails. Footprints can be skied over with no problem. Come on and lets all get along. Better maps and signs would help to guide walkers but lets share the great exercise and scenery with everyone. Happy trails.

If there is not enough snow, then how come Birch Hill and Pearl Creek trails both have good tracks set? Maybe you need different equipment. I know at Pearl Creek a track setter is used that pulls up the snow from the sides to build up enough to set. Also, in the last ten years of skiing on uaf trails when nordic ski club was doing trail maintenance we never had these poor trail and track conditions. They must've had different equipment since they could fit down narrow trails and managed to get all trails groomed and well maintained all the time. Seems that you only have time to do one side or a few trails at a time. Maybe too many walking trails to groom too which takes up too much of your time? Maybe you need to move some snow around to help fill in bad spots on the trail. Like the bank erosion on Ballaine Lake has made for a steep drop off and on the north end of the lake there's a big hole in the middle of the drop off. It's not marked and makes for a surprising and perhaps dangerous encounter if you're going down onto the lake from this direction. Could this be fixed?

Thank you for your comments. The Skarland trail. There is not enough snow to set tracks on the Skarand trail. I went and tried to set tracks out there this morning and the tracks are very poor. The T-field rd. I set a second set of tracks on the opposite side. Baseline and Beaver slide Estle connector. I am waiting for the new tracksetter to be completed. It is being painted today and needs one more day of assembly. The current tracksetter will not fit down those trails. The tracksetters I have been using are the standard of the industry. Birch Hills tracks are deeper because they made thier own tracksetter which we are reproducing. However, with a deeper tracksetter we will need even more snow before it can be used effectively on the Skarland trail and any other trail where it is not flat,even and without danger of hitting rocks, tree roots etc. Work will continue during the summer to level all trails, it is a very labor intensive process and I can only get one or two trails done per year depending on how bad they were to begin with. The classic track grooming has not fallen by the wayside. We simply need more snow to get those quality tracks set on alot of the UAF trails. Have patience and hope for more snow.

Please put classic tracks on both sides of the road to the T-field. Please put classic tracks on the Skarland Trail. I am so dissapointed that classic tracks are not found to date on the base line trail and the connection between beaver slide and Estle. I agree with comment 324 and 325

Hey Guys, I just spent a day skiing up at Birch Hill and honestly what's the UAF trails network deal? Birch Hill has all of their trails set with classic tracks, and not just shallow attempts at classic tracks but deep impressions in the snow. I feel like the UAF groomers have a long way to go to try and duplicate the professional quality of classic ski tracks that exist on the other side of town. Like the previous commenter stated, there's lots of spots where classic tracks abruptly end, and places (on wide trails) where two way traffic meets on a fast hill. For safety's sake please set tracks on both sides of the trail! The skate grooming is great but I feel as though the classic track grooming has fallen by the wayside. Also, as the previous commenter noted, the trail signage is extremely poor. White paper, on a white trail, on a white signpost is basically invisible on a day with flat lighting. Let's take some pride in the blue and gold Alaska state colors and make up some bright signage at all entry points to the trail system. CLEARLY label trails for dogs, walkers and commuters and CLEARLY put a big red stop sign next to skiers only trails that intersect multi-use trails. It's the only way to keep a happy balance between all of the ski trail users on campus.

Please can you groom the whole trail system all the way around the Ballaine Lake side instead of just the GI/T-field/Smith Lake side. There are plenty of us who ski the whole way around and especially who need track set for classic this whole way. It is very limiting to just have track on the one side of the area. And without track on the rest of the trail it makes it much harder to ski classic style. Not everyone skate skies! It was great that you re-groomed all the T-field side and lake track on Friday - the lake was great - but why do you keep not doing all the trails, like the connections between the trails - no track from Potato Field or T-Field Road down to the lake; no track all the way to top of T-Field; track on Beaver Slide but it just ends at the top with no track on the trail that connects back over to the Estle Connecter; track ending at top of hill from the Potato Field when come to intersection with Big Whizzy and Calypso Field trails up near the Satellite Dish and doesn't re-start again until the new trail over by where you store your equipment. Plus tracks just end at all trail intersections which is weird. Coming out of the tracks like this makes it hard to keep control. Also used to have track on both sides of T-field road which is safer because of people coming down that hill fast in the tracks and possibility of running into someone coming up hill, especially around blind-corner. Better to have track on both sides there, or if not then at least on the right hand side when going down the hill where the turn is wider so can see if someone is coming. Also, used to have some narrow trails that were for classic only that had set track. Now you have widened all these trails and ruined the nice feeling of being in the woods that they had and because they are wide skate skiers are now using them. In some cases you have finally started setting track on them, which helps keep skate skier off, but some have the tracks ruined by skaters still trying to go there. Also, too many walkers on the ski trails leaving footprints. Has been a bad idea to mix walking and ski trails so close together. People don't know where to go. Was better when UAF was just ski trails. You need to put out better maps so the walkers can tell where they are. All the posted maps only show ski trails. Also put out better signage at trail heads and crossings that say no walkers and no dogs. I met someone in the Ballaine Lake parking lot yesterday who was about to go ski-joring on our trails. There is no sign there that says No Dogs. And no sign that says No Walkers. It just skiing only. Apparently this isn't clear enough since I keep finding both dogs and walkers on the trails that you spend so much time and money trying to keep well groomed for us skiers.

Skaters, please, please, please stay off the classic tracks. Some new tracks were set today and before anyone could even ski on them somebody skated right on top of them despite the 15+ft skate lane.

Thanks for resetting the tracks farther from the edge. much better!

the trails have been great - thank you so much!

The trails are groomed very nicely this season--thanks! We really appreciate the deeper classic tracks.

I appreciate the grooming for skiing, but would greatly appreciate not having the commuter trail (between Sheep Ck & West Ridge) groomed. It takes days of work to get the trail back in ridable condition after the groomer goes by. Bikers and walkers can keep the trail in shape w/o help from the groomer (witness other, non-groomed, trails), and I'll shovel when/if necessary to make it ridable. The groomed stuff is tough to shovel! Thanks for having this page up, and here's to a great season.

Thanks much for the detailed guide to specific trail conditions!

2 comments: 1. I noticed some valiant attempts by classic skiers to create some tracks on the sides of some of the trails, but I also noticed the tracks of skate skiers wiping them out. This also happened a lot last year. It would be nice if skate skiers extended the same courtesy toward classic skiers as all skiers want from pedestrians: please don't obliterate the tracks!

2. I notice a shocking number of human tracks on some of the trails, especially near the incomplete ring road and the area near the dorms; coincidentally, I also did not see any signs posted. It might be wise to put some up there. However, I also noticed foot traffic a little further on near clearly posted signs for walking and skiing trails. They go all along the trails, right down the baseline trail, before joining the walking trail along the other side. doesn't seem like the separate trail designations are working.

There is a link with more detailed grooming information, click on the Trails Conditions link at the left and then "Click here for conditions on specific trails". That will pull up an exel file that shows when and where tracks have been set. With only a 1-2" base I could only set tracks on the T-field and rd where it is flat. Also, I cannot reset those tracks as there is just not enough snow to run the track killer.

Thanks so much for all your work! All it takes is a morning ski on the trails to remind me why I moved to this frozen wasteland. Now, can you just make it snow another foot so we can get some more tracks set?

Would it be possible for you to have a link that showed what trails currently are groomed with tracks for classic skiing? I noticed some beautiful tracks last week and assumed we would still have them today (or perhaps even more), but to my surprise, it seemed some were gone and the only tracks I saw were from the hut to the T-field and around it. If there were a quick link to look at, skiers that wanted to classic ski would know precisely where to go or could decide to skate instead if the tracks were limited. Also, if you use a track eraser before setting new tracks, would it be possible to put new tracks in on the opposite side of the trail before erasing the old ones? Thanks a bunch for your hard work!

I was walking on the walking trail yesterday evening and was almost hit by a skier flying down the walking trail at the start of the T-field rd. If you are going to ban walkers from the ski trails then ban the skiers from the walking trails.

Luke, Thanks for responding.

Thanks so much for getting out there early this morning to groom many of the trails. They were excellent today!

Larry I will bring the barrier distance up to the eguipment crew to see about moving them a bit. Thanks

I have done some talking to hydrologist types and they tell me that the strange melt holes in our lakes are caused by Bernard Cells (not warm springs). As ice starts to form there is an unstable situation with dense cold water above warmer water below. Cells form with dense water falling along the margin and warmer water rising in the center which results in the circular holes we sometimes see. The Newsminer recently had a picture of one of these features. Another interesting feature are the springs along the margins of the lakes. The tundra provides insulation so even after the lakes are quite frozen one can find weak areas or even no ice close to shore. Then there is the sunny North shore effect where the ice is thin on the N side since we still get some solar radiation this time of year. Always lots of interesting things to see out on the trails.

A brief comment on bike commuting through/to campus. The new commuting trail that connects the Sheep Creek multi-use trail to West Ridge is great! It should help with non-motorized commuter safety. However, the concrete blockades on the east end of the unfinished North Tanana Loop are set so closely that bicyclists can not pass without dismounting, if a gap of 2.5 -3 feet is provided it would keep motorized vehicles out but allow single lane passage of a bicyclist. Thanks for all the improvements to the trail system!

Ice Thickness; Ballaine Lake 4.5", Smith Lake 5"

I checked the ice thickness on Smith Lake today and it was 2-2.5" thick. I checked a number of sources on safe ice thickness and the safe minimum is 3" for a single person. There are number of springs in Smith lake where the ice tends to be thinner. So travel across Smith Lake and Ballaine Lake is not safe right now even for a single person!!!!!

I need at least 5" of ice to get out onto the lake. I will be checking the ice thickness this week.

Is Smith Lake frozen hard enough yet?

To respond to Bill's summer posting: With fall snow accumulating, we will be regularly scheduling grooming on the two trails mentioned in the posting below. Enjoy the trails this winter. Luke Hopkins

Thank you for grooming the beaver slide (my favorite trail), but I was wondering why you didn't continue grooming on the the trail connecting the beaver slide to the Estle connector? The ungroomed link is no narrower than the beaver slide and completes a nice little circuit route. Similarly, I've noticed that you haven't groomed the "classic only" trail that leaves from the west side of the t-field and connects up with the Skarland trail before ending on the wider T-field to Smith Lake connector. I realize that you've had a lot to groom after the several major snowfalls, but hope that you might be able to groom these trails if the weather remains cold and clear. I've also noticed that the narrower drag makes a firmer pole line than does your wide (skate and classic combination) drag--so I really appreciate when you set both firm classical tracks and two firm pole lines. Thank you for all your work. Grooming the UAF ski and walking trails requires a huge amount of effort and we appreciate your efforts.

Today is the UAF groomer's final work day until next August when he will be back to prepare for our next winter season. Even with only 50% of the normal snow fall our groomer did a great job in the words of our UAF ski coach. I sure hope next year we have more snow and coming earlier in the fall.

Hooray for clean white snow! It is so nice out there and the trails are so smooth. Thanks for the grooming. I hope you'll be able to roll again tonight to smooth out our ruts and compact the snow a little more.

I'm hoping that classic tracks will be set, at least on Smith Lake, since these are the last days of the season it's a shame to not be able to classic ski too. Thanks for all the grooming for skate skiing.

Good afternoon

Ooops. My number at the News-Miner is 459-7587 or my e-mail is tmowry@newsminer.com

If anyone who has been charged by the moose wants to give me a call, it might be worth a little blurb to notify the public. Has UAF public safety or ADF&G been called about it?

Watch out for the bull moose. He ran at me twice on Sunday on the T-field road. That could get worse as he gets bigger. I've heard from others that have been chased also. Somebody is going to get hurt.

The trails were great today!! Thanks Jason

I'm pleased to see that trails are still being groomed, especially since we are having some cooloer weather.

I agree with comment 134. Thanks, Jason. You have been doing a great job, especially this past week, when the conditions have really deteriorated.

Jason,

A response to message 131

Hope the Skiathon is a CLASSIC event as it has been since it's conception. Please!

Could someone share which trails are easiest and flat for a beginner? Thanks.

The gravel has been taken care of. Stadium has been groomed the upper T-field rd may still have some in the tracks.

Warning!! Someone has sprinkled generous amounts of "pea" gravel in the classic track in the stadium and on the steepest part of the downhill on the T filed road. This could cause a lethal injury.

I was pleased to see the results of grooming Estle on Tuesday.

I will discuss the issues with the groomer early this week to see the possibilities are. Signs are limited - we'd have to put up laminated ones on stakes for the remainder of the season -short as it seems now.

Can the walking trail on Smith Lake PLEASE be marked with signs? It is so unpleasant to be told to get off the lake by skiers. Can a walking path be put in around the perimeter since there is so much space on the lake and it is such a nice place most of the time? It could go either inside or outside the groomed ski path. Thanks for your consideration.

Great job getting out and grooming Friday. The trails that you groomed are terrific and those pesky little ridges are starting to go away. It would be great if you could do some grooming over on the east side of the trails as well.

I was sad to see fresh footprints damaging the fresh grooming. Can't more signs be posted? Sure the walkers may ignore the signs but skiers will point the signs out to them.

In reference to comment #120, Birch Hill has been a bit warmer than UAF and therefore softer conditions. Tom Helmers made a comment about not grooming because he didn't want to expose more surface area of the snow to melting. Fairbanks is hosting USSA Distance Nationals the last week of March at Birch Hill. I imagine they are wanting to preserve the trails as much as possible for those races in case it continues to be warm, considering that we have had less than average snowfall. I found that the trails at UAF that were groomed on Friday were in wonderful condition and appreciated that they had been groomed.

Should trails be groomed when it so soft? The Birch Hill groomers are waiting until it cools down.

Is there any way to get the ridges that appear to be left by the roller evened out? Other than that I wish we had more snow to cover up the wind blown debris.

I have been pondering possible causes of tracks being partially obliterated less than 24 hours after they were set.

I cannot groom the western half of the Baseline with the same groomer as the eastern half. This summer we will be widening the western half so that the good groomer will fit all the way through. I did run the really small tracksetter through the western half recently but it doesn't do nearly as good of a job.

The classic track on Smith Lake yesterday (Thursday) was deep and nice most of the way around. I wish the skarland trail could have nice deep track like that.

I ski both at UAF and Birch Hill sometimes at both places in the same day and nearly always am disappointed in the condition of the tracks at UAF compared with Birch Hill. UAF's tracks are shallow and usually soft and not well defined even though the tracks were set in the last 24 hours with no new snowfall. The tracks at Birch Hill are firm, deep and well defined. As I ski I ponder what makes the tracks at Birch Hill better and wonder if they have more appropriate equipment for Fairbanks conditions and/or more experience in knowing how to set a good track. I wonder if placing more weight (if possible) on the track setter would make firmer, deeper tracks. I do appreciate that the feedback is read and that many of the suggestions have been incorporated to improve the trail grooming. Although I don't skate nearly as frequently as I stride, I have been satified with the condition of the trails for skating most of the time.

I have been skiing here at the University since the early 70's and the grooming has gone from skiers skiing the tracks in through student employees doing the grooming and then the ski club and now back to the University. I feel the grooming now is only slightly better than when the students were doing it. Yes the trails are skiable, but they are not up to what the ski club used to do. I say bring the ski club back.

I ski almost every day and I am more than happy with the trail conditions. Most trails get groomed 1-2 times each week. The tracks do get beat up before they get reset. Other than that I think the trails are in good shape.

In the past I classic skied UAF several times each week. This year I can count my total number of outings there on two hands. My main reason is the lack of quality tracks on the Skarland and other classic trails. More frequent grooming deeper tracks would make it much better.

The classic track on the skarland trail is in serious need of work. It is shallow and smushed out to the sides and hasn't been redone for a long time.

For the most part the ski trails are moderate to poor. I would encourage the groomer to observe the well prepared trails at birch hill. classic tracks at UAF are shallow, skate lanes soft. I am dissappointed every time.

This is one of the best years of grooming I've seen in quite awhile. It's good to see the innovation in trial setting. Thanks, Jason.

The tree on Midnight express has been taken care of. Thank you for posting it and letting us know.

Beware!

The turn around trail is classic only and starts at the top NE corner of the T-field and goes over to the trail to LARS.

What is the Turn Around Trail?

Thank you for grooming the baseline trail.

Tonight the lights weren't on even when I was finishing around 6:30 p.m. Is there a possibility that the timer for the lights hasn't been reset since the Tuesday power outage? Thanks for checking.

Jason,

The baseline trail needs attention.

The grooming is very good and website is a great resource. I was very fearful when UAF decided to take over grooming this year, but so far it has worked out well.

Thanks for setting the track on the short steep hill on the 6 mile by the road to nowhere!

Hello, We just got 8" of fluffy snow. All trails have been packed at least once as of Thursday. Some tracks have been set, see conditions page to see which ones. All trails will need more packing and grooming. Most tracks should be set before this weekend.

The spreadsheet with the information about each trail on the Current Conditions page is a great addition to this website.

There has been a verification code entry feature added to this comment page to try and limit spam events. Following writing any comments here, enter the code shown in bold below this text box.

The trails looked beautiful today and I appreciate efforts to groom the classic only trails.

People can see what trails have been groomed recently on the link on the left, Trails Conditions then current conditions. Whenever a trail gets groomed the tracks get reset.

The trails looked beautiful today and I appreciate efforts to groom the classic only trails.

Funny how Luke didn't complain when someone took a jab at me but then complains when I defend myself! If you have more general comment/camplaints/etc. people are free to use the Trails-L listserve but they won't be anonymous. Susan Todd set up the listserve to facilitate the free discussion of North Campus issues. Send me your email address and I will add you to the list. My email is ffsrj@uaf.edu

The trails looked beautiful today and I appreciate efforts to groom the classic only trails.

great site, luke!

Thoroughly enjoyed skiing in the recently set classic tracks today. It's nice to have good tracks when the temperatures are below zero. Keep up the great work!

It is unfortunate that comments and opinions referencing individuals and groups are posted to this web site. It was my hope as NC manager to offer Users a place to post issues about trail conditions and grooming; not finger pointing. I also hope this space does not become a blogger's site and require a moderator's overview.

When was the last time classic tracks were set on any of the trails? If any of the trails have had classic tracks set recently, which ones?

Some history of the WWTL(Winter Walk to LARS) might help #28. It was me that first proposed the WWTL some 8 years ago. My suggestion was to use the CIGO road. Jack Townsend of USGS opposed people walking on the road and Susan Todd didnt like the idea of cutting more trees to make a 3rd clearing so she pulled the idea from the draft plan. With the latest planning effort for winter walking trails I again proposed using the CIGO road. The road is now under the GI and they opposed people walking on it thus we arrived at the current plan of cutting a new trail.

Concerning comments #32 and 33 (and also 25 to some extent) and the response #34, I am not finding when classic tracks have been set/reset indicated on the Current Conditions pages. Whereas 6 trails are listed as having tracks set, it doesn't list when. I prefer to ski at UAF because of the location and terrain but this season often have found that the condition of the classic tracks is dissappointing and wished that I had gone to Birch Hill. I think there are many classic skiers like myself who prefer to ski at UAF because of the flatter terrain. I greatly appreciated all the Smith Lake classic tracks when there wasn't enough snow to set good tracks on all the trails, but now that there's more snow, let's have consistently good classic tracks on all the trails. Thanks.

I hope that classic tracks will be set/reset on all the groomed trails soon. Grooming the trails wider is nice, but please set the classic tracks on the flat part of the trail, not so far over that they are in the ditch or on a slope on the side of the trail. Thank you.

We have a narrower classic trail groomer on the way!!

I hope you can find some narrower equipment in order to set classic track on the baseline trail. It is heavily used, especially after warm spring days when the first part of the 6-mile trail ices up.

For latest trail conditions go to Trail Conditions link on the left and click on UAF Trail Statistics. Classic tracks have been set on all trails except for the Skarland loop where it is discontinuous. There is less snow on that trail due to the big spruce trees and the tracksetter was going right down to the dirt.

It was fantastic to see the new inner loop on Smith Lake last week. In the past the UAF trails were great for all levels of classic skiing. It sure would be nice to see when and where the tracks are set. The Beaver Slide and other classic only trails are favorites. Thanks for keeping us informed.

This is a great website, but would appreciate more information as to when and where classic tracks have been set or reset. For example, do all groomed ski trails have classic tracks set on them? If, not which ones do? Keep up the good work on the trails and website.

To those wondering about a proposed walking trail route to the LARS that the NC manager laid out: A request was made by the UAF Trails Club, a campus club, to consider a possible route relocation that would have fewer crossings of existing ski trials and less impact on the physical and biological integrety of the NC lands. The NC subcommittee considered the issue and they decided to delay the cutting of the proposed walking trail, requesting a further review of possible routes. The current status is that another route will be laid out and reviewed by members of the of NC subcommittee before or during their next meeting on Dec 18, at noon.

The new trail groomer is doing a great job--covering rocks with snow after the equipment sometimes kicks them up, making new loops in the T-field, combing the thin trails and making them skiable. As someone who uses the trails every day and notices what's been done, thank you!

I'm feeling uncomfortable with the comment from #28....

Stan- Wasn't that walking trail all set to be put in until you interfered and caused the delay?????

Has anyone been out on Smith Lake, Tfield, etc. since the "thaw" on Saturday? Birch Hill is pretty icy in spots; are UAF trails better? Thanks!

I will attempt to respond to comment 21. After years of discussion, public hearings, etc. a comprimise plan for expanded winter walking trails was approved. Parts of the plan have been constructed but the winter walk to LARS has not. Coming to agreement on the alignment has been difficult. Some suggested that the walkers simply use the CIGO road since it is cleared and plowed. The GI opposed this thus the plan to cut a new swath for the walking trail. The North Campus Committee directed the manager to try and establish the alignment between the ski trail and the road. But with winter darkness, Luke being out of town, etc. it does not look like it will get constructed until next summer. People have to keep in mind that the ski trails have taken some 80 years of effort to build. We are playing catch-up to bring the new walking trail sytem up to reasonable standards. We will get there!!

it's great to have this new website for checking trial grooming status.

well, it's snowing.... maybe i'll see ya'll out there saturday!!!! ENJOY

The trails are in quite nice shape for only having a 1-2 inch base and are in prime condition to receive a good dumping of snow. Well Done Jason! Keep up the good work and lets all start praying to the snow gods!

I agree with comment 19. UAF's public trails should be truly multiuse. Why should skiers have sole use of the trails all winter long, while walkers, snowshoers and everyone else gets kicked off the trails. Where is the walking trail to LARS?

trails are in great shape ...esp. considering the lack of snow. the new signs designating walking vs ski trails seem to be working well...I've seen walkers on the walking trails...and no new 'boot marks' on the section of ski trail I was on!

I am very disappointed to learn that the outdoor/overnight portion of the survival classes that have been conducted for researchers for the past two decades are no longer allowed to occur on north campus. The instructors and students always cleaned up after themselves and restored the site to its natural state. North campus provided a perfect environment for this life safety aspect for researchers, students and staff who conduct field work in Alaska. This appears to be an example of how the critical needs of researchers on north campus have been minimized. Although we have been offered an off-campus site, the convenience factor does not exist and has created other complications that will, no doubt, detract from the effectiveness of the classes. I would have hoped that research and recreation could co-exist and that both needs could be accommodated, however, this action clearly shows that has not been the case.

I dropped by the ski hut tonight to see if the deck had been cleared. I saw a few folks ski by, they all smiled and looked like they were having a great time. Jason is doing an outstanding job! The trail system is just going to get better and better. Well, if it ever snows again. :-)

I think it is great to have the groomed oval on the field accross for the SRC. Many skiers are taking advantage of it.

The fresh snow helped and glad to see the trails rolled with the nice rollers with built in comb. Good job. But I did get to pondering the lack of set tracks. Could tracks be set around Smith lake?

Trails look great thus far... I have used them as both a skier and runner in the past week, and love having both options.

Thank you all for the feedback. I check the feedback comments almost everyday. I tested the new groomer on the T-field road on Friday. With this new snow I should be able to set some classic tracks on the T-field road and field this coming week. Enjoy!!

Jason has done a great job on the trails with the snow that's fallen and the conditions of the trails before the snow fell. Unfortunately, even his signs hasn't kept runners/walkers from putting their deep footprints into the center of the skate lane. After Jason groomed today, someone had walked up the center of the Whizzy loop. Nonetheless, I still had a delightful ski and thank all involved in making the skiing as good as it is.

The trails are the best anyone could possibly ask for with such little snow. Nordic Ski Club couldn't have done any better grooming in these conditions. Keep up the good work UAF! Looking forward to a GREAT ski season!

For what snow he has to work with the ski trails are in great shape. Keep packing what we get and before you know it we'l have enough snow to set tracks and get on with our winter season. I too like the way trails are being groomed as wide as possible, unlike past years. Thanks for all you do! Go UAF!!

For this little snow itis impressive to see what the groomer has been able to do.

Stan and others concerned

Do you want me to measure ice thickness? The sunny North shore of Smith Lake is perhaps the weakest ice due to solar effect. That is where the grooming vehicle broke through years ago.

The grooming today looked great. I really like the effort of working to get the trails groomed as WIDE as possible. It is nice for skiers to pass without tripping up on ski tips!

To answer Stan's questions:

As with most trails, there is not enough snow yet to remove all the tracks. It well take a bit more snow cover.

Is this site going to be maintained?