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Summary of Winter 2019 to 2020

Winter 2019-20 started early.

10+ inches of heavy snow November 27, 7+ inches of heavy snow November 30, 4+ inches of dense snow December 9, 2.5 inches of light snow December 12. Groomers had their hands full throughout December. This made for very good skiing over the Christmas and New Year Holidays. January added 14" of snow in generally light snow falls. February was dry, only 5" of snow. We had only one major rain event (1.5" of rain December 28), and the rain was absorbed into the abundant base. Trails were in great shape at Birkie time. Then warm weather moved in a week after the Birkie. The last grooming was March 13, but we were able to enjoy decent skiing into the beginning of April. All thanks to the big snows in late November.

We groomed a total of 57 times this past winter. Here’s the breakdown: once in November, 18 times in December, 19 times in January, 16 times in February, and 3 times in March.

Our head groomer and his crew were very willing to use our rollers - both of our rollers were used more this past winter than at any time in the past. As a result, this past winter the trails were groomed wider, and the edges were more firm. Groomers were very willing to try different techniques, and performed far more evening grooming than at any time in the past. This allowed the grooming to set up by the time skiers arrived in the morning. The classic track was in generally good shape most of the winter - the groomers were responsive to input from some of our most enthusiastic classic skiers. Thank you groomers!

The ABR compaction drag (we call it the 'Blue Thing') also was used more frequently this past winter. It was especially helpful removing high spots in the center of the trail, and when the trails needed a quick light touch-up of the skate lane.

Logging along Rut Road kept us from grooming that part of the East Side Core Loop the entire winter. Toward the end of that logging operation, it also disrupted our access to the West Side using the usual East-West crossover trail. However, one of the real pluses this past winter was the newly permitted use of Excelsior Road on the West Side for grooming and skiing. In the middle of December, after the gun deer hunts were done, a berm was plowed to block off traffic at the east end of Excelsior Road. We then groomed the entire 3 km length of Excelsior Road, and skiers were uniformly thrilled with the results.

Overall, it was a fairly long winter with very good skiing and snowshoeing in the Blue Hills. We hope the following photos trigger some good memories.

skate skiing on the Blue Hills Trail — December 6, 2019 - Excelsior Road on the West Side of the Blue Hills Trail

grooming the Blue Hills Trail cross country ski trail — Grooming the 'Gravel Road' on December 11, 2019

map highlighting Excelsior Road as part of the Blue Hills Trail — The blue line shows Excelsior Road - grooming and skiing it for the first time during winter 2019-20

hoar frost on the Blue Hills Trail in northern Wisconsin — December 21, 2019 on the East Side ridge line

beautifully groomed cross country ski trail — December 21, 2019 - Roundabout Trail

cross country skiing January 2020 on the Blue Hills Trail — January 1, 2020 near intersection #5 on the East Side Core Loop

women skate skiing — January 7, 2020 - the 'Gravel Road'

skijoring on the Blue Hills Trail in northwest Wisconsin — January 9, 2020 - dogs are welcome on the West Side of the Blue Hills Trail

men skate skiing — January 11, 2020 - East Side ridge line on the Grouse Trail

Blue Hills Trail cross country ski trail — January 20, 2020 - late afternoon near the 'Roundabout' intersection on the East Side of the Blue Hills Trail

snowman viewed through warming house window — January 27, 2020 - view from the warming house

unusual snow conditions created a snow roller — January 29, 2020 - perfect conditions for mother nature to create a snow roller

beautifully groomed trail on the Blue Hills Trail ridge line — February 4, 2020 - near intersection #9 on the Core Loop of the Blue Hills Trail

skate skiing on Excelsior Road as part of the Blue Hills Trail — February 8, 2020 - fast and fun skiing on Excelsior Road

Blue Hills Trail snowshoe trail in northern Wisconsin — February 19, 2020 - snowshoeing the Nordic Pines loop of the Blue Hills Trail in northern Wisconsin

great cross country ski conditions at the Blue Hills Trail — February 21, 2020 - great conditions on the East Side 'Gravel Road'

volunteers helped move equipment into storage — March 17, 2020 - volunteers socially distancing as they help move equipment into storage

still skiing on the Blue Hills Trail in late March 2020 — March 27, 2020 - winter is hanging on near intersection #25 of the Core Loop

winter is coming to an end as snow disappears March 31 — March 31, 2020 - time to say goodbye to a great winter

Cross Country Skiing

This is it! This is what we work for during summer trail maintenance, and wait for as we watch the weather forecasts in November and December. The weather changed in late November, colder temps finally arrived and the very wet trails began freezing as we began grooming in early December. We started skiing December 10th after grooming some of the trails closest to the warming house. By mid December, cold weather allowed more grooming and we've enjoyed surprisingly good skiing for this early in the season.The weekend of December 23-26 (and the following week) became a groomer's challenge. We were all set to groom late the evening of December 23rd. That evening the Hills received 2" of very sticky snow, and the forecast called for lots of rain on December 25th. By group consensus, we decided to avoid grooming the December 23rd snowfall, let it sit and hope it would absorb the forecast rain. Mild temps all that weekend culminated in 0.7" rain the evening of Christmas Day, followed by falling temps and A MAJOR WINDSTORM on December 26th. We're glad we allowed the December 23rd snowfall to rest without grooming. It magically absorbed the December 25th rainfall. After the December 26th windstorm, temps fell the week of December 26th, and our groomers spent loads of hours clearing tree-falls and branches. And skiers helped by flicking and flicking and flicking the sticks. As the New Years weekend approached the trails were in good shape, and skiers from near and far marveled at the quality of the skiing in the Hills.

early December 2016 grooming challenges at the Blue Hills Trail — Early December 2016 grooming of the Blue Hills Trail

kids skiing at the Blue Hills Trail in Wisconsin — Nice conditions near the warming house in late December 2016

Cross Country Skiing

It's cold outside, there's lots of snow on the ground, now's a good time to get psyched for skiing. Check out the following slide show video showing ten years of fun on the Blue Hills Trail. Get your skis waxed, come ski the Hills!‍

Grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, adjust your volume control, then sit back and follow the fun. See anyone you know?

Event

Goldilocks likes it here

A generous snowfall one week ago (February 22nd) initially created 'too soft' conditions despite abundant grooming. Several days later, sunshine and freeze thaw cycles created an icy glaze, 'too hard'. With the immaculate grooming performed yesterday (Feb. 28), the trails were 'just right'. Goldilocks is pleased. Should be a great weekend in the Hills, give those skis another go-around!‍

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Recent comments from the logbook in the warming house

2/18: Loved it! --Cadott, WI
2/18: Enjoyed snowshoe trail. --Eau Claire, WI
2/18: Me & my honey. --Rio de Janero, Brazil
2/18: Nice day, good snow. --Hudson, FL
2/18: Loved the snowshoe trail! Beautiful 38 degree day! Thank you for the warm welcome. --Hudson, WI
2/20: Best conditions I've skied this winter. Right up there with the Methow Valley in Washington State. --Sumner, WA
2/21: Super grooming! --Madison, WI
2/23: Avoiding Birkie crowd in Hayward. It's just us & the groomer! --Minneapolis, MN
2/23: Silence of the North - it's deafening! --Ladysmith, WI
2/23: Ahhhh! The Blue Hills Trail - where the grooming is swoon worthy. Where every skier can imagine they've won the Birkie! Thanks to the groomers. --Ladysmith, WI
2/23: I'm so blessed! Wonderful trails - This IS the Life :-) 3 hours of solitude & beauty. --Chetek, WI
2/23: We are so Lucky to have such Great trails! Thanks to ALL involved! --Ladysmith, WI
2/23: The trails are great! Thanks so much for all your hard work! --Madison, WI
2/25: Skate deck firming up nicely. My last Midwest ski for year :-( Back to the Cascade concrete. Hope the snow here holds out thru March. --Sumner, WA
2/26: "Spring skiing" is here! Cool nights, mild days, soft breezes, & fresh corduroy in the Hills - thanks again groomers!!!--Ladysmith, WI
2/26: Great skiing today! It's good to get back here! --Barron, WI
2/26: Excellent classic tracks! The conditions don't get any better. --Exeland, WI
2/26: The speed on the skate deck sped up nicely after the sun went down. Nice post Birkie ski. --Bruce, WI
2/28: Waiting all year for a ski like today's! Totally under control when screaming fast coming around the curve at the bottom of Rut Road. Yeeee Hawww! --Ladysmith, WI

great grooming on 'Gravel Road' at the Blue Hills Trail — 1 March 2013 Great grooming on the East Side 'Gravel Road'

March 1, 2013 skiing on the Blue Hills Trail — early March 2013, what fun!

Cross Country Skiing

Winter 2010 2011 Was a Good One

The winter of 2010-11 was a roller coaster ride from a weather standpoint. Temps fluctuated widely, precipitation was variable, and periodic warmups and meltdowns added to the mix. But along the way, there was abundant snowfall, great grooming, and loads of happy faces from cross country skiers on the Blue Hills Trail in northwest Wisconsin. To top it off, winter hung on and provided great crust skiing in mid/late March.

This was a great winter for snow enthusiasts, the following pictures tell the story.