Here we are again, another frustrating winter.  Day after day of no snow.  Then the weatherman comes on and says you may get 4-6 inches of fresh snowfall and instead you get 1/2 an inch.  WTF.  So, once again we go into New Years weekend virtually snowless.  Yes you can run the North Shore trail out of Duluth but the trail sucks and none of the GIA trails are open.  The good news is you can drive a little farther north to Two Harbors and unload there onto a nice groomed trail, head north and watch as trail and snow conditions get better and better until you are into 15 inches in the far north.  That is the state of things in Minnesota,  but you can also trailer to Northeast Wisconsin where it has been snowing non stop for weeks, albeit only a few inches at a time, but those inches have added up to 12- 16 inches of snow on the ground.  Or you can hit the UP where they have over two feet, or you could go to PA or upstate NY where in some places they are over 50 inches!  Send some of that snow our way, eh! #snowmobiletrailconditions

We just cant catch a break.  We thought w might get enough snow this week to get things rolling but, as has been the case or the past two years, we once again came up short.  So, can you ride out of Duluth? Yes.  Are the trails packed or groomed? No.  Are there any GIA trails open around Duluth or any that are even rideable?  No.  Once again from Finland (surprise surprise) to Grand Marais the trails have been packed which includes some local clubs beginning to pack the GIA trails.  Nothing is groomed  yet.

We’ve been getting a little snow here and a little snow there but all told we are only up to about 6 inches of light fluffy snow- not enough to ride on or pack.  That’s where we are in Duluth.  Farther north from Finland to Grand Marais we know the snow ranges from ten to fifteen inches and that the DNR started packing today but the local clubs are still waiting for more snow.  So what are your prospects for the weekend?  You could head up to Finland and take your chances but we aren’t guaranteeing anything good or consistent.  There is also snow in the forecast for tonight- about one to two inches with some possible lake enhancement on the North Shore so that could make riding a little better.  After that they claim several Alberta Clippers will hit us in the upcoming week and may leave another 6 inches on top of what we have which may be enough to start doing something out there.  We are crossing our fingers that everything is ready to go by next weekend.  Elsewhere we do know they are packing trails in Northeast Wisconsin and the UP so that is also a possibility.  Start doing your snow dances, we need all the help we can get.

Unfortunately not much has changed since last week.  We got rain on Monday and they promised snow on top of it but the snow never came.  The only exception to that was near the Canadian Border where we have reports of up to 8 inches on the ground.  High winds, however,  caused some blow down which had to be cleaned up.  No trails are currently reported as open or truly rideable yet.  The good news is that it has been cold- really cold.  The lakes are making good ice and the swamps are frozen solid, even the streams are starting to freeze up which will make ice bridge building a breeze when we do get snow.  Speaking of snow they (you know the evil weather people) claim that we will have a number of minor snow events this week in the 1-3 inch range each time, this could add up to at least getting the groomers out packing farther north and get some desperate riders out on the trails. We haven’t heard about any real good riding in Wisconsin or the UP either so it looks like we are waiting another week.  Rest assured if a trail can be ridden we will be the first to let you know about it so keep checking in.