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Category: Ski Conditions

Join us for our Free Ski Lesson at 10:30 every Saturday.

Ski Report for Thursday, December 7th

The trails have taken a hit with the warm weather last night, so the trails across the street are closed for right now. The practice area still has a good base and is open for skiing. We WILL have a free ski lesson this Saturday, December 9th! And, while the Stone Turtle Cafe is not officially open until December 16th, we will have chili,

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rolling hills trail cross country ski headquarters

Ski Report for Wednesday, December 6th

While the snow is holding up remarkably well considering the lack of base and the warmer daytime temps (there is still snow in the trees!), conditions are fair to marginal.  There are some really good stretches of full snow coverage where, if you let your mind wander, you might think it’s mid-winter. There are also many thin spots, and several bare spots – some

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Early season snow xc ski hq

Ski Report for Monday, December 4th

We received a grand total of 4-5″ of snow throughout yesterday and last night. Groomer Butch rolled the Trappers Cabin, Adventure, and Rolling Hills trails, and it’s just gorgeous out there. Most of the trail surface is completely covered, but there are of course some thin spots under the big trees. All trails are open and “B” skis are still recommended – stop by

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early season snow xc ski hq

Ski Report – Sunday, December 3rd

It’s snowing again! We have received about 2 inches of dense snow this morning, and the trails are open for skiing. Come rent some “B” skis (“rock” skis) for free, and enjoy an outing through the snowy woods! The practice area has manmade snow, and is in good shape for skate and classic demos. Come demo some skis for free any time during store

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Ski Report: December 1st, 2023

After cooling off a bit last night, most of the practice area is groomed and ready for demos! A short track has been set and the snow on the field is very firm. Because of the warmer weather yesterday, there is no skiing across the street, The shop is open! Get fitted for a ski package by one of our ski experts, get your

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snowy deck xc ski hq

Ski Report for Wednesday, November 29th

Oh what fun it is to be in winter wonderland this week! We have received about 5″ of very fluffy lake effect snow since Sunday, plus much more on the practice area where we’ve been making snow. The grooming team will roll the trails this morning in an effort to compact the snow into a base. The trails are open for skiing! We recommend

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snow gun xc ski hq

Ski Report – Monday, November 27th, 2023

Snow snow snow! We’ve gotten a couple inches of snow since Sunday morning. As of this morning, our snow gun is hard at work, adding more white stuff to the mix! We should be able to make snow continuously for the next couple of days, which will help build the base for the practice area. This cold snowy weather is getting us very excited

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Stone Turtle Yoga Higgins Lake

Cross Country Ski Report – Wednesday, March 29th

Good morning! The last hurrah for skiing has come and gone, and this will be the final ski report of the season, unless we get significant snow accumulation/enough to groom. We received an inch of snow this morning, with some nice stretches of skiable snow, along with several icy spots and bare spots. Today is the last day that the Stone Turtle Cafe will

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perfect conditions cross country ski headquarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Monday, March 27th

Conditions were phenomenal yesterday. While it got up in the 40’s yesterday afternoon, it got plenty cold last night, so groomer Mike will snow comb all trails except Tall Pines this morning. Tracks from yesterday are still in good shape. Ski early for best conditions! The Stone Turtle Cafe is open today – join us for happy hour from 2-5pm! Shop the Spring Sale!

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Mid-winter conditions this morning!

Cross Country Ski Report – Sunday, March 26th

We received over 6″ of dense snow yesterday, which is grooming up beautifully and sparkling in the trees already.  Groomer Mike started early this morning, and is setting track and snowcombing all the trails.  It will be a beautiful sunny, blue sky day today with temps in 40’s by afternoon, so please come out to enjoy the trails!  It will be slower skiing in

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Cross Country Ski Report – Saturday, March 25th

As of 5:00pm on Saturday afternoon, we’ve received just over 5″ of dense heavy snow, and it is forecasted to snow until about 10pm Saturday night.  Groomer Mike is planning to let the accumulation complete, let the snow freeze up a bit overnight (its currently a wet snow), and then set tracks and snowcomb the entire trail system tomorrow morning.  The Stone Turtle Cafe

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Cross Country Ski Report – Thursday, March 23rd

Trails still have lots of coverage, but most of the coverage at this point is ice. We are forecast to receive 5-8 inches of snow on Saturday, which would provide some great spring skiing! We will send out another report once we see what kind of accumulation happens at that time. Until then, we remain open every day until March 31st, which is when

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Swix Horizon Jacket Womens red

Cross Country Ski Report – Tuesday, March 21st

The warm temps and sunshine caused quite a bit of melt yesterday. The trails will not be groomed today. If you do decide to ski, please watch for icy and bare spots. The Trapper’s Cabin trail will be in the best condition. The Stone Turtle Cafe is open! Join us for Happy Hour from 2pm to 5pm today and every weekday until the end

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Great Beautiful Classic Tracks XC Ski HQ

Cross Country Ski Report – Monday, March 20th

Happy Spring! The snow we received Saturday night made for a nice bonus day of skiing yesterday. While yesterday’s sun took a toll, there is still some great skiing to be had today. Groomer Mike will snowcomb the Relay Loop and Manitou this morning. Groomer George set classic tracks on Trapper’s Cabin yesterday. Ski early today for best conditions, as it will warm up

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Sun Deck Cross Country Ski Headquarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Sunday, March 18th

We received 4-5 inches of snow throughout the day yesterday and overnight. Groomer Mike will start off by grooming the practice area and the Relay Loop, which consists of Trapper’s Cabin and part of Rolling Hills. All the trails are open, and the Stone Turtle Cafe is open! Make the most of this beautiful last day of winter!! Shop the March Madness Sale! 30-50%

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march madness sale

Cross Country Ski Report – Saturday, March 18th

It got plenty cold last night, and we have received about a half inch of snow so far this morning. The practice area will be groomed this morning, and the Trapper’s Cabin trail will be snowcombed later this morning. Underneath the fresh snow is some crusty, refrozen snow, and also some ice, so use caution. Overall conditions are marginal, with some nice stretches of

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march madness sale

Cross Country Ski Report – Friday, March 17th

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! It did not get below freezing last night, so we did not groom this morning. The trails are open, but the snow is quite soft and wet from the rain last night, and there are more bare spots opening up on the trails. The practice area still has snow and is available for lessons and demos. The Stone Turtle Cafe

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Take a cross country ski lesson at Cross Country Ski Headquarters!

Cross Country Ski Report – Thursday, March 16th

Good morning! It did not get below freezing last night, so we did not groom this morning. The trails are open and it is definitely spring conditions out there, with many good stretches dotted with bare spots. The practice area has plenty of snow and is in great shape for lessons and demos. Come and get it while you can! This Weekend: Shop the

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Still plenty of snow at the Ides Of March!

Cross Country Ski Report – Wednesday, March 15th

Blue skis and sunshine resulted in lots of smiling skiers yesterday, and today should be the same. Today Groomer Mike is snowcombing all the trails this morning except for Tall Pines.   Today’s high temp is forecasted for 44F, and so skiing will be faster in the morning and a bit slower in the afternoon, so go get it!   Some thin spots will become thinner

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Spring Skiing XC Ski HQ

Cross Country Ski Report – Tuesday, March 14th

Yesterday was a fine day of spring skiing, and today is shaping up to be another one! We received a dusting of snow in the last 24 hours, which will freshen up the trails nicely today. Groomer Mike is snowcombing all the trails this morning except for Tall Pines. Temps will stay cold today and tomorrow, and warm up towards the end of the

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Michigan Cup Relays Champions 2023

Cross Country Ski Report – Monday, March 13th

The Michigan Cup Relays was a blast yesterday, with 135 skiers from all over the state (and beyond) racing on relay teams of 3 around the Relay loop on the Headquarters Trappers Cabin and Rolling Hills trails. The race was followed by some great live music, food, and the Michigan Cup Awards Party. We are THRILLED to tell you that the Cross Country Ski

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sun deck bonfire cross country ski headuqarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Sunday, March 12th

Yesterday’s sun was quite nice for the sunbathers on the Sun Deck, but it took a toll on the ski trails. A few bare spots have opened up, particularly on the Manitou trail. Groomer Mike snow doctored and groomed the Trappers Cabin and Rolling Hills trails last night to prepare for today’s Michigan Cup Relays. Due to the skier traffic of this large race,

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Gwenn Stevenson Cross Country Ski Headquarters Michigan Cup Relays

Cross Country Ski Report – Saturday, March 11th

Good morning! We received more snow throughout the day yesterday, which brings the total from Thursday night up to about 3 inches. Groomer Mike snowcombed all the trails last night, and there are skied in tracks on most trails as well. All trails are open. Join us for some nice spring skiing today, plus delicious lunch and a beverage on the sun deck at

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Bear Valley California customer with dogs XC Ski HQ

Cross Country Ski Report – Friday, March 10th

As of 8am, we’ve received just about 2″ of new snow overnight, and it looks to continue to snow through early afternoon.  Groomer Mike is snowcombing Trappers Cabin Trail and part of Rolling Hills Trails this morning.  All other trails, we will let the snow accumulate before grooming.  All trails are open, and it will be a nice, snowy day of skiing today.  Previous

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Smiley Face Cross Country Ski Headquarters Smile

Cross Country Ski Report, Thursday, March 9th

Groomer Mike snowcombed Manitou, Rolling Hills, Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Trappers Cabin and Adventure Trails last night.  Trappers Cabin has full coverage with man-made snow patched over any thin spots.  However, the rest of the trails have bare patches in some of the open sunny spots which require skis to be portaged.  95% of the trails (between the bare patches) is still good skiing! 

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Sunny Skies great conditions Cross Country Ski Headquarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Wednesday, March 8th

The trails groomed up beautifully yesterday, and conditions were excellent while soft due to the sun. The sun also made a few of the thin spots into bare spots, so use caution, particularly when descending some of the south and east facing hills. Groomer Mike snowcombed the trails last night, so the skiing should be nice this morning. The Stone Turtle Cafe is open!

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Cross Country Ski Headquarters Wild Turkey Trail

Cross Country Ski Report – Tuesdsay, March 7th

We received about 2-3 inches of dense snow yesterday, which should groom up very well this morning. There is full coverage on almost all of the trail system, and all trails are open. The Stone Turtle Cafe is open today! Try an XC Chicken Sandwich, with rotisserie chicken, provolone, onions, spinach, dijon, and aioli sauce on a soft roll. Grab a hot cocoa and

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Spring Skiing Cross Country Ski Headquarters Higgins Lake

Cross Country Ski Report – Monday, March 6th

We received one inch of snow overnight, and may receive up to 3 more inches throughout the day today! The trails took a hit from the sun yesterday, and we are choosing to let the snow accumulate and let the base refreeze today. We will not be grooming, but the trails are open. The Stone Turtle Cafe is open today! Try a Mediterranean Skier

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Spring skiing conditions.

Cross Country Ski Report – Sunday, March 5th

We received a dusting of snow last night. Sunny blue skies made for great skiing yesterday, though the warmer temps and sun took their toll on the trails.  Some bare spots are popping up in the open, sunny spots, but still passable on snow.  Groomer Mike is attempting to snowcomb all the trails this morning, but with temps barely getting below freezing last night,

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Trappers Cabin Hot dogs XC Ski HQ

Cross Country Ski Report – Saturday, March 4th

Groomer Mike is snowcombing the skate lanes this morning.  Classic tracks are in good shape, though thin and icy in a few of the sunny spots on the trails.  All trails are open and are overall good spring skiing conditions.  Skiing will be faster in the morning, and slower in the afternoon with warmer temps and sunshine.  Join us today for Pulled Pork BBQ

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Great spring skiing conditions Cross Country Ski Headquarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Friday, March 3rd

Groomer Mike is snowcombing the skate lanes this morning.  Classic tracks are in good shape, though thin and icy in a few of the sunny spots on the trails.  All trails are open and are overall good spring skiing conditions.  Join us this weekend for Pulled Pork BBQ, a Free Ski Lesson on Saturday, and Live Music on Sunday! The Stone Turtle Cafe is

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Beautiful trail tracks Adventure Trail Cross Country Ski Headquarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Thursday, March 2nd

We received about 1/2″ of snow last night, which has greatly improve our classic tracks which were getting a bit icy from the thaw/refreeze of the last two nightsl; just a few thin spots exist.   Groomer Butch snowcombed the skate lanes this morning, mixing the fresh snow with tilled older snow.  Overall, good conditions for both skating and classic.  More snow is expected on

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Beautiful trail tracks Adventure Trail Cross Country Ski Headquarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Wednesday, March 1st

Good morning! Groomer Mike will snow comb all the trails this morning. Classic tracks were set yesterday, and most of them are still in good shape; however there are some icy spots in the tracks where the afternoon sun hits. Skating should be excellent today. Snow depth in the woods is about 8 inches, and we have about 3-5 packed on the trails. Today’s

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Muffin Race 2023 Cross Country Ski Headquarters

Cross Country Ski Report – Tuesday, February 28th

We’ve received about 3″ of dense heavy snow yesterday afternoon and evening.  Groomer Mike is setting new tracks and snowcombing all the trails this morning.  Skiing will be great this morning, but will become a bit slower in the afternoon when higher temps are expected.  Today’s forecast: Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 41F. The Stone Turtle Cafe is

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Mini Muffin Racers finished in a photo-finish tie!

Cross Country Ski Report – Monday, February 27th

Congratulations to all the Junior Muffin Racers from yesterday.  We had a great turn-out of skiers; many of them dressed in costume!  Groomer Butch is snowcombing the skate lanes this morning.  Classic tracks were re-set Saturday evening and are in good shape.  Overall ski conditions will be great today.  Snow accumulation may begin around mid-day.  Today’s forecast: Snow showers early will become steadier snow

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