Cross Country Ski Report – Wednesday, Jan 24th
We received about 1-2″ of snow yesterday afternoon and last night. Groomer Mike is snowcombing the skating lanes and resetting tracks where needed this morning. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow in the woods, and about 7-10″ packed on the trails. The Stone Turtle Day Lodge is open for lunch and drinks today. The skiing will be best this morning before temps warm up! […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Tuesday, January 23rd
The trails remain in great shape today. Groomer Mike is snowcombing the skating lanes and resetting tracks where needed this morning. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow in the woods, and about 7-10″ packed on the trails. The Stone Turtle Day Lodge is open for lunch and drinks. Today’s forecast: “Cloudy. Snow likely this afternoon. High 31F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Monday, Jan 22nd
What an awesome winter weekend we had here in northern Michigan! Great conditions continue today. Groomer Butch is snowcombing the skating lanes and resetting tracks where needed this morning. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow in the woods, and about 7-10″ packed on the trails. The Stone Turtle Day Lodge is open for lunch and drinks. Enjoy yet another day of XC paradise! Today’s […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Sunday, January 21st
It was a fabulous day yesterday, with great trail conditions and plenty of Bavarian Festival fun under sunny skies. Groomer Mike is snow combing all the trails this morning, and will reset tracks where needed. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow in the woods, and about 7-10″ packed on the trails. Today is Live Music with Eric McDonald starting at 2pm! Join us at […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Saturday, January 20th
It’s another awesome day of XC skiing at the Headquarters! We received another dusting of snow last night. Groomer Mike is snow combing all the trails this morning. Tracks have been set on all trails, and Mike will reset tracks where needed this morning. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow in the woods, and about 7-10″ packed on the trails. Today is Bavarian Ski […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Friday, January 19th
After another little dusting throughout the night, the trails are the best they’ve been all year. Groomer Mike snow combed all the trails late last night, and there are tracks set on all the trails – some from yesterday and some from earlier this week. Overall conditions are excellent, and it’s looking like a perfect weekend to ski. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Thursday, January 18th
We received a dusting of snow throughout yesterday and last night. Groomer Butch is snow combing all the trails this morning, and there are tracks set on all the trails – some from yesterday and some from earlier this week. Overall conditions are excellent, and the wind is finally going to settle down today which will make it extra fun to be out there. […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Wednesday, January 17th
It’s another awesome winter day! Groomer Mike snow combed all the trails last night, and tracks were set Monday night. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow in the woods, and about 8-12″ packed on the trails. The Stone Turtle Cafe is serving up lunch today – try a Bob’s Favorite Tuna panini with Great Lakes Potato Chips and a hot apple cider after skiing […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Tuesday, January 16th
Good morning! Groomer Mike set fresh tracks on all the trails last night, and all the trails have been freshly snowcombed. There is approximately 12-18″ of snow in the woods, and about 8-12″ packed on the trails. The Stone Turtle Cafe is serving up lunch today – try a Turkey Reuben and a refreshing Founders Hop Water to quench your thirst! Today’s forecast: “Cloudy. […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Monday, January 15th
It’s another fantastic morning in Winter Wonderland! Groomer Mike is snowcombing all the trails this morning. Tracks were reset on all trails yesterday. All trails are open and conditions are excellent. The Stone Turtle Cafe is open today, serving our regular menu plus Gourmet Mac ‘n Cheese with a variety of tasty toppings. Celebrate this fine MLK Jr. Day by enjoying the snowy winter […]
UPDATED: Cross Country Ski Report – Sunday, January 14th
Good morning! All trails are open with tracks set. The grooming team is snow-combing all trails and re-setting tracks where needed this morning. Conditions are excellent. WE HAVE FULL POWER BACK, so bathrooms and Cafe are fully open! We will ALSO be serving beef stew and baguettes at Trapper’s Cabin from noon until it sells out today, so plan on warming up around the […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Saturday, January 13th
Happy snowy morning! Like most of you, we received snow overnight! Due to the drifting effect, the exact amount of new snow is difficult to discern, but we’re thinking about 6-8″ or so since last night. Groomer Mike is busy packing, snow combing, and setting tracks on the trails. There is approximately 14-16″ of snow in the woods, and after the grooming, about 8-10″ […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Friday, January 12th
Good morning! As of 7:30am, Groomer Mike is busy setting tracks and snow combing the Trapper’s Cabin, Rolling Hills, Mackinaw Cut, Wild Turkey, and Manitou trails this morning (Tall Pines and Adventure will be snowcombed today, but are too thin for good tracks). There is approximately 8″ of snow in the woods, and 4-5″ of packed snow on the trails. We are forecast for […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Thursday, January 11th
As of 8am this morning, we have received 1″ of overnight snow accumulation, in addition to the 7″ of snow we received on Tuesday night. Groomer Butch is rolling in tracks this morning and snowcombing the skate lanes on all the trails. Overall great conditions prevail, albeit some thin spots under the tall pines on Tall Pines Trail. There is approximately 8″ of snow […]
Cross Country Ski Report – Wednesday, Jan 10th
UPDATED 1:00pm: All trails have been snowcombed with good to very good results. The snow is still too wet and sticky to set tracks, so we will try again with tracks tomorrow. More snow is forecast for tonight. Come and get it! 7:00am: We received about 7″ of dense snow since yesterday morning, and it continues to snow this morning. Groomer Mike will begin […]
Trail Report: Jan 5th, 2024
Greetings from Higgins Lake! We were able to cover the practice field thanks to the cold temps the last few nights, which means both the Jordyn Ross Clinics and Winter Trails Day are ON for this weekend! The practice field will be open for demos any time clinics are not in session. As of this morning, there is still some availability in a few […]
Ski Report for Friday, December 15th
Greetings, skiers! While the sunny days have been beautiful for hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor recreation activities, it sure isn’t helping the ski conditions! The trails across the street are closed for skiing, but open for hiking. The durable man-made snow on the practice area is still holding on, with about a half of a football field’s worth of snow cover. The practice area […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Adventure Skiing & Getting off the Beaten Path
This winter, ski the paths less traveled. Explore nature’s hidden gems on a pair of metal edged adventure skis! What’s the advantage of a metal-edged ski? Metal-edged or “back country” skis are wider than average touring skis, giving them more stability and better flotation in deeper snow. With a stainless steel edge, they cut through crusty, icy snow and track exceedingly well. Metal-edge skis […]
Crazy, Hard, and Worth It
Why the most challenging ski races often are the most memorable, and why we shouldn’t avoid them. It was 4:45am. I waited, car running, outside my brother’s house. The thermometer read -2F. I sipped my coffee, chased it with water, and double checked my Google map. In two hours, we’d be at the starting line of the most grueling ski race on the Michigan […]
The Spider Bite
How an unsuspecting speedster succumbed to the bite of the Spider Written by XC Ski HQ Shop owner, Mariah Frye Colie Over the years, the HQ crew has developed a deep love for, and loyalty to, a handful of certain skis. These tend to be skis that have a wide application and high enjoyment rate, and whose design is difficult to improve upon. One […]
Skin-y Little Secret on Skin Skis
XC SKI HQ Manager and Race Team Member George Frye shares his skin ski breakthrough from the race course last season: Oh, I remember it well… It was the Hanson Hills Classic race last winter and I was skiing on some Fisher Twin Skin Carbon Pros, sized perfectly for my build. I was blown away at how fast they glided on the well packed […]
Cross Country Skiing to Mackinaw Island
The Ice, the Island, and the Adventure Bob and Lynne Frye, of Cross Country Ski Headquarters, ski across the Lake Huron Ice Bridge to Mackinaw Island. As we approached the snowy, bustling parking lot in Michigan’s upper peninsula city of St Ignace, on the shore of Lake Huron, we gazed out over the snow covered ice with Mackinac Island in the background, and saw […]
Cross Country Skis: What’s New this Season + Staff Picks
If you’re wondering about cross country skis, what’s new this season, and what our staff favorites are, you’ve come to the right place! While most of the exciting updates for cross country skis involve race skate skis this season, most cross country skiers are NOT racers; they just want fun, stable skis that get reliable kick and a little bit better glide than their […]
Stay Warm, Look Cool! Picking The Perfect Cross Country Ski Clothing.
With so many options, picking the perfect cross country ski clothing can be overwhelming. Here’s some helpful tips from our clothing expert, Gillian. If you’re anything like me, you run cold. No matter what you seem to do to try to stay warm, you still somehow get cold when you are out cross country skiing. Lucky for you—I have done the trial and error […]
Why Kids Love Cross Country Skiing
Cross country skiing is a wonderful way to get kids outside in the winter time. There are lots of reasons why kids (and parents) love XC skiing: it’s something the whole family can do together, it’s something that will keep them outside getting fresh air and exercise for hours, and they’ll be able to do it their entire lives. XC Ski HQ has everything […]
Best Skate Skis This Season – Stu’s Report
CHECK OUT THE changes in race skis that will getting plenty of buzz this season! Fischer has added TWO different models to their top-end Speedmax 3D Skate line. Adding to their tech-loaded concepts that already include Gliding Sidewalls (marketed “3D” for their three sides that glide) and Cold-Base bonding (which was the catalyst of the original Speedmax introduction), the Speedmax line is adding a […]
Skiing with “the Littles”: How to Cross Country Ski with your kids, and have fun doing it!
Hear from parent experts on how to cross country ski with your kids, and have fun doing it! There is nothing better for outdoors-people than fostering a sense of love for nature in their kids. But how to take them on an XC ski outing that they – and you – will enjoy? Here’s what northern Michigan XC ski parents Tim Riley and Wendy […]
How to Thrive During a Pandemic? Go Cross Country Skiing.
Cross country skiing has routinely been cited as one of the best forms of exercise and recreation that people can do. This winter, more than ever before, XC skiing is uniquely positioned to offer tremendous benefits in health and well-being. Here are just some of the reasons why cross country skiing should be at the top of your list when the snow flies. Nature […]
