Hello Skiers,,,… Winter is Coming!!!

The 2025/26 Season Membership form will be available for download at our website ( skiduluth.com ) on 15 October. Prices remain the same as last season and, if you submit the form and payment by the end of November, you will reap our substantial “Early Bird Price” savings. Membership forms will also be available at the chalet and may be returned by mail, or placed in the payment box at the chalet door. Your membership is active as soon as you submit the form and payment.

Last season we experimented with on-line Membership sign-up, using “Run Sign-Up.” We’ve had a few growing pains, a big one being that folks who used it last year have already received automated emails for membership renewal, but no 2025/26 form to do so. Run Sign-up presumed that memberships go 1 October - 30 September. Our actual membership year is 1 November - 31 October, to give members access to Fall camping. We’ll fix that glitch, and make on-line Membership available by 1 November.

The 2024/25 ski season was better than the previous year, but still shorter than a “normal” winter. Our first groomable snow came on 19 December and we were open on the 20th. A post-Christmas warm-up and rain closed trails until 30 December, but the New Year brought cold temps and enough snow to keep trails skiable through February. Our final grooming was on 6 March as Spring came very early and we never got a good March snow storm.

Off-season trail maintenance and improvement began in June and continued through the summer. The chalet shutters and decks got a fresh coat of paint. With first-frost, we are now doing final trail mowing, lopping, filling holes/covering rocks, maintaining lost signage, testing and repairing the 3K lighted loop. We’ll swap out the trail-mowers for our sleds at the end of October and be ready for snow.

The Snowflake Ski Swap will take place on Saturday 8 November. Sellers may drop-off items at the chalet on Friday 8 November, 4-8 pm. Doors will open at 9 am on Saturday and the swap ends at noon. Sellers must collect unsold items between noon and 1 pm on 8 November.

Snowflake KidSki 2026 will begin on Sunday 11 January and run on six consecutive Sundays through 15 February, Sign-up for KidSki 2026 will be available on 1 November. Go to our website and select the “KidSki” page for info and registration instructions.

Snowflake Season Members have the privilege of bringing their dogs on the trails, on 4 designated “Dog Days” per week, and subject to change as trail conditions dictate. We implemented “Dog Days/No Dog Days” two seasons ago. The purpose is to offer freshly groomed, unsullied trails to Skiers-Only on the day after grooming, and allow Member Dog Owners to ski with their dog the following day. We scheduled around Boulder Lake’s Dog Days, to give dog-owners the most days possible. Once we establish groomed trails, we plan to groom on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights. So, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will be planned Skier-Only/No Dog days. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be planned Member Dog Days. Members should not bring their dog on the trails if the temperature is 34 degrees or above. We are still the only trail in Duluth that permits dogs on the trails. Day Pass Skiers/Visitors may NOT bring dogs on the trails.

Due to rising costs and a dearth of interested electricians, we were not able to expand the trail lighting this summer. The 3K Lighted trail will be available and lighted from dusk until 9:00 pm every night. On 31 December the lights will stay on until 30 minutes past midnight, for those wanting to ski into 2026.

Book Across The Bay Group Bus??? A few years ago, I chartered a bus to carry members to/from Ashland for the Book Across The Bay (BATB). Those of us who used the bus enjoyed it, but we did not have enough riders to make it affordable, and break-even on cost. I’d like to try again for the 2026 BATB, which will happen on Saturday 14 February (A great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!). If you would be interested, send me an email ([email protected]) with the number of people, and I’ll see if the numbers make it doable.

We can use a couple more Groomers. Experience on a snowmobile is preferred but not required. We normally groom at night, and the job is physically demanding, but it’s satisfying and fun (most of the time). If you are interested, email me ([email protected]). Once you are trained, Groomers are put on the payroll, covered by our insurance, and paid an hourly wage.

The Duluth Nordic Ski Club (DNSC) Board has openings for members.If you would like to contribute your time and talent to governing Snowflake, please send an email to [email protected].