Hello Skiers…Another Winter is Coming!

The 2026/27 Season Membership form will be available for download at our website (skiduluth.com) on 15 October. Prices have changed, slightly, this season: For Family and Individual Adult memberships the price has gone UP $1. For Student memberships the price has gone DOWN $4. Skiers age 80 or over will continue to enjoy free membership, Membership forms and payment, or online registrations received by 30 November 2026, 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 was characterized by below average snowfall, but the welcome absence of long mid-winter warm-ups, It was a good season! Groomable snow arrived the day before Thanksgiving and we had the 6K groomed for skating the day after Thanksgiving. First tracks were set on 2 December. We maintained groomed trails through December, January and February, with only a few half-days due to warm temps. Mid-March temps limited our grooming until a late-March storm added enough snow for us to groom a 4K skate loop. Our last grooming was on 9 April and we “officially “ closed on 11 April…a 137 day ski season! Forecasts declare the coming winter to be an El Nino winter, We have weathered these several times in my tenure as manager. We will deal with it as it comes.

Off-season trail maintenance and improvement began in June and continued through the summer. With first-frost coming soon, 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 7 November. Sellers may drop-off items at the chalet on Friday 6 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 7 November or it will be considered abandoned.

Snowflake KidSki 2027 will begin on Sunday 10 January and run on six consecutive Sundays through 14 February, Sign-up for KidSki 2027 will be available on 1 November. Go to our website and select “2027 Snowflake KidSki Registration” for info and registration instructions. Our wonderful KidSki Director, Emily Ranta, will answer specific questions about participation and opportunities for parents to contribute time and talent to this very popular program.

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” three 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 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 4:00 pm every night. On 31 December the lights will stay on until 30 minutes past midnight, for those wanting to ski into 2027,

Jim, John, and I have reached our mid-70’s and it’s time to train some new Groomers. Experience on a snowmobile is preferred but not required. We normally groom after closing at night, so availability is key. It’s great work for a young retiree. The job can be physically demanding at times, but it’s satisfying and fun most of the time. New groomers will only fly “wingman” with one of us during the first season. If you are interested, email me ([email protected]). Once trained, groomers are put on the payroll, covered by our insurance, and paid an hourly wage.

Be well. Ski well, Think Snow!

John Graham Manager Snowflake Nordic Ski Center