2019/20 Season Passes
Snowflake Memberships/Season Passes for the 2019/20 season are now available for download, and will also be available at the Chalet beginning Saturday, Nov 9th.
We have kept the prices the same, except for Regular Student pricing, which we reduced by $10, so that local college skiers won’t go hungry.
“Early Bird” pricing (a substantial discount) will be available throughout November.
Download, read, and fill-out the form, mail it with your payment or drop it in the payment box at the chalet, and you are a member/season pass holder!
Early Bird priced applications must be received by December 2nd!
We will not be issuing paper passes. Members are required to sign-in at the chalet before skiing, and that’s all. Memberships will be entered into our database for communications and to verify eligibility for other Member benefits. We don’t share info outside of Snowflake.
Snowflake Ski Swap
Our annual Ski Swap will be on Saturday, November 9th from 9:00 a.m. til Noon
Drop-off ski gear that you want to sell on Friday November 8th, between 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Pick-up unsold items between Noon-1:00 p.m. after the Ski Swap ends.
This is a great opportunity to outfit kids, new-comers to nordic skiing, or find a great deal on gear that just didn’t work for someone else. Professionals from Continental and Ski Hut will be on-hand to assist with fitting equipment.
Snowflake KidSki 25th Anniversary!
Our 25th year of hosting KidSki will begin on Sunday January 5th and continue every Sunday thru February 9th. Hit the “KidSki” link for detailed information and to download a registration form. To celebrate this milestone anniversary, we have dropped the prices by $5 for Members and Non-Members.
What’s New On The Trails?
Our Landlord, Tischer Creek Building Company Duluth /Edison Schools, completed construction of their new parking lot this summer, with anticipated impact on the 10K Trail/Perimeter Loop., We lost segments of the two East-West trails that ran immediately behind NorthStar Academy. Jim Wood and I spent the summer rerouting the affected trail segments, opening some new entry/exits, and “sewing” the 10K and Perimeter Loop back together. The 10K was never really 10K, and the adapted trail will probably be about 8K; I will be measuring and adjusting the signage in the next week or so.
The 5K trails (including Special K) were not impacted by the construction, but we did modify and improve segments of the 5K in order to add more skiing, to offset lost “K” on the 10K. Specifically, we greatly widened the entry trail of the Biathlon range, then reopened an old trail segment that runs behind (west) of the Biathlon shooting platform. This season we will groom this “Biathlon Loop” as part of the 5K system. We think it will be a fun, and fast, trail segment.
We were not able to restore the trail-lighting on the 5K, partly due to costs, but mostly because our mature popples continue to fall/blow-down onto the wiring and messenger cable. It is apparent that restoring the lights will require removing a lot of trees, and probably installing light posts. We will remain open at night, for skiers wishing to use headlamps, and will offer free “loaners” to members, available at the front desk.
Signing-In!
In 2017/18 we instituted the “Sign-In” requirement. Some folks asked “WHY?”. Some folks still balk at the requirement…The first reason is to have some semblance of control over who skis here. Policing Trail Passes hasn’t worked, and the Honor System is a beautiful tradition at Snowflake. Sadly, there’s always that 1%…Just knowing that you’re supposed to sign-in keeps some “renegades” from poaching our trails. The other, more important reason, is to have a record of how many skiers use Snowflake on a daily, weekly, seasonal basis. During the early visits with Tischer and Edison they asked, and were very surprised by the big numbers. Having documented usage, showing that we actually hosted thousands of skiers during the season, was very beneficial as we made our case, and may help us in future development. Historical usage also helps us to schedule grooming and manning at the front desk. So please: Sign-In before you ski; check the Trails Status board for updated info; and if you have something to report about the trails when you are done skiing, come in and tell us, or write it down. It helps.
Skiing With Dogs
Season Passholders/Snowflake Members have the privilege of skiing with their own dog on our trails. This is not a right, the dog is not a member, and there will be times when snow conditions mean that we close the trails to dogs, in order to protect the trails for skiers. Or, I may close the 10K to dogs for a time, because it is quicker and cheaper to regroom the 5K. Soft snow conditions and warm-ups normally factor into the decision to restrict dogs. Last season we only had to do that on three days. It is always recommend that Member Dog-Owners call our Trail Message (218-726-1550) before bringing your dog. I will always post the restriction as soon as it is made, and also post it to Skinnyski.com. Please, don’t argue when the restrictions are in-place: they are imposed for a good reason. Needless-to-say, dog owners are responsible to keep their dog under positive control, avoid the Classic tracks, and pick-up and remove dog droppings. Last season, we discovered dog droppings inside the chalet, twice; for that reason please keep your dog outside. We are the only trail in town that permits skiing with dogs, and with mutual courtesy and regard for fellow skiers, we can continue the tradition.
Looking Forward
The purchase of the Arctic Cat Bearcat XT(built for grooming) in 2017 really improved our grooming last season, sped-up the process after the “big snows”, and solved the reliability problem with our old Skidoos. Acquiring a Yellowstone Track Systems “Roller/Groomer” last season, sped-up compacting and grooming of our base in the early season,improved grooming options during big snowfalls, and allowed us to groom both Skate decks and set a Classic track more efficiently. We look forward to applying what we learned last season, to this season.
Recognition and Heart Felt Thanks
We thank Tischer Creek Building Company Duluth and Edison Schools, for believing-in and supporting the existence of Snowflake Nordic Ski Center…there is no better Landlord!
We thank Rick’s Tree Service for turning giant piles of cut trees from our trails into big piles of wood chips, that go back onto the trails. Rick has given us this service for 3 years now.
We recognize and thank our summer Trail Crew, mostly former East Nordic skiers, for their hard work this summer: Ian Derauf, Dan Ender, Ben Fena, Owen Fischer, Michael Graham, Nelson Han, Seth Hoffman, Seth Kemp. Well Done, young men!
Thank you for your membership. You keep Snowflake going.
John Graham
218-355-1271
The Manager