Trails and Grooming

1/24/21,

Day 60

We are excited to see that there is snow in the forecast over the next couple days.  Today will be a nice day to ski, with a slight chance of snow showers, moderate temperatures and low wind.

Conditions: The trail conditions near the Nordic Center, where it is exposed to sun and wind are thin.  Please use caution when you are navigating trails throughout the season.

Grooming: Snowmobile and Piston Bully Grooming on zones A, B, C and D

Weather: 1/24  National Weather Service

Today: A 40 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after 2pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 29. Light and variable wind. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Zone A: Snowmobile & Piston Bully groomed

Zone B: Snowmobile & Piston Bully groomed

Zone C: Snowmobile & Piston Bully Groomed

Blueridge Summit: 1/21

Zone D: Piston Bully Groomed 1/18

Snowshoe trails: Groomed 1/22

Fat Bike Only Trails: 1/20 Fat biking is allowed on designated trails. Zone D 1/18

*Dogs on leashes are allowed on snowshoe trails and designated Dog Ski trails. YES… ALL DOGS MUST BE LEASHED AT ALL TIMES! (Thank you!)

*All skiers, fat bikers and snowshoers must stop by the Nordic Center to get a trail pass.
For more information on sales, events and photos, check out our Facebook page. Also, feel free to check out current weather via Snow Mountain Ranch’s Local Weather Station.

Grooming Policies and Procedures
The information on these pages will provide a general guide and outline for our staff and guests on how, when, and why grooming takes place at Snow Mountain Ranch. Topics include policies, grooming priorities, procedures, and equipment descriptions.
Check the trail grooming conditions website and board before skiing. Some amount of grooming will take place on a daily basis. Grooming determinations are based on weather, skier volume and use, and labor. Grooming will be performed by staff during two windows of grooming priority based on weather. The primary window of grooming will be from 5pm till midnight. The second window of grooming will be from 3am till 8:30am. The two main reasons for darkness grooming are for skier safety and snow set time for a quality ski surface and track. The only times that grooming may take place during the day light operating hours of the Nordic Center is when weather and skier volume may dictate a grooming need. An example of such a grooming needs is, if an on-going snowfall or wind create more than a 1” per hour build up on the trails during open hours. Grooming will not take place till the weather subsides and allows for a maintainable ski surface. Grooming may then commence based on use and time of day.

SKIERS ARE REQUESTED TO AVOID SKIING RIGHT BEHIND GROOMING EQUIPMENT IF DAYLIGHT GROOMING IS TAKING PLACE. THIS IS FOR SAFETY AND PRODUCT QUALITY. PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST AN HOUR FOR THE SNOW TO HARDEN. IF YOU THINK YOU ARE MESSING UP THE GROOMING, YOU PROBABLY ARE! PLEASE FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE.
Priorities

The trails at Snow Mountain Ranch for grooming purposes are divided into 4 trail zones. We will strive to have at least two zones in very good to excellent condition on a daily basis excepting day time snow storms or high winds. What zone(s) are being groomed will be posted by 9:30am the day of on our grooming web page.
Grooming priorities have been established taking into consideration skier use patterns, distance from the Nordic Center, skier surveys, and snow conditions.

• East A Zone: This is our top priority zone. It is the trails in the immediate vicinity of the Nordic Center. The trails include the CCO loops, the inner dog loops of Travis and everything South of the NC from Heckman on the East to Lower Blue Ridge on the West.
• West B Zone: This zone comes into the grooming pattern in December. It includes the remaining dog loops out to Peter’s Loop in the North. The trails bounded by Wild Turkey in the North to Cranmer in the South and Homestead to the Lower Blue Ridge Trail loop by the Gold Mine.
• South C Zone: This zone is our most difficult terrain based on climb and altitude. This is all trails South of the Gold Mine on Blue Ridge. New again in 2015 are some trails that will be groomed to the Nordic Yurt and the Telemark area. These trails have not been groomed in many years.
• North D Zone: This zone is an area that will be groomed only for skate skiing, fat biking, and dog sled events.. It is an area that is in the North East entry quadrant of the Ranch. The main trails out in this area are Just and Audun. It is moderate terrain and well suited for the biking and skate skiing.