It's been a winter for the record books! The Leelanau Trail and Vasa Pathway are groomed regularly for cross-country skiing. We suspected early on that with the epic winter conditions, that grooming costs could potentially be on the rise. That suspicion was verified a few weeks ago when both the Leelanau Groomer and the Vasa groomer broke down within days of each other. We've continued grooming the trails with other equipment, but it requires more manpower and energy to complete the trail grooming. Now is a great time to rally and show appreciation for the grooming program and TART. Please consider an additional donation to TART to help offset the cost of the repair and general operations. There is a donation button right on our homepage (http://www.traversetrails.org/) that makes donating to TART really convenient. Thanks for your consideration.
February Grooming Reports
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #67
2-28-2009
Glen will start grooming the 25K Vasa loop with the snowmobile and Ginzu tomorrow morning at 7:30AM. Roger will take over and groom the 5K Headwaters Trail and the 11K loop when Glen returns. They will be touching up the skate lane and leaving the existing Classic tracks.
The wet snow we received on Thursday night and Friday morning has frozen making it difficult to till deep enough to set new Classic tracks. The tracks that were set on Friday remain deep and solid. When I groomed this morning, I was forced to go very slow with the LMC. I had to turn the tiller speed up as fast as it would go, apply down pressure to the tiller and set the tiller depth to near maximum. The result was that the skating lane was softened but the corduroy did not reform well because of the fine snow being tilled up. It did set up because of the cold temperatures this morning and the skiing was fast and controllable, however the Classic tracks were shallower and not as well formed as they were before I started. I decided not to groom the 25K loop and some skiers reported that it was fast but a little choppy with frozen skate marks from yesterday's skiers.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #66
2-28-2009
I will start grooming the Vasa Trail this morning at 5:00AM. I will follow the normal grooming pattern starting with the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop and 25K loop. I will reset the Classic tracks on all loops. I will finish on the 3K Meadows loop if necessary.
Stop at the trailhead after your ski today for the TART Trails Vasa Pathway Open House from 11AM to 2PM for a hot drink, a snack and a warm fire hosted by Bob Wick and Paul Tata.
Jim
T
ART Trails Leelanau Grooming Report #65
2-27-2009
Hello skiers, The Leelanau Trail will be groomed tomorrow morning beginning at 8:00 a.m. Dave will be setting tracks and grooming for skating. He is using the snowmobile with a Ginzu Groomer attached.
Dave picked up the Ginzu from the Vasa Barn last Saturday and made a complete groom with it on Monday to try it out. It worked very well. We still have some problem areas with high drifts, but Dave now carries a shovel to dig himself out when he gets stuck.
Have fun out there!
Missy
PS. There was a great picture of a skier on the Leelanau Trail in today's Record-Eagle!
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #64
2-26-2009
Paul will start grooming the Vasa Trail tomorrow morning at 6:00AM with the LMC. He will do a normal grooming pattern starting with the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop and 25K loop. He will set Classic tracks on all loops. He will decide when he returns to the barn whether he will groom the 3K Meadows Trail based on the amount of snow at the trailhead.
This is assuming that the weather forecast is accurate for tonight. They are calling for below freezing temperatures and significant snow. If the temperatures remain too warm the snow may be too wet to groom in the morning. Right now at 8:30PM it is 34 degrees with rain in town. One of the hardest things to do this time of year is to decide when to groom or not to groom. While our last groom was on Monday, the skiing remained very good all week. The forecast looks like the weather will cooperate and the skiing should be great this weekend.
Don’t forget the TART Trails Vasa Open House this Saturday from 11:00AM to 1:00PM at the Acme Trailhead. This week’s hosts will be Bob Wick Director of Development at TART Trails and Paul Tata the Head Groomer on the Vasa Trail. They will have a warm fire, hot drinks, snacks, and rumor has it some homemade cookies. Stop by and say hi after your ski on Saturday.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #63
2-22-2009
I will start grooming the Vasa Trail tomorrow (Monday) morning at 5:00AM with the LMC. I will follow the normal grooming pattern starting with the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop, 25K loop, and finish with the 3K Meadows Trail. I will reset Classic tracks on all loops. Glen reported that between 3-8 inches of new snow had fallen when he groomed this morning since Paul and Roger groomed on Saturday morning. He also reported that the new snow was of a consistency that did not pack as desired. Tonight's cold temperatures and today's new snow should provide excellent conditions again after the groom tomorrow.
The groomers would like to give skiers some tips when encountering the LMC on the trail. If you catch up to the groomer from behind do not get too close to the tiller. The tiller is designed to grind up snow, ice, and debris. It will also grind up anything else that gets too close. We can see you in the mirrors and will stop and let you pass as soon as there is a place for you to get by and it is safe to do so. If you are too close we are hesitant to stop for fear that you will not be able to. If you see the groomer on a downhill, wait until we get out of the way before you start down the hill.
If you are meeting the groomer while skiing you must get everything completely off of the trail (yourself, skis, and poles). We will stop the groomer until you do so. We will then turn off the tiller and go slowly by you. Wait until the groomer is completely past you before you try to get back on the trail.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #62
2-21-2009
Glen plans to start grooming tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 5:00 AM. He could delay the start of the groom if it is still snowing hard at that time. He will do a normal groom starting with the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop, and 25K loop. He will reset Classic tracks on all loops. He will decide if there is enough new snow to groom the 3K Meadows Trail when he finishes all other loops.
It didn't take long today for the new snow to cover the freshly groomed trail but the skiing remained good most of the day.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #61
1-20-2009
Snow, snow and more snow (we are not complaining). Another 2-3 inches fell while I was on the trail grooming this morning. Parts of the trail had 5-6 inches of new snow since Glen groomed yesterday morning. The Vasa Trail has fully recovered from last week's thaw and conditions will be excellent this weekend.
Paul and Roger will start grooming with the LMC at 5:00AM tomorrow (Saturday) morning. They will be grooming on the normal pattern starting with the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop and 25K loop. They will be resetting the Classic track on all loops. They will wait to see how much new snow falls between now and when they finish tomorrow morning before deciding if they will groom the 3K Meadows Trail. I groomed it today and there are still some spots where the snow cover is very thin.
If anyone has lost a pair of clear lenses on the Vasa Trail please respond to this email with your phone number and we will make arrangements to get them back to you.
Jim
Leelanau Grooming report #60
2/20/09
With 4-5 foot drifts, the Leelanau Trail is tough to tame this time of year. Dave packed the entire 15-mile trail this morning with the snowmobile. Now he is making his second pass with the groomer drag attached. Currently he is grooming without the track-setter because with all of the new/drifted snow, it was leaving an unsteady, curvy track behind. Depending on the weather, Dave may head out tomorrow and set tracks, but right now, his main goal is packing it down.
Have a great weekend!
Missy
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #59
2-20-2
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I will start grooming the Vasa Trail this morning at 5:30AM with the LMC. I will be grooming following the normal grooming pattern starting on the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop and 25K loop. I will probably not be grooming the 3K Meadows Trail since there are still some areas with very little snow on that trail. I will reset Classic tracks on all loops.
Glen encountered between 4 and 9 inches of new snow during his groom yesterday and it was still snowing when he finished. He timed his groom well because if we would have waited the snow would have been too deep to pack well in one pass. Today's groom should further pack the snow from yesterday and last night and provide excellent conditions for this weekend.
Jim
Leelanau Grooming Report #58
2/19/09
Hello skiers!
Winter is back! Dave is currently grooming the entire 15-mile Leelanau Trail today from Suttons Bay to Cherry Bend Road. He is using the snowmobile and will groom for both skating and classic.
He tested his new track-setter last night and reports that it's working pretty well.
Have fun out there!
-Missy
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #57
2-18-2009
Glen will start grooming the Vasa Trail with the LMC tomorrow (Thursday)morning at 5:30AM. He will follow the normal grooming pattern starting on the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop and 25K loop. Depending on how much snow we receive he may groom the 3K Meadows Trail as well. He will reset Classic tracks on all loops.
Today's snow was wet and the temperatures remained above freezing most of the day. We could not groom because the snow would have plugged up the equipment. Wet snow needs to set for a while to dry out and tonight's colder temperatures and wind help that process.
The TART Trails Vasa Pathway mentioned in the last Grooming Report will be held next Saturday February 28th (weather permitting) instead of this Saturday. More details will be sent later.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #56
2-16-2009
Paul will start grooming the Vasa trail with the LMC tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 6:30AM. He will be following the normal grooming pattern starting with the 5K loop, 11K loop and ending with the 25K loop. He will rest the Classic tracks on all loops. He will not be grooming the 3K Meadows Trail with the LMC as there is not enough snow left in places after last week's thaw.
We are planning the third TART Trails Vasa Pathway Winter Open House this weekend at the Acme Trailhead. Details are being finalized and will be announced in the next Grooming Report and on the TART website @ www.traversetrails.org
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #55
2-15-2009
Roger and I will start grooming for the Gran Travers Classic Race starting at 4:30AM with the LMC. We will be setting a double set of Classic tracks from Timber Ridge to the split rail fence on the 11K loop then head toward the 11K/27K split, do the portion of the 27K from the split to the 7K post and return on the 10K back toward Timber Ridge via the Vasa Connector. While the race is in progress we will re-groom the 25K portion of the Vasa Trail to the normal pattern with a skating lane and one set of Classic tracks to erase the wear from yesterdays Vasa race. After the Gran Travers is over we will restore the remainder of the trail to the normal pattern.
If you plan to ski today please watch for grooming equipment on the trail. We will be completing the groom much later than usual and will be grooming the 5K Headwaters Trail last.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #54
2-13-2009
Roger and I will start prepping the Vasa Trail for the Vasa Race this morning starting at 5:00AM. We were hoping to get out last night but the temperature remained above freezing longer than predicted. We will be using the snowmobiles and Ginzu's to loosen up the top layer of the refrozen base. We will try to set classic tracks but that will not be our main goal. We will also be checking the amount of base remaining in some of the low snow areas to make sure it will be safe to take the LMC out tonight. We will be starting on the 5K headwaters Trail, 11K loop and finish on the 25K loop. We will not be grooming the 3K Meadows Trail since there is so little snow left on that portion.
Right now Paul and Glen are planning on using the LMC to groom for the race tonight starting around 10PM. This will depend on the temperatures during the day and how fast they fall after sunset. If the trail does not refreeze hard enough they may have to use the snowmobiles and Ginzu's.
Vasa Race Raffle to benefit Groomer Repair: The North American Vasa voted to donate 100% of this year's proceeds of their raffle to the repair of TART's LMC groomer. Raffle tickets are available directly from Vasa Board Member, Mike Tarnow at mtarnow@nmrec.com. The tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100. It is a 50/50 raffle with a maximum prize of $3,500. Good luck.
Jim
TART Trails Grooming Report #53
2-12-2009
Hello skiers,
I'm sure you've been wondering when you'd hear from us! Well, this thaw hasn't been ideal for trail grooming, but it looks like things will cool off just in time for the North American Vasa!
Hopefully the grooming crew got a lot of rest during this thaw. I'm sure they needed it with all of the extra effort put in to keep the trail machines running this winter. The good folks over at Traverse Magazine wrote up a little ditty that gives props to the hard-working grooming crew who have kept the trails in tip-top shape for all of us to enjoy. Check out the article at www.mynorth.com
Currently, all of the Vasa groomers plan to head out to the Vasa barn at 5:00 today to determine their grooming strategy for this weekend. They may groom tonight as soon as the temperatures dip below the freezing mark, or wait until the morning. Either way, Jim will send out another report to let you know.
I checked in with Dave as well. Current plans are to groom the Leelanau Trail tomorrow morning with the snowmobile. If the base is deep enough, he will test out the new tracksetter that he built for his homemade groomer (which again, you should read about in the mynorth.com article.)
Think snow everyone!
-Missy
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #52
2-7-2009
Paul plans on doing a touch up groom on the Vasa tomorrow starting at 7:00AM. The exact timing will depend on when the temperature drops below freezing tonight. He will be using the snowmobile and Ginzu and going over the skating lane on all loops. He will leave the existing Classic tracks. With the warm temperatures today it would not be wise to groom with the LMC until the trail has a chance to refreeze completely. The snowmobile and Ginzu will have less impact on the base and still leave an excellent skiing surface.
I will be using the other snowmobile and Ginzu to groom for the Vasa Sprints to be held tomorrow in the warehouse district. The sprints start at 2:00PM and if you have not already registered you can do so tomorrow starting at 1:00PM. Stop down and enjoy the fun. For more information visit the Vasa website @ www.vasa.org
Vasa Race Raffle to benefit Groomer Repair: The North American Vasa voted to donate 100% of this year's proceeds of their raffle to the repair of TART's LMC groomer. Raffle tickets are available directly from Vasa Board Member, Mike Tarnow at mtarnow@nmrec.com. The tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100. It is a 50/50 raffle with a maximum prize of $3,500. Good luck.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #51
2-5-2009
I started grooming the Vasa trail this afternoon at 2:30 with the LMC. Even though all of the parts had not arrived yet we managed to use some of the parts that were damaged when they went into the tiller after the track broke. We ground them down and took off the rough spots. We were also able to find some hinge pins locally that will work for the time being. I groomed all loops and reset Classic tracks. We wanted to get the LMC out while it was still cold to level the trail and set deep classic tracks and to make sure that everything worked properly. It did. The weather forecast for the next few days does not look promising and we may not be able to use the LMC again until the cold weather returns.
The groomers have spent more than 160 man hours over the past two weeks on LMC repairs alone in addition to keeping the Vasa Trail groomed. We would like to thank Cilla for keeping us well fed with homemade soup, sandwiches, chips, coffee, and many homemade cookies. We would also like to thank Vince for helping us out with much needed tools. We would also like to thank Mike, Joel and Woody for their help in removing, replacing, and moving the tracks into the office. We would also like to thank Ron for his machining help. And thanks to the TART staff and board for ordering the belts and other parts needed for the repairs. If you have not already done so please consider an extra donation to TART to help replenish the groomer fund after these expensive repairs. And last but certainly not least we would like to thank the North American Vasa for their support and their offer to donate all of the proceeds from this year's 50-50 raffle to help offset the repairs. See below.
Vasa Race Raffle to benefit Groomer Repair: The North American Vasa voted to donate 100% of this year's proceeds of their raffle to the repair of TART's LMC groomer. Raffle tickets are available directly from Vasa Board Member, Mike Tarnow at mtarnow@nmrec.com. The tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100. It is a 50/50 raffle with a maximum prize of $3,500. Good luck.
Jim
Leelanau Grooming Report #50
2/5/09
Hello skiers,
Dave groomed the entire 15-mile Leelanau Trail for skating yesterday (2/4/09). He built the groomer that goes behind the snowmobile himself (see picture). He welded railroad spikes that were recycled from the trail's previous life as a railroad. For now, the Leelanau Trail will be groomed for skating only, but Dave is planning on building a tracksetter.
The ASV Track Truck groomer is still in the shop in Suttons Bay and looks to be out of commission indefinitely. Mark continues to work on it.
Dave plans to groom the Leelanau Trail again on Friday (2/6/09), but is unsure how the groomer will fair with the expected warm temperatures. We'll keep you posted.
Also, if you are interested, we have a ton of great pictures of the Vasa Groomer repair, the recent Winter Open House and more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarttrails/
Check it out!
-Missy
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #49
2-3-2009
Paul and I will start grooming the Vasa Trail at 6:00AM tomorrow morning. We will be using the snowmobiles and Ginzu’s. We will start on the 5K Headwaters Trail, 11K loop 25K loop and finish on the 3K Meadows Trail. We will reset Classic tracks on all loops.
LMC Groomer Update: We have rebuilt the second track and reinstalled it on the LMC this afternoon. Thanks Woody for helping us move it into position on the LMC. We are still waiting on parts for the other track (wheel guides and hinge pins) and when they arrive we will finish attaching the track to the LMC. We expected the parts to be in yesterday but they had still not arrived today. After reassembly we will need to adjust the tension on the tracks and hopefully the LMC will be ready to groom again.
Jim
TART Trails Vasa Grooming Report #48
2-2-2009
Paul will do a touch up groom using a snowmobile and a Ginzu starting this morning at 9:00AM. He will touch up the skating lane on all loops and leave the Classic tracks. Yesterday’s warmer weather and heavy skier traffic left the trail somewhat rough and after last night’s return to lower temperatures the rough spots have become frozen. Making a pass with the Ginzu should smooth out the rough spots and level the trail again.
Paul and Doug had a tough time grooming on Saturday. The snow was not behaving like it should have for the temperature. Even though the temperatures were below freezing the snow had high moisture content and was clogging the teeth on the Ginzu’s. The only way they could complete the groom without bogging down or getting stuck was to go faster than they normally would go. After setting overnight the snow became a little drier and when Glen and I went out yesterday morning it behaved properly even though the temperatures were very close to the freezing mark.
LMC Groomer Update: We have one track back on the LMC although the ends are not connected together (still missing some parts). We also pulled the other track off and it is in the process of thawing out so that we can get access to the bolts to disassemble it. Thanks to Mike and Joel for their assistance. Thanks to everyone else for their offers of help as well. It is somewhat crowded in the office where we are doing the disassembly and reassembly so there is no room for any more people. The next time we will probably need help is after we get the second track ready to put back on the LMC.
Jim