3/28/2008

Good Morning

Well this week seems to have passed pretty fast. There is not much new on the snowmobile trail front. Trails close this coming Monday, 3/31/2008. Our trails continue to get hit by the sunshine, although our cold nights prevent a total meltdown. There still are some fair trails in the woods, but conditions in town, near highways, and especially those directly exposed to the sun are poor..or worse in areas. With the season basically over it's time to park and store them.
Outside of snowmobiling, skiing continues to do well in the UP. Conditions remain good for most areas.(Check our links page for specific area conditions.)
I am planning to continue this blog throughout the year, and will be adding comments on Monday and Fridays.

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

Conditions - 3/24/2008

Good Morning Everyone.

It was a long and quiet Easter Weekend in the north woods. While there still is snowmobiling going on the interest and number have declined. The trails in our area are in fair spring riding condition. There still remains good trails in the wooded areas, and those that were out report them at good+, however, the sun exposed trails continue to decline. Maybe it's the long winter, or the fact there has been snow all over WI., but the one sure thing is, the interest level is almost non-existent. The trails will remain open officially until the 1st of April. For those wondering, I put the sleds on the trailer yesterday..oh well.
Our other sports continue to have better interest as well as good to very good conditions. Downhill skiing continues to find good slopes in the UP. Unfortunately, for the ski areas, the crowds are light, however if you don't like lift lines, there is no time like the present.(See our websites links)
Our forecasts are calling for 1-3 tonight of the "spring" wet snow..possibly mixed. Beyond that, mid 30's and below freezing nights. After this next weekend, we should start seeing the 40's..hopefully. Except for more spring skiing weekends, it's probably time for the next season.

As Always..Drive and Ride and Ski Safely.

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/20/2008

Good Morning Everyone.

The trail system in our area is still holding it's own, however, the spring sunshine is taking it's toll. While the temps should be around or slightly above freezing for highs, the sunshine will continue to eat at roads and worn trail areas. For the most part there are some really good trails to ride, but some areas will also change quickly with the sun. As the saying goes, we are in the 9th inning of the ballgame, and the end is the 31st. For those who want the last ride of the season, this weekend is probably it. Personally, I plan to enjoy the trails this Saturday, for the final time of the year. Our winter this year has really hung in there, and even with the sunshine, we should see good ground snow levels for a number of weeks into April.
For those who like the other winter activities such as downhill, x-country, snowshoeing, and ice fishing conditions should give us a number of good weeks to come.(See our links page for ski area conditions.)
For those wanting to get your sled out for another ride, call before your trip. Changing forecasts and spring sunshine can rapidly alter conditions. We still have some good trails, I'm just getting worried as we see more sunny days like yesterday.

Drive and Ride Safely

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

Conditions - 3/19/2008 - Update.

Good Morning Everyone..

Just a quick update..Trails remain in good spring riding condition. All MW trails were groomed last night. We did receive 4-5 inches Monday/Tuesday.
See our 3/17/2008 report for more details..Should be a great spring weekend.


Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/17/2008 - St. Patrick's Day

Good Morning Everyone.

For those wondering if winter is still here, the answer is...YES. First on snowmobiling. The trails in the Manitowish Waters area are in good spring riding condition. Last weeks snow really gave us a new life into the last weekend. Riders are reporting good, and some better trails, in most areas. The "spring" issue remains the sunshine, and that means you need to plan trips avoiding road trails, and watch exposed areas. It been along time since we have been able to hold the trails consistently this long. For those who haven't yet stored the machines, it looks like the weather patterns are favorable. There is more snow forecasted for tonight into Weds.(2-5 inches) That is followed by good temps, with another awesome weekend of mid 30's and sunshine ahead. So all I can mention, is this week, and into the Easter weekend we still are running. For those interested..trails in Vilas county don't close until March 31st..midnight.

Next sport..downhill. The skiing, in the our local areas in the UP, is great..not fair or good..great. Our website has links to all the local sites; Indianhead, Powderhorn..etc. This past weekend was a great spring skiing weekend, sunshine..30 degrees..and well groomed slopes. The crowds are relativity light, although yesterday it seemed more people were around for what looks to be an Easter Break week. My guess, with the forecasts..and conditions..we will skiing well into April this year..it will probably be lack of people that close the areas..not the lack of snow or conditions.
I could go on today..but you get the drift..ice fishing..X-country..snowshoeing..etc..all are doing well.

We will keep you updated..

Oh yeah..CONGRATULATIONS - BILL SCHUMANN - our new AWSC President! Bill's from MW.

As always Drive and Ride Safely..

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

Conditions - 3/13/2008

Good Morning Everyone..

Our winter continues to hang in there this year. Last night we received a nice 4 inches of heavy packing snow. The trails needed the help. While yesterdays temps and clouds were good for the trails, Tuesday saw sunshine and 40. The trails are still very rideable, with fair conditions to good conditions in areas away from towns. Before last nights snow there were increasing number of areas of worn, or sun exposed trail. With last nights face lift we should be able to get another weekend in. The forecasts for the weekend are for below freezing temps. Most services are beginning to call for a more significant snow event for Monday into Tuesday, with cooler temps beyond that. So, winter is still here and we are enjoying it.
The ski areas continue to report great snow conditions and with the forecasts, it looks like there will be good conditions for Easter and into early April.

Still time to enjoy the north woods this season.

Drive and Ride Safely,

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/11/2009 - Afternoon Update.

Good Afternoon Everyone...

Well..the weather is nice...almost too nice...40 degrees..sunshine and oh yeah..it's March.
The trail conditions are changing ..we are in the the fair to Good category. The weather is still calling for cold nights..and snow Weds - Thurs..and we will need some..
For those interested in the upcoming weekend, check the forecasts, and call before trips..

I'm still hopeful for at least another weekend..

Drive and Ride Safely

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/10/2008

Good Morning Everyone...

Wow..what a weekend! Our weather was great. The temps were relatively cool, with highs in the low 20's on Saturday, and high 20's yesterday, but the oh that sunshine. It sure felt like spring. The snowmobile trails are for the most part in pretty good shape, conditions are starting to very, depending on the exposure to the sun, but in general they range from good to some very good. While we had traffic over the weekend, it has already begun to taper off. Trails on Saturday, were well groomed in the Manitowish Waters area. Trail 8 south of town was good, with some sun exposed areas near the highway, but they are still easy to navigate around. Trail 8N, was great until the IC line, were we found some trail chatter. From Chucks Bar, 8/17, trail 19 was again smooth and in great shape. Even Cedar Lake Rd, had amply snow, although there were bumps, and the beginning development of sun scars. The PI/WI system had some of the best trails all day. The J trail was as close to perfect as it gets.
As we move out of the weekend, the next 2-3 days should have sun and mid 30's. If we get lucky, the forecasts are starting to develop towards more snow possibilities, from Wednesday evening into Friday. The solar clock is clicking, but we could end up with another good period for riding. My guess is the temps and sun early this week will cost us some, but the night are still cold, and the likelihood for some snow is improving. Remember, we are into the 8th inning, and the game is getting short.
As far as other activities. The downhill skiers are reporting great conditions at Indianhead, all the lifts were running this weekend. Unfortunately for the ski areas crowds were pretty light. Please see our website links for area details.
Have a great week.

Drive and Ride Safely,

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/6/2008

Good Morning Everyone...

Well, we are beginning another cold snap which should last until this Saturday. Our highs the next 2 days will be in the teens, warming to a mid 20's high for Sunday. As far as lows, well, how about a -20 being forecasted for Friday night, it's March! Oh well, we did get an inch or so of snow, and trails in the Manitowish Waters area are in Good Riding condition. There could be some icy areas, and some small sections which have been sun worn, but all in all, things are pretty good. For those who do follow our forecasts, after Sunday it looks like we could see the mid 30's for the early part of next week, and that means this could one of the few predictable weekends remaining for trails, unless we start getting some meaningful snow.
As far as our other winter activities, skiing will continue for awhile. All our areas in the UP, are reporting very good conditions, with plenty of base, and well groomed slopes.(See our website links for individual details.)
If you can get away, join us in the north woods for what is shaping up as good weekend for riding.

As Always, Drive and Ride Safely.

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/4/2008

Good Morning Everyone...

Well it was another cold night in the north woods with temps at -9. Today we should see the mid 20's and that will be a plus, to help soften some of the packed snow that's on the trails. A number of riders out of here yesterday reported they had "pretty good" trails on their ride that took them to Land O' Lakes, then up to Hurley. They mentioned they had a few sun worn areas, but in general trails were good. Most trails were all flat and groomed, and the only problem was lubrication needs in a few hard packed areas. So I guess we can still call the trails in the fair to good category, with some icy and hard packed areas. Our forecasts area still calling for some snow tonight (1-2inches), into Thursday with another cold front pushing through the area. With a little snow and some more grooming we should be in OK shape for the weekend. Once we get beyond this weekend, we could start running out of time, unless we see a nice spring dumping.
As far as skiing, the downhill areas are still doing great. All are power tilled and nicely groomed.
With the slightly warmer weather we are also starting to more people venture out for some sunny ice fishing.

Come enjoy the weekend,

As Always, Drive and Ride Safely.

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com

Conditions - 3/3/2008 - Frozen

Good Morning Everyone..

I guess everyone is wondering about the conditions after the weekend, and right now, so am I. Trails were great on Friday, and Saturday, even with some softening Sat. afternoon. Yesterday started our good, but we warmed into the high 30's and then late afternoon and early evening we saw drizzle. Not sleet, not snow, drizzle..and the trails really softened. Over night the cold front did make it into the area, and currently everything is just frozen. Trails, driveways, roads, etc., we have ice. The snowmobile trails are now frozen, but will need a grooming tonight to put us back into better shape. Other than that they are hard.
Our weather outlook is calling for snow from Tuesday evening into Friday morning, but the amounts are up for still not forecasted. My best guess is, a few groomings, and a few inches, and we will have really good conditions for the next weekend. But today they are hard.
By the way, this will be another cold week, and today is really the only forecasted day for sunshine, so we won't be loosing anything, for now.

We keep you updated, as conditions change.

Watch for icy conditions

Drive and ride Safely.

Rich - http://www.timberlineinn.com/

Conditions - 3/1/2008 - update

Good Morning Everyone,

Just a quick weather update, from yesterday. Well the forecasts were a little light on the snow side. During the day we received 4-6 inches..
Trails remain in Very Good Condition. See yesterday's comments.

Rich - www.timberlineinn.com