Spruces

Spruces rolled this morning by Pete. There was a trace to 1 inch overnight, and Pete reports primo conditions. No classic tracks, but silky conditions this morning for striding.

Both upper and lower loops groomed. 1 deg. F this morning; dress warmly.

Cold temperatures and new snow means good skiing. Upper loops groomed for skating; no classic yet. Lower loops have about 4″ new snow on top of a solid surface. We are working this week on a different connector to link … Continued

Happy Solstice! Spruces groomed this morning for skate, no classic track. Coverage is better than a week ago. You can ski almost all of the track without encountering bare spots, but keep your eyes open on the farthest north and … Continued

Groomed the Upper and Lower Campground Loops this morning, as well as the small practice loops by the pavilion. No classic track yet. New snow helped, but there are still a couple of thin spots. Have fun!

We groomed the Upper and Lower campground loops this morning, as well as the smaller loops by the Pavillion. There is no classic track set. Fresh snow last night helped with coverage, but there are still thin spots and pavement … Continued

Groomed this morning. Skate and some marginal classic. Rock skis for certain. Soft conditions, thin in places, and some poor bonding over some pavement areas. Forceful skate steps and snowplow will psh down to pavement in places, but you should be able to see it coming. Enjoy!

Forest Service is considering sledpacking today, but it will be snowing all day, so expect soft and choppy conditions no matter when you ski. Should still be fun in wider classic skis, as the surface underneath is solid. Skate will be a chore.

There is some groomed nordic track in Salt Lake County. The Forest Service is working on a new track at the Spruces campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon. We sledpacked and dragged much of it on Thursday, and I skied it today. It is rough, but it is better than nothing.

Eventually there should be about 5k of groomed track. For now, there are bare spots and some very thin spots. I was able to skate some loops and some out-and-back without taking off skis or skiing across bare pavement. I also classic skied on the shorter western part of the track, but that required removing skis and walking two or three times.

To get to the best offerings, look for two white barricades at the northeast end of the parking lot. Walk past those, put skis on and head east. The first right and then left will keep you off pavement. Most of the good stuff is farther east (up canyon).

No classic track set yet, and almost all of the surface has asphalt underneath, so be very careful about thin spots. You should be able to see them coming. Snowmobile ski ruts and tread marks, so it is far from ideal, but it mostly is corduroy. The first 50 meters are bumpy and rough. It gets better.

Rock skis only, and no dogs. This is watershed.

Worth checking out. It should get much better after more snow arrives.