New Year, New Snow, New Tracks

News Years Eve day started with a light rain but by four in the afternoon the rain had turned to snow. The snow continued through most of the night. By morning three inches of heavy wet snow had accumulated on the ground.

Ski trail groomer, Jim Raml and Ted Young were dispatched to open the Banadad on New Years Day. The groomer were able to track the entire Banadad but reported that because of the heavy wet snow they encountered, "a lot of side brush leaning into the trail along approximately six and one half kilometers of the thirty kilometer trail." The groomers were able to cut some of the brush and noted, "that the trail is passable but skiing will be slow along the trail's brushy sections." The groomers also reported that the track they set while not great is at least fair.

Young encountered four skiers on the west end of the Banadad. The skiers stated that while the trail was brushy the skiing was very good and they were having a good time. They were skiing from the Croft Yurt to the western trailhead where their car had previously been shuttle by Boundary Country Trekking.

The following day the new tracks were set on the Lace Lake and Seppala Trails was competed.

The thirty kilometer Banadad Ski Trail and ten kilometers of adjoining trails are maintained and groomed by Boundary Country Trekking under an agreement with the USFS and supported in part by the Minnesota DNR's Ski Pass Program. The Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B, the Little Ollie Ski-in Cabin and the Tall Pines Yurt are located on ski trails leading to the Banadad's eastern trailhead. The Croft Yurt Camp is located midway along the Banadad.