Grayling Visitors Bureau

Forbush Corner:  March 29, Friday, 7:30 am, 14 deg!, 89% humidity.  Relax on the temps as it is headed well above freezing.  Original guess remains the same with too fast right now but excellent crust skiing, perfect conditions as the sun rises, then too slow (ideal classical & snowshoe), then back to ideal conditions as the sun sets.

Expecting the same pattern Sat at least until 3 pm when anything or nothing could happen.  Sat night and Sun is another anything can happen time but from 9 Sun on they are calling for snow.

Expecting cold nights and warm days.  Still a foot of base.  Incredible conditions for Easter or perhaps much of the seasons past.

Hanson Hills: We will no longer be grooming our trail system. Trails are still skiable with a firm base.

XC Ski Headquarters: Friday March 29, 2013, The sun is out and warm on our faces, but it is making bare spots on the Manitou and the extension of the Rolling Hills trails.

There is still a lot of snow in the woods and on most of the trails. It just where the sun hits directly that causes the problems!

Groomer Stu will Ginzu groom the Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Trapper’s Cabin, Adventure and Rolling Hills trails this morning. The tracks will be good to ski in by 10AM and the skating lanes will be good for skating by 9:30AM

Forbush Corner: March 26, Tuesday, 8:30 am, 29 deg, 92 % humidity.  Very light snow flurries yesterday and a 30% chance of snow today…our winter continues with nights well below freezing.  Open Friday, Saturday, & Sunday at 10 am.  Ski trail looks incredible for any time of the year let alone late March. We are even expecting a visit on Sunday from the legendary Schultz Motors ski team!

Hanson Hills: 3/25/2013 Trails are amazing!! Still really good skiing.

XC Ski Headquarters: Tuesday March 26, 2013, The temperature at 7 this morning was 29F and the high is forecast to be 37. This should make for great trail conditions after grooming. The tracks and skating lanes will soften just enough for ideal spring skiing!.

Groomer Stu will Ginzu groom the skating lanes this morning and reset tracks where needed.

The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails all have fresh groomed snow on a solid base. The tracks are set and not as fast once the temps get up to 32. The skating lanes are in excellent condition. The Tall Pines trail has Ginzu snowcombed skating lanes with some thin spots and shallow tracks set.

National Weather Service forecast:

Tuesday: Scattered snow showers before 5pm, then a chance for flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday night: Scattered flurries before 8pm, then a chance of flurries after 2am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: A chance of flurries. Cloudy, with a high near 37. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Wednesday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 25. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: Cloudy, with a high near 37. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Monday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38.

Forbush Corner: March 19, Tuesday, 8:30, 18 deg, 84% humidity.  Snowing!  Gained about 3 inches with another 3 inches predicted for today and 4 inches predicted for tonight.  It will keep us busy towards the end of the week prepping it for the weekend.
Trying to haul a bed and so I suspect that is what is bringing all this snowfall.
FANTASTIC weekend ahead.

Hanson Hills: All fresh tracks were set on the 16th except Novice & Red, but the Red is probably going to be set today. Skating conditions are awesome.

XC Ski Headquarters: Tuesday March 19, 2013
As of 7:30AM we have received a good 2 inches of fresh snow, light snow continues to fall and the temperature is 18 F.
Groomer Stu spent a lot of time grooming and preparing all the trails for the snow we received last night. This morning’s Ginzu grooming will create excellent conditions for skate skiing on all trails. With the fresh snow the tracks will be a treat to ski in.
The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails all have fresh groomed snow on a solid base. The tracks are very good. The skating lanes are in excellent condition.

National Weather Service forecast:
Tuesday: Snow showers with areas of blowing snow. High near 28. West wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of around 2 inches.

Tuesday night: Snow showers with areas of blowing snow. Low around 16. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of around 3 inches.

Wednesday: Snow showers with areas of blowing snow. High near 27. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of around 2 inches.

Wednesday Night: Snow showers. Low around 16. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Thursday: Snow showers. High near 30. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Thursday Night: Snow showers likely, mainly before 9pm, then a chance for flurries. Cloudy, with a low around 16. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday: A chance of flurries before 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39.

Forbush Corner:  March 12, Tuesday, 8 am, 25 deg.  Full on Winter returns!  Gained an inch of snow last night.  By this time tomorrow, they are predicting another 4 inches.  Kept about a foot of base snow thru the warm up and so we should be in very good to excellent shape for the weekend.

Hanson Hills: March 16 & 17 Join us for two great Paintball Biathlons!!! http://www.hansonhills.org/uploads/FlyerREG_xc-hh.pdf

XC Ski Headquarters: Tuesday March 12, 2013, We received enough rain last evening to really saturate the snow pack. Then at night it snowed a little so everything is all white again.
It did not snow enough or get cold enough to groom the trails, yet. With the cooler temps today and tonight’s low of 19F skiing should be good tomorrow. We still have quite a base.
The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Tall Pines, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails all have wet spring conditions for classic skiing. The trails are too saturated to groom today.

National Weather Service forecast:

Tuesday: Snow showers. High near 31. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tuesday night: Snow showers. Low around 19. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around 2 inches.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers before 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 27. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -1. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Friday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38.

Friday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Saturday: A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 33.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Monday: A chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 35.

Forbush Corner: March 8, Friday, 9 am, 14 deg.  Been waiting for the temp to warm a bit as it was 1 deg this morning!  Better now and the day promises to be near perfect.  Saturday also.  Sunday, on the other hand, they are calling for rain.  When I look at the chart however, there is not much quantity to it.  Will have to wait and see and hope for the best.
Open today, Friday, for an unusual Friday open.  Should have the fires stoked by 10.  Open Saturday and Sunday at 10 also.
Skied Badlands yesterday and loved it.  I think you will too.
So come early and ski a little today and tomorrow.  We can let Sunday happen.  Long term, I am not worried about the rain as we have such a BIG base and more snow and cold in the forecast.  Remember that we are usually slightly colder than the forecast in this location.

Hanson Hills: 3/8/2013, All Trails Groomed with Set Tracks. Great Skiing today!!  Lodge is open from 9am-4pm

XC Ski Headquarters: Friday March 8, 2013, Snow pack continues to hold up very well. As of 7AM this morning the temperature was 8 F.
Groomer young Bob will start Ginzu Grooming all the trails this morning. By 11AM the tracks will start to soften up for great classical skiing.
The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Tall Pines, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails all have excellent spring conditions for classic and skate skiing.

National Weather Service forecast:
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 39. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 17. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Light south wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Saturday Night: Rain likely after 8pm. Cloudy, with a low around 34. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 41. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday Night: Rain likely before 8pm, then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 32.

Monday Night: A chance of snow. Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Tuesday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 36.

Tuesday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.

Forbush Corner: March 5, Tuesday, 7 am, minus 6!  Closed today thru Friday.  Open Saturday and Sunday at 10.  Looking like a tremendous weekend ahead.  Snow predicted over the next couple of days and cold temps.  Ahhh March skiing at its best!

Hanson Hills: 3/4/2013, All Trails Groomed with Set Tracks. Great Skiing today!!

XC Ski Headquarters: Tuesday March 5, 2013, Ski conditions are holding up very well. Late yesterday afternoon the trails started to harden up and get fast. That is why we groom every day! As of 7AM this morning the temperature was 4 F. The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Tall Pines, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails all have excellent conditions for classic and skate skiing.
Groomer Stu will be Ginzu snowcombing all the skating lanes this morning and setting fresh tracks where needed.

National Weather Service forecast:

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday night: Periods of freezing drizzle, possibly mixed with snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 25. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday: Periods of freezing drizzle, possibly mixed with snow before 1pm, then a chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 34. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 21. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Thursday: A chance of flurries. Cloudy, with a high near 32. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 37.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39.

Saturday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Sunday: A slight chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 38.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Monday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40.

Forbush Corner: March 1, Friday, 8 am, 15 deg.  An unusual Friday opening!  Should be ready by noon with the East Trail system (Rollercoaster, Badlands, Lil Coaster, Pancake, & Flatlands) fully groomed to perfection.  Will add the West Trails tomorrow, Saturday.
Open today at noon and 10 am for Saturday and Sunday.  If there is enough interest, Monday looks like another beautiful day….and it is March, you know.Highs Friday and Saturday of 22 but Sunday rising to 23. OK now what is your excuse?  Perfect amount of new snow, perfect temps, should be a perfect track and skate area, and all your friends will be here.  PLUS lots of sale items in the store from clothing to skis.

Hanson Hills: 3/1/2013, All Trails Groomed with Set Tracks.

XC Ski Headquarters: Friday March 1, 2013, Groomers Stu and young Bob were very successful in packing, Ginzu snowcombing and setting fresh tracks on all the trails yesterday.
The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Tall Pines, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails all have excellent conditions for skate and classic skiing.
Groomer young Bob will be Ginzu snowcombing all the skating lanes this morning. The tracks are in excellent condition.

National Weather Service forecast:
Friday: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 26. North wind around 10 mph.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -3. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26. Wind chill values as low as -4. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 0. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 26. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around -2.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 10.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37.

Forbush Corner: February 26, Tuesday, 9 am, 26 deg.  Winter continues unabated at Forbush Corner with snow predicted tonight thru Thursday.  IF it quits on Thursday in time for tilling, then we should be able to track on Friday and be open in the afternoon on Friday.  Check back here before you drive north with plans of skiing on Friday.
Otherwise, open Saturday and Sunday.  Considering the time of year, there is more snow on the ground and more cold than I can remember in a very long time.  High temps predicted for Saturday and Sunday of 22 and 23.  Doesn’t get any better than that!

Hanson Hills: 2/25/2013 All Trails Groomed with Set Tracks.

Hartwick Pines State Park: Guided snowshoe hikes on Saturday, March 2, 10am & 1pm. By reservation – call 989-348-2537. Approximate one mile hike, some snowshoes available for use. No charge but you must have a recreation passport on your car.

XC Ski Headquarters: Tuesday Feb 26, 2013, The skiing continues to be most enjoyable. Trails are in excellent condition and the weather is very comfortable.
The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Tall Pines, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails all have excellent conditions for skate and classic skiing.
Groomer Stu will start Ginzu snowcombing all the trails early this morning and resetting fresh tracks where needed.

National Weather Service forecast:
Tuesday: Cloudy, with a high near 36. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tuesday night: Periods of snow after 10pm. Low around 28. Northeast wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Wednesday: Snow. High near 35. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Snow, mainly before 1am. Low around 26. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 33. North wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 27.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 8.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 6.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 24.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 7.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 28.

Forbush Corner: February 21, Thursday, 12 deg.  Heaps of snow, perfect temps.  Should be another perfect weekend and one that you won’t want to miss.  Open Saturday and Sunday at 10; closing at dark.
Forbush Corner would like to extend a warm welcome to visiting Chilean athlete, Jorge Luis Pino.  Jorge has been a most effective cyclist for the NYU team, does running races, swims and is generally very active.  He has cross country skied in the past but not a lot.  I suspect he will in very short order be a brilliant skier.  He is working on a Masters in Education in the field of Cognitive Science.  So if you have any questions about that field be sure to ask him as I can never recognize or remember what he has told me.

Hanson Hills: 2/21/2013, Novice, Green, Blue and Easy Return Trails have set tracks. Brown, Yellow trails are groomed for Skating. Groomers will be working hard this morning to groom the Red Trail.

XC Ski Headquarters: Thursday Feb 21, 2013, Trails groomed up very nicely yesterday. The blades and snowcomb on the Ginzu Groomer do an excellent job mixing and binding the fresh snow to the existing base.The Mackinac Cut, Wild Turkey, Rolling Hills, Tall Pines, Trapper’s Cabin, Manitou, Adventure and Blizzard trails are all open and have very good conditions for skate and classic sking. Groomer young Bob will start regrooming all the trails early this morning.

National Weather Service forecast:

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 21. North wind around 5 mph.

Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as zero. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Snow likely before 1pm, then a chance of snow and freezing drizzle. Cloudy, with a high near 33. East wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday Night: A chance of snow showers and freezing drizzle before 1am, then scattered snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 24. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday: Scattered snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 37. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 20.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 35.

Monday Night: A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Tuesday: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 33.

Tuesday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 26.

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 36.

Forbush Corner: February 13, 7 am, 23 deg.  Only light snow last night.  Amazing this is probably the only time since opening that I have been hoping that it doesn’t snow and of course there is snow coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Sigh.  Larry, David and I can handle it…As always, closed on the weekdays; open Saturday and Sunday.  See notes below regarding the ski race Saturday morning.  The trails should all be open by 11 or 12 on Saturday for our regulars.  Sunday is back to being a routine weekend.  BUT it is a weekend that you won’t want to miss.  Lots of snow, cold, and a beautiful ski trail.
Race info: Don’t forget, the morning of Feb 16th is the date of our Forbush Corner Freestyle and demo day.  The plan is to have the race and the awards etc out of the way by noon and be open for day skiers at that time.  If you want to come early, there will be trails available for your use that the racers are not using.  Also, it is a great time to try out some new skis.  Madshus is sending some of their demo skis for us to use.  Jim Harrington will be handling this aspect.  Demos are limited to 15 minutes so that everyone will get a chance.

Feb 15th, Jim Harrington will be doing a free Toko wax clinic in the pole barn warming room.  It is free and open to racers and non racers alike.  Great opportunity to learn.
Email: drforbush@hotmail.com and I will send you an entry blank.

Hanson Hills: 2/13/2013, All Trails groomed with beautiful set tracks.

XC Ski Headquarters: Wednesday Feb 13, 2013, Trails groomed up beautifully yesterday. Groomer Stu Ginzu snowcombed all the skating lanes and set fresh tracks in the afternoon on all the trails. Groomer young Bob will be Ginzu snowcombing all the skating lanes this morning.

National Weather Service forecast:

Wednesday: Cloudy, with a high near 35. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday night: A 50 percent chance of snow after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 23. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday: Snow. High near 36. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around 2 inches.

Thursday Night: Snow showers, mainly before 1am. Low around 19. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday: Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 21. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 4.

Saturday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 15.

Saturday Night: A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -3.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 23.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 12.

Washington’s Birthday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32.

Monday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 21.

Tuesday: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 27.