Grooming: Frequently Asked Questions
Grooming perfect Nordic ski trails is a complex art and science that is influenced by multiple factors including: temperature variations, wind, snow type, sun and shade exposure, frequency and amount of snowfall, type of grooming machine and the attached implements, time of day grooming occurs, speed of the machine, experience of the groomers and more. When Meissner Nordic’s groomers work on the trails they consider all of these factors. We are lucky to have experienced groomers who have been laying down corduroy and setting classic tracks on the Meissner trails for over a decade, and who work late night and early morning hours. The groomers are the only paid workers that we have, all other work is accomplished with volunteer effort.
Many trail users want to know more about grooming and how it affects trail conditions. Please read on for responses to our most frequently asked questions:
What Kind Of Machines Does Meissner Nordic Have And What Do They Do?
We have two machines for grooming: a PistenBully 100 snowcat (PB100) and a Ski-Doo Skandic snowmobile with a Ginzu grooming implement attached to the back.
Our first snowcat was a BR400 which we used for years, but by 2013 it had become too maintenance needy and the decision was made to purchase a replacement. We chose a PB100 which was purchased with donations from supporters and sponsors in a campaign that raised $115,000 plus a $75,000 bank loan. The 2013 PB100 was our primary grooming machine for eight seasons until 2021 when we traded it in on a new and improved PB100. The 2021 PB100 list price was $250,000 and after trade-in our net price was $165,000 which we paid from the reserve fund we had been building for years. The snowcat’s weight and power allow us to manage heavy snowfall and churn up hard-packed snow. Assuming no mechanical issues, grooming all the trails at Meissner takes 6 to 8 hours. Depending on snow conditions, the PB100 burns 6-8 gallons of diesel fuel per hour.
The Skandic with its Ginzu attachment complements the snowcat and allows us to touch up the trails when there has been little change in the trail conditions. We primarily use it in low snow conditions so that we don’t find ourselves grooming dirt into the snow with the PB100. Since the Skandic is small, it is not helpful when we receive big snowfalls. A volunteer corps of groomers drives the snowmobile. It burns about a gallon of fuel every 4 hours.
What Is Tilling And How Does That Help?
Tilling is essentially “churning” up the snow. The tiller is attached to the back of the cat and contains a spinning auger bar and heavy plastic combs. The speed at which the auger bar spins impacts how well we are able to tear apart the snow or ice and lay it down again as corduroy. When there is fresh snow, the tiller does not have to work very hard. When conditions are icy, the auger bar needs to spin quickly to churn the trail surface into fine particles, which the combs press into new corduroy. With hard snow the auger bar has a hard time maintaining speed, so we must keep a shallow depth of cut to keep the bar spinning.
How Fast Should The Cat Go?
The cat always moves at a relatively slow pace, regardless of the conditions. When conditions are ideal, the cat can go full speed at approximately 7 mph. During freeze-thaw cycles we run the cat much slower to allow the tiller more time to process the snow. In icy conditions, we also run over a trail multiple times to put out a quality product.
What Is The Blade?
The blade is the implement attached to the front of the cat and is mostly used to grade and flatten the trail. The blade cuts into high points and brings the snow into holes or to the low side of the trail. It does crunch up the snow some and helps the tiller process snow, but the primary function of the blade is moving snow to create a flat, level trail.
How Do Snow Conditions Impact The Quality Of A Groomed Trail?
In an ideal world, we would receive moderate amounts of snowfall every couple of days that could be mixed into the existing base to keep the trails fresh, smooth and firm. However, Meissner’s geographical location on the lee side of the Cascades brings inconsistent snowfall. When the area experiences cold temperatures and low humidity and receives no new snow, good trail conditions can be maintained if there is already a firm base. Too much snow all at once makes the trails too soft and as a result, trail users’ poles punch through, which creates challenging skiing conditions. No new snow conditions, accompanied by significant temperature fluctuations and higher humidity create a freeze-thaw cycle. When this happens, the trails become icy and require significant mechanical assistance to churn up the ice and set nice corduroy and classic tracks.
What Is The Best Time Of Day To Groom?
The best time to groom Meissner’s trails is early in the morning. Our groomers begin work late at night and work until the early morning. When the temperature fluctuates significantly above and below freezing, some Nordic ski areas will groom in the late afternoon when the snow is somewhat melted to let the trail “set up” overnight. When this is done, early morning skiers will experience icy corduroy and classic tracks, but as it warms the trails become nice. However, if someone skis on those trails just after they have been groomed in the late afternoon, this destroys the corduroy and leaves frozen ski tracks in the snow for the next morning, which results in grumpy early morning skiers and dangerous conditions. We have considered grooming in the late afternoon but have decided not to because of the number of trail users at that time and the possibility of dangerous conditions the following day.
The snowcat operators generally do the trails that are the most popular first to avoid trying to groom them when lots of skiers are out. Doing Paintbrush, Wednesdays, Wild Strawberry and such later keeps the machine away from skiers later in the morning. They also change up the route based on snow conditions, for example they do multiple passes on the main corridor and out to the shelter when the snow surface is hard so it’s easier to ski for beginners.
For the most part the operators are starting between 4:30 and 5:00 am. The first priority is access from the parking lot and around the lodge, and depending on the morning it might take 5 to 45 minutes. When it’s dumping snow, the cat plows out both bathrooms, rebuilds the ramp and tills out the infield area before setting out on the trail. The operators are not catering to a specific timeframe, they are trying to be as efficient as possible and put out a good ski surface. There are a few out-and-back connections the groomers make like Penstemon, Larkspur, the upper connector to Gentian for example. These are best done early so the cat can come through from the other direction to clean up the tracks. Also, it’s best to do maneuvering and turn arounds when there are no skiers around. If you are skiing early, expect some dead ends and unconnected loops, especially on mornings when the grooming is slow.