Author: Jim Pippin

I hope everyone has been enjoying the 2022 Beijing Olympics, especially the Nordic skiing events.  Jackie had the pleasure of discussing some of the local Olympians from our area with Ruth Hayes, a legend in the Rochester Nordic skiing palmarès, and has put together a very interesting article from her discussion.  Stina Bridgeman from the Rochester Orienteering Club provides a look at “Ski-O” which is a great way to enjoy an afternoon with friends for fun or even participate in some competitive events. Lastly, local skier Todd Williams and his family share their experience participating in the 2021 virtual Canadian Ski Marathon and provide details for this year’s event.

We have been lucky to have had steady cold temperatures up to this week.  Thanks to all our groomers for getting out there in the cold during the last couple of storms.  I know many of our supporters are eager to hit the trails as soon as the snow starts falling but, just to be clear, grooming will not start until the snow stops falling. If the storm is a significant event, it will take time (1-2 days sometimes) for our groomers to get the trails groomed correctly.

I know some folks have expressed frustration with the conditions updates and we are looking at ways to improve our system.  However, it is not the sole responsibility of the groomers to update the website daily or immediately after every time they groom.  The updates at Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area (HHSSRA) have been delayed and lacking, we recognize that.  We are without our lead HHSSRA groomer this year and are working to keep up with the regular grooming while training and onboarding new groomers.  We appreciate your patience as we continue to evolve and improve our system for grooming updates.  I would also like to remind our supporters that we have a place on our website (on the conditions page, under each park) where you may add your own condition reports. We encourage you to add a report after you ski, and appreciate when you do so.

I hope everyone has had a chance to get out and ski.  I hope the snowpack endures this warmup.  Thank you all for your understanding and continued support.  Enjoy the rest of your winter.