After 8.1 inches of snow fell on March 15, snowmobilers groomed Columbia Park for cross-country skiers, cutting grooves and smoothing out paths. (David Salzer)
CoCoRaHS, the National Weather Service’s Northeast Minneapolis station, measured 8.1 inches of snow as of 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 15, surpassing the previous daily record of five inches. The historic snowfall was welcomed by the volunteer cross-country ski groomers at Columbia Park, who, after a busy and early start to the season, had little snow to work with between late December and much of February.
This impending blizzard would be their final groom of the season.
Waite Park resident Jim Daggett explained that the group was formed in 2017, when each member was individually asked by the Loppet Foundation, a Minneapolis-based non-profit that connects people to the outdoors through year-round activities.
Using the addresses of season pass holders that lived within a 5-mile radius of Columbia Park, potential ski trail groomers were identified.
“When I received the email, I was like, ‘Man, this is perfect,’” said Daggett, who had recently relocated from a teaching stint in Arctic Alaska. “This sled”, a Ski-Doo Grand Touring 4-Stroke model, “is exactly what I rode in Alaska.”
Daggett, who grew up in Hayward, Wis., wasn’t planning to reside in the Twin Cities for long, but he fell in love with urban education. He is a full-time teacher in the Minneapolis Public Schools, but he spends many early mornings and late evenings in Columbia Park. March 15 was no different, as he used back-country skis along the outer edge of the seven-kilometer course to spot snow drifts, holes, sticks and other hazards.
Though it was still snowing, Daggett attached the four-foot roller at 2:30 p.m. “… to pack the snow.”
After a few passes on a short eastside loop, Daggett made his way up to the bridge and the highest point of the park. “Columbia has great topography for a golf course, which makes for excellent skiing!” Daggett shouted over the sound of the snowmobile’s motor and the blowing snow.
Jim Daggett stands next to a Ski-Doo snowmobile used to groom cross-country skiing trails. (David Salzer)
The winds had picked up since his morning scouting report, resulting in a sizable drift and bare cart path. After digging and maneuvering the sled out of the snow drift, Daggett proceeded to shovel the drift onto the cart path, explaining, “The golf course has been really great to work with. We stay off all the greens and tee-boxes and implement the 90-degree rule when needing to cross a fairway.”
Along with fellow trail groomer and Windom Park resident, Mike Keyes, the groomers “set the course in the fall, designating curves with three stakes in the ground and two as a gate to pass through.”
Keyes and Daggett were excited to add nearly three kilometers of grooming on the east side of the course this year, with a steep climb that runs parallel to the train tracks before reaching the bridge to the west half of the course. “All of us are skiers, so we are vested,” said Daggett. “And, just like skiing, conditions and timing are so important to trail grooming.”
While walking on the west side of the course, Daggett explained that blowing snow is perfect for packing because it settles into the grooves made by the roller. “It’s like an additional snowfall,” he said. With three passes and a twelve-foot-wide packed trail, the skiers started showing up.
Another visitor pulled up in their car to ask, “Do you think I’ll be able to skate ski soon?” Upon confirmation, they hurried back to their car, saying, “I’m going to go tell my neighbor. Thanks to the groomers!”
Sheridan resident Blake Slette shared that he was doing a “blizzard ski,” adding that he had skied the side streets en route to Columbia Park.
Happy to be on packed snow, he expressed his appreciation to the groomers as he glided by. “I love seeing people out using the park,” Daggett said. “Aside from the Nordic trails, we also roll a four-foot wide trail for walkers and snowshoers. And there are plenty of hills for sledding.”
Hours later, with temperatures in the teens and wind speeds hitting 40 miles per hour, trail groomer and Windom Park resident Blaine Gudbjartsson donned sub-zero gear and a headlamp to set the classic track and make grooves in the skate deck.
In the meantime, Daggett had one final task of sharing the status on SkinnySki.com, a hub for Upper Midwest Nordic skiers.
Bottom, locals enjoy some off-track skiing as they make their way toward the freshly packed trail in Columbia Park. (David Salzer)
“Rolled Columbia this afternoon. So nice to have snow again!” read Daggett’s SkinnySki post. He concluded with pictures of his work and announced plans to “…groom tonight and again tomorrow evening.”
When Gudbjartsson fired up the snowmobile a little after 9 p.m., he first had to shovel out the 500-pound groomer before attaching it to the sled and testing the electronics.
“There’s a variety of settings depending on the conditions,” Gudbjartsson said. “These teeth,” he said, pressing the controls, “can be used during hard icy conditions, but tonight, we are going to press the fresh-packed snow to make some corduroy.”
Corduroy grooves, which resemble their namesake fabric, maximize gliding efficiency when skate skiing. After a few passes and imprinting proper corduroy, Gudbjartsson dropped the classic track — two long grooves the width of a ski — along the right fringe of the packed trail. “That’s perfect!” he said after inspecting the two fresh ridges in the packed snow.
However, as the night wore on and wind speeds increased to dangerous levels, his late-night SkinnySki post read, “It was very windy out there this evening and I’m afraid there won’t be much tracks left in the morning due to the blowing snow (but they’re there, I promise!).”
Like Daggett, Gudbjartsson manually shoveled snow from the drifts onto exposed portions of the course, ensuring a connected trail for Monday’s skiers and Mike Keyes’ final pass with the groomer.
Keyes shared the trail with skiers who couldn’t wait for perfect conditions. “I started around 6:30 p.m. and there were a ton of people out there,” he said.