Blog

This week we have groomed 2 days using both snow cats.  We have groomed to Bone Springs, Skyline, Jubilee Rd, Elk Trail, Powerline, McIntyre, Coyote, up through Spout Springs to Woodland 4 times, to Andies Prairie 4 times, out towards Ruckle and back.  Also groomed to Morning Creek to the store and back 4 times, We have smoothed it up the best we can as grooming conditions were not the best, the snow was still wet underneath.  I know there is a lot of frustration out there that the trails are not smooth all the time, especially this last week-end, but as soon as we get snow and weather to groom, we groom as hard as we can and then it warms up and rains again as it did this last week-end.  The weather has really dealt us a bad situation this year, but we are not alone in the state with this frustration.  We now have warm weather AGAIN, starting Friday, with rain through Monday and warm weather continuing until possibly Thursday of this coming week.  As I said before, I can’t groom slush or wet snow.  I check all my sources every week to make decisions on when to groom and how to groom.  This includes multiple times a day of checking SnoTell sites, ODOT, clubhouse weather station and NOAA forecast.  I also run up the mountain 2-3 times a week to check conditions myself, riding the snowmobile from the groomer shed to check water hole situations and trails.  I also talk to other people who are on the mountain as well.  Each week it is not an easy decision as to what to do and when to do it, but that is my job.  On a year like this it makes it really tough and people are frustrated.  On years like the last two, my job is so much easier when we have a lot of snow and cold temperatures and few complaints.  I don’t get paid to run up and down the mountain and check conditions, or run parts for the groomer, or do the paperwork that it takes to satisfy the state, as I am accountable to OSSA and the state for the way I operate their equipment.  I can’t control the weather and we are doing the best we can with what it sends us.

thanks

Jess Thompson TTF grooming chairman

miles groomed                                 338.5

hours spent grooming                        49.7

fuel burned grooming                       303.4

trees removed from trail                       7

hours maintenance                               2.5

miles driven to/from mountain           494

hours spent driving to/from mountain   9.5