Greetings Sledders,

Those that chose to tackle the frigid ( colder than a well diggers apprentice ) weather reported great rides over the past weekend. The hard snow count for the weekend was 3 13/64 ths and it was really hard to get that count on the ruler but it was too windy to get a flake count and it seems that that degree of accuracy describes how desperate we’ve been for replenishing snows this year. Accuracy in the snow count and trail conditions are imperative, look what happened to Brian Williams, although I wouldn’t mind the 6 months off part. That amount of snow made a real difference and provided a snirtectome on a number of our trails and trail segments that were somewhat unsightly.

Okay we get it, on with the report if you please. Overall the trails are good with the same exception, that being trail 7 South of M-72 and North of 4 mile. It’s 50/50 as I write this meaning half of it is the white we’ve all come to love and half is dare I print it, snirty.

I anticipate that trail 7 between Grayling and Frederic or Frederic to Grayling depending on how you want to look at it, will get the usual Saturday traffic which means that it will be rough until we rectify that condition late in the afternoon. All other segments should hold up and all in all I’m going with Good. Bundle up cause it’s going to be cold until Saturday which will be in the 20’s.

Ride Often and Please Be Safe,

Keith, Sandy and The Girls

At Fay’s Motel enjoy direct access to the Grayling Area snowmobile trails.

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We had some light snow last night and a little wind to go with it. No accumulation to speak of but it’s always good to have a little fresh snow. Last night was equipment maintenance so no grooming. The guys will be back out tonight. Traffic was very light yesterday but a small group of riders we talked to reported excellent trail conditions. No reports of snirt or other bad areas. We’re contending with cold air again and frankly we’re ready for some 20’s! It’s only zero now and tomorrow is supposed to be even colder. Looking for the silver lining I can say this cold does lock in the base and preserve great riding conditions. Make sure to layer up if you hit the trails today!

Just an FYI that there’s logging activity on the east loop of our wooded trail. The area is signed but watch for changing trails conditions where the trail has been plowed for vehicle traffic. The activity stretches about 1/2 to 1 mile.

Other grooming club news is the new drag we took delivery of in January. The State approved our purchase and this drag was custom-made for us by the experts at Dubie Welding & Fabrication in Gaylord. We’re glad to support local, Michigan business with this purchase. And since this drag will be paid for with State dollars it’s nice to know your trail permit money is coming back around.

If you’re interested in supporting local grooming efforts, visit www.justgroomit.org for details on joining the Indian River Snowmobile Grooming club with a membership donation. We have hats and t-shirts (short & long sleeve) for sale too. Even when we can’t groom we still have operational expenses like insurance, two-way radio communication subscriptions, and more. Thanks to member donations we’re putting up a groomer building ,where we now store and can work on the equipment. Your support makes all the difference! Thank you–

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Visit Indian River Snowmobile Grooming Club Condition Report >>>>

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