Doug Cornell says Forbush Corner has been fantastic for skiing!
Team NordicSkiRacer holds off HH/CCSS to win the 2024 Brumbaugh Cup
3/7/2024 - By Ernie Brumbaugh
It takes a full season of commitment to win the Brumbaugh Cup and that is exactly what it took for Team Nordic Ski Racer to clinch the 2024 Brumbaugh Cup.
RESULTS: Headquarters wins overall MI Cup Relays
3/4/2024 - By Mariah Frye Colie, with Mike Muha
It was an awesome day, with better-than-expected conditions on the ~2km Trapper's Cabin trail. The overall spirit was highly enthusiastic and positive, and it seemed like everyone who showed up had a great time!
Wax recommendation for the Michigan Cup Relays
2/29/2024 - By Mike Muha
Wax recommendations for the final Michigan Cup race of the 2024 season - the Michigan Cup Relays - moved to Saturday, March 2!
MI Cup Relays MOVED TO SATURDAY MARCH 2!
2/28/2024 - By Mariah Frye Colie
In light of Black Mountain’s cancellation, we are making quick pivot to host the relays this Saturday, March 2. This is in an effort to put on the best race possible with the best conditions possible.
Headquarters continues to lead MI Cup, plus individual standings
2/28/2024 - By Mike Muha
The Cross Country Ski Headquarters continues with a commanding lead, and Team NordicSkiRacer is still solidly in second place, but the Vasa Ski Club has moved ahead of the Grand Rapids Ski Team.
2024 Engadin shortens marathon: TOO MUCH SNOW!
2/27/2024 - By Mike Muha
In the past few days, 57 inches of snow has fallen - so heavy that it has pushed the ice sheet down in Lake Sils. This has allowed water to soak the snow into slush!
RESULTS: 2024 Muffin Race
2/27/2024 - By Mike Muha
Standing On Business, BBN, and Coach Ethan and His Bird were the top male, mixed, and female teams at this annual event at the Cross Country Ski Headquarters.
Vasa Raptors win 2024 Michigan High School Championships
2/25/2024 1:00:00 AM - By Mike Muha
The Vasa Raptors had some standout performances to win the High School Nordic Ski Championships. But the Superiorland Ski Club rocked the Middle School races!
RESULTS: Wakeley and Jordyn win both MI Cup Freestyle and Classic Championships
2/24/2024 - By Mike Muha
Jorden Wakeley (Hanson Hills / Cross Country Ski Shop) and Jordyn Ross (Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team) had a great weekend, each winning both the Michigan Cup Freestyle and Michigan Cup Classic Championships.
Wax recommendations: Muffin Race, Birkie, Kortelopet, Prince Haakon
2/22/2024 - By Mike Muha
Recommendations for Toko, Fast Wax, Swix, Rex, and Start!
FLASH RACE at XCHQ
2/20/2024 - By Mariah Frye Colie
We are hosting a flash race to help support Sarah and Reid Goble this Saturday Feb 24th. Join us for a race around the Trapper’s Cabin Loop, and support Michigan’s World Cup athletes!
Waxing recommendations for the Michigan Cup Championships
2/15/2024 - By Mike Muha
Wax recommendations for the this weekend's Michigan Cup Championship races!, the Forbush Freestyle and the Hanson Hills Classic...both at Forbush Corner.
UPCOMING
THU, JAN 1, 2026
SAT, JAN 3, 2026
Winter Wolf Skiathlon
Hanson Hills Recreation Area, 7601 Old Lake Rd, Grayling, Michigan 49738 (989-348-9266)
Skate and Classic Ski Clinics with Jordyn Ross
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
SUN, JAN 4, 2026
Nordic Ski Junior Racers training session (Team NordicSkiRacer)
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
Skate and Classic Ski Clinics with Jordyn Ross
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
US Cross-Country National Championships - 10 km Interval Start Classic
Mt Van Hoevenberg, 31 Van Hoevenberg Way, Lake Placid, NY 12946
Eric McDonald Live (2:30-4:30)
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
MON, JAN 5, 2026
Discover Michigan Cross Country Skiing Program
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
TUE, JAN 6, 2026
US Cross-Country National Championships - Individual Sprint Freestyle
Mt Van Hoevenberg, 31 Van Hoevenberg Way, Lake Placid, NY 12946
THU, JAN 8, 2026
US Cross-Country National Championships - Mass Start Freestyle
Mt Van Hoevenberg, 31 Van Hoevenberg Way, Lake Placid, NY 12946
FRI, JAN 9, 2026
US Cross-Country National Championships - Individual Sprint Classic
Mt Van Hoevenberg, 31 Van Hoevenberg Way, Lake Placid, NY 12946
SAT, JAN 10, 2026
Vasa Raptor Rush Classic
Hickory Hills Ski Area, 2000 Randolph St, Traverse City, MI 49684
Bob’s Bean Bomb at the Stone Turtle Cafe
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
SISU Ski Fest
ABR Trails, E5299 West Pioneer Road, Ironwood, MI 49938
“Pure Michigan” Winter Trails Day with the Great Lakes Winter Trails Council
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Frosty Fest! Frosty Freestyle 5K/15K
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
Free Beginner Ski Lesson
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
SUN, JAN 11, 2026
Bob’s Bean Bomb at the Stone Turtle Cafe
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Frosty Fest! Krazy Klassic 7K/12K
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
Golden Years Ski School!
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
MON, JAN 12, 2026
Silver Streak Week (Jan 12-16)
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
TUE, JAN 13, 2026
Silver Streak Week (Jan 12-16)
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
WED, JAN 14, 2026
Silver Streak Week (Jan 12-16)
Cross Country Ski Headquarters, 9435 N. Cut Rd., Roscommon, MI 48653 (800-832-2663)
Kids Learn to Ski Program
Huron Meadows Metropark, 8765 Hammel Rd, Brighton, MI 48116
More events...
LATEST TRAIL CONDITIONS
TUE, DEC 30
Michaywe: Received anywhere from 1-12 inches depending on drifting. Packed groomed and set track on the entire trail system. Trailhead by the pro shop is wind blown and thin, but conditions improve once you get beyond that. Again the river trail and herringbone offer the best conditions.
Crystal Mountain: With 10" of fresh powder, our grooming team has been busy on the trails this morning. The flats are currently open but the hills are on pause for today, December 30.
Hiawatha Highlands: Good Tuesday Morning!! We hope everybody faired well after that storm. It's a sunny morning, albeit still a bit windy.
The groomer was out early this morning -- the entire Pinder system and the 2k Lighted have been Piston Bully groomed for both classic and skate.
They are heading out this morning to roll pack the Crystal and the Red Pine systems.
Have a great New Year's Eve Eve!!
Hanson Hills: Lodge and Trails open at 9am.
Groomer Dan has been on the trail system since 5am and is happy to report that 5–6 inches of new snow has packed and groomed out beautifully. Conditions are excellent.
Fresh classic tracks are being set on:
All Trails
Yellow
Brown
Blue
Easy Return
M-93 has received fresh corduroy and is skiing great.
This is a near-perfect reset of our Nordic trail system—about as good as it gets. Please remember to stop in the lodge to purchase your trail passes before heading out.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: After a blizzard of a day yesterday, and more snow through the night, the trails are looking nice! Groomer Mike is out rolling as we speak and will groom everything up afterwards to make for some good skiing. More snow is forecasted for today and tomorrow, so we expect to set tracks on everything we can. Still a bit blustery out there, so there is a chance for a some light debris, but nothing extreme. Come on out and enjoy the snow!
Dunes Golf Club: Significant Repairs have made to the entire area taking care of the less than desirable conditions s that had evolved.
Wind blown snow covered the base layer with various depths , drifts, and scattered rail trash.
Deluxe wilderness winter conditions exist for classic skiing in a golf course setting.
Enjoy winter
Forbush Corner: We received about 6 inches of dense system snow and some more lake effect snow over night. The new snow should groom up really well and make for some great skiing this week. We did receive some ice before the storm which created some leaning trees that will need to be removed and will slow down the grooming. The plan is to do the east side trails and pines loop. Time permitting we will also do the west side. It will take some time to get the grooming completed. Nordic Pulse is currently not working.
MON, DEC 29
Crystal Mountain: What a difference a day makes. We had snowing and drifting all day. I packed and tracked all the flats barely making it thru with gator and tidd tech. It was filling back in behind me. We will get back at it tomorrow. Skate lanes will be soft at least for a couple days but will have a great trackset.
Crystal Mountain: What a difference a day makes. We had snowing and drifting all day. I packed and tracked all the flats barely making it thru with gator and tidd tech. It was filling back in behind me. We will get back at it tomorrow. Skate lanes will be soft at least for a couple days but will have a great trackset.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: We are currently in the midst of a blizzard, we've gotten about 1'"-2" so far and it just keeps coming. The trails will be open, but we will not be able to groom until this evening, as we did receive a bit of rain last night and we need to let the base re-freeze beneath the new snow. Some of the low spots might be soft underneath the fresh snow, but things will just keep getting better and better! Winter is back!
Hanson Hills: Snow has begun falling as of early this morning, accompanied by gusty winds. Forecasts are calling for 4–8 inches of new snow today.
Given the expected accumulation, grooming operations will be paused for the day. Keeping equipment on the trails during active snowfall would be an endless battle and counterproductive.
Trails remain open, but grooming will resume once snowfall tapers off and conditions allow. The fresh snow will set us up well for improved conditions once we’re able to get back out there
Forbush Corner: The good news. We are getting some decent snow. However, conditions are hazardous due the winds and blowing snow. We are planning on opening, but not until NOON, so please do not come out any earlier than that. We are thinking about maybe grooming Badlands, as it is out of the wind. Tough sledding today. Once this storm passes, conditions will be great!
SUN, DEC 28
Hickory Hills: Just came back from CO where it was over 70d. Not much snow out west in the mountains or Utah and New Mexico. Hoping to get back and ski over at Hickory Hills and found it surprisingly good. This place is definitely the "get no respect" Nordic ski area, but it is a great place to ski and thanks to the likes of coach K and the other groomers, Hickory has a solid base that should last all winter. The continuous grooming has been remarkable in creating a wonderful ski experience for all ability levels. On some days I saw as many skiers at Hickory as I have on the Vasa Trail. There were at least 8-10 skiers when I was out there. Best to skate ski right now until we get more snow.
Stokely Creek: Double pole-o-rama on a glazed track with a freezing mist on yesterday's groom. Somewhat chunky and highly variable in the tight turns if you stepped out of the track. Skating on stiff skis would have been a good call too. Fingers crossed the coming storm doesn't bring down too much debris.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: Currently 32F and misting. No grooming today. Trails will close at noon to protect the base during the rain/mix that is coming around 1pm. Wintery mix will be transitioning to snow around 1AM. We are forecasted to get a good amount of snow after this warm front moves through, and our base should hold up so we should be back to good conditions hopefully by Monday afternoon. Hold fast!
Forbush Corner: Current situation at the corner is a coating of freezing rain. We will be closed today. Roads are glare ice with a steady rain moving in this afternoon. It's not safe to drive and it isn't fun to ski in anyways. Snow returns tonight into tomorrow. Base is in good shape and skiing should be great after this storm passes.
Hanson Hills: Freezing rain this morning, with more expected this afternoon, has led us to close the Lodge and Trail System today. With the current ice, it’s best to keep grooming equipment off the trails and let the base set up.
The good news is the forecast is calling for a changeover to snow, which should be a big help for trail conditions heading into Winter Wolf weekend.
We’re planning to reopen tomorrow, and Groomer Dan will be out early to check conditions and start grooming. See you tomorrow.
More trail reports...
