Trail map and app

Temperature

The most important requirement for effective trail grooming is snow at the right temperature. The ideal grooming temperature is between -5°C and -20°C. As snow is collected into the drag it has to be able to flow, like flour. Once the temperature gets close to 0°C the snow gets very wet and sticks together instead of flowing out under the rear pan. It builds up in the drag until it spills over the top in large chunks, and those chunks are dangerous when they freeze in the middle of the trail.

15 cm fell overnight. Why isn’t the groomer out yet?

To make the trail last, the groomer has to cut the mogul off completely, not just fill in the dip. Moguls have a memory: if new snow only fills the void, it settles after half a dozen sleds and the mogul is back. In fresh snow the drag can’t be lowered deep enough, because snow collects faster than it can flow out under the rear pan. After a snowfall it is better to let sleds run over it and pack the air out. A trail can be groomed right after a snowfall, but it holds up much better and longer once the snow has been packed and then cut.

Why we groom at night

Night grooming is safer and more effective. There is less traffic on the trails, and riders see the groomer’s bright lights long before the machine itself. It is colder, so the snow sets faster, and the longer a trail sets before many sleds ride on it, the longer it lasts.

Meeting a groomer

Sleds are much smaller and more manoeuvrable than groomers, so always yield to the groomer and slow down when you approach grooming equipment. If you are following a groomer, make sure the driver clearly sees you and wait for their signal to pass when it is safe.