Skiing in Fairbanks

The snow started falling in Fairbanks Saturday afternoon, and by Sunday
afternoon the Birch Hill trails were being groomed and a few dedicated
skiers were taking advantage of the conditions to start accumulating
some early season K's.

The total snowfall at Birch Hill was about 3″-4″/8-10cm, which is plenty
for the smooth-surfaced trail system. It will be a while before tracks
are possible, but skating is pretty good at this point.

For a first-hand view of conditions in the stadium, go to the Nordic Ski
Club of Fairbanks' webcam at:
http://www.nscfairbanks.org/gallery/webcam.html

Approximately 15-16Km of trails have been groomed so far, including the
whole lighted loop (about 11Km), Blue Loop, Outhouse Loop, Competition
1Km Loop, and an unlighted section of the White Bear. More trails will
be groomed over the next few days.

The lights on the Birch Hill Recreation Area (approximately 7+Km) were
on last night. The lights on the Fort Wainwright portion (3+Km) should
come on soon.

The forecast calls for flurries Wednesday night and Thursday, and
possibly Saturday night. Daily high temperatures are predicted to be in
the range of +20F to +25F, with overnight lows in the range of
+15F.

The Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks' competition season opens up on the
weekend of November 11-12 with a weekend of UAFairbanks vs. UAAnchorage
racing (5Km/10Km interval/classic on Saturday, 3×5/3×10 relay/free on
Sunday). These races will also be open to anyone who wants to race the
college distances.

The following pictures were sent by UAF coach Scott Jerome: