The 2008/09 snowmobile maps are now available. If you weren't able to pick one up at the Novi Snowmobile Show, email visitor@grayling-mi.com and request one. (or more than one, depending on how many sleds you have) Please make sure to give me your name and complete postal mailing address; I do not have an email version of the map available. Also, be sure to sign up for our trail conditions email updates at our website, www.grayling-mi.com under "mailing lists". We get our information from our roving trail reporter/groomer driver, Keith, so they are as accurate and up-to-date as he can get!

The AuSable Valley Snowmobile Association members are hard at work prepping the trails in advance of the snow season. They have purchased a new groomer - our dedicated trail groomer driver/reporter and all-around good guy Keith, is going to send me a pic of it that I can put on our website. All I know is, the tracks are as high as I am tall! It is one huge piece of equipment and will hopefully work out well on grooming this winter. Plan on attending the Novi Snowmobile Show October 31-November 1...we'll see you then!

It's been a terrific snowmobile season; now we're headed for spring and summer! Take care, have a safe and fun summer!

There is still 10-12 inches of snow on the ground, but there is a heavy crust of ice overtop, and temperatures continue to be above freezing during the day. You could probably still get in some off-trail riding if you are familiar enough with the area. Otherwise, thanks for a great season and plan to visit us again when you can enjoy your favorite warm weather outdoor sport!

The trail system may or may not last through the weekend, looking at the weather report. There is still plenty of snow for off-trail riding.

The weather report is as follows: Today: A slight chance of rain and snow showers between 11am and 2pm, then a slight chance of rain showers after 2pm. Partly cloudy, with a high near 43. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: Scattered snow showers after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Northwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday: Scattered snow showers before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. North wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 36. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 8.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 38.

Monday Night: A chance of snow or rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Tuesday: A chance of snow or rain. Cloudy, with a high near 38.

Tuesday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 20.

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34.

See the below weather report for thoughts on what is going to happen to the trails over the next week. Right now we still have plenty of snow and trails are rideable, although the grooming appears to be over for the season.

This Afternoon: Snow and freezing drizzle likely before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 38. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Friday: A chance of flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Friday Night: A chance of flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind around 5 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 13.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 14.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.

Monday Night: A chance of snow or rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Tuesday: A chance of snow or rain. Cloudy, with a high near 38.

Tuesday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 20.

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37.

We still have lots of snow, but please check out this weather report and draw your own conclusions as to what trails will be like for the weekend. I'll update again on Thursday or Friday as I see what is going to happen.

Today: A 40 percent chance of snow showers after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Southwest wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tonight: A 30 percent chance of snow showers before 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 23. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. North wind around 5 mph becoming south.

Wednesday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 26. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Thursday: A chance of rain before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 38.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 14.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Monday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.

Trail reporter/groomer driver, Keith, just called me from his other snow vehicle - his snowmobile! He was happy to be able to get out and actually ride for a change! His words are "nice, flat and tight, watch for ice south, enough snow for lube and cooling".

It was raining this morning (Monday), and it has changed over to snow. I'll have to update again later after we see how the weather shakes out.
Here's the forecast for the week...

This Afternoon: Periods of rain and snow, becoming all snow after 1pm. Temperature falling to around 29 by 5pm. West wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Tonight: Scattered flurries before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as -1. Northeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9. Northeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of snow after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. North wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14.

Thursday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26.

Thursday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11.

Friday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 20.

Friday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 1.

Saturday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 20.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 4.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.

Groomers are running and Keith, trail reporter/groomer driver extraordinaire, reports that trails are in good shape. There are icy spots and areas of snirt, but overall, conditions are holding up well. The weather forecast is as follows:
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 22. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.

Tuesday Night: Cloudy during the early evening, then becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 1. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 17. Wind chill values as low as -6. North wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 0. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 23.

Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 17.

Friday: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 32.

Friday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 14.

Saturday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Sunday: A chance of snow or rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37.

So, according to this weather report, conditions look like they'll hold up well for the weekend. Unless conditions change drastically, I won't be updating again until next week - if any of you aren't heading north to ride, plan to visit the Outdoorama Show in Novi...stop and see us at our booth. Thurs.2-9:30, Fri.2-9:30, Sat.10-9, Sun.10-5.

Groomers are running. They report some icy spots due to the freezing rain we received last weekend. We did have a few inches of snowfall on top of that ice, however. It is going to be a beautiful weekend - if you get the chance, you will want to head up!
This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. West wind around 5 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around -4.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as -7. West wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 7. West wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 34. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Groomers are running, but due to the freezing rain we received on Sunday, trails will be very icy in spots until we get a significant snow cover. See below weather report...
Today: Periods of snow showers, mainly before 1pm. High near 16. Wind chill values as low as zero. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tonight: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2. Wind chill values as low as -8. West wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.

Wednesday: Snow showers likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 16. Wind chill values as low as -9. North wind between 5 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -4. Wind chill values as low as -18. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 18. West wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 3.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 27.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 32.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 11.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34.

We have lots of snow, it's cold, and trails are in great shape. What more can be said?

Oh, I guess I should add that because it's going to be a three day weekend, lots of sleds will be on the trails and, as always, conditions will deteriorate accordingly. I'll only update this site again if conditions change or if I get word of any problem areas. Otherwise, have a safe, fun, snow-filled weekend!

See following info from our trail reporter/groomer driver, Keith...

"The weather the last couple of days has played out in our favor. We experienced some above freezing temps with no sign of the sun which put some needed moisture in the snow on the trails. This coupled with minimal traffic and cold temps has tightened the base up right nicely.

WEATHER: We didn't get anything like what you MI downstaters did but we did get enough snow to keep everything fresh. There doesn't look to be anything major on the horizon in terms of snowfall, a little here and there, and the better news is that the temps are supposed to stay in line.

TRAILS AND GROOMING: The trails right now are great and will go through the usual weekend pitfalls. Grooming schedules have been set and we are running full tilt."

PLEASE NOTE: THE "For Women Only" WILL BE RIDING THIS WEEKEND…OVER 150 WOMEN, AND SOME SPOUSES WILL BE RIDING THE TRAILS FROM GRAYLING THE WEEKEND OF FEB 8-10. Please be aware that this large group will be out as a fundraiser for the Michigan Easter Seals...slow down and give them a thumbs up of support as they go past!

See below for the latest report from Keith, groomer/trail reporter extraordinaire! I think his report sums everything up.
"Up until last Thursday I spent most of the preceding 10 or so days testing and adjusting the new to us "snow processor" that ultimately failed and was returned to sender. I'm going to rewind to last Monday.

Monday, like I just said: We knew that we had 4' plus berms in the corners due to some of the worst trail demolition riders that I've seen in my career and we also knew that we would have two days of thaw and rain. The decision was made to take the Lamtrac out and blade this ugly mess out into the woods.

I started this process early Monday morning at 4 Mile and was going to go to the Blue Bear, then down to Fredericanvillle, then to home base. Got to Frederic and threw a track. I'm on the top of the hill behind the North End Market with a boat load of snow in the drag and a ton of snow in front of the blade. When this happens there's nothing you can do but lift everything up, inch ahead until you've worked the track completely off the powerhead and behind the drag, throw a chain on it and limp to the nearest road. Got home around 10.

Tuesday: Load Lamtrac on flat bed, bring to Fay's. Chain track to Blue's bucket and do the same. Several of us worked on getting the track back on until 3:30 and I then went back out on the trails to finish the original objective. Back home around 10:30. Thanks to Butch and Steve who drove up from Ohio in anticipation of Wednesday's storm and decided to drive back but hung around to lend a hand before taking off. We appreciate the help.

Wednesday: Can't remember but it was late. Oh no, now I remember, that's the day we got snow and I had to plow here before going out. Got stuck with the loaner tractor, had to have someone rescue me with Blue, followed by a groomer meeting that consisted of a great deal of verbal jabs from the guys about getting hung up. Humbling experience indeed!!

Thursday: We officially notify the John Deere salesman that the "snow processor" is unfit for duty and will be summarily dismissed. He informs us that he will supply the duals and three point attachment that we need to operate a conventional drag by that night. Groomed into the night.

Friday: Off load duals and attachment and hang on JD, disassemble and load processor and watch with big smile as it leaves the property, deliver the JD to Upper Lakes Tire to have the inner duals loaded, go back home and change out hydraulic fittings and electrical plug on the drag to conform to the JD and plow the motel parking lots before going out to groom. Home around 10:30.

I could have written a report yesterday afternoon but I do have my priorities. The Pistons were on and I did want to catch the SB.

Let's go:
TRAILS: Right now we have everything back to flat after a relatively mild traffic weekend and good rides are expected throughout the week, but I must put a disclaimer on that statement, because we're unsure what the Fat Lady is going to do in the next couple of days.

WEATHER: I don't think that we're looking for too much in the way of destructive weather over the next few days and it could work out to an advantage if we get a little rain tonight and tomorrow with freezing night time temps and little in the way of traffic expected on the system. We can always use a few inches here and there and it looks as though a few clippers are possible during the week. But we never know until it happens.

GROOMING: As previously stated everything is good to go right now and I will make the call on a day to day basis for the next couple of days even if this means that I have to ride my sled in order to make that determination. That's just how dedicated I am.

I will add this footnote to grooming. One of our drivers was hit by two Ski-Doos yesterday afternoon. One side swiped the track of the Lamtrac and one ended up hitting the blade. Both of the sledders picked up their unexpectedly dislodged pieces and vacated the scene and from what I understand are now probably searching ebay for new hoods. Sore today guys?"