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what a great day of grooming and racing and volunteering today! We had 4 of us out setting the last 12 km of the course early morning , grooming and filling in road crossings. Coleman Engineering team was on the support side with road crossing barriers and sign placement.

the course was firm and pole placements were pretty solid, a few missed pole plants where we went went wide and a couple twigs hanging…but overall a great course.

I hung out at the Kinnunen Road Aid station with my friends and neighbors from Erwin Township. I had the rescue sled and snowmobile. Thankfully it did not get used. Both Pisten Bullies will be back out early morning to get the trails groomed up as normal. Ridge runner will go back to skate

A big thank you to all the SISU volunteers and racers today!

9 hour shift in the Pisten Bully’s today. The SISU Race director asked for a firm course after the new snow and we are working our “Bully’s” to get you one! 4 passes this afternoon after the snow stopped into the Finnish Line. Fun to have lunch with the Finnish Line Banner installers at Bens Place Restaurant, just across the street.

The Bullies did double duty on the ABR end of the SISU this morning. The course is looking very good. The new 8-10 inches of heavy wet snow the last 2 days brought down a few more twigs, we are trying to nip them as we groom…if you see one we missed Friday, you can snap it off.

Classic only trails got some loving from Wide Track and Partner, they are in great shape, Ridge Runner is Classic only until Sunday.

REMINDER: The SISU Race course is open for racers with bibs to ski on Saturday from 9-3:00 It is forbidden to ski on the race course if you are not a SISU Participant with a race bib. ABR Day skiers have many km of trails to ski on race morning 9-4 and skaters have 10 km to skate until 12 PM when the ABR race course is open.

we received about 4 inches of heavy wet snow overnight. Both Bullies were out for 6 hours tilling up the new snow and setting tracks. 3 smaller groomers took car of the single tracks. Ridge Runner is classic only today through Sunday. The Kaartunen House is available for the weekend due to a cancellation, the Holmstead is also available (it is dog friendly)

we had 4 of us out grooming today and trimming back brush from the big storm, skiing was very good again today. We are planning both Pisten Bullies to be out grooming the combination trails, and 3-4 groomers out on the single tracks. Ridge Runner located to the south end off of Tamarack, wolf tracks and coyote …will be groomed classic only tommorow and will stay classic only until Sunday where it goes back to skate only.

the Erwin Township Historic Society connected to ABR Trails had the official opening of the Historic Trail. Members of Erwin Township Historic Society, the Anderson Bluff and River Trail Foundation, and the Gogebic Range Health Foundation.

3 groomers out today and trimming brush. The trails are in great shape. Firm tracks, level skate deck with a silky/creamy surface…good pole plants. It should be a great SISU Saturday morning 9-12:00. The majority of the combination trails will be closed from 9-12 Saturday morning. The majority of the classic only trails will be open. A nice 3 hr ski would be tamarack 2 track to wolf tracks and otter slide then puumala 10 km if the race is done at Saari and coyote.; for skating the deer trail and HISTORIC TRAIL, THEN the 5km dog friendly trails will be open and peltonen pass and Popple flats will be open, at noon the entire trail system is open.

We have a ribbon cutting at the Historic Trail tomorrow at 10 Am, this is a part of the Project Connect connecting ABR Trails to the community. The ribbon cutting is at the Erwin Township Historic Site on Van Buskirk. Road. You can ski there on the Historic trail off of the Deer Trail.