On Tuesday afternoon,  the heroic Woodsman, Robertus, and two his helpers cut massive blockages of lodgepole downfall from several trails at Park Creek, clearing Lupine loop and opening the way for a pleasant decent to the Park Creek Ski trail system. Geriatric skiers will no longer have to descend the scary sledding hill. This should make grooming easier for Thaddeus Sardonicus as well and portends good conditions for flat trackers and maybe even skaters over the holidays.

On Wednesday, at the Alturas Lake ski area, Over the Hill, the Trail to the Lake as far as Bridge Junction and South Loop were packed, rolled and suitable for flat track touring. Sheep Thrills and Wapiti are scheduled for work on the 24th. Divinius, the weary old groomer, was feeling sea sick from  rocking and rolling through deep drifts that struck like frozen powder waves on the sea of snow.  Still, he was determined to tame Sheep Thrills before Christmas. He was worried about the annual midnight visit of St. Nicholas and his companion Krampus. Last year Davinius had received wonderful gifts as a reward for his grooming from Old Saint Nick, only to have them snatched up by Krampus who stuffed them away in his sack along with two naughty raccoons and a beaver, leaving Davinius with only a slightly chewed beaver stick as a rememberance.  “Guess you can’t please everyone,” Davinius concluded, as he turned the key to the snowmobile one more time.