Mountain Trails Foundation

We build, maintain and protect Park City, Utah's trails

Rick Fournier, Field Manager

Keeping the White Side Up

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A few days ago, as I was looking over the 10-day forecast, it occurred to me that the weather man (or woman) quite possibly has the most secure job on the planet.  Where else can you get paid to repeatedly regurgitate oxymoronic descriptors based on computer generated “models” and almost always have your bases covered??? Is it partly cloudy or is it partly sunny? Chance of rain/snow… well, which is it? What constitutes a “calm wind”? Fifty percent chance of precip… that’s a safe bet.  

All in good fun as I’m not here to bash our meteorologist friends, especially in light of the recent return of winter.  Although, I have to say, after a quick-hit road trip with the crew down to Moab for some sun-soaked, red rock, desert mountain biking, I think I was ready to be done with winter.  

One thing that we can all agree on, is that the winter of ’21-’22 has been a strange one.  Remember that huge storm in October?  And then pretty much nothing until New Years when it dumped… followed by nada for close to two months. Yes, we’ve had below average snowfall, ridiculously long stretches of high pressure and massive temperature swings. We even had our traditional January thaw, only it occurred for nearly the entire month of February, culminating last week.          

And now here we are, in early March, on a weather roller-coaster ride. Just last week the temps spiked into the upper 50’s with a full-on meltdown underway, that created pond-skim-worthy bodies of standing water and actively flowing rivulets where Nordic track had lived just days before. We were ready to throw in the towel. One week later and we’re back in the 20’s with a healthy dose of fresh snow and more on the way. Thanks a lot weather people!        

I’d like to throw a big shout out to our grooming team – Chase, Alec, Jonathan and all-star guest groomer, Todd Henneman.  Despite being handed a lemon of a winter, the MTF crew somehow managed to squeeze out some tasty, snow-spiked lemonade for over three months and counting. We made the best it, doing a lot with a little, as did all of you powder hounds and winter trail enthusiasts. Despite the lackluster winter, there were some good turns to be had up on the mountain and smiles for miles (and kilometers) out on our local singletrack and Nordic.        

Be sure to thank your local groomers (and meteorologists) for the good stuff, and have a great one out there!

Rick, MTF Trails Manager

Winter Conditions are holding, despite fresh snow…

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Keeping the White Side Up

For the past several weeks, we’ve experienced a healthy dose of high pressure, here in the high desert.  While we haven’t seen any meaningful snowfall in many moons, the Nordic track (and singletrack) continue to hang in there and conditions remain pretty darn good.  How is this possible, you ask???

Well, there are many factors that have helped us to “keep the white side up” as Nordic trails guru Charlie Sturgis likes to say. 

First off, those late December storms all came in “right side up”, meaning that they started off warm with high water content, and then turned cold, providing our crew with a nice, packable base.  That gave us a great foundation and solid “candy coating” to work with. The lighter, drier snow that followed, was the frosting on the cake.  Yes, I have a sweet tooth. 

The second key factor is temperature. If you’re going to remain high and dry, you had better have some cold temps to preserve what you’ve got. For the most part in January, we rarely climbed above freezing and our overnight temps have been super cold, with some single digits and sub-zeros thrown in the mix. With minimal thawing, the icy conditions have been held at bay.

So, those are the factors that we don’t control. What can we control?  

When we look at the forecast and see no refresh in sight, we go into snow-preservation mode. Kinda like watering the lawn a few times a week, versus each and every day, we do everything possible to preserve what we have. 

The first thing we do is limit our cat (Pisten Bully) grooming.  The cat creates a great snow surface but it also has a greater impact on our precious base. The friction from the high-speed tiller creates heat, which makes for great cord, but also dips into that candy coating that we’re trying to preserve. So, we limit our cat-grooming to the weekends and use the snowmobiles and drags to scrape up that top layer of hard-packed snow, and hopefully create some decent corduroy.  So far, so good.

A few other things that the crew does to preserve and protect… 

We are farmers… bum pa dum pum bum bum bum. When we start to see bare spots appear on the track, we often “farm” or shovel snow from off-trail, in an effort to cover up the blemish, followed up with a quick pack. We’ll then run the drag over it for the final touch, kind of like spackling the hole in your wall. 

If the cat is out and about, we can use the blade wings to farm snow from the outside edge of the track, and direct it onto the thin areas.  You’d be amazed at how well this works in the right conditions.

What can you do to help?  Any dark objects or “MOOP” (Matter Out Of Place – thanks Chase), left on the track generate heat and hasten the melting process. This includes sage/sticks, poo bags and muddy foot, paw or tire prints. Simply put, please pick up after your pups, toss sticks off the trail and avoid tracking mud onto the snow. 

Well, that about wraps up this addition of snow preservation 101. It has been a super solid winter thus far, despite a dry January. February is, or at least should be, Snowdance Awareness Month, so get busy and work on those moves!  

Rick, Trails Manager

Winter Update (2021/2022)

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The Mountain Trails team rung in the new year feeling inspired by a few feet of the Greatest Snow on Earth (TM). Thanks to a flurry of late December storms, we gladly buried 2021, and slid into 2022 with face-shots, fresh corduroy and a fresh outlook. 

Along with myself and veteran winter wizard, Chase Smith, new year-round crew members, Jonathon Huyck and Alec Johnson are welcomed to the snow squad. Both have had a crash course on snowmobiles, drags and PistenBullys – and they’re killing it!. 

With a solid base to work with, the crew quickly ramped up the winter trails program, providing nearly 30Km of groomed Nordic and over 17 miles of groomed singletrack- all in our favorite backyard winter playground, Round Valley. 

A few notes for the 2022 season:

  • With a legit winter and our one and only grooming cat focused on Round Valley, we will be holding off on any grooming up in Bonanza Flat until spring.
  • The Land Of Oz, “ski-only” area was tilled in it’s entirety for agriculture this fall, and will not be groomed this winter.
  • Be sure to check out the new 2Km Nordic loop and 2.5-mile fat bike loop on Clark Ranch parcel, just east of the highway 40 underpass, off of Richardson Flat Rd. Note: parking is limited. 
  • Did I mention that all of Round Valley is open for skating, gliding and fatty riding!!! 

We’re off to a killer start… Happy New Year indeed! 

Rick Fournier

Field Manager 

Winter Trail Forecast

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This current storm is delivering the goods and we are all set to ramp up grooming efforts to match mother nature. We will roll Round Valley and Bonanza Flat, when we have a 6″ base (accessibility permitting) and after 12″ we will start to drag and work on a skateable surface. Singletrack fatbike trails will take a little longer with a 20″ base required to safely groom over rocks and roots but we are quickly approaching that point and hope to have trails to ride next weekend. 

We are also excited to offer winter grooming with a Nordic track and a fatbike loop in Clarks Ranch again. This area is located adjacent to Hwy 40 and offers some great low country (mid season) terrain.

Keep an eye out for our trail reports on facebook, we’ll be updating after every groom. 

Stay frosty friends! 

Trail Headspace

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When the news of my mother’s passing came to me all too early on a Sunday morning, my mind was racing, and though it wasn’t entirely unexpected, it was a shock nonetheless.  I was at first numb, followed by an overwhelming sense of helplessness.  If you’ve ever suffered a loss, I’m sure you can relate.   

I then did what I’ve done for the last 20-plus years when life has dealt a blow… I put the dogs in the truck, drove myself to the nearest trailhead, and I ran… and I kept running until I found a quiet spot to sit, catch my breath and reflect.  Just myself and the dogs, alone with my thoughts, memories and pent-up emotions, soon to be released.   

Sometimes it’s a mountain bike ride or a hike, but when I need to escape, clear my head and navigate life’s many challenges, trails and the great outdoors are my go-to.  That combination, along with a furry four-legged friend or two, are, in my mind, the absolute best medicine for the soul.  And you don’t even need a prescription.   

Over the holiday weekend, my personal journey of grieving continued.  I would spend more time out on the trails, crossing paths with old friends and entire families, enjoying “the backup plan” sans snow.  And everyone I came across was just happy to be outside, spending time together… something that wasn’t possible a year ago.  It really helped to boost my spirits and drove home how fortunate we are to live here and have this amazing resource in our back yards.  

I’ve always thought that trails were a great metaphor for life.  There are ups and downs, twists and turns, smooth sections and bumpy ones, and you don’t always know what lies around the next bend- that’s where the adventure lies.  And as with life, it’s all about the journey, not the destination.  

I ended my difficult weekend joined by some good friends on a mountain bike ride that climbed several hundred feet to a new favorite spot with some of the best views in the valley.  When we reached the top, I pulled a couple of beers out of my pack and we toasted to my mom and a life well-lived.  

What would we do without trails?  I honestly can’t imagine a world without them.     

Here’s to a long and beautiful journey…  

Rick, Field Manager

Fall Trail Report

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The Only Constant in Life Is Change.” -Heraclitus

Fall is a time of transition for the MTF crew.  As the temps drop, the leaves turn and we get our first taste of winter, there is some urgency in the air.  

This past week the team scrambled to pull our machines off the mountain ahead of the first snowfall.  While the Charlie’s 9K to Mid Mountain and Mother Urban trails were not finished this year, we are super happy with the work we have completed thus far, and have put ourselves in a great position to finish both, as soon as the snow recedes next summer.

As the snow began to fly above 9,000 feet late yesterday (Monday), the team was high on a peak above Bonanza, laying out a new trail that will connect Bonanza Flat to the WOW trail, scheduled for next season.  At the same time, Chase was installing the last few PVC markers in Bonanza, in preparation for the upcoming XC ski season, just around the corner.     

Historically, October has been the month that we say “so long” to our seasonal staff, as they take much-needed break before moving on to their winter gigs.  Our seasonal trail crew members have long been the heart and soul of our organization.  They are the “boots on the ground” during the summer months, and they represent everything that is great about our mission.   

Last week we said so long to two of our best- Tim McChesney and Jon Huyck.  They have been with MTF for the past 3 seasons and have played a huge role in completing major projects including the Lake Lackawaxen trail, Charlie’s 9K, the Big Easy, Milky Way at SkyRidge, and the yet to be finished Mother Urban and Charlie’s 9K to Mid Mountain trails, to name just a few.      

We’re going to remain optimistic that they both return for a 4th season, but if not, it has been a great run and we wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.  Tim and Jon, thanks for the huge effort.  You guys rock!

Have a great fall y’all!

Rick, Field Manager