By Trey Mewes

trey.mewes@austindailyherald.com

AUSTIN — So much early snow isn’t a bad thing for cross country skiers, according to Larry Dolphin, director of the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

With so much snow so early and discounted skiing prices, it’s shaping up to be a great cross country season at the Nature Center, barring icy weather.

“Certainly now, we have enough snow to make a track set,” Dolphin said. “We really make an effort to make these the best trails in the region.”

The Nature Center has more than 10 miles of tracks and paths for cross country skiers to skate ski and classical ski. While skate skiing is possible with a little snow, there usually needs to be about 8 inches of snow to groom, or prepare, a good classical skiing pathway.

Last weekend’s blizzard brought 12.5 inches of snow to Austin and a record amount of snowfall in other parts of the state, like the Twin Cities where 17.5 inches fell over a two-day period. Wednesday’s snowfall added a couple more inches on the ground, which makes grooming the trail that much easier, according to Dolphin.

Yet the snow needs time to settle and cold temperatures to freeze any slush away. Freezing rain always makes it harder for Nature Center staff to go out on snowmobiles with grooming tracks and fix up the trails. When large snowfalls happen, sometimes the winds will push it to one side on the trail, making it harder to level the paths and ensure skiers don’t hit green grass.

“It’s a little about reading the snow too, and when you’re grooming the ski trails, it’s not always the best to get out and do it on the real slushy snow,” Dolphin said. “That snow needs a chance to bond, coalesce, come together.”

The trails are all set for skiers now, however. Despite a computer malfunction on one of the snowmobiles, the trails were groomed earlier in the week and ready for beginners and experts alike to take in the outdoors and enjoy a little exercise.

“It’s a great place to learn how to cross-country ski,” Dolphin said. “For just learning how to ski, the techniques and so forth, it’s really good to have a flat track so you can learn the technique.”

The Nature Center is open to all ages and has new discounted rates. Thanks to community donations, skiers no longer have to by ski passes and ski rentals have gone down to $1 for kids and $6 for adults, which means more families can enjoy skiing, according to Dolphin.

“This is a precursor to a fairly good winter with cross-country skiing,” Dolphin said. “Hopefully you take time to get to play in it as well.”