23 MPH Day

Jack & Rudy were in a groove this morning on fast nordic trails as we hit our top speed of this 2025/2026 season: 23 MPH! Zoom!

The hover huskies were in full form today zooming around
the groomie zoomie nordic trails!

The trails had been freshly groomed this morning and, while we were not first tracks on the fresh groom, only a handful of people/dogs had been out before us. So, the conditions were perfect for Jack & Rudy to floor it and that they did! Come along for today's entertainment from the fun sled dogs:

We caught air hovering by the Hallelujah Warming Hut, wheeee!

Floating on by, no need to stop at a silly warming hut!

We did have to pause momentarily, though, for pesky rodents off trail under the snow. Jack caught scent of them first and did his usual rodent lunge in search of the pests. Rudy, of course, followed with his patented, high arching rodent dives to investigate with Jack:

"I sense rodents right here!" declares Jack lunging off trail.
"Really? Well, then, INCOMING!" goes Rudy joining with a beautiful swan dive.

I've been impressed with my new video camera that I got just last week to replace the dead gopro. This camera has the widest viewing angle of any camera I've ever had. Well, Jack & Rudy decided to test "just how wide" it really could capture. They almost out spanned the wide camera :)

"Turnaround, roll around - can you capture this wide separation?" says the
far apart but snow rolling sillies. No camera I've ever had before would have
captured both of them this far apart!

Back to action and "hovering over the trail" was the action theme of the day!

The fun kids catching air yet again as we hover by the Kathy's Viewpoint
Warming Hut.

What do use for a video highlight today? So much to choose from. I'll go with the video counterpart of the first photo. Come along as we start out zipping along a perfect trail amidst dense trees. Then, we round a right curve in the trail and the trees start to part to reveal some stunning mountain views ahead of us and to our left. What a beautiful morning!

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

As the final act of entertainment from the fun kids, they found their highest snow wall of this young season to climb for end of run treats. It's always so fun when they find waist high (or higher) snow walls!

"No need to kneel, dad, we'll climb to you for treats!" says my happy
and polite pals!

A great morning on fast and freshly groomed nordic trails: 8.8 miles traveled with 1000 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 23 MPH.

2025/2026 Season to Date: 10 days on the trails covering 59.4 miles with 7000 feet of elevation climbed.

New Snow, New Camera

Today was our first "perfect conditions" skijor of the 2025/2026 season.

Let me tell you, Jack & Rudy knew it too, they were FLYING around the trails today!!!

Oh, and my new "high quality" camera arrived to replace the dead gopro, so we have crispy & clear photos and smooth video footage again today! Yay!

Fun kids laying fresh tracks atop a recently groomed trail at the
highest elevations at Breckenridge Nordic Center.

We have had on the order of 20+ inches of new snow in the last 36 hours. As a result, Breckenridge Nordic Center was able to finally open all the wonderful upper elevation trails. Jack, Rudy and I LOVE skijoring these trails. To make it even more exciting, the groomer had run about an hour or so before we got to the trails and it had snowed in the meantime. So, we had a light layer of fresh snow to enjoy atop our first groomie zoomie trail of the season.

As you see in the prior photo, we out skied all humans on these trails and found ourselves laying fresh tracks at the highest elevations of the outing. At the mid elevations, only one or two skiers had been out before us, so it was still laying fresh tracks with 1 or 2 existing tracks to the side:

Catching air at the mid elevations. You can see two pre-existing ski tracks
to Rudy's left (close and far left); but still plenty of untouched trail for us
to continue laying fresh tracks on the right side of the trail. Whee!

With so much wonderful new snow, even the well-used lower portions of the nordic center were still a safe treat to continue flooring it:

Despite lots of traffic/tracks on the lower trail, there was still plenty
of soft snow for me to keep upright and in pace with the fast kids!

When we got to the highest elevation point of the outing, we paused for a moment to rest from the climb before zooming back down. Well, we paused...

"You stop to rest, we stop to Drop & Roll!" says the snow rolling sillies.

Now come along for the video treat of our highest point of the day. Nobody had made it this far before us, so we were first tracks on a recently groomed trail with a light layer of new snow. What a great day!

Now, for something to watch for in the video. Remember we have had 20+ inches of new snow in 36 hours. While the groomer had run to pack this wonderful new snow, it was still a LOT! Think of a groomer machine like a tank, it has two treads supporting the heavy machine. So, what happens is the trail is the most packed & firmest where the groomer treads had been and it is somewhat soft in between and outside of the tread lines. 

Okay, now watch the video again and you can see smart Jack & Rudy moving side to side to find the hardest packed groomer tracks to run atop. You'll notice the softness in between the tracks when one moves from one side to the other. Such smart kids to automatically find the firm groomer tread lines to run in. Impressive!

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

Our most enjoyable outing of this early 2025/2026 season, right guys?

"Oh we had a BLAST! Zoom!" says the happy, happy kids awaiting end
of run treats atop a nice snow wall.

What does the first "perfect conditions" of the season yield? Well, 9.7 miles traveled with 1200 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 22 MPH - wheeee!

2025/2026 Season to Date: 8 days on the trails covering 46.6 miles with 5400 feet of elevation climbed.

Dive

Skijoring an uplowed road in this season's first super snowstorm.Yay for snow!!!

Cruising along the unplowed Sallie Barber Mine Road on the way to the
trailhead of the Sallie Barber Mine Trail. We love to get out before the plows
and enjoy some road skijoring :)

Now come along for the video counterpart to the prior photo. We start the clip with Jack & Rudy calmly awaiting my release command. Then, once I say, "OK", off we go! Whee! Again, the video is a bit bouncy as I'm still using my old, cheapo video camera since my gopro died. But, a new camera with video stabilization has arrived; so our videos should start looking smooth again once I get that camera setup!

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

As I mentioned, we started today's outing on the road leading to the Sallie Barber Mine Trail. Once we got on the trail and started climbing in elevation, the snow got deeper and deeper. So fun:

Breaking trail at higher elevation in about 8-10 inches of powder!

Along the way, we got our first rodent dive of the season from Rudy. He does the most beautiful, high arching, fox-like rodent dives to search for rodents off trail under the snow.

First rodent dive of the season from Rudy - incoming!!!

As I've mentioned in past seasons, Jack does low angle "rodent lunges" as opposed to Rudy's high arching dives. Which is more effective, a lunge or a dive, well judge for yourself:

Looks like a lunge is just as effective as a dive to dunk deep in the off trail
snow searching for rodents :)

Neither came up with a rodent in his mouth, but it was NOT from lack of trying! Ok, rodent interlude over, time to continue skijoring. How about breaking trail to cruise on by the historic Sallie Barber Mine?

Whee - what a fun powder day!!!

Back to the main trailhead parking lot for end of run treats to finish the outing and this trailhead (versus the one we started from) has been plowed so had snow walls to climb for end of run treats!

"Ready!" says the happy kids atop a snow wall to receive their treats.

What fun powder skijor day at the Sallie Barber Mine: 5.1 miles traveled with 500 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 17 MPH.

2025/2026 Season to Date: 7 days on the trails covering 36.9 miles with 4200 feet of elevation climbed.