It’s getting thin, but Hillcrest Golf Club remained open Tuesday for cross-country skiing.
“We’re hanging by a thread,” course assistant superintendent Will Herz said Tuesday afternoon.
Colder temperatures helped the snow freeze up overnight and make it possible to groom again, Herz said.
“It’s awesome out there. It finally got colder,” Herz said. “But I don’t think it’s going to last.”
There’s a 60 percent chance of snow in Tuesday’s forecast, but after that it’s sunny skies and a warming trend. Herz said they’ll try to keep it open for skiing through Friday, but doubts the snow will last into the weekend. He did not set an official closing day.
For a daily update, call 259-0424.
After opening up for golfers Feb. 20, the huge Feb. 22-23 snowfall allowed the Nordic tracks to reopen Feb. 24. They’ve been open since then, but the snow coverage is melting quickly. A huge predicted snowfall for last weekend didn’t materialize, which will likely hasten the end of skiing and the reopening of the golf course, when conditions allow.
Herz said he couldn’t remember the course ever opening for golf, then reopening for skiing. He contacted former longtime superintendent Rick Kern in the last couple days, and Kern said the same thing.
Meanwhile, the Vallecito Nordic Ski Club continues to groom tracks on the east side of Vallecito Reservoir. Vallecito’s tracks had also closed before the Feb. 22-23 storms.
The Nordic Center at Purgatory is also open daily. For more information call 385-2114.
johnp@durangoherald.com
