Trail Grooming Practices at Grafton Trails

We have a fantastic trail network which supports a wide range of skiing abilities. Our center is lucky to have two snowcats and several trail grooming attachments including a mechanical tiller, roller packer, basket roller and choppers. Each different attachment is used for a different surface conditions and will vary based on current weather and snow type. Our grooming team will make a grooming decision based on current weather, temperatures, water content in snow pack and future forecasts. The primary goal is to consistently provide a high quality groomed trail network which our guests can enjoy when they visit the center.

In an effort to help you understand when we groom there are certain conditions which will dictate our decisions.

If we receive 7 inches or more of snow the trails will need to be roller packed prior to grooming. The packing process compresses the new snow to firm up the surface for grooming and a better skiing surface.When it is snowing over night and is forecast to continue into the day we will wait until the snow stops before grooming or packing.If temperatures are above freezing or the snowpack is wet we are not able to groom. Warm and/or wet conditions require us to wait for things to refreeze and allow water to drain from the snowpack prior to operating equipment on the snow.

Grafton Trails & Outdoor Center encourages mountain bike riders to support trail access by joining their local VMBA chapter. Starting with the 2020 membership year you can choose Grafton Trails as an “Add-On” chapter and enjoy winter fat bike access on our groomed trail system all winter long!