Skating over set tracks - what to do?

I would like to tap into the collective expertise of this group to get
some solutions to a problem, one that I haven't seen covered very
much (yes, I checked the archives!).

I have been skate skiing on the Nordic trails at Eldora, just west of
Boulder, Colorado for many years. They have a chalk board where the
Meadows and Phoebe loop trails intersect, and someone left a message
that I had seen befo "Skaters - please don't ski over the set
tracks." I'd certainly like to oblige, but most of the trails at
Eldora are narrow, and level stretches are rare; it's all on the side
of a mountain between about 9,300 and 10,000 feet. At that elevation,
glide is extremely important.

As a 6-foot tall skater, having the ski tips encroach on the set tracks
is often unavoidable. That chalk message made me feel guilty. I
really don't want to go over them, because my outside ski tip is then
pushing against some air instead of snow. But there are trails where I
can lay one ski perpendicular to the lane and have the tip and tail of
that ski hanging into the set tracks on both sides. If I'm climbing
uphill with a wider stance, that simply isn't enough room.

This leaves me with some questions. Since I don't use classic skis,
I'd like to know why the tracks must be in a pristine condition, and
what happens when they are not. Most skate marks seem to cut through
the tops of the set tracks, but not all the way to the bottom where the
ski bases make contact. Heaven knows the skate lanes are usually not
uniformly packed or level, much as I'd like them to be! I deal with
other skier's ruts and grooves, holes from straying snowshoe users,
windblown conifer limbs and cones, and groomer imperfections all the
time.

Why do groomers place the set tracks so close together, especially in
areas where it looks like they could go closer to the trail edges? Is
it something about the machinery? And, for my own education, why are
there set tracks on both sides of a trail in some places, then just one
set on the right further along the trail, then one on the left, etc?
And if they are on both sides and skaters have no choice but to
encroach, which is worse for classic skiers, encroachment on a
predominantly uphill set of tracks or the downhill ones?

Better understanding can only lead to greater courtesy and
consideration of others! What's a skater to do? Opinions please!

Chris

wrote:

Why do groomers place the set tracks so close together, especially in
areas where it looks like they could go closer to the trail edges? Is
it something about the machinery? And, for my own education, why are
there set tracks on both sides of a trail in some places, then just one
set on the right further along the trail, then one on the left, etc?
And if they are on both sides and skaters have no choice but to
encroach, which is worse for classic skiers, encroachment on a
predominantly uphill set of tracks or the downhill ones?

Cant see anyones comment on this aspect of the original post.

From my post:

I periodically request that my "local" (3+ hours away) ski club set the

tracks closer to the edge to make the skate lane wider; I don't need
all the room on the outside of the set track. But there are other
people to consider - snowshoers, people who actually use their poles to

balance (Bob), etc.

My point is that snowshoers (who are welcome on a lot of trail systems)
are encouraged to walk on the edge of the groomed area. They need
space to do this. Also, people who stride with their poles way out the
the side (beginners do this for balance) would have a problem if they
constantly had to plant poles in a snow drift.

As far as other grooming oddities are concerned, my experience is that
a lot of times groomers aren't skiers - they are more likely people who
are good at operating heavy equipment (may work construction in the
summer, etc.). Therefore, they may not be aware of minor things like
making the skate lanes as wide as possible, pulling the tracks up when
you're grooming a sharp turn, etc. Frankly it's probably more
important that whoever's grooming the equipment know how to handle the
gear, for a lot of reasons......

bt