With sunny skies and temperatures in the twenties, Winman Trails was a popular spot over the weekend.
“We had probably our most successful (weekend), at least from a donations perspective and a sales perspective,” said Isaac Cowart, the director of operations for the Winchester trail system. “It was a hugely successful weekend.”
But the weekend came to an abrupt halt Monday when warm temperatures and rain shut down the trails. It was a decision necessary to keep skiers safe and preserve the snowpack.
“When the temperature is above 32 degrees, and then if you layer on the rain which was almost falling as ice, any use on the trails can really damage them,” Cowart said.
Minocqua Winter Park also closed its trails Monday. ABR trails in Ironwood reported rain and icy conditions Monday morning.
It’s unusual for this time of year, but Cowart is worried that might be changing.
“Generally, we don’t close after early season. There’s been no reason to close historically, but with warmer temperatures we had to,” he said. “We know weather patterns are changing and we know the lake effect snow line continues to move farther north.”
A 2021 report by the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts found that to be the case. It determined the past decade to be the wettest on record, with the average temperature 3 degrees warmer since the 1950s.
That could spell trouble for places like the Northwoods, which depend on winter weather to draw tourists for everything from snowmobiling to viewing the Eagle River ice castle to skiing on Winman Trails.
