School Forest Ski Trails Open To Public
[UPDATED 1/18: New Event is Introduction to Cross Country Skiing]
Founded in 1991, the Marshfield Area Ski Touring Foundation (MASTF) was created to help promote outdoor recreation during the wintertime. Through an agreement with the School District of Marshfield, the nonprofit organization developed and manages a 12 KM trail system at Marshfield School Forest during the winter months.
Today, visitors to the forest can enjoy some of the area’s best ski, snowshoe, and fatbike trails thanks to MASTF’s dedicated group of volunteers.
“It’s a great place for outdoor recreation in the winter,” said Randy Lueth, President of MASTF and a self-declared cross-country ski zealot. “If you live in Wisconsin, you really should embrace the winter recreation activities because there is so much to do.”
Club members are continually grooming the trails, with volunteer efforts divided into two 
shifts to ensure the trails are always in pristine shape. Using snowmobiles, ski-trail grooming sleds, and a bike grooming roller, grooming is adjusted based on snowfall and usage.
“We try to keep the trails in very good shape,” said Lueth. “That’s the thing that makes the Marshfield School Forest an outstanding facility is we do groom all the time. We’ve got such a dedicated group of people, so you can be pretty sure if you take the time to drive out you’re going to have a good experience. We want to make sure we’ve got good conditions as much of the time as possible.”
Ski season generally lasts 9-10 weeks, with 8-12 man-hours on average invested each week into maintenance. Visitors are reminded not the walk on the trails, as it can ruin hours of careful grooming. Separate hiking trails are available.
Introduction to Cross Country Skiing
UW-M/WC Continuing Education
Saturday, February 17
1:00-3:00pm
Registration Can Include Ski Rental
The lodge at School Forest is normally open 10:00am-4:00pm Saturdays and Sundays. Daily trail passes are available for $5.00, and annual members can be purchased for $30/individual or $40/family.
If interested in joining MASTF, contact Randy Lueth at 715-207-2601 or [email protected].
