NILES — “We are ready.”

Derek Tyler is referring to the cross country ski season. As the assistant manager for Madeline Bertrand County Park near Niles, he and other staff have prepped the park’s three-mile ski trail for one of its biggest draws.

Standing behind the counter of the ski rental lodge, Tyler recalled times during his 19 years at the park where all 60 pairs of skis were rented out, given to novice skiers who took to the trail with ski veterans who brought their own equipment.

At times, he said, the wind chill would drop well below zero. Still, skiers would come to 3038 Adams Road, gliding down its groomed trails during weekend night openings, torch lights illuminating the way.

All Tyler needs to draw out such large crowds this winter season is snow, and lots of it.

If you can get snow around Christmas break, the money just flows through,” he said. “Moms and dads have kids out of school for two weeks, and we’ve noticed that you can really stay busy that time of year if you have snow.”

To create a great groomed ski trail, Tyler said 10 to 14 inches of dry snow needs to be on the ground, a typical product of lake effect precipitation. If the snow is wet, 8 inches tends to suffice.

High precipitation is needed because snow needs to be compressed for a proper ski trail, Tyler said. If staff does not “take the air out” of snow, skiers will sink, Tyler said. If not enough snow is on the ground, skiers will sink into the ground.

To properly compress snow, Tyler uses two different types of equipment. First is a roller, which can push down frozen precipitation from one foot to six inches.

Then, he will take a trail groomer to pack the snow tight and then place tracks in the snow to make cross country skiing easier.

Tyler hopes he can put his equipment to use soon. From a business standpoint, people tend to ski in early and mid-winter. By mid-February, people are “burned out” of winter.

From a personal standpoint, he enjoys welcoming skiers to Madeline Bertrand County Park. He said skiers tend to come from Illinois and Indianapolis. He recently received a call from someone near Indianapolis asking if enough snow had fallen for the trail to open.

The dependency on a good snowfall and cold winter temperatures to keep that snow on the ground can make the cross country ski trails’ availability variable, but Tyler said once trails are properly groomed, Madeline Bertrand County Park becomes a place for avid skiers and newcomers alike.