We will officially call this past Saturday our last ski day of the season, barring a big surprise snow. Near as I can figure we had over 90 days of skiing this season. While many days were less than perfect, those who skied regularly had a good year, with more total ski days than the last three years combined. We had over 30 different members of the Woodlands trail crew helping us in our year round all volunteer trail effort at Woodlands. So we will once again leave you with our motto; Woodlands, built by skiers, groomed by skiers, for skiers. Enjoy what it is you do until next we see you on snow!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Taxi just reported in that he had just finished (11pm) his first lap with the heavy screen. He said the trail was grooming up nicely. He blocked Stony Rollers because of a new water hazard. He is heading out for his second lap after a refueling stop. He will be back out before first light to make another pass. He predicts a fun ride for those who can ski early and before the big meltdown. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Last call! Taxi has concocted a plan to give the desperate skiers one last chance to ski Woodlands. He will be grooming tonight and again in the morning, Saturday, to scratch the outer loop for what could be a few hours of fast and fun skiing. The hope is to be able to push the 'ready to ski time' to first light, rather than having to wait until the trail warms. First Lady skied the late day transition yesterday and found that coverage was still continuous, but thinning in a couple locations. Stay tuned. We will post late tonight on how his plan is progressing. Enjoy?

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

I skied Woodland from 11:30 to 1:30 today. The trail was excellent to start but it slowed dramatically with high suction as the temp rose to 38 degrees. If you want to ski on natural snow and don't mind some moderate ice on the turns, I recommend Woodland. It was groomed Sunday morning, but the deck is in good to very good shape. It appears that there have not been very many skiers so the trail is smooth considering the conditions. All of the outer loop has decent snow cover. The bypass that the groomers needed to create just before 1K might get thin. I thank all the groomers and trail crew for the great skiing at Woodland this year.

(Gary Keifenheim)

Going out of business (for the season) sale starts today and will likely end midweek. AO called in "old" this morning so I took his shift with Chainsaw. When I got to the Grooming Cave there was a distinct smell of spring in the air. Never a good sign for a groomer. The trails scratched up nicely, but with 30 degrees and light mist, the trail will slow quickly as the day warms. The Goddess was heading out for her morning deer watching walk and First Lady was just strapping on the skis just as we finished. FL will likely have one of the last best skis of the year. When I hopped in my truck after grooming, a little Paul Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years, was playing on the radio. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

I hit the trail at about 10:30 this morning. There were 25 cars in the lot and the trails were full of happy skiers. Kind of like the good old days. Except for a few short stretches where the snow has begun to burn off of the icy base, ski conditions were comfortable, fast and fun. This is the first time in the last 4 ski seasons that we have strung together 4 days of both favorable snow and weather conditions at the same time. We would like to thank all of our new and old ski friends who came to Woodlands for their Saturday ski. You are the reason we do what we do. It is a couple degrees too warm for grooming this evening. Chainsaw and Ancient One will be out at first light in the morning to buff the trail for your Sunday ski. Like today, the best skiing should be early. Enjoy it while it lasts.

(Dave Anderson)

I was out at 7:00 AM everything was just as Dave advertized. Excellent skiing and good coverage. Only a couple icy spots from the overnight refreeze. So pack the wife and kids pack a lunch and spend a day at the trails.

(Rob Bullis)

Excellent conditions. 36 degrees and sunny. Phenomenal grooming. 100% coverage, little ice, no slush. Little corn snow either. I used FastWax Yellow LF. Work kept me from getting out early enough to catch the fast snow. But the further I got in, the deeper the shade, the faster the snow got. Things ran reasonably fast from X2 on. The climbs were killers but I felt pretty good doing everything except Wash Pond Flats on the east side with a return via Poplar Loop and South Crossing in an hour and 15 minutes.

(Keith Carlson)

Pack up the babies and grab(bring) the old ladies. Dizzie Dean just reported in that he and Theodore(think leave it to Beaver) have just finished their evening grooming run with the tandem screens to polish up the skate deck. We are expecting fine conditions for our Saturday morning ski. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Great March ski today at the Woodlands! Trails are well covered and well groomed. This weekend should be fun skiing so get on out and enjoy!

(Susie Newman)