Pedestrians, deer, and dogs have done a number on the trails and it's pockmarked up the wazoo per usual. No surprise there, but in case you haven't heard the city's been fining individuals whose dogs aren't on a leash.

(Fred Sproat)

Looked like the groomer had been out earlier today as there were no other tracks prior to my first pass. Pretty minimal foot traffic that was mostly confined to the side of the trail with the exception of some dog prints in the middle. There were a few crusty spots up by the chair lift where I sank in due to the wind storm on Sunday. Overall conditions were as good as I've seen in quite awhile, albeit the climbs were particularly grueling on a 2F above day with the fresh sandpaper underneath.

(Joe Rosenthal)

Chester was expertly groomed up right after the snow stopped. It was treated to multiple passes of the Pisten Bully and set up nicely. The surface was perfectly smooth and reasonably fast. Even the edges were completely packed and firm. Lots of footprints down the middle of the trail, but that is a different story.

(Bruce Bauer)

I love skiing Chester when the snow is good, and today it was very good. There had been some foot traffic, of course, but not enough since yesterday's grooming to have much impact on the firm deck. Kudos to the super nice woman who was snowshoeing in the walking lane. As for the three oblivious young ladies walking their dog down the middle of the trail, I doubt they appreciated the irony of the "Obey" hats they were sporting.

(Fritz Anderson)

Rock solid and pretty much un-skiable with an icy shimmer. It was rock hard last Tuesday, mostly unusable on Thursday, and unbearable now. It has not been touched by grooming equipment in over a week. After the above freezing days and lots of traffic, it desperately needs grooming.

(Bruce Bauer)

The trail has been walked on but the skate deck is quite hard and has prevented most of the foot traffic from punching large holes. Even though the skate deck is hard I had no issues getting an edge and the trail is all very skiable. There are better options out there but I am happy with the grooming and am thankful that the city continues to maintain the trail. With the transformed conditions it is a blast to ski (read fast) and I'll be there again soon.

(Jakob Wartman)

This was the first time I have been on this trail in the winter. Previously, I have avoided it since it is a multi-use trail. It is a gem for hill work. Trails groomed today but track hadn't been set. I saw the groomer near the trail, so I suspect the track will be set soon. The trails are a bit soft as to be expected, but overall I had a good ski. Most of the walkers today were staying to the left of the trail, except one man with an unleashed dog that I encountered walking in the middle of the trail. Get on there before the walkers destroy the trail!

(Tera Hasbargen)

Unfortunately, the trail had a couple major issues. The walking population was all over the trail, leaving an highly cratered surface. It was bad enough to make skating a little silly. The second problem, which compounds the first, is that the trail was barely packed. I stepped on the edge and broke through a half foot or more. No wonder the walkers took to the middle! The trail desperately needs grooming with the Pisten Bully and I judged it to be not worth skiing there today.

(Bruce Bauer)

As expected with the soft snow, the skate deck was thoroughly chewed up by foot traffic. Despite the city's numerous and well-placed instructional signs, the problems with dual use persist. Still though, a great workout in a beautiful setting. No classic tracks.

(Fritz Anderson)

Great ski through the snowy woods tonight. The deep snow is still soft and new, so the skating will benefit from more grooming, use, and maybe even the warmer temps. My skepticism about encouraging walkers on the trail notwithstanding, I feel that footprints did not negatively affect trail conditions. While I think it is typically held that walkers outnumber skiers in Chester nowadays, it looked to me like there were a similar number of ski tracks and footprints. I encourage you all check Chester out. It remains challenging and fun. I'm not sure what the city has in mind for the future of the trails at Chester, but I'll continue to vote with my skis.

(Martin Bevis)