I had put the skis away then got a skate pair back in the vehicle and then a classic pair. Talked to skiers John B. and Dave B. who were going out trail blazin' on the Dark Side. I followed about 1/2 hour later. It was ski touring in the skied in tracks with some OK double-poling in stretches. Skis iced up a bit on my hard wax (Oslo Blue I think) in the sunny areas where the snow was transforming. No anal (either way you take it) grooming by me but I did see a sitzmark where someone had tried it a day or two ago. Heard a Sandhill Crane whooping in the distance and lots of critter tracks including one that was kind of a low-rider (not an otter though)...did somebody lose a Dachshund? Ski numero 80 for me.

(Mark Lahtinen)

The trails are signed as closed and TRPD did plow the bike trails so the complete manmade loop is not skiable. There were some ski tracks on the weekend snow on the bike trails however. One could ski laps on the lower doughnut I s'pose (remember they are closed officially). Some skiers were out there somewhere as I recognized a couple of cars parked there.

(Mark Lahtinen)

Please note that today, Sunday March 25th, will be the last day the Elm Creek ski trails will be open. Thank you to everyone who came out during the season.

(Bruce Bolduan, Three Rivers Park District)

Skiing was better today than yesterday. The classic track was a little soft but fast. The skate deck was the same. Mashed taters and some ruts on the uphills...but they were pretty fast mashed taters. Have to clean the skis from the dirty snow near the start and finish.

(Mark Lahtinen)

I skiied classic on the Valley Trail this morning. They had groomed and set tracks. The tracks had tilled up ice mixed with with the 1/2 inch of new snow. Classic skiing was overall good and fast. The skate lane was soft and in good condition.

(Mark Basiletti)

Hanging on. Really pretty good just before noon today. Beige snow to start with from the dirt near the trailhead. Glide was better than I expected. The classic track was fast for double-poling but got incrementally slower each lap. There was the hint of sun which warmed it up and slowed it down some.

Photos:

(Mark Lahtinen)

Spring skiing is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. Just the man-made loop remains open. The classic treat was terrific kick with Rex gold liquid klister, and reasonable glide to boot. For the skaters, there was a thin layer of wet snow over the freshly groomed track, which was somewhat dirty, crusty on top, and soft underneath; much slower than a couple of days ago, but still very nice skiing. The park folks indicate they'll try to keep grooming at least through the end of the week. They've given us a great season of skiing - Thanks!

(Ken Tobacman)

What a difference a day makes. Morning grooming didn't allow it to set up solid. The skate deck was soft but there was some glide. The classic track was good to poor as the groomer couldn't cut into the ice just below the surface on some stretches. Thanks for grooming though. Another day or two and it'll be a wrap for me. 90 day ski day season (natural snow) but certainly not normal. Oh if we would have had the March snows in December.

(Mark Lahtinen)

The Valley was great. Fast skate and classic tracks. The classic tracks were switched to the right side of the skate lanes. They are going to groom in the morning for a few more days depending on the weather.

(Mark Lahtinen)

Only the Valley is open. It was in great shape and the skins worked well. Fast conditions and the skate deck was great also.

(Mark Lahtinen)