Conditions Tuesday noon were fantastic. Groomed both the East side and West side trails yesterday and again this AM. Great base and a new trail on the east side of the ridge is totally fun. Great edge control and no need for B skis.

(Dave Swanson)

The trails are surprisingly great! The large amount of snow that came last week has finally been compacted. The icy surface has been groomed leaving a firm snow packed surface. Fast conditions with good edge control.

(Steve Schleppegrell)

We're estimating the Blue Hills received 9" of heavy snow Monday from Winter Storm Jaxon. Skiers are jumping for joy! With all this new snow, you shouldn't have to worry about taking a spill. In attached pictures, one skier demonstrates his technique for a classic fall.
Grooming plans: We don't expect the access road (Firelane Road) to be plowed until some time Wednesday. Our groomers were able to reach the trailhead, and began working the new snow this morning. This abundant snowfall means the trails will be soft until the snow sets up and groomers are able to make multiple passes. While awaiting firm skiing conditions, consider stomping our several snowshoe trails that start next to the warming house - our website offers a Snowshow Trails map.

Photos:

(Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)

Firm packed powder. Skating and striding conditions on recently groomed trails were excellent today. With bright sunshine and temps in the mid 30s, the snow became sticky around noon. Most (but not all) trails have a fresh classic track - if the track disappears, keep on going, it'll reappear. A couple ungroomed trails have 2-3" snow on a firm base.

Photos:

(Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)

Beautiful day in the hills. All trails freshly groomed. Tracks set throughout. Fast surface today and can only improve with the warmer weather this weekend.

(Stephen Schleppegrell)

We skied the outer loop on the east side. There was a track most of the way. The sleet from Friday mixed with the new snow made the tracks fast. Also skied the west side. Found it fantastic, firm skate deck and good solid tracks. Light snow was falling.

(Karen Possley)

Only skied the West system: The classic tracks and the skating deck were solid, and there was enough snow except for snowplowing on the hills. There was a little bit of leaf and needle litter, as expected from the lack of recent snow. These obstacles were easily avoided, but impacted the skating deck more than the tracks. Other skiers said that grooming of the West system was fresher than the East, and the more heavier used East was not in as good condition as the West.

(Dave Henning)

Great track and well groomed skate deck. Skied the west side and it was great. The weather was beautiful and toko red worked well, used rex blue glide and it was good.

(Dick Gladitsch)

Skied both East and West sides past 2 days and conditions are just a couple of degrees from perfect with new corduroy as of today and just a few areas with grass or dirt stains that are easily avoidable. Even though very cold at zero or less the skate track seems fairly fast. Classic track both sides looks clean and in good condition. Have a good weekend.

(Mike Cragg)

I skied most of the core loop on the east side. I was delighted with the conditions given that this was my first outing of the season. This was also my first time skiing these trails. There were a few spots that were thin, but nothing too serious. The trails were pretty and had some nice downhills. My only and very minor complaint was there was a low hanging tree at one spot on the trail (tall people need to duck) and a few places where brush had encroached on the trail. If it hadn't been so cold, I would have snapped them back. There are no directionals here so expect skiers to be going both directions. I felt like perhaps I was going the "wrong" way, but since there were so few skiers, I didn't worry about it. The warming shelter was a welcome site when I finished. I got back at dusk and was the only skier left in the lot. Cell phone coverage is spotty back there. Just something to think about for next time.

Photos:

(Diane Schwartz)