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.

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(Diane Schwartz)

Skied the west side. Gorgeous frost on trees and amazing series of beaver ponds. Well marked ;-) Not enough snow yet for classic tracks though hope it will be soon.

(John Waldron)

With 1" of new snow, the Eastside trails had fresh grooming Friday -- packed powder, good edge control, skating conditions ranged from fair to excellent. Ungroomed trails had 1" of granular powder that skied nicely. There's a decent classic track on the Eastside 12k core loop, it was set about 10 days ago. The base is about 2" thick, in many areas quite smooth despite limited snowfall. Despite occasional dirt spots, rocks and tufts of grass, you can probably use good skis. Grooming of the Westside trails is anticipated Saturday (Dec. 30). Check website for helpful info.

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(Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)

Good skiing! A brief cloudburst Christmas Eve afternoon created a nice creamy surface. The base is hard packed powder, edge control is pretty good, 90% of the trails are open - including all of the Westside, most of the Eastside. Despite a thin base, skating conditions range from fair to very good. The Eastside core loop (12 km) has fairly decent classic track, but in some areas it's shallow and dirty.
The base is about 2" thick. In some areas it's quite smooth for so early in the season. There are occasional dirt spots, rocks and tufts of grass -- mostly easy to avoid. If you want to use your your good skis, ski the core loop in a counter-clockwise direction. Bring rock skis as a backup -- you decide. Where there's been less traffic, conditions are better (i.e., the entire Westside, and trails branching off the Eastside core loop).

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(Thomas Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)

Early season skating conditions that range from fair to good to very good on trails groomed daily since December 11 (visit the website for lots more info). There's a nice classic track that runs about 2 km from 1-22-33-21 and beyond. The trails need another 4" of snow before extending the classic track. The 2" thick base is firm and mostly surprisingly smooth. You'll find occasional dirt spots, rocks and tufts of grass. Bring rock skis as well as a pair of good skis -- you decide. Carry a small pruning shears or folding saw if you'd like to help fine tune the trails. Photos range from Dec 11 to 15.

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(Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)