Gathered the team for a morning workout on the Superior Municipal Forest Ski Trails. We had a blast skiing the great hills on the Yellow Ski Trail. The snow was thin and a bit icy in places but where the groomer had a bit of snow to work with it was nicely groomed and fast. It was the type of day where the trail and the conditions do all of the technique training.

Photos:

(Dave Johnson)

As usual, fresh grooming this morning. It was especially welcome given the warm temps and refreezing of the trails. I skated everything and it was 95% excellent with a few icy, thin spots and avoidable dirt. I used my B skis but you could use the good ones if careful. After a few passes from the groomer the surface was fast, flat with a great edge on red and green. I skied the yellow prior to the new grooming but it had been done yesterday monring and not skied in with mostly fresh cord with mostly great coverage. It was lightning fast with a slightly icy surface (in isolated places) but still a good edge. Conditions remain really nice with a very hard, cold 2-3 inch base that should hold up well. Thanks again SMF crew.

(Tom Heinitz)

I classic skied the hilly side of the yellow trail today in the afternoon when temperatures were in the 30's. The seven day a week grooming is such a treat! The skate deck was firm and fresh cord was still visible! The classic tracks were solid, however, in a few places grass was coming up where it had melted... it was just a few spots and it was easy to jump out of the track. The skate deck was impeccable with nothing showing through, kudos to the hard working groomers!

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

Skied from the 28th St. parking lot on the red, green, and yellow loops down to the St. Louis River and back. Fantastic conditions. Skiing was fast and grooming was excellent. Lots of other people out enjoying a ski. Big thank you to Superior City Parks for the huge improvement in signage on the trails this year compared to previous years. When I made it all the way to point HH, I was shocked to see a nice setup of wooden benches around a fire pit that were not there previously. Nice job, Superior! This is the place to go for a long ski without covering any ground twice.

Photos:

(Chris Pascone)

Once again, fresh grooming at SMF. Groomers were in the process of getting to all the trails while I was there this morning. I really appreciate their attention to continuous grooming and allowing us consistent conditions. The yellow was not done yet though (bummer as it's the best trail). The blue and back of purple was still closed. Coverage was excellent with only a few avoidable thin areas but 99.9% covered. Cold new snow = slow conditions, but a great resistance work out. Classic tracks set on red and green and looked good. Thanks again SMF crew, you do your trails well.

(Tom Heinitz)

Trails were groomed today and track is now set on the red and green trails. Grooming plans: The yellow should be done tomorrow. We hope to have the blue trail tracked by the end of the weekend.

(Angie Harker, Superior City Parks)

A group of us skated and classic skied the flat side of the yellow trail today around eleven and were thrilled to have virgin cord! They need more snow to make classic tracks, but someone could easily ski them in along the sides of the trail. The 7 day a week excellent grooming on these amazing trails despite low snowfall, makes it worth driving over the bridge any day knowing that conditions will be prime! The Stride, Ride, Glide Tri in March will raise money to allow the groomers to purchase better equipment to assist in their hard work while grooming! There are a few tufts sticking up here and there, but nothing you can't easily go around. Good skis are possible if your eyes are open.

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

First time over to SMF this year and, as usual, the fresh grooming did not disappoint. The skate deck was mostly flat (with some rolling uneven areas due to lower snow in places) and surprisingly fast for the cold temps (Fastwax teal with cold powder). No classic tracks yet. Skied all the trails except the blue and back portion of purple, which are closed (yellow was very good and the connector is very skiable). Great coverage with only some grass in the marsh area and some scattered but avoidable roots and trail debris. I had the trail to myself. Get over there and enjoy this hidden ski gem of the Twin Ports.

(Tom Heinitz)

Trails have been pretty great the last two days. Today I was the second person out after a fresh grooming. Still a few bumps and tiny bit of grass sticking up occasionally, but not bad at all! Easy to stay on the good trail. Thanks for keeping up with grooming!

(Aubrey Ferguson)

Skated the Green Loop. Snow coverage was good but thin. Vegetation tops pushing up through the snow in lots of places. Overall it was pretty good.

(Jim Forsberg)