Entire system now includes a skate lane and tracks! Groomer (non-skier) rates the track and skate lane as 8 and 7, respectively, on a 10 pt scale. There may be a few isolated dirt clumps or rocks in the track on the west side of the north loop, but other than that no ski risks are reported. There are plans to freshen up the grooming on Friday night. Anyone who heads out is encouraged to leave a report for fellow skiers if they would be so kind.

(Mike Dahlby)

All trails rolled today. Track was set on South Loop. Crew will work on setting track on the rest of the system tomorrow. Skating should get close to fantastic. There is little chance of damage to skis. I skied all trails yesterday and never touched debris, but I did need to avoid a handful of dirt clumps. There are no sections to avoid anymore.

(Mike Dahlby)

Skied the north/south loop. To quote the legend Zimmerman "a little sawdust on the dance floor" today I think sped up the colder snow a bit. Nice little new half K near the Tram loop was to my surprise. Anway, the good was there was very little debris. For whatever reason I was expecting more. Also for this familiar with the logging work being done, the boulders near the 6-7k-ish area actually had plenty of coverage. The only bummer was it had that early season waves throughout the entire trail, making it harder to keep balance, but only Mother Nature can help that cause. This is the only reason actually why I'm suggesting B skis. I've actually broken the back of my ski before on wavy snow. If you only have one set of skis and they're nice, I think you'd be fine. Really don't have to worry about scratching the bases. One more note, watch out for a really big bump on a downhill at the 9K sign.

Photos:

(Brady Zwiefelhofer)

All trails rolled last night and dragged today. No track yet, but good coverage and increased flatness thanks to Thursday's snow of about 2.5 inches. Both parking lots plowed.

(Mike Dahlby)

All trails, except the west side of the north loop, were rolled and combed today. Just a few dirty spots and little debris. A section of trail approximately 1Km south of the Dog-Island trails is improving, but is still thin and potentially hazardous on the slopes. Improvements will continue tomorrow. The Dog-Island Trails are in the really good condition given the low snow - the warming house is open. No track is set anywhere. To compensate for the isolated poor conditions listed above, a skate lane has been groomed on Burnt Wagon and Highland Lakes. Access Burnt Wagon from the southeast side of the South Loop, wet off Landgraf Rock. Access the Highland Lake on the West side, between the lakes. There is a possibility of adding a loop on Horseshoe Lake on Saturday. There is not much more than 3" of dry snow in the woods, gotta give the Friends of Hickory Ridge a lot of credit for producing a skiable product with this low snow!

(Mike Dahlby)

I skied south loop, tram lake loop and north loop. I tripped 3 times on north loop rocks otherwise tram and south loop were rolled and combed with about 1-2 inch base.

Photos:

(Dale Shipman)

The South Loop, Tram Lake Loop, East Side of the North Loop, and the Dog-Island Loop are quite nice given the limited snow - especially Dog-Island in my opinion. These trails are somewhat uneven and soft but there are very few bare spots and debris. A distance of approximately 1K from the Dog-Island Loop towards the south is hazardous due to thin snow and uneven land surface, extreme caution and/or possibly walking on the edge of the trail through here is advisable. The West side of the North Loop has scattered dirt clumps and rocks sticking through the base. The dirt and rocks are avoidable with caution but this area really needs a few more inches of snow. No report on the Highland/Lowland Loop.

(Mike Dahlby)

Today the 1 inch of snow from yesterday was rolled on the South Loop, Boy Scout Loop, North Loop, and Tram Lake Loop. There is still some grass showing in a few spots. The base is approximately 2" but not terribly firm. It's skiable if one has an older pair of skis and does not have high expectations!

(Mike Dahlby)

Trails have about 4" of snow cover, all trails were rolled Saturday they looked marginal to me.
Fat bike loop was rolled on Sunday but snow cover is thin.

(Dale Shipman)