Awesome at midday! The skiing was almost perfect. Full coverage with debris here and there. Highly recommended!

(Doug McDonald)

DPR just reported in that he and perennial sidekick, Robin, had just finished a grooming run of the outer loop with the medium screens for our Thursday skiing pleasure. The groomers also said that it looked like the trail got a pretty good workout today. The Woodlands trail crew works year round so the trails are ready for snow and takes great pride in brining the best skiing they can when it does snow. With this being the first really good ski day of the season, its kind of been a bit of "all work and no play makes Ancient One an even more dull boy(old man)" than he normally is. So thanks to those who came out for a ski today. You are why we do what we do. Tomorrow should be another good spring skiing day and as Julie said, mind the paved trail crossings. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Currently full coverage with soft snow conditions. Outer loop groomed with a little detour onto the walking trail for the start / finish. Could get away with good skis, just be careful on the paved trail crossings.

(Julie Kallemeyn)

Surf's up! We let the trails chill overnight, allowing them to firm up. PA (not Paul Allen) and I made a run around the 10k outer loop with the rollers this morning. We had three fresh inches on top of many more that survived warmth and the rain. The skiers that were out behind us were all smiles. If you have PTO burning a hole in your pocket, skiing a Woodlands tomorrow will be worth scraping off the storage wax. We will keep the skiing going as long as possible. Right now, it looks safe through midday on Friday. There should be skiing after that, but stay tuned. Only the outer loop is groomed and is accessed by heading east from the parking lot on the winter walking trail about a hundred yards to the ski trail intersection. At the end, the return is also on the winter walking trail after North Mickey. No tracks set. Fine for good skis. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Trails are closed. Too many bare spots by the end of the day. DPR was so happy with his grooming plan this morning he has proclaimed himself "one with the snow". Stay tuned as we will take a look when this next round leaves us. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Well folks, here we go again! The snow we were hoping for all season came last night. We had six new inches of very nice snow that has shrink a bit due to high sun angle and warm ground. Not sure how he did it, but DPR coaxed Ancient One off his couch this morning to help roll a 8k loop(mostly). The outer loop was rolled except for Wash Pond. DPR, Robin and the Engineer were out trail testing this afternoon. They planned to ski a lap, but had enough fun that they stayed for two. The short paved sections of the loop require double polling along the edge as the snow on them is either plowed, melted or two thin. Same for the paved trail crossings at the grade and near the parking lot. Some shoveling was done to cover the crossings, but they should be approached with caution and you may have to dismount and hike across. There a few bare spots on some of the exposed uphill's. Grooming plans: DPR plans a screening/shoveling run in the morning. So, for the very desperate among you, if you want to join DPR and his buddies, there should be a little fun to be had on the slopes in the morning. Only come if you can enjoy the challenges of negotiating the thin covered rough terrain along with the obstacles mentioned above. Rock skis for sure. If you come, please ski with extreme caution. Hope I didn't sugar coat it too much.

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Closed! Well folks, like most of the rest of you, I hope it is a long time before we see another winter season like this one has been (so far). This is the first year in the 36 seasons that the Trail Crew has been working the trails at Woodlands that my annual trail mowing km has exceeded my grooming km, and it wasn't even close. We are glad that some of you were able to get out the last few days for a little bit of overland rock skiing fun. If winter does make a late season comeback, the trail crew will be ready to get after it. Until next we see you on snow, Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Beautiful skate ski - amazed to find well groomed and covered trails for skate ( no classic trail). Couple easy to avoid bare spots and the usual few sticks - and bit strange (after last season) you'll hear your poles click on the hard asphalt underneath. Get it while it lasts! Thanks for keeping the faith grooming team!

(Kyle Henning)

Babe and DPR just finished another run with the rollers. Somewhat surprisingly, they reported quite a few ski tracks on the trails. There are more very desperate skiers out there than expected. The roller run, coupled with the cold temps, should firm the base up a bit for tomorrow morning, but will do nothing to smooth the bumps or improve the extremely thin base. My daughter and granddaughter were among those who needed a lap around their home course. They said their ski was fun, but the drainage trenches were quite a challenge on the downhills. If you come out for a Saturday ski, bring rock skis, low expectations, ski only on the trails you are comfortable skiing and ski with caution, all warranted by the marginal trail conditions. There are a few small bare spots showing up, including on some of the paved trail sections.

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Five new inches rolled! I rode the rollers with Lumberjack this morning. The trail testers were out while we were grooming and offered the comment "skiable, but rugged". Rock skis are a definite and a rough ride should be expected, especially over the drainage channels the groomers affectionally refer to as "tank traps". Also mind the thin coverage on the paved trails. I was up at the Ridge yesterday where the youth of our sport put on quite a spectacle. It was super fun. It was a nice surprise to come home to groomable snow and when the sun came up this morning I realized I had forgotten how beautiful winter can be. Enjoy with caution.

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)