Despite the 15+ inches of snow, the trails are all groomed and ready for skiers. The deck is firming up nicely, and the new tracks look great. The Landfill loop was not groomed, because the drifts are high. It will need some special attention before it will be skiable. Some snow is forecast for tonight, which means the trail will need a little attention tomorrow. Otherwise its ready to go.

(Dennis Zielinski)

Lovely classic with friends. Softish conditions, but it should firm up with another grooming or two. Very nice vertical terrain for the kick and glide set. To be highly recommended.

(Ken Schoville)

Our crews put in a lot of hours since Tuesday to get the trails ready to go. As of this morning the last of the tracks were put down, along with cleaning up the deck is spots. The next few days look cooler and the trail should set up. The trail will be cleaned up again Saturday morning and either late Saturday or early Sunday.

(Dennis Zielinski)

This trail system was recently groomed but conditions continue to be only fair. Even with all this new snow and new tracks set, there are still places where clipped but long, stiff woody stems are sticking out of the snow especially on the side of the skating lane where the classic tracks are set. Be careful not to catch a ski on these woody stems, it can cause you to trip.

(Sue Lietz)

Some great snow conditions exist at Washburn. The trails were tracked and a new deck is in place. The entire surface should firm up with the low temperatures.

(Dennis Zielinski)

After the 7+ inch snowfall all we did today was to compact and roll the trail. With possible snow Thursday, we will be compacting and rolling tomorrow afternoon/evening. The plan is to create a new corduroy deck and tracks by Friday afternoon.

(Dennis Zielinski)

With the addition of 3+ inches of snow the deck was reset today. The corduroy looks the best it has all season. New classic tracks were also added, and they should set up nicely with the cold temperatures. Only a few spots with some exposed dirt, but they are very visible and can be easily avoided.

(Dennis Zielinski)

Was definitely worth the drive from Wausau as this is one of the most beautiful trail systems in the northern portion of Wisconsin! The groomer was out doing his magic with the two to three inches of snow that had fallen earlier. There was more than adequate snow so I did not realize any damage to my favorite Atomic Beta Race skis. The hills at the Washburn trails provide fantastic ascents and descents....often with little recovery time, which translates into some lung busting aerobic opportunities. This might not be your fastest ski, but will certainly be one of the most scenic, physically challenging, and enjoyable ski experiences! Thanks very much to the groomer for his time and efforts! Looking forward to my next Washburn trails ski!

(Jeff Waldman)

We didn't get the forecasted snow amount, instead we received about 1" of fluff. We did however, today reset the classic tracks, and skate deck. There is still some debris in the trail, and the classic tracks are not as deep either. So again leave the new skis at home, and keep with the rock skis.

(Dennis Zielinski)

In a low snow winter, the condition of the Washburn Trails was a pleasant surprise today. The entire system is open and good classic tracks can be found throughout. I used my best pair of skis today and, while caution was required in a few in widely scattered spots where grooming implements dug deep, my skis came through with no damage and not close calls. The skate deck looked very good. A friend of mine drove up for the ski from Wausau and rated the conditions well worth the drive and significantly better than tracks had been last weekend on the Birkie Trail for the Seeley Hills Classic. Trail was also significantly better than trail used in the Rib Lake Hinder Binder had been yesterday.

(Mark Nienstaedt)