Fantastic job U of M groomers. Freestyle deck is corduroy bliss even though it was frozen rain Monday. No bare spots anywhere but a wee bit icey and thin on bits of the west loop. No classic tracks reset yet.

(Michael Darger)

Skate deck groomed this morning. Trails are in good, firm condition with a couple of thin and crusty spots.

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(Bryan Karban)

Skated from 10:30-noon today, trails were generally in decent shape, though there are now some bare grassy spots mostly at the tops of hills. The bare and icy spots were pretty easy to avoid. The smaller loop on the west end had more bare and icy patches than the larger loop on the east side. Classic tracks were mostly intact, though looked thin in places. It looks like they did some tree trimming work, so there are a few places where the trail is a little chewed up where vehicles crossed. I used good skis and it was just fine as most of the bare patches are easy to avoid. There is some leaf and twig debris and slightly dirty snow in places.

(Scott Beutel)

The little bit of snow took the glaze off the ice and made for a firm but grippy skate lane. A few bare spots and one icy patch but nothing you can't easily ski around. A few spots where a vehicle crossed the tracks and left some ruts but mostly perpendicular to the track and easy to ski over. All in all very nice conditions for skating - at least from 11-12.

(Ronald Okenfuss)

Skied classical, track was icy, used Rex purple power grip which gave great kick. A few bare spots that are easily avoided. Leaves in the track are the biggest problem as they can cause unexpected slowing. Recommend not using track on downhills. Great morning to be out.

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(James Zyskowski)

Class tracks are glazed. I did OK with skins, but wax may be more challenging. I skied out of the tracks in many places where the tracks had turned into a luge run. Bare spots are avoidable. Skating deck was in good shape in most places.

(Beth Robelia)

Was in the top handful of skiers after the grooming this morning. Course is holding up well, with the noted thin spots on the crests of the hills. I had no issue with that pattern baldness. Out before it got wet, so reasonably fast. I used my A skis, but I don't pamper them. Obstacles easily avoided.

(Walter Ebertz)

Buffed the skate deck this morning and was pleasantly suprised and how well the course came through yesterdays heat wave. A few very small / isolated icy patches and small bare spots. Classic track is holding up decent, need more snow before we could do much with that at this point.

(Mitch Hoffman)

All the trails were beautiful! A few bare spots but great powdery snow and loved the rolling hills. There was a classic track also set.

(Sara Zanussi)

As others have reported previously, the new 'two loop' layout at the U of M course is a definite improvement over the past trail system. The trail was in great shape with only a few slightly exposed bare areas. The new trail system has expanded into areas not covered in the past, and is designed to provide a much better flow. Based on my best recollection, they no longer groom the section running parallel with Roselawn that was a steady upward climb combined with a steep slope that made it a bit challenging to master. There are a couple of steep climbs on the course, but they go straight up and also no longer slope in one direction or another. It felt so good to actually find that there is something called "glide" that follows the kick.

(Michael Jorgensen)