Conditions: Skied today between 1 and 2 PM on the snowmaking loop; temperature in low 30s. The grooming is impeccable and the classic track showed no melting. The classic track was firm and fast.
I used the same skis I used at the Seeley classic (Rode Rossa covered with black magic) and another pair with grip tape, both worked well.

(Ralph Schwartz)

Scheduling note: Elm Creek will host a high school meet on Monday afternoon, Feb 9th, and two days of high school practice on Tuesday/Wednesday afternoons.

(Bruce Adelsman)

Conditions: Wonderful classicon the snowmaking loop. Super-solid tracks, slight glaze on descents so blazing fast, but good kick on the climbs. Skate deck looked a little treacherous places, nice corduroy in others - not much loose stuff on surface near the chalet.
Classic doesn't get much more fun than this - pretty good kick with very fast tracks. VR30 hard wax working fine at 13F dropping to 7 by 7pm. The new snow allowed decent kick from hard wax, although not as bomber as usual for such low temps, due to the old+new snow mix.

(Pete Thurmes)

I arrived a few minutes before the lights came on at 5 am (gates open). There was one car in the lot and a Three Rivers law enforcement officer waiting for the early bird skier. I talked with the officer and he informed me about the protocol of a 911 call for cars in the lot after 10 pm and before 5 am, and the possibility of being towed. He said it was a safety issue because the groomers are out in the early morning. When I arrived grooming was being done on the downhill area but the loop was finished. It had not really set up yet so I suspect they had groomed in the previous hour or two.

(Jim Smith)

Conditions: Valley is Shades of Sugar. Northern Lights is closed. We need some snow!
Valley is a bit sugary. It ranges from 1/2-1" on the slightly downhill to 2-3" on the uphill and corners. NL is closed. I haven't tried it since early in the week, it was getting thin then and with the warm temps after didn't want to risk my skis. The two-way on NL along the road is mostly exposed bike path. Still, it's very skiable, which is more than we can say for most trails right now.

(Brad Johnson)

Conditions: Great conditions for classic and skate on the snowmaking loop!
I went to Elm this afternoon expecting icy conditions. I was pleasantly surprised with a good kick using a hard wax, and super glides! Thanks to the groomers!

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)

Conditions: Excellent for skating. The classic track was set but the sides were a bit soft. Wonderful sunny day to be out skiing on a firm deck.
Hats off to the Three Rivers Park staff for the grooming magic they continue to work with the limited snow.

(Mary Hauff)

Conditions: Fair for skating and classic at 6:30 pm Thursday.
Generally soft. Uneven in a few places. Generally fairly fast, though, because the loose snow crystals were the refrozen/rounded type, rather than the fresh/sharp/slow type. No hard, icy areas.

(Craig Wiklund)

High school conference championships, which generally run morning and afternoon, are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week.

(Bruce Adelsman)

Conditions: Soft groomed ice.
6:00 am ski on the man-made loop. Very soft conditions with uphills already turned to deep "sugar". It wasn't unusual on some of the push-off to sink down 4-5 inches.

(Don Callander)