Very good to excellent conditions. All skate trails groomed this morning, widening and working in the new snow from Saturday. Afternoon we renovated and cut new double track on Sap Run, Sukkerbusk and Twin Lakes. Twin Lakes groomed up very nice and should be fantastic skiing tomorrow. Wavy Gravy, another trail on the west side of the trail system skiing very nice and those two trails provide a nice combo. Be sure to look for the new gigantic eagle nest at the top of "Eagle View" on the final downhill on Twin Lakes trail. (The meet scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed until Thursday January 28th, 10am-2pm).

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Last night ended up grooming all the double track trails, heading out on the solar lit trail first Sap Run, after assessing the weather and seeing the temps and humidity was going to drop fast. Grooming before the temperature and dew point made the critical separation, allowed us to capture and maximize the moisture in the snow to the fullest potential. It paid off as this morning the snow had dried out big time and last nights groomed boned up nicely. This morning we combed all the skate lanes and set singletrack on North Loup and Wavy Gravy. Everything groomed out really nice despite the drier snow and skiing was great all day despite the cooler temps (also thanks to brilliant sunshine and no wind.) Sunday Funday ski was one of the best ever! Lots of powder stashes off the beaten path. Try it sometime! Tomorrow all the skate trails will be groomed in the morning, select classic trails renewed and late afternoon grooming on Sukkerbusk and Twin Lakes for the High School race on Tuesday.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Fresh snow lightly blanketed the trees and trails at Maplelag. Conditions were excellent Saturday afternoon. Classic tracks were in very fine shape on North Loup, Roy’s Run, Sukkerbusk, and the Twin Lake trail.

(Glenn Gifford)

Awesome day for winter play! Incredible snow bubble conditions today for not only skiing but fat biking, snowshoeing, sledding and aprÉs ski! This morning we groomed all the skate trails, catching a glimpse of the sun before snow moved in the afternoon. As of 6pm, 3-4" of new fluff snow. We will be out in the morning grooming in the new snow. Fantastic conditions!

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

A great day on the trails! The base snow came out hiding today and was much more agreeable in the grooming process. With fresh fluffy snow falling in the afternoon combined with the recent grooming, conditions are excellent. The remainder of the trail system was groomed today and we also groomed the Bullhead Bootleg extension loop for the first time this year and also the return of Bullhead lake trail. The north end is rough and probably best to take skis off and walk through. The first part of Bullhead remains an adventure trail. To access the Bootleg loop without skiing the adventure part, one can ski the last part of Bullhead to the extension, ski the extension loop than back out on Bullhead trail. Suicide Hill freshened up today as well. Snow was falling this afternoon and a check of the trails after a ski lesson found really nice conditions. Tomorrow morning will be out touching up the skate trails working in the new snow from this afternoon into the frozen granulated base that is providing some fantastic conditions. The tracks should set up nicely overnight and with the new snow provide fantastic skiing this weekend.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Worked on the singletrack classic trails today, renovating and resetting tracks as temp fell from 25 degrees to 5 degrees! Also reset a few double track trails. The snow has gone through multiple 30-40 degree temp swings but just enough new snow on the deck to work into the existing base and make for nice skiing. Able to reset full depth track 80% of the time. The grooming is cleaning up the trails that have been subject to wind including gusts up to 50mph on Wednesday. There are some random sticks, acorns etc. that warrant the B ski rating. Tomorrow morning will be resetting more double track. Skate trails groomed yesterday, will be touched up as needed. Fat bike trail groomed last night, riding is best of the season!

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Excellent conditions. Continuous occasional scattering lingering flurries has accumulated nicely making for a gentle refresh on the recent track grooming. Early morning grooming on all skate trails. Skied a few classic trails later morning with Jake to check the tracks and found incredible conditions. The fluff was so fun to ski through on firm defined tracks and solid base. At dusk back out to groom the skate course for the Moorhead Invitational Nordic Ski meet tomorrow. With COVID protocols to accommodate 6 teams, racing will be occurring all day on Skaters Waltz, Single Green and Suicide Hill. A portion of Sap Run will be used for the JR High race. All other trails are open, if crossing the race course, simply look both ways. Grooming plans: Depending on possible new snow tomorrow will determine how much grooming we do Wednesday morning but for sure the skate trails will be renovated and combed and select classic trails will be reset.

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Maplelag’s trails were well-groomed and in good shape on Saturday. I had been anticipating icy conditions around Detroit Lakes based on our recent snow/ice/wind which had passed through on Thurs evening/Friday. I checked Maplelag’s trail report Saturday morning which said trails had been freshly groomed Friday, which convinced me to make the trip for day skiing, and I was not disappointed. Look no further than Maplelag this MLK weekend.

(Glenn Gifford)

Phenomenal day on the trails. Everything set up nicely overnight and the weather sorted itself out. Yet another frosty day added to the winter charm making for incredible skiing. Skate skied right away in the morning with Jake, conditions by far the best this year, IMO, and one of the best skate ski sessions in a long time. The unusual combination of snow types making for silky sugary texture on top of firm base. Doesn't get much better. Classic skied on Roy's Run and found track in great shape. Pole plants were a bit soft on lesser skied and groomed access trails but overall excellent striding on Roy's. Heading out now to reset tracks on select classic trails and will also comb and structure Skaters Waltz. Friendly reminder that lodge is closed to day use. We have essential staff, including our family, with underlying health conditions and are doing our best to keep everyone safe and healthy so we can remain open the duration of this winter season in these unusual times.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Skating lane combed early this morning after two inches of new dry fine-grained snow on Saturday. A half to one inch fresh packed deck for edging. Classical tracks scrubbed and packed by skiers. Two to three inches of firm icy base.

(Gary Brekke)

New wind-blown snow in firm classical tracks from Dike East to Lindenwood scrubbed by skier traffic yesterday. Snow transitioned in sunny areas. Classical tracks in the park are thin on an icy base. Skating lane combed early this morning. Firm fast deck with variable edging. Two inch icy base on trails. Twenty inches of snow for season. Five inches of snow on ground in sheltered areas.

(Gary Brekke)

Skate trails were great this morning! A little bit of snow has blown over, but nothing terrible. No ground showing and not icy. From what I could see, it looked like the classic trails were a bit old and choppy, but good enough to ski. Super smooth and plenty of room on the trail.

(Kari Haaversen)

Skating lane combed early this morning after two inches of new dry snow in the last two days. A half to inch of edging on three inches of firm icy compacted base. Fresh snow in classical tracks being scrubbed out by skiers.

(Gary Brekke)

Plenty of coverage. But the groomer's in the shop, hoping it's fixed soon. Groomer broke? Then break good trail. Thanks to the skier who did.

(Ernie Ogot)

All trails but north loop (north loop only rolled) tracked for classic this morning. Beautiful conditions, enjoy!

(Neal Tacheny)

Classic ski tracks groomed on these trails: Beginners loop (expect first 100 yards by parking lot a little thin of snow, but after that its good), Connectors Loop (good condition), Middle Loop (good condition, one short stretch of thin snow), South Loop (great condition).

(Neal Tacheny)

The skate lane has been groomed. I selected rock skis because the trail is loaded with debris like pine needles, sticks and pinecones. The classic track hadn’t been groomed but was very skiable. Trail was in good shape. Nice fast cold snow with decent grip today.

Photos:

(Jake Nelson)

Trails are in good condition generally, but have some debris down on parts of Eagle and Lake, after the 55+ mph gusts last week. We have 2" new snow on a hard-packed, somewhat crusty base, so skating was really nice. It was fast, but possible to get a good grip on hills and corners. All in all a beautiful afternoon, and had a number of folks out on the ski and snowshoe trails. Classic track is good, again except for a few spots with debris, although the new snow should cover most of that up for now. Reminder that warming house is closed, no open houses this year, but snowshoes are available for day use outside on the porch. Snowshoe trails are mapped and flagged.

(Deane Johnson)

Good to fair conditions with 2” new snow on a 2” hard packed base. There are still a few twigs and thin spots, but the skate lanes are fast and fun. Groomed Friday, including classic tracks, which look mostly good. Just a reminder that the warming house is closed for the season. Snowshoes are available for day use outside, and trails are flagged and mapped. DIY fire ring is there for everyone to enjoy.

Photos:

(Deane Johnson)

Cut lake is groomed and tracked, 80% is good, 20% leaves and some thin spots. Trails are 100% skiable.

Photos:

(Rick Dubay)

Good conditions except for deep woods some bare spots with pine needles . Briefly step out of track.

(Larry Blesi)

Cut lake groomed and tracked although barely enough snow in thick woods. Should set up nice for Sunday and Monday.

(Larry Blesi)

Again, trails remain the same here, but halfway through my ski snow began to fall. As I finished (11:15) about 1/2 inch of new powder covered the skate deck in many places. Snow continues as I type.

(Keith Brugger)

Winds were still blowing when we finished yesterday, so today we found a few spots that continued to collect drift. This is especially true in Finland, but no real problems.

(Keith Brugger)

Skied between 3-4:30 on recently groomed trails. Nice corduroy, and on some sections the entire width of the trail. Skate deck is mixed, from slightly glazed corduroy to about 1-2 inches of recent accumulation/wind-blown and dry snow over firm base. Still a very few icy sections. Classical tracks are present here and there. A bit cold today so skis weren't so fast, but good skiing.

(Keith Brugger)

Essentially the same as yesterday, but a few more footprints on the trails. The top of the "new" hill on Finland consists of about 10 m of thin, dirty ice. Most sections are very skiable and many kms ski still ski nicely. In short, lots of good skiing here.

(Keith Brugger)

Newly groomed this morning. With the minimal new snow trails have improved somewhat. Fair number of kms that allow for good to very good skiing. Thin spots still present in places, and there are some icy patches but generally no problems. The "tubing hill" entrance to the trails is preferable to the open field because of icy conditions. Classical tracks are hit or miss.

(Keith Brugger)

Grooming today broke up the hard skate deck a bit, still some hard-crusty sections, but some softer areas too. New classic track set that looked generally good and seemed to be mostly powdery old snow. Gusty winds to around 40 mph this week brought down a bunch of leaves, needles, and sticks onto the trails. A few sections of dirt in the snow. I didn't ski it but the Northstar trail reportedly crusty and poor for skiing.

(Owen Baird)

Hard base with a little lose snow on top in most areas. A few hard-icy sections, mainly near the trailhead and along the Paul Bunyan trail. Classic track has not been groomed in a while, but well skied-in and in good shape. Just a few small areas of dirty snow, could use good skis with caution. A half-inch of new snow fell while skiing which made for nice skiing, but a little slower snow.

(Owen Baird)

Trails had about two inches of fresh fluffy powdery snow on top and hadn’t been groomed. The classic tracks were nice and someone had broken the tracks in before us. A beautiful day for classic skiing!

Photos:

(Ben Cahill)

There was about an inch of fresh snow on top of the previous grooming, which provided full coverage and good control on the downhills. There were a few sections with some icy ruts, but overall great skiing. An ATV had driven on a small section of the trail making a mess of it - but it only affected about 1/4 mile of the trail.

(Jacquelyn Bacigalupi)

Trails groomed Saturday but track not reset. Surface was a somewhat soft granular to slightly icy snow. Ok kick with hardwax but it wore off after a while. Probably better skate than classic conditions out there now. In the afternoon about a half inch of new snow fell after I skied there so probably a little different conditions now. Could use good skis, only area of dirt is steep climb along river after first junction on outer loop.

(Owen Baird)

Had another nice ski at Spidahl l. There were lots of cars in the lot, and the track seems to have mostly survived the strange weather of last week. There was a think coating of snow over some icy parts in the open areas, but they were easily skiable. Things in the woods were great! I skied Chick’s Bop (twice), Emma’s, Speedy’s, and Uff Dah. Really fun trails! Fun to see the MYSL kids out too!

(Bill McKinney)

Had a wonderful ski adventure. Groomer did a great job of grooming. I thought the trails were in very good condition. Had no issues skiing. By doing all the groomed trails and loops, I was able to get 6 miles of skiing in.

(Elaine Judd)

Nice trail grooming on outer loop for this double classic trail set up. No skating. Very fun outing on a blue sky day. Fun downhills with a few challenging corners at the base. Surprised not to find some animals out and about. Only tracks off the edge of trail cool day in January.

Photos:

(Dean Kleinhans)

Wow. Such a great ski on new snow. I went around the outside loop just once and the entire loop was in great condition.

(Jim Hess)

The couple inches of powdery snow we got last night made for Lake Maria skiing perfection today! Classic tracks were freshly groomed. The snow was soft but not mushy. Get out there and enjoy it if you can!

(Meghan Gutzwiller)

What a pleasure to ski on a freshly groomed trail! There was some fresh morning snow, so it was a softer track and slower ski. Things started to firm up a bit in the afternoon when we took the kids. I classic skied and the tracks were soft and a little thin, but it was well worth the drive.

(Elaine Nelson, Skinnyski.com Race Team)

Last night's snow dusting had settled into the recently groomed tracks, but the kick and glide were good to go on the Gold, Cedar, Bronze and Oslo trails. The corduroy looked fresh as well. All the little snowfalls are adding up to great skiing on all the trails at GR!

Photos:

(Cheri Johnson)

Windy today, so there was some scattered debris, easily avoidable. Thanks to the groomers, the skate deck was freshly groomed and there is no ice. Some areas are a bit softer and the classic tracks are losing some depth. Excellent coverage still, wonderful trails.

Photos:

(Steve Squillace)

Alpine and Nordic conditions close to excellent. Lots of virgin corduroy on Alpine; Nordic the same. Few skiers of any persuasion. Worth the drive!

(Charles Corcoran)

Giants Ridge is sweet, great for skate and classic, if you can get thru the liability forms and all the downhill skier crazies.

(Paul Windberg)

Took a chance and drove to Giants Ridge to ski. They did not get the rain so trails were in very good condition. Skied Northern Lights, Silver, Cedar, Summit, and Bronze. Fresh corduroy on Silver. All trails had been groomed with in last two days. Trails that were groomed Friday had about a half inch of soft snow. Tracks were shallow in a few places. Minimal debris. Bronze was a bit icy on first climb.

(Mary Luoma)

Skied from Britton Peak all of Hogback, Homestead, about 3k of Picnic, and bit of the connector to K. Virgin corduroy much of the way. Cold, new snow made for slower going, but the descents were excellent. The tracks were well formed, but hadn't fully set up solid the few times I jumped in them. Rated conditions B skis because of the debris turned up here and there by the grooming but pretty easy to avoid (except for the one small rock I never saw, but my ski let me know). Conditions got better and better the further away from the trailhead, which were definitely 'A'.

Photos:

(Michael Kosloski)

Skied from 10:30am-noon all of Onion River Road and about 3.5km of connector toward Britton Peak. About 3-4" of powder snow fell last night. Trails were rolled only when I was there. Picnic trail at M had not been rolled yet. It was hard work, but beautiful. I saw virtually no debris on the rolled trail. Several smiling folks were out striding in this winter wonderland. The coming days look mighty promising for those who can get out here!

Photos:

(Michael Kosloski)

First time skiing here. Beautiful scenery. The first loop out from Britton Peak parking had debris and bare spots. Further out we got the better the trails were. The classic tracks are set off far to the side with a little tilt at spots. I pulled a trailer so that made for some awkward moments. Flurries while we skiied. We did just a couple easy loops with our 6 year old. Fun to have the real snow and gorgeous backdrop and few people as we have spent most our time at Hyland Park in Bloomington which gets busy.

Photos:

(Laura Ferry)

Light new snow and trail grooming have helped. Oberg and Picnic trails were good for the most part with occasional patchs of debris from cedar and spruce groves. Hard to find a better place to ski right now than Sugarbursh.

(Bruce Keifenheim)

Onion River Road, upper Homestead, and Picnic Loop were all freshly groomed today and in very good condition. There are a few dirt spots and rocks that are easy to avoid. You could make good skis work if you’re careful. I was a little worried about what the warm temps last week were going to do to the trails, but the groomers worked their magic and created near perfect conditions today. Thank you groomers!

Photos:

(Jared VanderHook)

Did a quick skate up and down Onion River Rd and around Oberg loop. Skate deck was in great shape, firm and fast but with fresh grooming, easy to get a grip. Downhill on Oberg was the hardest part as it was a rocket fast roller coaster and big foot print holes were a hazard as well as a few dirt spots that had to be quickly avoided. Otherwise it was sweet.

(Tim Nelson)

3-4” of new powder overnight! All trails were compacted and groomed this morning. Skate decks are clean, smooth, but soft despite multiple Ginzu runs. Forecast temps mean that transforming the snow will take a while. New classic tracks were set on both the 6 and 8K trails. They look good , but are fragile until they set-up.
We are hosting a High School ski meet on Thursday: trails will close at 6 pm on Wednesday, for course prep, and be closed all day Thursday until the end of the meet (5 pm).

Photos:

(John Graham, Snowflake Nordic Center)

Frigid morning, so we began grooming all skate decks at noon. Decks are firm, and shallow knives yielded a smooth, fast surface. Some debris, mainly small leaves, in the classic tracks. The 6K classic track is iron-hard and in very good shape. The 8K track, set Wednesday, is firm. Activity today was pretty low, so today’s grooming will get us through Saturday, and our next grooming will be on Sunday. One problem this week is dog poop on the trails, and dogs not in company with their owners: a reminder that only members may bring their dogs to Snowflake, and owners must keep their dog with them, out of the classic tracks, and pick-up after them. Protect your privilege, or lose it.

Photos:

(John Graham, Snowflake Nordic Center)

The 6K and 8K were skate-groomed this morning: firm and flat, with thin corduroy. We set a new classic track on the 8K, from the Pulse Loop U-turn to the 8K finish. The track is well formed, but soft, so skaters need to avoid skiing into it, and classic skiers are encouraged to ski it in.

(John Graham, Snowflake Nordic Center)

Skied 6k and biathlon loop twice. Tracks had a little fresh snow. Kick was good with Ski Go blue. Skate deck was being re-groomed as we were skiing. Great coverage and not at icy. One of my best classic skis this season. John and crew deserve kudos for doing the most with what snow we get.

Photos:

(Mary Luoma)

All skate decks were groomed this morning. They are beautiful. The 6K Classic track has improved with use. It is excellent. The 8K classic track is not beautiful, but is very skiable, and will improve with some use. We will reset it when the temps warm up.

Photos:

(John Graham, Snowflake Nordic Center)

What a job the groomers performed at Snowflake! Given the recent rain, trails are excellent. Again, hats off to the groomers for a job well done.

(Joseph Medlin)

Ridiculously good! Despite the recent sketchy weather, skiing was pretty much perfect again. It paid off brilliantly to close for the rainy spell and groom after the refreeze. There is about an inch of new concrete-like snow that broke up very nicely. The new track on the 5km was excellent. The skate lane throughout was also wide and smooth with perfect edging. What a job turning a weather setback into great skiing! Thanks!

(Bruce Bauer)

I didn't think conditions could get better than last weekend but the Snowflake grooming crew worked their magic, again. Absolutely fantastic skating this morning. Great move to close the trail after the slushy snow/rain and let it dry out. Thank you John and crew for giving us such consistently great conditions in this challenging snow year.

(Tom Heinitz)

As temps finally descended thru 32 degrees, we groomed all skate decks tonight. Four Ginzu runs to crush the 3/4” crust and mix and compact it with the damp snow underneath. Result is a smooth, firm deck, only marred by some deep ski and dog tracks caused by a few skiers who did not honor the trail closure yesterday and today. We appreciate the 99% who complied. We then ripped out and reset the 6K classic track. It’s a beautiful track and will be firm after setting-up tonight. The 8K classic track survived the warm-up in decent shape, a bit shallow but skiable. We’re open 8-6 on Sunday, 8-8 Monday-Saturday. Think Snow!

Photos:

(John Graham, Snowflake Nordic Center)

Freshly groomed perfection after a couple inches of new snow. Great conditions. So nice to have the old icy crust buried.

(Eddy Gilmore)

Had a nice ski at Korkki. Tracks in solid shape, though there was a fair amount of debris, mostly leaves/pine needles and a few twigs, so don't use your good skis if you're too worried about that. It was open up to the 6k cutoff with the big hill being closed. Still, definitely worth the drive!

(Sam O'Donnell-Hoff)

Skied yesterday and today and the trails were very good. Trails were well tracked. Nice amount of snow, no ice. A couple of the more challenging trails were roped off, but main route is open.

(Beth Odde)

Freshly groomed this morning - I was out at 10am and I think I was the second person on the trail. I did Lonesome Grouse and Nine Pine and they were wonderful. A bit of debris in the usual places not enough to worry about.

Photos:

(Nicole Ottjes)

Beautiful lunch time ski. Not freshly groomed but had been skied in by others before us. Sun and some fresh snow made for a great day. Skied everything but the campground loop.

Photos:

(Hanna Torvi)

Went on Bear Paw trail. Classic skied. Single trail was groomed and the fresh snow is getting nicely packed down. Gorgeous sunny day for it!

(Ashley Dickenson)

Gorgeous day for skiing and skijoring. Classic tracks through the fresh powder are in good condition. Skate deck looks well-used. Best of all, bare patches on 9 Mile are all covered.

Photos:

(Nick Lansing)

Trails seemed freshly groomed with a dusting of snow. Overall, conditions were very good - good snow cover and a smooth, firm skate deck. Only the wind blown clear cut of Nine Pine was lacking snow and still has a few bare spots and sticks poking through. I used B+ skis.

(Mari Hardel)

Skied Bear Paw on Monday. Classic was groomed. Skating was decent, though some recent fresh snow left some tracks. No visible bare spots, just the occasional small twig that had fallen from the trees. Much better conditions that we thought it might be after the rain a few days back.

(Kirk Radke)

Conditions were good for classic especially on Lonesome Grouse and Blue Ox. Nine Pine had some thin spots but no bare ground. Not icy. Great to see the people smiling and the dogs romping.

(Malcolm Macaulay)

Boulder was surprisingly good! Far from perfect. But decent skiing for sure. I wouldn't use your best skis. And I would pay attention. But most of the trail is in pretty good shape. Especially the double track on Lonesome Grouse is in really good shape except for one spot under a big cedar tree that has a lot of debris. Ski on!

Photos:

(Mick Dodds, Ski Hut)

Grooming began at 4 am and finished at 10:30 - a late start due to falling snow! Three inches of fluff did groom up nicely, with new, deep tracks set throughout and a nice wide skate deck. The firm skate deck now has a soft top. No boulders were spotted or heard knocking off the ginzu so good skis are fine. The tracks and skate deck run tight in a few areas due to a narrow trail. A Kids Ski Program runs today from 1 - 3 pm so expect fully parking lots during that time period.

Photos:

(Larry Mishkar)

Classic tracks were set on all trail segments today. Track depth ranges from shallow to excellent. Some drifting will occur overnight from the strong winds happening now. The McD Loop was completely resurfaced but we are still fighting icy remnants from the sled damage. Skate deck quality on the McD Loop varies from nice cord to granola - that's bigger than orange peel in groomer-speak. Overall, the trail base is firm with some fluff from this morning's passing squall.

Photos:

(Larry Mishkar)

Trails are closed today as we repair damage done by rogue snowmobile traffic. Thanks for your patience.

(Larry Mishkar)

Rogue snowmobile traffic during the trail closure (due to rain/warm temps) has temporarily destroyed our groomed trails. Only the Campground Loop, Garbage Way, and the last 2km of the 10k (Valley of No Glide) were not ridden by sleds, and groomed up well this morning with a ginzu drag (no knives down) due to the quality of the ice/snow we received. The remaining trails are "Ski at Your Own Risk" due to deep, frozen sled track and skeg grooves. We are formulating a grooming plan to scrub these frozen sled tracks and will get after it soon. Thank you for your understanding.

Photos:

(Larry Mishkar)

Temps were 15° when I started just after 4pm. All trail segments were groomed earlier in the day and were solid and a little slow at times because of the snow being new. The grooming was great. Lester is awesome when there is good snow and recent grooming. Today was one of those days and it would be great to see the City continue its great grooming job on regular basis.

Photos:

(Nic Bacigalupo)

Best grooming job ever. Thank you for recognizing classic skiers are not a separate species. By moving the track in towards the center of the trail, I’m able to use my right ski pole and not totter on the edge so much!

(Jack Arzooyan)

Just recently groomed. I skied around noon and was probably 5th skier to skate. Deck and tracks are great! No bare spots. Skating a little slow with colder temps.

(Jim Brych)

Heard Lester had been groomed yesterday, so I was surprised and excited to find them grooming again this morning! Trail is actually in really good condition. Smooth and firm skate lane and the tracks looked and felt solid the few times I got in them. Groomers are doing an amazing job with the snow they have.

Photos:

(Mick Dodds, Ski Hut)

I used fish scale skis to be safe/not ruin good skis and I made a good decision. It was hard packed but I was able to get a slow ski in for the day. There is debris in the tracks scattered in spots throughout, but with rock/b-skies, it is doable. I observed a few people on the skate deck but cannot speak to their experience. It was hard and crusty when I stepped up there to check it out. If nothing else, we have a good solid base for the next snowfall which will hopefully come soon and you can ski if you're determined. Like others said, it might be more enjoyable over the hill where it's hopefully a little less icy.

(Nikki Norland)

Lester is icy. If you are not an expert skier I suggest avoiding this trail system. My wife who in the 40 years I have known her has never given up on a ski, gave up her ski after about 1km. She told me trail was rock hard and super icy. I encountered the same situation when I hiked across the trails while owling long before sunrise. The city groomed yesterday, but the trails are now skied back down to the icy base. The storm a few days ago only delivered drizzle and rain down hear near the big lake. The trails were groomed yesterday, but even with the city's efforts, skiing is not recommended for anyone but the best skiers. Go up over the hill where trails are flatter and the storm delivered some snow.

(Rich Hoeg)

Skated all of Lester Sunday afternoon. Thanks to the City and groomers for making our trails skiable after the rain! A few thin spots but easily avoidable. Hills are icy. Scattered foot/fog prints. Overall good condition considering the rain.

(Kristin Lusian Saline)

Icy. I've seen worse, but it wasn't fun. We bailed at the first intersection. Some bare spots are starting to emerge. Very sad.

(Catherine Winter)

Grooming had just started when I was out this morning. About 2” fresh powder on a firm base. Excellent cover.

Photos:

(Bob McKlveen)

All trails open except Pine Park, Deer, and Hannahs. Skied all. Excellent cover. Very firm skate deck. Shallow tracks with some soft sides. Perfect day except for the cold.

(Bob McKlveen)

Freshly groomed early this morning. Thank you to the groomer on a holiday! Absolutely beautiful. Skate tracks just waiting for skiers.

(Martha Hickner)

Pincushion is in excellent shape. Skied all the trails, coverage is good, tracks well formed, Swix VR30 worked well. Skate deck looked firm in spite of the new snow. Plenty of grip out of the tracks as well. Good day.

(Tim Nelson)

Winter wonderland at Pincushion. We woke up early to the sound of groomers working the trail outside our Pincushion Mt Haus room, and were treated to some amazing conditions post breakfast. Tracks were set, kick was fine, and snow hung delicately from all the pine trees. Light years better than Friday's ski.

(Ben Creagh)

Pincushion grooming report: New snow in last 36 hours 5 - 6”; Trail base: 4 - 7”; Snow on the ground: 10 - 16”. Groomed for both skating an classic skiing: East Overlook, West Overlook, Lower and Upper Snowman, Lynn’s Loop and Canyon Curves. Remaining trails have been rolled and will be groomed Sunday night. Conditions are excellent.

(Timothy Lederle, North Superior Ski & Run Club)

Grooming Report: New snow in last 36 hours: 1". Trail base: 2 - 6 ". Snow on the ground: 8 - 11". The skating lane was re-groomed over the entire system. The classic tracks are windblown in places, but overall still good. Several wind fallen trees and large branches were removed, but high winds, so ski with caution.

(Timothy Lederle, North Superior Ski & Run Club)

Re-groomed after thaw/freeze. Conditions are very good with packed powder skate lanes and tracks. There are a few dirt spots, but easily avoided.

(Bill Hansen)

Skied Pincushion Mountain Loop as well as the easier loops this morning. Tracks were freshly groomed and firm, setting up quite nicely. A few spots had a bit of dirt or pine needles, but they were few and far between. Kudos to the groomers for the great work keeping these trails skiable especially given the poor weather lately!

(Anna Ingebretson)

We skied the what we believe are the best groomed trails in the State and, perhaps in the country, today starting at Golden Eagle Lodge. It was 13 degrees F and sunny. The tracks groomed by Ruth and Zack, owners of Golden Eagle, were hard and fast for classical style. The freestyle area was freshly groomed also. It was effortless skiing with our waxless skis. We skied down Logging camp and through the BWCA around the end of Flour lake and then down Summerhill road and returning to Golden Eagle across Beaver Dam and Flour Lake.

(Heather Johnson)

Ski trails were all re-groomed today after a much needed 1 inch snowfall on Monday. The trails groomed up nicely though some debris is still present in places of thick tree canopy cover. The lakes have solidified enough with plenty of ice that we were able to groom across them with the PB100, including all of North-South Link. Even in cooler temperatures, expect fast trails. The trail base is very solid but you can still get a good edge in. B skis are recommended on a few trails otherwise everything else is clear for good skis.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Today we re-tracked the entire Banadad Trail, West Parking lot to the East Parking lot. 27km; Tomorrow we plan to re-track the East End Trails. We're making the most of the limited new snow.

Photos:

(Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)

Wednesday we finished tracking the Banadad Trail. All segments now tracked. We have only had dusting of new snow but the trail is good shape.

(Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)

Had a beautiful ski on the east of the Banadad (MLK holiday) as the first skier on a newly groomed trail. No snow in a month so the grooming is appreciated, and grooming leveled out a few spots with lots of moose traffic. Track depth remains 8" with a foot of snow in the woods.

(John Craddock)

Today we re-tracked the Banadad Trail from Mid Trail Junction to the East End Trail Head. Saturday we re-tracked the entire Lace Lake and Tall Pines Trails on our eastern end. Tomorrow we plan on re-tracking the remaining west end segment; Mid Trail Junction to the West End Trail head parking lot.

(Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)

Skied the Banadad from West to East today. Still good snow coverage but enough brush and occasional rocks poking up to warrant B skis. Very fast conditions with the light rain that's been falling intermittently. Some of the downhills in the middle of the trail were quite challenging. Plenty of moose activity throughout, but tracks otherwise in good condition. It's a fantastic trail and amazing that they are committed to grooming it!

(John Leaf)

Tracks all reasonable with great conditions. Open areas slightly blown over. Scant tree debris on trail, not too bad.

(Brandon Drazich)

Trails wee groomed today. I skied the Sylvan Point trail, very good conditions. A very little bit of dirt showing in places. Minimal footprints on the ski track.

(John Beltman)

All loops groomed and tracked this morning. Conditions are very good. Should be great skiing. Sunny and cold.

(Rick Mcdonald)

Track well set and icy fast. Skate lane, too, is fast. It has not been recently groomed so there is still some ungroomed snow on the sides to get a good edge. Some sticks to flick off. Enjoyable skiing.

(Catherine McLynn)

Just finished grooming and setting track. There are a few spots where dirt and leaves got pulled up they are easily seen and avoided. Decent track all around.

(Rick Mcdonald)

Groomed Amen and South Suomi. About 3 inches of new snow. Still some dirt spots here and there, but ok overall.

(Randy Zupan)

High winds, so I headed for cover under the big pines. Found lots of pine needles and twigs to flick off the trail. A few leaf catches on my waxed skis. Discovered that the trail that turns right past the outhouse loops back to groomed trail. Thanks to snowshoers for staying on the side and packing trails wider on the uphill so herringbone was easier. Love when multi uses complement rather than conflict!

(Catherine McLynn)

Packed and set tracks on all the trails. The base still isn’t terribly deep (maybe 4” or so), and Pistenbully tiller will bring up dirt if the groomer is not too careful, so we are still grooming a good portion of the trails by snowmobile. Trails are scenic with new snow and frost on the trees.

Photos:

(Bob Conzemius)

Freshly groomed and a light, new dusting of snow. With the exception of a couple of rough spots in the low lands and random debris in a few places, trails were excellent.

(John Schroeder)

From Roger Clark: Wabana is groomed and trackset. Great condition. Many snowshoers have been sharing the trail.

(Catherine McLynn)

Skied loops 1, 2, and 3. The short leg that goes past the Adirondak shelter was not groomed, but the rest of the system was tracked and in excellent shape!

(Bill Schnell)

Did the Boomer Blue. Groomer was in parking lot when we got there at 10 am. Trail tracked and beautiful.

(Kathy Kooda)

2+ inches light fluffy snow. Set new classic tracks on all Trout Lake and Doan Lake trails this morning. South Trailhead to Joyce Estate has excellent conditions with minor dirt under dense pines on last hill before estate. Minor debris in random spots on spur to North Trailhead. Doan Lake very good with isolated thin spots.

(Carl Nordgren)

First time here. Fresh snow from a couple days ago was nicely groomed in. Great track. 16 deg. Perfect blue wax day. Absolute joy. Drove up from Duluth where the rain has messed up most trails. Well worth the trip.

(Trent Wickman)

We groomed all trails this morning, setting new classic track on everything but Sunset Rip. The temps were falling as we were out and the trail was setting up pretty fast. Should be good skiing tomorrow and Saturday. We will schedule another grooming if we get snow. We had a lot of branches blow down with the winds over the last two days, Thank you to those that took the time to remove the larger stuff. There is still a lot of twigs on the trail, any additional help in flicking those off the trail will be appreciated. Thanks and enjoy!

(Tony Carter)

We packed and groomed the 4" of new snow we received Friday. The trails are likely to be soft over the weekend and we will probably groom again midweek. We really needed the new snow. Race skis could be used except for 2 rocks on the short steep East loop trail and one rock that is marked on the Finnish trail. Everything else is in excellent condition.

(Tony Carter)

We had a terrific ski at S Suomi. The tracks are nicely set and width of the packed trail outside the tracks allows for step out when needed for cornering. It was a beautiful sunny day-as good as it gets!

(Peter Friedlieb)

North Suomi: All groomed and track set. 2 1/2" of snow last night made for some good trail grooming and track setting. Trail slowly gets more and more base, but still some rocks are hit. I never get tired of the tremendous views on the Spruce Island Lake loop. Amazing terraine to say the least!

Photos:

(Dale Juntunen)

Skied everything that connects to the north parking lot. Trail was in good shape, with some sticks and brush poking through. Picked up one scratch on my skis, so B skis or rock skis recommended. Can't beat the views and a great chance to practice those in track descents.

(Chris Frenier)

Groomed south suomi up to north Suomi. About 3 inches on new snow. A few dirt spots, but ok otherwise.

(Randy Zupan)

Groomed and set track on the Inner and Outer Prelude Loops (about 5k if you ski everything), Lake loop to "Z" junction was flat groomed on Monday. May be a little firm but should be skiable. Lots of sticks and branches on trail, please do your part and flick debris off the trail. Thanks.

(Tom Sobolik)

We got about 4-5 inches of wet snow on Thursday and it was cold enough to groom the snow today. Groomed and set track on Prelude Loops, Lake Loop, and up to H junction; need to pack the new snow on the Tower end before that part can be groomed. Snow was still hanging on the trees.

(Tom Sobolik)

So glad to have Scenic packed and tracked! The tricky downhills after the Tower are very uneven and difficult to navigate successfully. Hope groomer can make another pass when there is more snow and flatten without setting a track so snowplow turns are doable on the twisty turny downhills.

(Catherine McLynn)

Trails packed yesterday and tracked today. The snow packed firm. Terrain is uneven due to depth of snow cover. I think about 6 or so tree roots are exposed minimally.

Photos:

(Alan Dettmer)

All trails except Carey creek were groomed and tracked today. Still an occasional thin spot but good to excellent conditions.

(Kraig Stolhammer)

More snow. More grooming. We used both Ginzus today, grooming the skate lane and setting tracks everywhere, including the Little Blue Hill trail and the Blue Return.

(Burgess Eberhardt)

With about an inch of snow on Monday we were able to do a nice job tuning up the skate lane on all trails this afternoon. We rolled followed by Ginzu on all the skate lanes including the Little Blue Hill trail which is now fine for skating either way. We also packed and rolled the Blue Return both ways, so that, too, is fine for skating.

Photos:

(Burgess Eberhardt)

With about 2” of wet snow falling Friday, I covered all trails except the Blue Return with the Ginzu this morning. Tracks turned out better than expected given fairly shallow base, and the skate lane looks super. There are a few places where the groomer drags up some dirt, and there still are some rocks to watch out for, thus the B ski recommendation. There were a few skaters out today while I was grooming who reported the deck was firmer and faster than expected. It should be very nice tomorrow.

Photos:

(Burgess Eberhardt)

Freshly groomed and additional fluffy dusting overnight. Great conditions. New snow slowed the glide a bit, but beautiful snow covered trees and zero wind. Fat bikers enjoying the trails too.

Photos:

(Lura Wilson)

Several inches of snow this past week allowed for Friday grooming. Additional light fluffy snow this weekend and the trails are in good shape for a quality ski. Fat Bike lane is solid on main drag, but too soft on 11 to 24 segment. Enjoy! Public trails like Flathorn/Gegoka depend on Great Minnesota Ski Pass funding to defray the cost of maintaining them. Buy yours today online at the MN DNR website and keep a variety of public trails available to all.

(Andy Fisher)

Skied 5 miles of the west trails. No new snow, but super fast and decent tracks. no bare spots and very little litter. Much better conditions than the meltdown along Lake Superior.

Photos:

(Andy Fisher)

Given the reports and recent weather, the conditions today were surprisingly good! I used "good skis" and would again, though there were some patches of twigs and debris that were hard to avoid on fast downhills. A bunch of trails have undulating bumps that make for a ride. The tracks were solid and in good condition, washed out understandably on most signifiant uphills and downhills. Everyone I saw out there today commented on the fast tracks and snow! A couple weeks ago there was a big tree down over the trail between posts 5 and 15...thank you to the person or crew who took care of that because it's now gone! For me the most challenging section conditions-wise (washed out track, fast hills with turns, foot prints and body prints, etc.) today was at Flathorn Lake, going from the parking lot and heading towards #8. Beyond there it improved a lot!

(Luciana Ranelli)

No meaningful snowfall or grooming since last report. Warmer temps and light freezing mist on Thursday means less than ideal conditions, but all trails have good coverage.

(Andy Fisher)

Skied across Deeryard Lake and then around the large loop on the Deeryard section of Norpine today. The fresh snow was perfect and fluffy and several others had skiied before us making it easier to glide a bit in the woods. No sign of grooming yet today, but still a wonderful ski and plenty of snow for later in the week too. The lake was not slushy at all but it was very windy with drifts forming and changing.

(Sarah Waddle)

From the Deeryard trailhead skied 1.5 laps including Fire Tower. Light snow dusting covered some of the debris and it was a nice ski. Did occasionally get pine cones stuck in my wax but they came out easily. But I used B skis for that reason.

(Tim Nelson)

Skied the deer yard loop and the fire tower spur. Inch of fluff had fallen since last grooming, but prior skiers had largely cleared the track. 90% beautiful, few short sections with leaves or pine detritus. Easy to avoid. I used B skis but would have been comfortable with good skis. Great afternoon ski!

(Steven Goetz)

Skied up the pioneer loop from the snowmobile lot trailhead off Hwy61. Skied over to Deeryard, around Deeryard, up and down Fire Tower, and back down west pioneer and ridge run. The lower trails (West Pioneer and Ridge Run) are in terrible shape, all ice, dirt, frozen foot prints and debris. A new logging road crosses the Deeryard connection twice, and has eliminated east Pioneer loop for the rest of the season. Warnings have been put up, but logging roads require ski removal and I suggest walking the short distance between crossings between the road crossings. The good news is the deeryard loop is in great shape. I would only ski it from the Deeryard trailhead until we get more snow. The rest of the trails are hazardous.

(Tim Nelson)

We received a couple of inches of light, fluffy snow on Saturday. All trail segments have been groomed - both north and south. Excellent track is set with good coverage everywhere. There is a short segment of the south trail where it crosses the power line area where the Enbridge pipeline construction is occurring that is unable to be groomed due to minimal snow coverage after all the machinery work. Simply remove your skis and walk across - only about 75 feet.

(Paul VanderWaal)

Skied central corridor, north loop and east loop. Perfect ski and weather conditions with bright sunshine. Enjoy the trails.

(Diana Olson)

Fantastic ski conditions. Thank you for grooming! I skied on the North Trail the Central Corridor; North Loop and the East Leg. The track is well set and was fast. Enjoy the trails!

(Diana Olson)

We received 4" of snow last night and I groomed the north trail. Today John Elliot groomed the south side. Trails turned out excellent. Should have some of the best skiing of the year.

(Gary Anderson)

Thaks to Tom Anderson, a local EOWSKI Volunteer, for his fine job of grooming Sunday. This is his third rounder on 85% of avaliable outback system. I will be re- grooming the campground loops tomorrow. Enjoy!

(Neil Gardner)

Skied the north west loop at 10:00 am. It had not been groomed and we were the first ones on the trail. Faint classic tracks under 3 inches of new snow. It was spectacular with no rocks. Many animal tracks including wolf tracks on much of the trail. Nothing better than new snow and bright sun.

Photos:

(David Baumgardner)

Great conditions at Gooseberry. Classic skied to outer loop of the northeast trails before the groomer came through. 2-3 inches of new, fluffy snow over a hard packed, crusty base. Classic tracks were (barely) visible, so we broke trail using the tracks. Slow, but good coverage and no ice. About 3/4 of the way around the loop we met the groomer. Conditions after that were good and faster, but I almost preferred the ungroomed snow. A bit thin near the visitor's center (and I suppose on the campground loop), trails on the north side of 61 were in much better shape.

Photos:

(Dave Gardner)

The “upper” blue and black trails were groomed and are very good. The deck was well-groomed with nice double tracks. Things were a bit soft still yesterday afterwards but could have firmed up overnight. We’re planning on skiing here again Sunday. Kudos to the trail crew!

(Hal Leland)

Snowshoeing around the campground area today and noticed the lower loop is in terrible shape. Lots of ice and spots where the classic tracks completely disappeared. Saw a few skiers and one of them said the trail was complete ice. Needs some new snow.

(Brandon Kime)

Nice views of Lake Superior throughout. The coverage is solid for the amount of snow, but the trails aren't very smooth. Debris and ruts made for a bit of a bumpy ski, it looked like a snowmobile had gone through in places. Definitely skiable, but I'd advise against good skis. A few thin spots, easily avoidable. More snow would do wonders for this trail. Still a very nice afternoon up the shore.

(Sam O'Donnell-Hoff)

Skate lane was uneven and grooved / rutted in areas - some areas worse than others. The classic track was shallow but not to bad - didn't seem glazed over. A few inches of snow would be very helpful.

(John Cron)

Tracks are pretty crunchy due to the rain this past weekend. If you’re okay making your own tracks, ski on! Trails need to be groomed again.

(Trisha Mundt)

Trails were groomed this morning and the conditions are the best I've been on all year! I was getting a lot of speed going down the hills in the prairie.

Photos:

(Andrew Maxwell-Parish)

Trails had not yet been machine-groomed, but with the fresh snow, and a number of other people skiing, conditions were excellent! We skied 8.8 miles on our wood classic skis with Swix V-20 kick wax and it worked great. We skied the Prairie Loops, the South River Trail, and others. There were no bare spots, dirt, exposed rocks, or debris on the trails. There were a lot of people walking and snowshoeing on the ski trails. Part of this may be due to ambiguity of the signage. Fortunately, on trails that were supposed to be for skiing only, most walkers and snowshoers weren't walking in the skier-set tracks. Most were walking to the sides. So skiing was great! I spoke to the assistant manager of the park and gave her some suggestions for improving signage and enforcing the rules. She also said she planned to groom trails Monday.

Photos:

(Craig Wiklund)

Trails in poor condition. Not groomed. Foot traffic is heavy with no respect for posted ski trail signs.

(Joe Aziz)

I skied from Afton Alps to the flat stretch along the river. Although trails had been groomed for the weekend, they were trampled by walkers and then refrozen. Very icy.

Photos:

(Serafina Scheel)

Hurry come and ski! All cross-country ski trails are packed, tracked and in good condition! Rentals available online. High school races: Tues. Jan 26 at 3:30-5:30 PM; Wed. Jan 27 at 12- 5:30 PM; Fri. Jan 29 at 2 - 5:30 PM.

(Sonja Bercich, Three Rivers Park District)

Lovely sunny bluebird afternoon for a ski at Hyland with lots of freshly groomed snow! Classic tracks were in good shape throughout the man-made loop, and the skate deck was faster than I expected, given all the new snow. Quite possibly the best mix of amazing weather and snow we've had all season. I saw plenty of skiers on the north natural snow trail that connects at the bottom of Boulder Ridge. Should be a great week to check out the rest of the trails at Hyland.

(Bill Oyler)

I'm assuming all trails are open. Talked to the Three Rivers guy this morning on my way onto the trail. The natural snow trails have all been packed but not tracked. Skied the man made loop - snow was soft as would be expected when hoping out of the tracks. Tracks were well set and a little soft.

(Scott Greymont)

Our PistenBully's track setter is repaired!  Thank you to the best maintenance team! Manufactured trails have been packed, tracked and in good condition; trails include: star loop, willow creek loop, frog town, scenic foothills, boulder ridge. Trails with natural snow have been packed, not tracked; lake is in poor conditions, other trails are in fair - poor conditions: hill trail, oak knob, north trail, nature center trail. Note: rentals available online.   High school races: Jan 26 at 3:30 pm; Jan 27 at noon; Jan 29 at 2 pm.

(Sonja Bercich, Three Rivers Park District)

Manufactured snow trails are packed, tracked and in good condition. The trails relying on natural snow are packed, not tracked; lake trail is in poor condition and north, nature center trails are in fair conditions.
Notice: our PistenBully's track setter needs repair, hopefully will by tomorrow. We may not be able to set a track tonight but the trails will be packed. We're going to try setting a track with a snowmobile but the result may be a very thin track or no track.

(Sonja Bercich, Three Rivers Park District)

Come and warm up skiing! Manufactured snow trails are packed, tracked and in good conditions; trails include star loop, willow creek loop, frog town, scenic foothills, boulder ridge. Natural snow trails are packed; lake trail is in poor conditions; all others are packed and in fair conditions; trails include hill trail, oak knob, north trail, nature center trail. Note: lights on 5am - 10pm.  Rentals available online.  HS races  Wed Jan 20 - Friday Jan 22, 12:30-5pm. HS meets will typically be Tue-Fri, in the afternoons until 5:30 pm.

(Sonja Bercich, Three Rivers Park District)

Only commenting on the man made snow trails. Both the skate deck and the classic tracks were in excellent condition. Was pleasantly surprised after last weeks wet sloppy snow. I did see a snow gun near the chalet. Tracks were a little shallower than in the past - but still really good - no longer striding on ice. Skate deck was firm but with a nice ribbon of corduroy giving plenty of control.

(Scott Greymont)

Skied the Lake Trail [natural snow] and found very icy conditions and some debris on the trail. Classic tracks were non-existent. I had to take off my skis a few times and portage through some areas. Really tough conditions. Rock skis only.

(Alice Tank)

Manufactured snow trails (5k) are groomed overnight; they are packed, tracked and in good conditions. The trails relying on natural snow (8k+) are packed, not tracked and in fair conditions. Rentals available online. Lights on until 10pm. HS races run Tuesday Jan 19 thru Friday Jan 22, 12:30-5pm.

(Sonja Bercich)

The conditions this morning were great on man-made snow loop. The groomers have done a really great job setting the deck after a wet and icy end last week. The skis were moving incredibly fast and well through the morning snow. Hills were getting just a bit cut up and sugar snow as of middle morning but still very good considering.

(Christian Oestreich)

Sugarland! The snow-making loop was in excellent condition. Mid to low 20's as the overcast day turned to night with my 4:50 start. I used FastWax Red LF. A late start after rewaxing my skis had me thinking I was not going to be skiing today. However, I realized at the last minute that I could run out to Hyland and get in a ski on decent snow. Had a great, fast run on excellent snow. There was the usual build-up of 2 to 3.5 inches of sugar on the uphills and the downhills from Boulder Ridge and Scenic Foothills were swept clean down to the packed base with ridges of loose snow in between the "lanes" that snowplowing skiers followed. I had been sticking to the easier x-country skiing venues because I always challenge myself here more than I sometimes think my 68-year-old self is up to. But this was the best half hour of skiing I've had this season.

(Keith Carlson)

Skied the snowmaking trails and had a fantastic time. Lots of sugar on the climbs. I was pleasantly surprised as I was expecting icy conditions.

(Lee Penn)

Went to Hyland at 2:00 pm for a skate ski. I only skied the man-made loop, taking the cut-off to avoid Boulder Ridge. The skate deck was in surprisingly good condition, given the traffic it had likely seen earlier in the day - firm underneath but with a light layer of sugar on top to allow for holding an edge. The only place the sugar was even moderately heavy was on the big climb out of the Bowl at the bottom of Boulder Ridge, otherwise very good all around. Fast conditions as well, particularly the downhills but, again, enough powder on the surface for control. I didn't see any place that had been scraped down to hard pack or ice. I saw some of the fastest descent speeds I've ever seen at Hyland but didn't fall even once. :) I never stepped into the classic tracks but I could see icy patches all around the loop in the tracks.

(Leif Irgens)

The 5k manmade snow loop at Hyland is as fast as it ever gets. The track is icy but I was able to get some kick with Toko Klister Spray. The tracks and skate deck are rock hard and should hold up.

(Chuck Barden)

Skied the Knob, Kettle, and Razorback trails on my wood classic skis with Swix V-20 and V-30 kick wax. Trails had been groomed today, probably in the late morning or early afternoon. The classic tracks were generally very good, with no rocks or bare spots and just a small amount of leaves/bark/sticks in the tracks. Great day for classic skiing there! Enough snow for control on the big steep downhills and no ice. This place is one of the most enjoyable and challenging ski trails in the metro area. The skate deck appeared to be fair to good. No bare spots, but the thin snow cover meant there were some places that were pretty concave or convex, and a couple of severely eroded spots. Looked like only a couple skate skiers and one or two other classic skiers had been there before me. Saw two snowshoers on the trail but they were off to the side not walking in the set tracks. And saw one set of boot tracks in the ski tracks for a short (~100 yard) stretch.

Photos:

(Craig Wiklund)

Trails are not groomed at all. Classical trails are from previous skiers. Unfortunately, the ski trails are also used by hikers, runners, snowshoers, and unleashed dogs. The fresh snow was nice, but the trails are very uneven. The park is really pretty and would be a great ski trail if maintained. It is not clear to me why you need to purchase a pass for this trail and whether the dogs had passes too.

(Ivo Merks)

Excellent backcountry conditions on the entire system. 5-6" fresh pow! Waxless fishscale skis kicked great through the wholly non machine groomed Razorback trail, among others. We stepped over and skied around several downed trees to add to the adventure. Hopefully the snow levels will remain about the same, as it will take a lot of snow to even attempt grooming, based on the easily apparent underlying rocks, ruts, and uneven surface due to erosion. This is the ideal backcountry experience in the Twin Cities metro for those seeking a respite from the crowded, manicured, manufactured loops. By far the most enjoyable ski this season under sunny, bluebird conditions. Finished with a slight detour on the lake for the return stretch, and the Bald Eagle's nest was unoccupied today, with the snow a displaying a pristine and crystal like shimmer. We left the system with two skier made classic tracks...no fossil fuels required. With plentiful hard climbs and gleeful descents, this is the best outdoor workout on the planet. Thank you, Three Rivers, for not grooming.

(Dale Vaillancourt)

Skied the outer and middle loops. Just groomed this morning with good coverage. I did notice a couple of spots with dirt/debris, but nothing to worry about. Tracks on the outer loop were firm and fast. Those on the "most difficult" cutoff were a little softer, probably due to less use. I only saw one rock/pebble, which I picked up and threw in the woods. Some minor leaf litter here and there, but not too bad. The typical walker/dog damage (sometimes right in the track!). Saw a sundog when I was done, hopefully a good omen for some colder weather to preserve the condition of the trails.

Photos:

(Dave Gardner)

Light rolling the morning - excellent coverage and slow going with the fresh snow. Should be epic after the next grooming!

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

While it has been regroomed, there was coverage and there were classic tracks, the tracks and skate deck were pure ice. Last weeks warm weather and wet snow have taken their toll on the trail. While I suppose you could double pole the whole thing or use metal edged skis, it looked unskiable to me.

Photos:

(Dave Gardner)

Skied the Old logging trail, River trail and Mitigawi loop. The trail was freshly groomed this morning, after about 3-4 inches overnight of fresh powder made for pretty good conditions. Really nice day out. Not all trails had been groomed yet by about 3 in the afternoon, specifically the Deer Creek loop.

(Ben Mouw)

The Park reported flat packing with no track set, so skated Pioneer, Deer Creek, and Dry Creek. A rough, icy base, but just enough new snow on top to make it manageable. I had to shorten my stride and use a lot of pole for balance with the rough conditions, but couldn't pass on above freezing temps in January. There were a lot of what I thought were wolf tracks using the Deer Creek trail, then got a good look at one as it ran across the trail in front of me through the grass on the very north end! Abut 30 swans on Deer Creek, and a few more on the river downstream of the shelter.

(Bryan Lueth)

Trails were tracked and groomed. Skate deck looked great and was firm for the sections I was on it. Tracks were set nicely and overall classic skiing was good. I only skied the golf course side so not sure if tracks were set on the park/campground side. Only downside was the amount of oak leaves already in the tracks. Amazing how quickly that happens.

(Erik Erickson)

All trails at Bunker had been rolled. Conditions were soft, but good. Snow coverage was good on all trails and the golf course side was a bit more skied in. Nothing had been groomed yet and tracks hadn't been set. Should be really nice once the groomer gets out and tracks are set.

(Erik Erickson)

We groomed at Bunker Hills Park, Golf Course and Skijor today. The skate decks should be in good condition throughout with occasional thin spots in the park and skijor. Classic track will remain in overall good to fair condition with some thin spots throughout.

(Todd Neal)

The skijor trail was groomed for skate but had no classic tracks. Was in good shape with a couple of visible dirt spots on the north side, but easy to see and ski around. Trail was in good shape and made for a nice day of skiing.

(Paul Anderson)

Bunker Park: Still dealing with limited base in spots. Overall, skate deck is in good condition that should firm up after the overnight lows tonight. Classic track will be in fair condition with occasional poor spots. Bunker Golf Course: More consistent base meaning good skate deck and good classic track overall. Skijor: Limited base but should be fair to good skate deck with occasional thin spots.

(Todd Neal)

Took a chance and brought out my brand new skis. Trails were set today and appear to have been enjoyed by many. Skied the outer loop and used swix blue spray glide and Start green Tar for kick.

(Rick Vatsaas)

It was great to have tracked trails at Lebanon. There was some evidence of ice/hardpack in the bottom of the tracks in some locations, mostly beneath heavy trees, but, overall, I’d say good to very good conditions.

(Steve Hauser)

Much improved! There were a couple of icy spots, but otherwise the trails were really nice. They did an awesome job grooming!

Photos:

(Jeremy Busch)

Skied Lebanon Hills this afternoon from the Visitor Center south then west through the horse pasture to marker 7 to Jensen Lake then back east along northern trails including to top of highest hill from 32 to 40. Tracks had just been set this morning and trails were in good to very good condition.

Photos:

(John Gamlin)

I started at the Holland Lake trailhead at 1pm, and skied a 10K loop around the perimeter of the east section of the park. The tracks were good, and on a few of the tight corners they were getting wiped out a bit. The downhills had soft snow, but not rutted at this time. Thanks to the groomers for not setting tracks on all of the downhills, so it was easier to navigate the turns!

Photos:

(Karen Landin)

Trails were packed on Sunday, and tracks are being set today. Some areas have deeper snow than other, but overall good track depth. Come ski the first tracks of 2021 in Lebanon!

Photos:

(Steve Hart, Dakota County Parks)

Much improved conditions. The three inches we received was packed, but not tracked. Skiers made a decent track around most trails. Some sections were deep enough that that tracks could have been possible. At certain points, the new snow cover was lighter and the prior ice comes through. Be careful in these spots, otherwise go ahead and use your best skis. I noticed that the county has implemented new signage that should help deter walkers. Today it seems that many skiers on the trails were the ones that keeping walkers off by their numbers. I used Swix Blue Spray on glider and Swix blue special for kick.

(Rick Vatsaas)

Lovely skiing day at Lebanon Hills. The parking lot was full. Lots of hikers, snow shoers and skiers. 3+ fresh inches of snow saved the day. Trails were packed and rolled, but not yet tracked. Many of them had a pretty decent skied in track. Otherwise the soft snow provided a good surface for classic skiing. Temps in high 20s plus clear skies made a great day for skiing.

(Chip Treen)

Very icy. Trails are non-existent and littered with leaves and twigs. Extensive ice made for a slippery trip.

(Anne Piper)

One word review: icy. After the warmup, and subsequent freeze, while there is good snow coverage for the most part, especially on the southern side of the park (more open and less heavily traveled?) there are quite a few icy spots (tall pine trees near Schulze Lake), and the home-grown tracks are iced up. Probably best to wait until the trail is groomed, though back country skis might be feasible. Nice skiing on the lake if you can find clear (untracked) snow.

(Robert Sulliivan)

Grimm and King not groomed as of 10:30am. Lake was skate groomed. Skiers have plodded through the new snow enough to make it skiable. Snowmobiles are parked by trailhead so maybe the rest of trails will be ready soon.

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(Kevin Wendland)

Got in a couple laps on King and Grimm just before sunset. It looked like neither was groomed, but lots of skiers had been through at least. A bit slower due to soft snow and sometimes dragging fresh snow with ski tips while skating. Good dry snow though and glide was still pretty good.

(Dan Inderieden)

Took the wooden skis out around 11:30. Only half the trails were groomed at that time. Groomer was out actively grooming during the two hours I was there (unfortunately had not groomed King trail yet when I ventured out on it). Skied everything minus Grimm. Trails were packed and tracked. Skate deck and tracks were very soft but the tracks were starting to firm up a bit as they were skied in and the snow transformed from powdery to sticky. Thanks to the groomer for the great trails!

(Caitlin Anderson)

Disappointing. Apparently they are down to one snowmobile for grooming, still we arrived at 10am and they had only just begun to groom. Conditions where much better on the snowmobile trails.

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(Craig Shawn Jarvinen)

I classic skied Grimm trail at 4:30. It was fair at best. First big downhill was pure ice and scared me. No edge whatsoever. But, then trail got better. Fairly covered with leaves due to winds. Still, great to be out there! But we could sure use a couple of inches of snow!

(Sue Bradley)

The inch of cold dry snow we got yesterday did a lot to improve things at Carver. Ice is sticking through in some places but for the most part the snow adhered to the skate deck and really slowed things down. I skied Grimm, King and Sugarbush. Grimm was in the best shape with the exception of the first downhill which still has a lot of exposed ice. King has a few poor sections and the S turn downhill alternates between boilerplate and snowdrifts - would not recommend for most people. Sugarbush was quite firm due to the amount of traffic.

(Spencer Davis)

Skied Lake and Nature trails and found them super icy and deeply rutted. Someone has been running some kind of heavy sled right in the middle of the skate deck and it’s pretty easy to catch an edge or get caught in one of the ruts. I told the crew about it. They are grooming this morning so that should help but be careful out here.

(Cliff Macleod)

I skied Grimm, Sky and King. All trails were in poor condition with lots of icy spots and frozen ruts. Groomer was out working so I think the trails will be headed more towards fair condition after numerous passes.

(Spencer Davis)

All trails were groomed and tracks were set. There is good coverage with minor icy patches and thin areas. There was minor debris reported.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

The multiuse trail on the west side (the old Eagle Point trail) was in fair condition. Lots of foot traffic, a few bikers and skiers. It was loosely packed snow, over ice in many instances. It was probably the low 20's. I used FastWax Red LF. It was skate-able but slow.

(Keith Carlson)

Lake Elmo designated ski trails have been groomed. Ski trails have thin coverage with icy spots and debris. They are considered to be in poor to fair condition.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

I skied between 1:00 - 2:00 PM after the light snow. First I ventured onto the Savanah and North loop trails. Icy and thin. Not recommended. Then I jumped out onto the lake and it was fairly decent despite all the snowmobile and ATV tracks. If it hadn't been so gray and flat, I probably would have looped the whole lake. But instead I headed south and jumped on the Hills loop between 10e and 11e and then skied back to the Nordic Center. The Hill loop (at least the part I skied) was decent. Still icy under the new layer of snow, but skiable and good coverage. It doesn't look like they've been able to groom since just after the rain/ice event so there are lots of ruts under the new snow. I think I'll find other things to do until we get at least and inch or two of new snow.

(Dana Smith)

As of 5:00 pm, most of the trails were very icy -- in fact, "scary" might be an apt description. It's hard to imagine the trails will be good again anytime soon.

(Paul Lohmann)

Don't bother,the slush has turned into ice and ruts, some sections may improve with grooming, but I wouldn't count on it.

(Bob McKenzie)

Very icy! Can't recommend skiing there until there is more snow and/or grooming.

(Wallace Wadd)

Turning into rough boiler plate ice. Trails had been rolled so the parallel grooves added to the challenge of staying upright. Not sure if there is enough base for the groomers to renovate the trails until it snows again.

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(Bill Callas)

Icy and dicey. Very sketchy this morning. Skated everything on east side and it was all icy. If you’ve wondered what it’d be like to ski a lake that has hills, this is your chance!

(Bob Brown)

I classic skiied Sunfish using my skins. The trails had not been rolled yet, I think they are rolling them this year, or at least they have in previous years. It was a fun adventure of plowing through the soft powder while following tracks from other skiiers. This is a multi-use trail so there are lots of foot prints, paw prints and snowshoe tracks. There were a few sticks and I found a gouge on my skis when I finished, so that's why I put B skis.

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(Beth Hedlund)

Not worth it. Tons of walkers and bikers on trails that have destroyed the trails. Exposed rocks and dirt. The best skiing is on the non-groomed lake.

(Todd Dex)

I forget how much I like Baker every year. Groomers did an excellent job with the skate deck and classic tracks. Snow had just enough give and able to keep in control on the downs.

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(Scott Greymont)

Baker was in prime shape for this mornings ski at 9:00. The groomer set tracks first thing this morning. Fabulous firm tracks, great kick compared to the washed out fresh snow of yesterday.

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(Diane Pattridge)

Freshly groomed trails with a lot of happy skiers on them by mid-morning so the new 3 inches was soft. Good coverage on Hill, Island, Prairie. Tracks were yet to be set. Groomer was out so with more packing and hopefully track being set, I would expect the conditions to be excellent this week.

(Doug McDonald)

Started a little after 1 pm. Not too many people out on the trails. Snow was powdery with layer of ice underneath. Tracks were about 90% there but very soft. Some leaf litter in the tracks mostly in the wooded areas. I used my skin skis which were getting zero kick, so got some double pole practice. A few thin places on downhills along Island and Hill trails. Overall nice afternoon to be out and a great job done by the groomers.

(Caitlin Anderson)

Deck hard and fast. Forest candy on all the trails. The tiller pulled up some bare spots on the island. Pleasantly surprised at how good the park skied today. Thank you groomers.

(Scott Kee)

About an inch of fluffy snow was groomed nicely (as always) this morning. With each pole plant, you were reminded of an icy base lurking a few millimeters below but not icy skiing this morning. Seemed to be shallow, defined tracks on most trails.

(John Holtan)

Skied from 3:30 to dark. Excellent skating conditions. Must have been more snow out there before the rain event. Snow was clean w/ very few ‘dirty’ spots. Very little litter. I jumped in the tracks a few times. Icy, washed out in places. I did not pay attention throughout to track condition.

(Stan Hokanson)

Fun and fast skate mid-morning ski. Still corduroy in trail. Some ice underneath. Few tree debris spots but could avoid them. Signs warning steep downhills. Meadows trails had beautiful snow. Loved skiing there on MLK Day!

(Jane DeKraay)

Trail was really icy in most spots. Only a few sections of the Prairie Trail were actual snow. Baker needs a good dump to get better coverage Saw a lot of people go down...

(Kevin Lyons)

Skied early afternoon, skating nearly all the loops of the trail system. While it appeared the trails had been groomed this morning, the surface was crusty and icy -- just plain fast. Edging varied from quite good to some very hardpack/frozen icy sections. Hopped in the classic tracks a few times, they were very solid with an icy base. Riding the rails on some of the downhills felt just like a rollercoaster! Best section for skate was actually the multi-use trails on the north side (the showshoeing seemed to scratch up, soften the surface). About as good as I expected, considering the very wet conditions Friday and colder weather coming in this morning. Could be challenging for beginner skiers on some of those hills.

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(Bruce Adelsman)

Mostly nice conditions, this morning, following right behind the groomer. About 80% good conditions but 20% icy or iced in ruts. Always a bummer when people ski the trails in slushy conditions and cause ruts :( Thanks to the groomers for doing their best at keeping it nice out there!

(Sam Janicki)

The Silver, Bronze, and a portion of the Gold trails were groomed this afternoon including a resetting of the classic tracks. The trails are well covered but the snow remains dry and powdery and little or no hardening of the surface has occurred. Cold temps tonight and additional passes with the groomer in the near future should help. The classic tracks in the first 1/2 km from the trail head have some grass showing. This is the area that has had thin coverage all season. More grooming is planned for tomorrow.

(John Fitzgerald)

There were several inches of fresh, lovely snow on this spectacularly beautiful day. The skate deck was soft, but speed was good. We skied the gold loop, and encountered only one spot where our skis hit ice below the fresh snow. Tracks were well set and moderately fast on the downhills. Thanks to the groomers for a great job.

(Greg Filice)

Couple of grooming passes made on all trails, including Ski Games and ballfields. Track set on all trails. Conditions still a bit on the soft side, But it's certainly a scenic Sunday.

(Bill Kossfeld)

Conditions surprisingly good. The skate deck is in decent condition especially in the woods. There are some spots in the open areas that are icy but can be easily avoided. Watch the downhills as they can be a bit fast. Nordic track was mostly non-existent throughout the system.

(Ethan Knuti)

Recent grooming at Battle Creek. No classic track but a steady skate deck. Some debris, but is easily avoidable. Plenty of natural snow!

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(Mimi Berg)

Groomed all of the trail system with at least one pass. Good coverage but a few bare and ice packed spots. Classic tracks are holding up in sections but not ideal. Sunshine and a slight breeze makes it worthwhile to get out.

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(James Rue)

Ran the groomer over the entire system at Battle Creek West this morning. The base is thin and hard but was able to scratch it up so it is skiable. Some icy patches so beware and the downhill are fast. Use your B skis and it is skiable for more advanced skiers. In fact some of the best snow conditions are on the hilly part of the Gold trail. Classic track is fair and we will reset it after we get more snow.

(David Gorringe)

We visited Battle Creek about mid-day and experienced a real mix of conditions. If you're an experienced 20-something, it's not so daunting; if you're 50-something, the downhills may give you pause. Some areas were really quite good, especially most of the long climbs and interior wooded segments, but these were interspersed with thin and icy conditions. The meadow loop has pretty thin coverage, and the first long downhill into the woods was a bit unnerving since it was mostly ice. However, the steep downhills on the back side actually had pretty good coverage until you reach the tight left hand curves at the end of the runways. Those are pretty slick. We hopped across the road to look at the Ski Games loop and found this segment to be particularly had packed and rutted. It looks like it has received a lot more foot traffic and was pretty icy throughout in spite of being a more gentle/flat segment. Overall, not for the faint of heart and probably not the best for beginner skiers at the moment but a fun ski on natural snow, nonetheless.

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(Margaret Adelsman)

Just finished grooming the Gold Loop at 10am. Thin and icy in spots but quite good in others. Enjoy!

(Michael Rohweder)

Skied the World Cup Course. The skied-in classic track was very hard snow and icy in many spots. The groomer lines were seen, but didn't cut in very deep. A few skiers were out on the trails. Downhill sections were icy and scraped. Some grass was still showing even after the last snow.

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(Peter Radford)

All trails groomed this morning. Lots of icy sections--especially on Ski Games trail from frozen footprints. Prairie has the thinnest cover; better in the woods but still need to beware of ice and bare spots. Overall, rate conditions as fair-minus. Skied-in classic track is firm; also several iced sections.

(Bill Kosfeld)

Significant foot traffic in tracks and tiny bit of ice under pine trees. Green trails in great condition with no bare spots.

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(Darcie Vandegrift)

Very good first outing of the season (finally!). There was quite a bit of trampling in spite of signs highlighting ski trails -- no walking/snowshoeing. Track was obliterated in a few places, mostly fair, but I'm pretty track-dependent and did all right. Left track was slightly better than right one. Good coverage, almost no icing (at 10 am) and next to no debris.

(Helen Pohlig)

Classic tracks were set and in surprisingly good shape! Skied the Green loop twice and besides a few spots where the tracks had been walked or skied over but 80 to 90% of tracks were there. A B+ outing.

(Antonia Schaefer)

Fresh powder on hard base, great job grooming the tracks, low 20’s, and a beautiful blue sky. Awesome! So glad to have this park near my home!

(Ginny Yingling)

Trails are almost all ice. Needs grooming to grind up the ice and snow. Downhills can be frightening if plunging toward turns or debris with inability to stop. On the flip side, it’s a ton of fun!

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(Mimi Berg)

Double tracks have been set up, but are extremely icy and have had much foot and dog traffic. Take especial caution on downhills on difficult trails. If you don’t mind ice, it’s still very pleasant.

(Christina Mantel)

Nearly perfect for classic. When we started at 2 p.m. classic tracks had only been partially set, but the groomer caught up with us while we were on our first round. We did the entire perimeter, including South America and the doughnut. Grip tape gave me a near perfect combination of kick and glide, but my partner had a little trouble with his kick on his skin skis. I had been planning to switch to skate for the second round, but decided that when the classic is that good you'd better take advantage of it! I did finally switch to skate for a short loop at the end and found it just a tad soft and slow going, though still very good.

(Lois Braun)

Groomed this morning. Classic tracks deep and fast. Not much traffic today so everything should set up well tonight. Skating lanes we wide and freshly groomed. Great conditions.

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(Jim Smith)

There was no grooming yet as of 1:00PM just skier made tracks.

(Bill Callas)

Disappointing that there was no grooming at Wm O’Brien today. Tracks were skied in but anyone skating was a slog. Full coverage and such a beautiful day out there!

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(Dave Baker)

Got out there 9am, trails had not been rolled or groomed. In some parts you could still feel some of the crust underneath. The Park got about 3-4 inches, so a nice covering on the trails.

(Mary Burke)

Argh! The groomed surface was frozen into rutted ice. I skied everything but South America and it was not fun. There was a small section of heartbreak hill that the groomer hadn't touched and it was great. Big bummers. It's such a thin base that I don't know if they can break it up to fix it. I wouldn't recommend skiing at WOB until we get more snow.

(Brian Wicklund)

Skied Skyline and all of the trails on the north side of the parkway. Really good conditions, very firm base for skating but not icy. Classic tracks looked great too. Found I enjoyed the natural snow a little better, felt faster than the man-made sections. But all very good skiing, good skis no issues.

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(Bruce Adelsman)

The snow was amazing this morning at North Wirth. Fantastic classic tracks- deep and cold. And when any slipping occurred, the deck had great traction. I even thought my kick improved slightly as the sun warmed the snow. Judy was in near perfect condition. It’s hard to believe how little snow is actually built up when skiing out there, because the landscape is covered and the course is so great. The tracks around N Wirth dropped out on a few hills where they could have carried through, and La Squadra only had one set going up. But whenever present (which was nearly everywhere), they were super solid. The downhills were in as good condition as they ever are (even abundant snowplowing- which was evident- had not reduced traction at all). The uphills were still firm, with no sugar and no real mashed potatoes either. Thanks to groomers and the weather for a great ski!

(Dan Boody)

As expected, conditions were much improved today. Deck is firm but not too hard and coverage/depth are excellent. There are just one or two places where I encountered a potential obstacle (most notably exiting Wirth lake on the southwest side), but in general it's just great throughout with hardly a leaf in sight (skied all manufactured, bridge, skyline, tornado alley, wirth lake, jd rivers). The only question is - when does Trail 18 open with the bridge over Wirth Parkway?? :).

(Sam Knuth)

First tracks on the new snow early this morning. Was happy to see that all the natural trails had already been groomed overnight. The manufactured snow trails looked like they had been groomed before the snow stopped - they were a bit soft. Green Meadow had some especially deep snow. The natural trails were soft and silky - and of course a bit slow. Most of skyline and the bridge trail had a bit of a snow drift between the skate deck and the classic tracks, and the tip of my right ski was getting caught in a bit (the effect is to make the trail a bit narrow). Coverage is amazing - it was a great storm in that respect. I suspect the rest of this week and into the Loppet next weekend conditions will be awesome.

(Sam Knuth)

The groomer has just made another pass as I began skiing this morning on the made snow loop. The corduroy was slightly icy, but also deep enough that it was a little soft. The hills were a bit soft but not too bad. The hill coming out of Twin Lakes was a little icy, especially on the inside of the turn. There were quite a few sticks and some leaves on the Green Meadow uphill- still mostly avoidable but more then normal (must have been brought down by the wind yesterday). A couple of snow guns were misting over the trail, and the inner meadow had a slow patch with reduced visibility from that. Around 8:30 or so several high school groups arrived, as well as a number of other skiers. Then the deck started to get much softer, and the uphills gained some mashed potatoes (the uphill in the middle of Twin Lakes was the mushiest). The downhills, especially at the back of Twin Lakes and coming out of Twin Lakes, started to get snowplowed. They didn't get too icy from that, as there was still plenty of snow on top.

(Dan Boody)

All of the Wirth North trails are in quite excellent shape, even the natural snow trails! Wirth Lake has a new skate lane without any ice. Jar Hill is in pretty good shape with just a few exposed areas that can be avoided easily. JD Rivers has been nicely repaired and in good shape. There is plenty of snow under the Highway 55 bridge, so no risk of ski damage. Tornado Alley is in good shape, as is the Skyline trail, with just a few small icy patches. The bridge trail, including the bridge itself by the historic chalet, and the uphill climb to the snowmaking loop, is about the best it has been in years. The Judy loop was slightly icy but very manageable if you have good balance - and remarkably good snow throughout. Classic tracks are intermittent in the natural snow areas. The Twin Lake and Green Meadow loops are in excellent shape with solid classic tracks. The rest of the snowmaking loop was getting a fresh coating of new snow and new classic tracks, and seemed to be getting wider as well. Lots of room to spread out! Mill Valley Market has some warm fire pits going and amazing post-workout fuel. Should be a great weekend for skiing!

(Bill Oyler)

Beautiful conditions at wirth manmade on the wonderful hilly 3.3+ mile trail now. 7:30 brought us a gorgeous sunrise. Perfect tracks.

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(Diane Pattridge)

Fun to ski as the snow was falling (and near the snow guns it felt like a snowstorm!). The fresh powdery snow made skating a bit slow but really fun and very few skiers about 11 am.

(Betsy Hoium)

Got out in the snow and hit the classic tracks. The fresh snow on top of the sugar felt pretty slow, but it could also be the fishscales I was using. I could tell the deck was a little icy underneath everything and a few of my less well-placed pole plants slipped out. The made snow loop was in solid condition otherwise, and the downhills were no trouble. I left the North Finger and did a lap of Judy - no classic tracks, but with fishscales on fresh snow it was doable. I was surprised at how intact the course was out there. Not in stellar condition, and it was a bit hard to tell where icy or otherwise bad spots were with the fallen snow, but still surprisingly good. At the middle landing on the crooked hill (along the creek), it did get a little dirty- lots of sticks and leaves from there until the top. It was great getting to ski the North Finger and La Squadra, which had a nice track all the way up (as usual). Great morning for a snowy ski.

(Dan Boody)

Skied every trail north of the Wirth Beach parking lot except across Wirth Lake. New trail groomed on Wirth Lake was really helpful as there are some very icy spots on the trail. JD Rivers was icy as well. Basset Creek and Tornado Alley were fine and in good shape. Skyline trail was in good shape overall, the new small hill that is in the first part of the Skyline trail is icy and tough to get an edge on. Snowmaking trails were in great shape, the big downhill on the Judy Loop on the western edge of the park was in good shape, but I stayed to the right going down it as there appears to be a little bit of ice at the bottom. Parking is tough at the Chalet and Trailhead, I don't know if they are going to open the extra parking field to the east of the sledding hill, but there were 30 cars parked on the side of the road/up on the sidewalk to go see the Ice Man so be careful driving north on the parkway from the Chalet.

(Joe Kane)

We skied all the trails in the north section. Good, fast conditions. I was skating using my good skis. There were a few sections that were a little bare in the Judy Loop, but those were easy to avoid. We went on the south side for a bit too. It was icy there, but still skiable.

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(Katharine Woodman-Maynard)

Conditions on Wirth Lake are decent, they groomed a new skate deck this morning which isn't too icy. Jar Hill is in pretty good shape. JD Rivers Trails are skiable but icy. Tornado Alley, Skyline Trail, and Bridge Trail are in great shape for both classic and skate. Overall a good ski!

(Hannah Weissman)

The Loppet grooming crew did a fantastic job of "de-icing" all of the Wirth North trails, including the natural snow trails and man-made loop. The Pre-Loppet race course was way better than expected and way better than yesterday's icy conditions. The man-made loop has been expanded and smoothed out, and the Judy loop was in surprisingly great shape - so nice to be out there on that fun loop. On the other side of the parkway, the Bridge Trail is in very good shape, and the Skyline trail is in pretty good shape (no major obstructions to worry about). Tornado Alley was in good shape, and the modified JD Rivers loop was slightly icy but much better than yesterday. Wirth Lake is pretty icy and best to avoid. Jar Hill however was fair to good. Plenty of snow under the Highway 55 bridge and just enough under the railroad bridge. Classic tracks were present in many areas, and the skate deck is good throughout the system. Really fun morning of skiing - thanks to everyone who helped make the trails as good as possible after our tricky weather pattern.

(Bill Oyler)

Skied the entire man made loop. Hard to get kick at times and some hard pack on the Twin Lakes area downhills. The trail near the sledding hill was open but the lights weren’t on there for some reason. Overall, good conditions considering the sloppy weather the last few days.

(Mark Bushinski)

Fast, hard, icy in spots, beginning sugar on some hills, newly opened bits quite rutted. No natural trails open.

(Lars Hansen)

Skied all man made, north side, golf course, tornado alley, JD, and Wirth Lake. Recon of the 1st half of the pre-loppet course. Overall coverage was good but some sections that were bare ground and fully bare bridge crossings and underpasses. Crew was out dumping snow on the 55 underpass. Wirth lake was arguably in the worst shape but the other sections weren’t considerably better. Definitely skiable, but not particularly fun. Very difficult to get an edge anywhere south/east of the parkway. A few downhills that were icy enough you couldn’t make the corners and had to swing into open snow. Connection over the bridge to the man made was not yet open. There was a solid 2k of man made plowed and seemingly prepped but not yet groomed. Man made was also pretty icy but better than natural.

(Joel LaFrance)

Stayed on the snowmaking loops, which have expanded to include portions of Ridgeline and La Squadra (although the latter was closed for grooming while I was there). Course was fast but there were a significant number of ruts, and the hills and classic tracks were very icy.

(Genevieve Johnson)

Skied Eagle and Creekside. Track was mostly good with one short section showing some dirt (easy to avoid). The track is soft, should become firm soon.

(Norman Greenberg)

The crowds must all be at Wirth for the loppet, because Elm Creek was empty. Saw only a handful of people from 1:30-2:30. The main loop was in excellent shape. The Lake trail (natural snow) was very good, including the tracks. There were a couple of spots on the Northern Lights return trail where the tracks were mushed, but overall it was a great day. My husband said the skate deck was also really good.

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(Laurie Ford)

Started out on Northern Lights around noon, disappointed to find it had not been groomed today. A lot of skier traffic out so there was some set trail. Skied onto man-made loop, which was good. Headed out on the outer trails and skied some of the multi-use segments. Lots of people out! Eventually connected back into Lake Trail where it looked like they had packed the trail early this morning. Snow was still soft but fast. Skating looked like a chore with all the chopped up, soft snow.

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(Bruce Adelsman)

Most ski trails were groomed for skate but not the Northern Lights trail. Conditions were soft and slow, but beautiful. As more people skied, the trails did become more packed. Yay for more snow!

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(Katharine Woodman-Maynard)

Skated the outer loop trails this morning. As good as it gets. Used my B skis, but definitely good enough that I could have used my best skis. Thank you Three Rivers groomers.

(Gary Medin)

Skied the outer Valley-Lake-Creek-Northern Lights loop. Snow was densely packed, hard and crusty. Lots of leaf debris. However, there weren't any spots of solid ice -- the couple places that came close still had a think layer of soft snow on top, and were in flats where they were pretty inconsequential anyway. Overall, I'd say the trails were in surprisingly good condition. Lots of fun.

(Kristian Markon)

The perimeter trails were in very good to excellent condition. It was 37 degrees and partly sunny. I used FastWax Yellow LF. I started out slow from the trailhead fearing my wax was wrong and worried the trail was going to deteriorate once I left the snowmaking loop. Amazingly given last week's wet snow and subsequent freeze, Lake, Creek and Northern Lights were all in great snap - just a little ice and seed litter but otherwise perfect and my skis were running fine once I cleared the bridge. It was my fastest ski of the season yet; I only slowed on the climb out the valley on Creek. Only met one other skier with my 4:10 start once I left the snowmaking loop. Kudos to Three Rivers Parks and their great groomers.

(Keith Carlson)

Green hard wax over green klister (new snow falling.) Skied Eagle, Creek, Monarch trails. Tracked with no brown spots. More critters than skiers out. What we classic Nords live for!

(Steve Paladie)

Skied from Eastman nature center. Tracks leaving from nature center had been set a few days ago from the looks of it. Not too much damage from walkers to tracks on parts close by the nature center much to my surprise. It was very icy. No kick on monarch so got some good double pole practice. Tracks were like going along a luge and they had melted and refroze into odd formations so sometimes skis were not fitting properly in the tracks. Got some kick on the creek trail. Less icy but lots of ruts on skate deck from walkers. Tracks came and went on creek. Kudos to the groomers for working with the melty then icy conditions to make them skiable!

(Caitlin Anderson)

I skied this with my 10 year old son who is learning to xc. The manufactured trail was indeed excellent as was the lesson area. For us, the northern lights trail was really difficult due to nearly complete lack of tracks; we walked it most of the way to the pond. The return trail was in very nice shape though, we enjoyed skiing that back even with only one track set.

(Lee Parsons)

Artificial segment was as expected, perfect concrete with a little fluff on top. Skied the Northern Lights loop (skipping the first hill), and just a bit of the outer loop. Both appeared groomed yesterday, so it's icy, but not rock hard ice. No frozen puddles, but it's difficult skiing. It seems the snow could be scratched up to produce good trails. 1 hot lap on the artificial snow, 6:32, Fischer Speedmax.

(Jay Wenner)

Perfect conditions at French Park. New snow has been groomed in and skate deck has firmed up nicely. Will only get better after a couple more passes.

(Mike Maiers)

Arrived at French around 8:30 as the groomers were putting the finishing rounds on the skate deck. Classic tracks had been set and appeared to be a little soft. Skate deck was as I expected after about 4" of new snow, soft and slow but snow covered everywhere. I did two reconnaissance laps around the lagoon, meadow, skyline, lakeview loop on rock skis, decreed it safe, and switched to my good skis. Classic tracks were looking a bit washed out by the time I finished around noon and the skate deck was quite churned up and still quite slow. But it was great to be back on the natural snow trails. French continues to have problems with people insisting on going down the one-way up route heading up towards the chalet (I've attached a picture of the location in question) so everyone please be careful. Also a lot of people insisting on walking or snowshoeing on the ski trails today. :-(.

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(Leif Irgens)

Skied the outer lighted loop at night. Extremely dense, icy pack but still able to get an edge everywhere, and nowhere that had turned over to complete ice. I'd say good, fast conditions except for significant debris such as small branches and large twigs. Like another poster, I planted myself when my ski unexpectedly caught something underneath the snow — probably a branch although I couldn't see anything — on the lesson loop trail connecting the building to the Lakeview trail, on the short relatively flat section before you go down the hill.

(Kristian Markon)

Did some skate skiing during lunch. I could feel frozen snow under a thin layer of fresh powder. Kick was good, glide average. Lots of leaves and twigs in the majority of the track so I had to navigate around them. One small branch that was buried in the snow took me down. Because of debris, I would not call the conditions good as an official website suggest.

(Bart Nowakowski)

Skated all the trails. Most of it was good coverage and very fast, very hard but not ice The 2-way section from Lagoon to the hill in was very hard with some icy spots, and the section of Meadow next to NW Blvd had some frozen ruts. Otherwise it was fast skiing. Double-poled some of the classic tracks and while the track was nicely set they were frequently icy. Overall it was pretty good skiing.

(Steve Hum)

Starting from the top of the Minnehaha Trail, at East 54th Street, the trail was obliterated by walkers and dogs. Two thirds of the way down to Fort Snelling Park, the groomer was rolling the path on the way uphill. I did one pass around Pike Island before making my way back uphill. The Pike Island trail was double tracked and the tracks were in great shape, although a bit shallow and a little gravel exposed on the north side. I cannot comment on the other Park trails because I did not ski them. On my return uphill to 54th Street I found that the groomer had finished work with a nice set of tracks in place. The last quarter of the newly groomed trail was already marked with walker tracks, dog tracks, fat-tire bike tracks. To conclude, trail conditions downhill will be variable.

(Robert Bergad)

Parking lots (note plural) mobbed but by some miracle ski trails tracked and not trampled by hikers. Sheer number of skiers perhaps, plus well-placed signs. Did a quick loop. The actual trail not as crowded as feared. Conditions were super fast with a little blue kick, but trail base very thin! Poles mostly hit hard surface (hopefully ice, not pavement); skis scraped twigs, ground poking through here and there; base very soft. But a gorgeous day and fun to ski on super fresh soft snow.

(Janet Folina)

Great coverage everywhere and beautiful bluebird day to be out! Skated the entire loop. The deck is pretty soft from the new snow and tracked out from the weekend traffic, think another roll and would be primo condition. Also think the melt-re-freeze the other week actually helped solidify the base. Awesome to see so many people have gotten out!

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(Grant Schoen)

Classic skied Phalen around 11AM this morning. Plenty of snow coverage with yesterday's snow, and the course was rolled this morning. No tracks were set anywhere along the 4 mile loop, and the trail needs to firm up some, but hopefully the groomers will be back out to finish grooming the trail and to set the tracks down.

(Bob Cockriel)

Phalen was rolled and groomed this morning, with about 4-5 inches of new snow over. Enjoy the beautiful winter skiing weather!

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(Amanda Smith, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

The classic track at Phalen is surprising. It is cut on the complete 4 mile loop. Just a few spots where it passes over ice. Tracks had blown snow in them this morning which made good kicking for me. There are glazed sections on the trail as well. I don't think there is anything that could damage your ski bases so you could use good skis. Skate track has good coverage and was softening up as the day went on.

(Bill Stuber)

Groomer really improved the trail this morning/afternoon. Skate deck is a little rough but still has some nice soft snow ski on. Tracks looked good to me, the drifted in snow was skied in and looked good. It was a shock to skate on cold slow snow at 8 degrees. We really have been spoiled.

(Bill Stuber)

I thought I would check it out for classic. First, I like the small changes they have made to the course in the past week! Second, the classic tracks, reset in certain places, were filled with windblown snow, especially on the east-west portions. I spent much of my time outside of the tracks on the skate deck, which was faster than the tracks without being dangerously so. It wasn't the dreamscape I experienced a week ago, but it was still pretty good. I noted rock skis because the icy bits are pretty aggressive (I had to turn up my audio book so I could hear over the sound of my skis crunching ice). Kudos to the groomers for doing what they can with the little snow that they have.

(Michael Kuhne)

After reading the weekend reports I was optimistic but didn’t find the skate conditions skiable this morning. Turned around after less than a km as it was solid ice. Must have softened again and the hardened. Skied back in the classic tracks which seemed ok but I only saw a small part of the track.

(Tyler Lindquist)

Classic tracks about 1/3 pretty good and 2/3 pretty icy. Very fast especially downhills. Too icy to be fun for me. Did not skate but others were. Skate deck looked pretty hard and bumpy.

(Kathy Magnuson)

A bit icy in spots, but easily avoidable and some really nice stretches that were in really nice shape with nice deep track for classic. Grip tape worked good for traction and Blue Fast Wax for glide, and fast conditions. With a little caution and care you can have a very good experience even with fair conditions.

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(Scott Ford)

St Paul Parks and Rec is too modest. The groomer did a phenomenal job setting the classic track, and packing the skate deck. Yes, some icy spots (3-4, just a few meters each), and a few places where some debris is poking through, but there is a track, and what appeared to be a reasonably firm skate deck, salvaged out of some really tough conditions. B skis, but only because why risk good skis, but all in all, just a terrific salvage from extremely marginal conditions.

(Bob Cattanach)

The skate deck was groomed today and overall conditions are low to okay, based on the warmer temperatures and recent rain. There are slushy spots, icy spots, and exposed groundcover, but for those still really wanting to get it - it can be manageable.

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(Amanda Smith, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Groomed this morning but classic track was just skied in. Lots of folks out there. Skate deck was soft.

(Matthew Waite)

Highland received a fresh 3-4 inches of the good stuff yesterday and was rolled and groomed this morning. We will let the skiers work their magic and be back on Tuesday to groom again. Enjoy the beautiful day.

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(Amanda Smith, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Good coverage with hard packed fast tracks on the straights but tracks on curves and top of hills are disappearing or gone. Nothing to watch out for but a few leaves and descents are faster than usual so turns at the bottom are ...interesting for us newer skiers! At 15F, started on Rex green and quickly switched to blue which was a decent kick until it wore off and then it was a slip and slide.

(Jeff Streier)

Windy but very skiable skate bed. Just a few spots with avoidable grass poking thru a bit and 1-2 icy stretches.

(Brad Gordon)

Enjoyed a newly groomed skate deck that did a great job of evening out the terrain from the last snowfall. Coverage also enhanced in many places from last week with very few bare spots now present. The sun was out, I was skijoring with my dog 10 minutes from my home, for free. What an amazing perk of living in St. Paul. Thanks to St. Paul Parks and Recreation and a special thanks to the groomers.
Note to skijorers: Please be diligent about picking up after your dog. I have picked up stray piles and bags my last two skis. It won't take much for them to reconsider allowing skijoring if they find dog poop all over the course in the spring. A good trick is to use a waist-strap water bottle holder and leave the water bottle at home. Put bags in the side pocket and poop fits nicely in where the bottle would go.

(Paul Shirilla)

Skate deck was recently groomed and in great condition. Classic tracks were a bit shallow and nonexistent on the sharp curves. Leaves and other tree debris was mostly gone. So all I all, classic tracks were rated 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.

(Robert Bergad)

Trail has gotten a lot of use in the last 24 hours. The track breaks up or disappears in many places, and the bit of snow that fell yesterday has been compressed and polished to a very firm base. It's still skiable, but conditions varied from fair to very good. The skating deck appeared fast; hundreds of people must have skied it in the last day. I expect conditions for classic skiing to continue to deteriorate until we get more snow.

(Bob Hartzler)

The light dusting of snow made for very good to excellent skiing in the hard packed, well-defined, icy tracks with my wax skis. I could ski up the hills without herringboning and going down I could safely stay in the tracks. There's hard ice underneath which made my poles slip at times, but no bare or solid ice spots. Get out before the sun and warmer temps ruin things.

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(Bob Hartzler)

Rough go on the skate deck. Extremely icy, like pebbly, gratingly icy. The recent frozen rain did the trails no favors. I skied Theodore Wirth and the trail condition difference was stark! Let’s hope for some good snow to improve our St Paul trails!

(Kate Hildebrand)

Skied yesterday (slushy) and today (frozen). The morning grooming covered up most of the emergent vegetation that was prevalent yesterday. Classic track was surprisingly good. The snow flurry was accumulating in the track allowing decent grip. Great job, groomers!

(Gary Roach)

The skate deck was groomed today and overall conditions are low to okay, based on the warmer temperatures and recent rain. There are slushy spots, icy spots, and exposed groundcover, but for those still really wanting to get it - it can be manageable.

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(Amanda Smith, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Chunky ice and snow on the skate track. Yet decent coverage on the skate track, more grass poking out the classic track. One spot needed to ski around. Considering the weather, great to be skiing.

(Peggy Guiney)

First skier on the trail after the snow. I did my best to ski in a good track from last weeks grooming. Good conditions in the morning. But be aware the snow is thin in places so your poles go through to pavement. Skis were fine- stayed up off pavement. First 3/4K of trail is damaged by walkers and snowshoers! But conditions really improved as I skied south past the trail turn off for Snail Lake trails. I hope that lasts! Glad to see people are starting to get it!

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(Amy Kay Kerber)

Freshly tracked on Chickadee and Dragonfly routes, generally good condition. There were two small spots where I saw roots/leaves.

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(Kris Nelson)

Got out and skied in the afternoon with the wife; she was classicing while I was skating. As expected the coverage was great with the new snow but conditions were slow and piled up. The groomers had rolled that morning (saw them as I ran by at 8am), but the deck was pretty soft. It sounds like they are planning on regrooming the deck and tracks soon. Overall, it was great to get back out without any dirt or ice everywhere after we had our rough weather the last week or two. Como should be back in action for high quality skiing for a while now.

(Peter Johnson)

No classic tracks set, yet other skiers had created a "classic track". Plenty of snow cover, no bare spots. Enjoyable ski. Thanks to the groomer for rolling this morning. Blue wax.

(Ann Gerold Stibal)

Como received approximately 3-4 inches of fresh snow, and was rolled early this morning. We will let the skiers work their magic, and be back for a grooming by Tuesday at the latest.

(Amanda Smith, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Trails had gotten one pass with roller by 9:00 a.m., no track. A lot of loose, deep snow begging to be truly packed and tracked. Hopefully by this afternoon it will get the full treatment. It's gonna be great out there once it sets up. Hurray for a few fresh inches of fresh white joy on the east side!

(Marjie Carr-Oxley)

8 pm and 8F degrees; cold but still air, icy and a very damaged course. Classic tracks often disappear. Oddly, open water on the south pond. Nice view of the Capitol lit up in the south and of the ski boarders on the little downhill slope. This course will need some serious snowfall to recover.

(Bruce Holloway)

Classic tracks were set and mostly usable, although icy. The skate deck was icy and fast where I stepped out into it. I skipped the loop behind the clubhouse but skied all of the trails on the north side, including by the downhill/sledding hill. Not great conditions, but considering the weather recently it's amazing to have skiable trails at all - thank you groomers!

(Jesse Lehman)

Trail was in poor to fair condition. A thin cover of snow over a rough icy base at the front of the course improved to a softer, packed base once you approached the climb to the back of the course that then led to the top of the hill shared with the downhill ski runs. It was 16F degrees or less with a brisk NW wind -- at least it was sunny. I used Blue FastWax LF Despite at least one high school team practicing on the course, I was able to transit the course with only having to pass 4 groups of skiers and nobody dogging me from behind. I wisely chose to switch on my Toko mitts with my wool liners underneath so no problems with my hands but my toes were tingling as I reached the end of the course.

(Keith Carlson)

The trails were groomed this morning, skate deck and classic tracks both in good shape. Given how icy everything is, I didn’t have high hopes, so I was pleasantly surprised by the conditions. I did skip the back by the downhill area so can’t say how those hills were. The parking lot is the worst part. Be really careful walking to your car.

(Amber Glawe)

Trails were quite icy today overall. The section in front of the parking lot on the flats weren’t too bad. The classic tracks are in decent shape, but icy. Note the parking lot is pretty icy too, so be careful walking around. Hoping for more snow to come!

(Calysta Rice)

Trails were very icy all around. Some straightaways were good enough to skate but some corners had large ice patches. Groomer did a good job of rolling in most places but overall the trail is still pretty bumpy and really needs some fresh snow. Coverage is great except under the bridge. Double polling in the tracks was the most fun. Skating was a bit sketchy in the current conditions.

(Jack Johnson)

The skate deck was groomed today and overall conditions are low to okay, based on the warmer temperatures and recent rain. There are slushy spots, icy spots, and exposed groundcover, but for those still really wanting to get it - it can be manageable.

Photos:

(Amanda Smith, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Skied the bluff trails today and the golf course section yesterday. Both have been groomed twice since the weekend snowfall and are in excellent condition. There are several new connecting trail up top that increase ski options.

Photos:

(Craig Bell)

Top of the bluff is best but has already been destroyed by hikers that do not heed to the signage at the base, walking right down the middle of the path. Thanks for all your hard work Milt.

(Joe Leise)

Conditions are icy with bare spots on the golf course side. The trails on the bluffside are in much better condition and groomed for both skate and classic.

(Milt Hovelson)

Conditions are icy with bare spots on the golf course side. The trails on the bluffside are in much better condition and groomed for both skate and classic.

(Milt Hovelson)

Greater than 95% of the skate track at Chester Woods is in excellent condition. Skiing was awesome on this glorious, cold morning! There are some easily avoided spots on the skate track that could damage your skis (hence the "official" recommendation for B skis). However, I used my good skis and did not have any damage. The groomers deserve all the credit for giving us all the opportunity to enjoy skiing at this beautiful park!

(James Martenson)

The groomer has done an outstanding job on the classic track, especially considering the relatively low snowfall this year. I would estimate that 75% of the classic track is in very good to excellent condition and about 25% in only fair condition. On the open prairie, there is a fair amount of vegetation poking through the snow and I found that I had to step out of the track fairly often. The trail is generally in excellent condition or very good condition in the wooded areas. B skis or rock skis recommended for the classic track (I used my B skis). Overall, a delightful morning at Chester!

(James Martenson)

The multi-use trails were groomed and classic track was set. The morning snow was fluffy but temps/sun will be warm today so snow may become sticky and soft. We also combed out the Kisrow trail for hikers and snowshoers.

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(Celeste Lewis)

All multi-use trails were combed/groomed out today. The snow is good, cold and hard. Some places still a bit thin. No classic track has been set as there is not adequate snow depth.

(Celeste Lewis)

Great conditions for skating and classic tracks look very skiable. Only few very short sections with minimally exposed grass, easy to navigate around. Groomer(s) did outstanding job, and with little snow to work with. Thanks.

(Chris Derauf)

Groomed and tracked with some windblown snow overtop. There's about 5K around the golf course with just a few avoidable spots that made me glad I was on my B skis. The trails that go into the woods by the apartments are not groomed.

(Piersan Suriano)

Skiable, but no grooming has been done after snowfall yesterday. Classic ski touring seems to be the way to go until the city gets around to grooming. Can’t wait until they do, fresh snow!

(Joey Furst)

3+ inches of fluffy perfection Saturday night. Roller packed Sunday morning, with grooming and classic track setting ongoing at midday. The main trails in the park are groomed, but some trails left natural with skier-set tracks. Close to the parking lots some trails can be a bit trampled by walkers and snowshoes. Skiing is mostly classic though skating is possible on the campground road, see photo attached.

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(Tom Stoa)

Great conditions at Great River Bluffs today. 1-2" of white fluff on top of a firm base. Great coverage although a little thin in the pine woods section. No rocks, no ice, no branches. I could say all the trails are open but I'm not sure what all the trails consist of. There are new map signs generously scattered throughout the network but they don't exactly match the old wood figurine signs and don't match the actual groomed segments exactly. So it's confusing. Nevertheless, even the ungroomed segments are generally very skiable. The skate trail (Road) has not been recently groomed but a strong skier could muscle through it. Some of the classic tracks were hard to see with the new blowing snow but were generally in good shape. The walkers have been respectful on the shared trails. This park is remote enough that it doesn't draw tons of folks. I'm going back!

(Mark Orlowski)

4-5 inches of new snow, most trails groomed and classic tracks set. Occasional sticks or thin spots, mostly in pine forest areas. Overall conditions fair to good to very good, rustic state park skiing.

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(Tom Stoa)

The new snow on Sunday has improved conditions. We groomed the entire trail system this morning. The skate deck is in very good to excellent condition with some thin base areas in isolated areas. Classic track was set this morning with moderate success. The tracks are shallow in many areas but clean (no leaves). Overall skiing on the lower trails is very good. The upper trails are very skiable but skiers should be aware of rocks in some areas.

(Bruce Johnson)

Groomed the man made loop this morning after a light dusting of new snow. The man made loop is very good and good skis are ok. We also continued to build base on the 5 K loop but it is still very thin and only recommend to use your best rock skis. The classic track is poor to non existent. The skate deck on the man made snow is firm and very fast. We will attempt to set classic track after the temps warm.

(Bruce Johnson)

We scratched up the manmade loop which you could use your good skis. Then we went over the 5 K, up to second cutoff and around to Brother John's and back across the sledding hill. It's skiable but you'll need rock skis and it is very thin. We groomed the lighted trail and down Cow Path, which again rock ski conditions. Track is set in Yon's bowl and through the manmade loop. You can find some inner loops off the manmade, I think 4-5K worth including manmade.

(Steve Horeck)

Trails groomed and track set this morning, 3 inches of new snow over a hard base. Skate lane may be a little soft on the surface until it sets up. Only reason to use B skis is for the rare hidden rock. Skiing should be great today. Enjoy.

(Craig Johnson)

Groomed skate and track this morning. Skiers immediately started after grooming. They said it was great skiing. I have to think it was soft and a bit slower. Trail seemed nice and smooth with very little ice crystals. Some leaf debris. Still B grade skis need with a few rocks. Enjoy.

(Greg Hoelscher)

Grooming plans: Waiting for cooler temps and snow to groom. Will groom Sunday morning. Hopefully we will have good ski conditions for Sunday.

(Greg Hoelscher)

Ashland hospital trails were groomed and tracked this morning. Two inches of fluffy snow helped hide all the debris from the wind we had last week and freshen things up. A few dirty areas in the skate lane and few more in the track. I would not use my good skis.

(Andy Goyke)

Sunday turned out to be a wonderful surprise with 2-3 inches of new snow on top of a fantastic base that skied like a dream. Sunday night all the Classic only tracks were reset, Monday morning all the Skate/Classic trails were groomed and tracked. Conditions are Excellent. See you on the trails.

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(Steve Vizanko)

Skied 48 km of trails today. Great new snow, turned messy by midday in most sections near the trailhead. Back trails okay. Everything needs to be groomed and tracked. Hopefully, good conditions tomorrow.

(Kevin Grand)

3-4 inches on the trails today. Not worth the fossil fuels to groom today as it is beautiful and this sun is exactly what everyone has needed after this last week!

(Kate Barido)

We got 2 inches of light snow last night, on top of firm and level skate lanes and solid tracks. Nothing has been groomed since the snowfall, but the snow was light enough that it was easy to skate. Coverage is excellent, no concern about junk hiding below the fresh snow. This snow is just what we needed to freshen up! Beautiful and quiet!

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(Kate Ullman)

The Skate lanes were groomed Friday afternoon on Anchor, Seagull, Seagull Cut-off, Roller Coaster, Abbey Road, Northern Lights, and Buzz. Conditions are very good, surprising fast for the cool temps. The Classic tracks looked to be in good shape for now.

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(Steve Vizanko)

Thursday morning skate lanes were groomed and tracks set on Telford, Beginners Loop, Anchor, Roller Coaster, Seagull, Seagull cut-off, Abbey Road, Northern Lights, and Buzz. The skate lanes are in excellent condition, flat and firm. The classic tracks are excellent to very good. Snow cover is very good, I didn’t see any thin spots today.

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(Steve Vizanko)

Classic skied most all trail sections today, the tracks conditions are great! Throughout the trails I skied -- glide and kick are solid. Noticed a few tiny dirty snow areas on Sugar Bush and Jolly's Loop, but these are easily avoidable. With great conditions, I look forward to a headlamp ski. Ski on!

(Kevin Grand)

Over the last two days I have classic skied a 45 and 35 km loops of trails. Conditions have been very good. The tracks are good in most all trail sections. Jerry's Long Loop has some short sections of track that are a little iffy. With that being said the grooming is phenomenal for the weather Mother Nature gave us last week. Each time I skied the past two days some lake effect has fallen which slowed the glide down a bit, kick has been great. Looking forward to another ski tomorrow! Ski on.

(Kevin Grand)

Wonderful grooming! Busy with the few good options and holiday weekend, but few people once you got far enough out. Hilly classic-only segment at outer loop was a bit iffy. Screaming fast on even moderate downhills; a couple of steeper spots with turns prompted us to walk part way down. Downhills much safer on wider trails, with more space and softened up by skate skiers. That said, we had a great time on a great trail.

(Janet Folina)

Skied 12km classic and combi trails this afternoon. Conditions were fast/icy earlier in the day but that was expected. Kudos to the grooming/trail crew for their fantastic work. The tracks and skate deck were set perfect. The recent improvements in trail layout, mapping/signs, and the meticulous efforts towards grooming have created a top notch trail system. Your efforts have made me feel grateful for the wonderful experience I get because I bought my annual nordic pass.

(James Enigl)

Super nice! There is a crust of ice over the snow from all the wet snow/rain/snizzle, so it was like Creme Brule on not heavily skied trails; but, as skiers broke it in, it became nice and sugary, with an easier edge and fast. Tracks looked pretty good. I skied the entire "outer loop" (Abby/Northern/Buzz thing), as well as Anchor and Jolly (x2) and Skid Road. Really, only Jolly had a couple easily-avoidable snirt areas, and the tracks looked very clean on all of them; I was jumping in and out for downhills/resting. Way to go, groomers!

(Andrea Ochmann)

We received 2-3 inches of moist new snow as of Saturday morning. All of the skate/classic trails have been groomed with tracks set Saturday morning. Conditions are good with a semi-firm base and good snow coverage, the thin spots are mostly in the classic tracks. There is the possibility of finding a few thin spots still and we are recommending you use your B skis until you ski the trails and make your own decision on using your best skis. Grooming plans call for all the classic only trails to be tracked tonight when the temps drop into the ideal range.

(Steve Vizanko)

Nicest skiing of the season. Classic tracks were fast, yet with maximum control due to the several inches of new powder received. Not all trails were groomed as of Sunday evening.

(Geary Searfoss)

After 4-6" of fresh snow, the crew was out grooming this morning and setting track. Soft deck, but so nice to ski in fresh snow and in clean and deep tracks. My first time here in ages.

(John Ericsson)

We skied both sides and liked the smaller west side best. We had good snow coverage and they started grooming after we finished. The trails should be even better. It was worth the drive from Altoona.

(Mark Sontag)

Tom and groomers report an inch of fluff yesterday and then grooming of entire system making for fantastic classic and skate skiing throughout. No bare spots and good skis should be fine.

(Mike Cragg)

All trails have been freshly groomed and tracked except Sally's Classic, which will be reset tomorrow. Excellent skiing conditions!

(Kurt Janko)