I had an hour to kill while in Bemidji so skied this trail system for the first time. Not get groomed, but very skiable, since plenty of other skiers were out previously skiing in the 3 inches of snow on the ground.

Photos:

(Bryan Pike)

Skied in zero degree weather. Simply an easy ski of 7-8 miles, progressing steadily. Caution on downhills and areas of debris.

(Lisa Martin)

Simply a quick ski at 3.87 miles. Caution on areas of debris and downhills.

(Lisa Martin)

A Warming trend noted with zero degrees on Wednesday, 10 degrees on Thursday and a Welcome 20 degrees today for skate skiing. Easy pace. Quick easy ski on a portion of the inner and outer loops, progressing past an injury, simply enjoying nature skiing. ( simply * 4-5 miles) Caution on any areas of debris, raised sand regions, and downhills.

(Lisa Martin)

Skate skied easy pace. caution on downhills due to debris, and a few unlevel raised sand areas exposed. Advise rock skis.

(Lisa Martin)

I navigated to the ski trail in zero degree temperatures. Progressing steadily through a scenic nature trail. Continue to advise rock skis. An additional light snow noted on the trail since Tuesday, which is helpful. Use caution on downhills due to debris, areas of raised ground, under a light layer of additional snow. Embrace winter.

(Lisa Martin)

The ski trail is improving with additional snow. Light snow cover with multiple areas of debris, however much improved from earlier classic ski outing. Simply use rock skis, and caution on downhills due to areas of branches or raised ground noted. Embrace winter.

(Lisa Martin)

6-7" moisture laden snow today. We focused on about 40km of trail today, packing, combing and setting track with both the roll packer with compactor bar and the 9' Ginzu groomer. Grooming plans: We will be back out in the morning working on the rest of the trail system and cleaning up what we groomed today and resetting tracks. The new snow has elevated conditions and been nice to fill in low areas etc.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Very good to excellent early season conditions. 55km of trail open. 10km machine trackset, 15km groomed skate. 30km rollpacked/combed. 1-2" new snow past 24 hours. Base on trail average 3-4'. Comments: Skate skied over the lunch hour as the snow was starting to intensify. Snow had a nice silky feel on top of the solid base and skied very well. Late afternoon and evening select trails were packed, combed and tracked. Grooming plans: We will be working on the entire trail system Tuesday and plan to track more trail.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Good to excellent early season conditions. 55km of trail open. 10km machine trackset, 15km groomed skate. 30km rollpacked/combed. Comments: A great weekend of early season skiing! Crisp temps but no wind and sunshine helped take off the edge and good to see so many skiers out, thank you! Skied this afternoon to check conditions on Bullhead Lake and Bootleg extension today as well as North Loup and Twin Lakes and a few of the inner trails. Good coverage, great ski and used B skis using a little extra caution on North Loup. North end Bullhead needs 2-3" to be skiable but passable throughout taking skis off and walking through and makes for a fun adventure ski. Sukkerbusk for classic and Skaters Waltz for skating remains best trails. Grooming plans: We will be touching up select trails tomorrow and shoveling on high use areas building up the base for future considerations. If any new snow tomorrow, we plan to pack it in immediately.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

What a great weekend on snow! The skate deck on Skaters Waltz was firm and fast and the tracks on Sukkerbusk and Sap Run while shallow at times were also good. There were a few thin areas on Sukkerbusk, but overall given the early season skiing it was amazing. Once again the groomers at Maplelag are working their magic and making due with what mother nature has provided. It was hard to believe it was the first weekend of December.

(Dylan Ramstad Skoyles)

Maplelag's Nordic trails provided good classic skiing again today. Trails I covered include Twin Lakes, Sukkerbusk, and Jibfly. Snow coverage remains good at Maplelag, and the grooming team is doing an excellent job keeping the trails very skiable.

(Glenn Gifford)

Fair to very good early season conditions. 50km of trail open. 10km machine trackset, 15km groomed skate. 25km rollpacked, combed, Ginzu groomed. 1" new snow past 24 hours. Comments: A snowy evening capping off an awesome day of skiing and grooming and overall a great week. Today we packed and combed Bullhead Bootleg loop for the first time. Still rough on the north end but now ready for the next significant snowfall. Also combed out Skaters Waltz after a lot of shoveling on the climb out of Bullhead bay segment which is skiing really nice now. Late afternoon I skate skied on North Loup for the first time to check conditions. Coverage not quite as good at Skaters Waltz but still nice early season skiing. Use a little caution on the middle section at the far end. This evening after the 1" snowfall, reset double track on Sukkerbusk and Sap Run and combed out Skaters Waltz and Eira Bikwadinaa hill. A great weekend of skiing on tap!

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

A beautiful sunny and crisp day on the trails. This morning we reset track on JibFly easy loop, Sukkerbusk and also cut track on Sap Run and Mother Hen. Touched up Skaters Waltz flattening the edges with the 5" Ginzu groomer. We also packed out the practice areas and shoveled on thin areas. After grooming, classic skied with Jonell on all the trails tracked (around 7km). Sukkerbusk and Sap Run skied the best, a few areas of thin cover etc on other trails. Skate deck looked great and skiers I talked to reported nice skiing. Grooming plans: We will be running the 7' Ginzu on trails packed Monday that haven't been combed with the Ginzu groomer yet and continue shoveling snow on thin areas.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Very good early season conditions. Very light dusting of new snow, 20 degrees high humidity silky snow. Today we set track on most of Sukkerbusk, the easy loop of JibFly and parts of Mother Hen and Sap Run. Island Lake, Wavy Gravy and Roy's Run packed with the snomobile, no drag or roller. After Moorhead Nordic was finished with practice, Skaters Waltz was combed. Skate skied after grooming and was awesome, silky surface firm deck. I was using B skis and had no issue. Grooming plans: We will be packing and combing out the practice areas and continue building up the base in high traffic areas. If we pick up any snow tonight we will comb most of the trails.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

1" new snow past 24 hours. Compacted base on groomed trail 1-3". Snow depth in woods 4-7". A full day of grooming on about 35km of trail along with shoveling on thin areas. All the inner trails were with combed with the 5' Ginzu groomer or roll combed with the roller. Twin Lakes to the west and North Loup and Skaters Extension loops to the north also roll combed. Grooming plans: We plan to set track on 5-7km of trail tomorrow and continue combing and packing more trail including the singletrack trails, Island Lake, Wavy Gravy and Roy's Run.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Broke trail this morning beneath a cold, blue sky. Good coverage overall. Hoping the trail is groomed and tracks are set after the next snowfall.

(Ernie Ogot)

I finally got through Deep Woods. There are some low hanging branches but it is packed. Grooming plans: I will be grooming all trails with classic track and skating in preparation for a school race on Wednesday. There is an excellent base for this time of year. Enjoy!

(Marc Lundeen)

The skating track firmed up nicely last night. I managed to cut Finland trail open today and double packed a skating lane on it. Deep woods is still closed due to trees down. The whispering pines loop and most connecting trails wrre regroomed today. Hoping to set classic track after the next snowfall. Enjoy.

(Marc Lundeen)

Whispering pines and connecting trails are groomed for skating. Full width skating. Finland and deepwoods are still closed due to downed trees. Expect some leaves and branches on trail.

(Marc Lundeen)

All trails are groomed and classic track set on far side of deck surface. Skate skiing was good with my occasional "free ride" in the downhill classic track. Snow coverage is good with few things spots.

(Bryan Pike)

Giants Ridge received 4-6" of light snow last night. Bronze, Oslo, Summit, and Northern Lights were all groomed today. Oslo was the only groomed trail without classic tracks. Other than the skate deck being a bit soft, one rock poking through the deck and two or three spots where the track setter ran aground, the trails were great! All the lumps and bumps on the trail last week had been smoothed out.

Photos:

(Tony Norland)

Despite plenty of snowfall, it's disappointing to report GR has poorly rolled only a few of their trails thus far. By poor, it appears they sent a snowmobile down the trails at fast speeds which created mogul-like surface and no tracks were set for classic skiers. Needless to say, it's a frustrating experience at best. Coverage is good, but again, lack of grooming makes it a less than "first-class" experience.

(Nikki Norland)

15F. I skied the first 1km of the 5K and the sledding hill while preparing for a class. The snow surface is firm/hard so somewhat challenging to get an edge. The classic tracks are still in good condition. Snow started falling at about 7:30 pm.

(Louise Levy)

Base is (as expected) rock hard and fast, but it is getting pretty thin in places with grass and roots starting to break through. Let's hope for a lot of snow this week to top things off!

(Tim Bontrager)

10F, clear and slight breeze. The short 1km kids classic loop near the lowest parking lot had been groomed. Watch out for a couple of bare spots and some vegetation poking through, but otherwise good. The 5km classic tracks were in very good shape, with variable depth. I was skiing good skin skis. The thin spots were easy to avoid, picked up sticks through tour the ski so they'd be gone when we get more snow. If someone is willing to ski with a shovel it would be nice to add snow cover to the thin spots.

Photos:

(Louise Levy)

Skated all trails today. Unfortunately, the system was not groomed last night. The 6K is very skied-in and tricky in spots but decent coverage. 8k is much better and I pretty much just stuck to that. Overall, for early Dec, really great conditions. Thanks Snowflake crew!

(Tom Heinitz)

Skate deck very hard and slippery. Classic tracks solid and firm. Would rate B skis for skating, rock skis for classic since classic tracks dug down closer to ground and there are some twigs and underlying tree debris at times that might scratch bases. Didn't notice any rocks or hear any scraping. Skied Jane's 5K plus Special K.

Photos:

(Ken Kuznia)

I classic skied the 6k loop and was the only one out there this morning at 7:30AM. Boy was the air crisp. The trail was in good shape. Groomed up nicely with solid tracks cut. They are still shallow in a few spots, but they are easily stepped around and only a couple feet long each. The 10k loop was groomed, but I did not see tracks laid on it.

(Adam Schwartz-Lowe)

Fun to be out skiing again! Really good conditions on the 6k loop. There was one bare root or log or rock right under the 2k sign that folks will want to be careful of, and the special k is a little dirty, but really this is about as good as you can expect for a November ski. Big thanks to the groomers!

(Tim Bontrager)

Looked like most trails were open. We did the 5K loop 3 times. I did classic and my buddy skated. Conditions were good and it was busy up there. There were a few people with dogs...remember to check the schedule for when dogs are allowed.

(Adam Schwartz-Lowe)

Trails weren't groomed after the most recent snowfall yesterday/last night but the 5k was skied in. Jump on the 9k for some perspective if you think the 5k is slow going! Ecstatic to be skiing on natural snow in November!

(Chelsey Youngberg, Ski Hut)

Great ski. Just groomed this morning... But Bryan's loop closed for now - still cutting trees that are across the trail and some rough patches. I think it needs a bit more snow. Can cut over at 5k cutoff or Elizabeth's way for some great skiing.

Photos:

(Greg Sumner)

Actually pretty good skiing overall, great fresh tracks set. A few shallow spots. Most notably, a few of the valleys between hits have a bit of ice and there is one area early on where you have to take off the skis and walk across logs because the stream hasn't frozen.

(Brandon Drazich)

Saw this posted on Korkki's Facebook page: For the first time in known history, Korkki has tracks cut in November! Dorothy's loop and the high school course have been tracked, but don't count on quality trails. Rock skis are a must, and there are still a few logs and obstacles. Either way, November 30th, and there are almost 10k of semi-skiable trails open and ready!

(Jane Nelson)

I was up at Boulder lake for the tree cutting on Saturday, and looked at the trails and talked to some folks up there. Trails aren't groomed yet; it sounds like the plan will be to wait for some more snow.

(Will Daniels)

I am not alone skiing with a smiling soul with this early arrival of winter accompanied with very decent conditions at Upper Spirit. I couldn't help but ski all 16+k of trail, in which all are very "decent". I did hit a good hidden dirt mound and a few icy patches, so B skis are definitely recommended. The trail is a bit soft (photo), but otherwise, absolutely magical to be in the deep, quiet woods. Was able to thank the groomer who happened to be around. Sounds like they have been working pretty hard. Thankful.

Photos:

(Jena Ogston)

Upper is rolled! Outer loop of the campground is in great shape and good skis are usable. Skied the 3K because it's usually in the best shape the soonest of the trails. Definitely rock skis. Some rough spots but overall looking good. Happy they are rolled and ready for more snow!

Photos:

(Betsy James)

They were grooming this morning as we were skiing. The snow was very soft and there's still a fair amount of grass and leaves mixed in, especially in the classic tracks, and especially lower on the hill. Further up the hill the snow was better, but I'd still recommend B skis and would probably try to stay above O-B. The D loop was in good shape but I didn't try the E/F/G side loops. Probably still needs more snow to be fully covered.

(Sam Doniach)

Couple inches of fresh snow! Classic track was skied in nicely this morning. Skate deck was slow but mostly smooth. Couple bumpy spots. Overall, thumbs up.

Photos:

(Mandy Schirmers)

I would recommend avoiding the lower sections as they are thinner. Overall the trail is lumpy, grooved and very firm in the center making them challenging. Some sections are better. Watch for rocks which are seen here and there throughout, lots of dirt, leaves and sticks. Be aware to look to the bottom of the hill as there is not enough snow to smooth out the ditches at the bottom. Actually, the classic track looked better than the skate deck in most places. Hoping for more snow!

Photos:

(Chandra Shoberg)

Some sticks and leaves over the packed snow, and a bit of grass and sticks poking thru here and there, mostly avoidable on skate deck which was pretty well packed down. Classic tracks looked to be in good condition. I stayed on the main loop up thru I which was lovely and less traversed. Skipped the side loops (including D loop but it looked similar to other loops from above).

(Deborah Sah)

The City rolled all of Lester today, including the upper loops. In great early season shape, but do watch for rocks as others have noted.

(Annalisa Peterson)

I was overly optimistic about grooming and skated from the chalet up to H and back down. Snow was fluffy and trails were not yet groomed, which made for a clumsy skate! It was very fun to be in the woods on the trails. Coverage was decent but watch for rocks on some of the hills.

Photos:

(Kristin Lusian Saline)

Thank you to skiers and City Groomer for a great mid day classic ski around all of Lester. I skied from "I" down the west side to the pavilion in the park and back up the east side, including the D loop, up to I. The trails are all clear of branches and trees, no rocks, no dirt. There is a lot of lovely ungroomed snow to enjoy. The skied in classic tracks are fun, and the entire system is ready for grooming! Enjoy!

(MaryBeth Nevers)

2-3" of packed base on the skate deck, skiing very well. With the thin base it's B ski conditions. Not enough snow to set classic tracks yet.

(Mark Sponholz)

New Snow Last 24 hours: 2.5", New Snow Last 7 days: 4.5", Trail Base: 2 - 4". Comments: All trails are rolled. West Overlook, Upper and Lower Snowman, B&B and North Advanced loops are groomed for skate and classic style skiing. Conditions are surprisingly good, but there are numerous exposed rocks, leaves and grass. Ski mindfully and with caution. Think snow!

Photos:

(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

New snow Wednesday morning: 1 - 2 inches. Trail base after rolling: 1 - 2". Snow in the woods: 4 - 6". Wednesday morning rolled with coarse roller: West Overlook; Upper and Lower Snowman; Pincushion Loop and East Overlook. Many areas with exposed rocks and gravel. Skiing poor, rock skis only and ski with extreme caution. Grooming plans: Thursday morning we plan to coarse roll all the advanced trails with the hope for enough new snow to do some actual grooming. Think snow! The picture included is from the lower side of the Pincushion Loop trail. Better than expected.

Photos:

(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

Beautiful 11k groomed from Bearskin Lodge, on a fantastic base. The classic track was deep and solid, and the skate track was awesome! A big thanks to the Bearskin groomers for such great skiing.

Photos:

(Erin Moening, Moening the Tracks)

Absolutely amazing classic tracks set by the Bearskin Groomers and it was some of the best classic skiing I've done in years. Thanks to Bearskin Lodge for such fantastic conditions.

Photos:

(Erin Moening, Moening the Tracks)

We groomed the Logging Camp - Deer Mouse loop this morning. Some sections groomed up better than others but the loop itself is very skiable. Debris consists mostly of grass and some stubble poking through. Rock skis recommended as the base is pretty light still. The rest of the trails have been packed. On Bearskin's side, Summer Home Road and Campground Loop are also groomed.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Great coverage after this first batch of snow. I rolled it for now. There are still some roots and rocks I was hitting: Grooming plans: Maybe after tomorrow I can pull the groomer and track the trail.

(Jeff Love)

Skied Amen and south Suomi. About a half inch of new snow in the tracks that were set last week. Used my old fishscale skis. Some small rocks and sticks, but no noticeable damage to my skis.

(Randy Zupan)

Rolled and feather boarded all trails. Otterslide was packed for the first time today and is very soft. I would advise avoiding otterslide at this time. Plan to track system tomorrow.

(Derek Youngren)

Groomed man-made snow on lower loops is fast and hard. No tracks set yet. Upper and west trails have been flat packed and skiing is very enjoyable on thin 1 inch base of natural snow. Did not ski down steep hills yet, won't until there is more snow.

(Catherine McLynn)

All trails have been packed and have a good base. Rock skis recommend. Scheduling: We will be hosting Biathlon races Sat Dec 6 11am-1pm and Sunday Dec 7th 10am-12pm. The lower Biathlon trails will be closed to the public at these times but all upper Biathlon trails and GIA trails will be open all weekend.

(Derek Youngren)

Classic skiing was nice on one inch base rolled surface with a skiff of new natural snow on upper Bittersweet and Mag View. Avoided steeper downhills until more snow cover. Skate tracks by Junior MINSA indicate nice for skate skiing, too. Temps in 20's, no wind. Enter from Autumn Lane top yellow gate to avoid Service Road climb which may have some exposed dirt due to logging operations this past fall. Snowmaking underway on lower loops but mounds not pushed out yet.

(Catherine McLynn)

I rolled and feathered Doan Lake trails this morning. Bumps are slowly smoothing out. Then I set new Classic tracks. I did not set new tracks on Trout Lake trails. It's better to ski in the pretty good tracks from yesterday and cover over some rocks and leaves.

(Carl Nordgren)

Rolled and set tracks on all trails. Base is a bit thin for tracks but fair to good in most places. Still a bit bumpy until there is enough snow for groomer.

(Carl Nordgren)

We got a heavy inch of new snow last evening so we packed the trails this morning. We held off again on setting a classic track, still not enough snow. Our plans are to groom again tomorrow and if we get enough new snow, we might be able to set track.

(Tony Carter)

We packed all the trails on the system. Did not set a classic track, not nearly enough snow (1-2" packed base). I wouldn't do Atomic drop until we get more snow, there's a couple of rocky spots that would be difficult getting around. Grooming plans: We will probably hit it again mid next week if we get new snow.

(Tony Carter)

Skied Amen and south Suomi. About a half inch of new snow in the tracks that were set last week. Used my old fishscale skis. Some small rocks and sticks, but no noticeable damage to my skis.

(Randy Zupan)

Groomer flat packed two inches of new snow on Prelude, Lake and to H and back. Thin base ready for more snow!

(Catherine McLynn)

Checked out Black Forest trail and noticed it was not groomed and there has been snowmobiles on the trails.

(Kara Clifton)

Intl Falls got a bit over 4" of snow yesterday. We used both rollers today on the Green, Yellow, Orange, and Blue Return to main Blue and back to Orange. On the way out we got the Bogwalk. Skate only, no tracks. There's lots of debris on the trail and cover is thin over rocky areas. But some sections look great! It's well worth trying out with rock skis.

(Burgess Eberhardt)

I skied a loop through Green Swamp Trail to Orange to outer Yellow Trail and returned across Bogwalk. High points of hills had expected rocks poking through. Swamp has weed stubble. But in most of the woods I had a good ski. With 2 inches of snow I had plenty of glide for rock skis and I did not encounter rocks on the flats, mostly on bumpy hills. So, fun to get out with rock skis. Do not use good skis. I will go again.

Photos:

(Steve Langenbrunner)

Packed trails, but no track set yet. Most of the wetland areas are frozen now so can be skied without likelihood of icing up one's skis. (Wetland areas and the trail segments that go through them can be seen on map - blue hatched). The exception is #15 to #5, with some very wet areas. I snowshoe packed them, expect them to freeze up in cold weather. Till then, best to avoid that trail.

Photos:

(Mary Shedd)

I skied out to Junction 19 to install the trail map. Snow coverage was excellent, though the trail was a bit undulating due to the underlying bog and the fact that we haven't set tracks yet. I skied over fresh moose tracks and enjoyed every moment of being able to ski this early in the season, even if it was on human-set tracks. Return Route: I came back via Junction 18 ? 17 ? 3 ? 2 and back to the trailhead. This section had been nicely packed. Some debris was present on the trail when skiing adjacent to the lake.

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Skied from Jensen Trailhead to Junction 11 and back. Fresh snow with no rocks or debris. Packed Trails: Other trails that have been packed are highlighted in yellow on the map. Additional trails have been broken and set with human tracks, making them easy to ski. Warning - Wet Areas: Sections between Junctions 15 and 5, as well as from 18 to 19, have wet areas due to insulation from the 14 inches of accumulated snow. We plan to pack these trails tomorrow, which should help them harden up this weekend.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

The blue trail past 19 needs to be cleared with a chainsaw. The trail has not been groomed out this far. I hit some rocks while breaking trail. If you want solitude- go.

(Paul Peterson)

We skied from Jensen Trailhead to junction 14 ? 21 ? 13 ? 17 ? 3 ? 2 and back to the trailhead. The section from Jensen Trailhead to junction 10 was packed but not tracked on Friday (packed on both sides). A more even pack has now been established between the trailhead and junction 17. Fresh snow with no rocks or debris. Yesterday, an extra inch of fresh, fluffy snow covered the packed trail. We broke trail from junction 14 ? 21 ? 13. Once back on 13, we opted to head to junction 3 from 17, then returned to the trailhead via 3 ? 2 ? 1. This section wasn't packed, but now has a human-tracked trail that's easy to ski through. Fantastic day out in the fresh winter wonderland these trails provide! Grooming plans: The plan is to pack all trails on Tuesday.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

I was out early before sun-up this morning and groomed all of Washburn. Since I had cleared trees last week, it was nice going – I only had to groom. We had about 9.5 inches over the past 2 days. The skate segments on the south were also rolled and packed. I didn't do the far east loop in the South as I think there is logging out there again.

(Paul VanderWaal)

First time skiing here. Trail was packed with very good snow coverage. No classic tracks set. Beautiful trail. Can't wait to come back.

(David Baumgardner)

Wonderful early December ski. Trail is in pretty good shape, skate deck was more consistent than the classic tracks. Some portions of the classic track had lots of debris. Snow was squeaky, and the chickadees were calling from the tops of the trees.

Photos:

(Tony Lockhart)

Groomed again today, trail is in better shape but we really need more snow before it's in great skiing condition. Set a new classic track but again I would call it marginal. Stay away from the advanced spurs until we get more snow.

(Mark Gordon)

Groomed the ski trail again today and laid down a classic track that was mostly a bust. We also had trouble with one of the snowmobiles so the second half of the 5k is a bit rough in spots from the tracks. Would not recommend either of the advanced spurs until we get more snow. Overall the trail is skiable with sections that have a lot of leaves and grass poking up. Grooming plans: Hope to get out tomorrow and clean things up and lay down a better classic track.

(Mark Gordon)

Packed the ski trail again today. Not enough snow to set a classic track - maybe once it sets up we can try later in the week. The 5K loop is skateable for the most part but not for your best skis, the other loops have quite a few patchy spots.

(Mark Gordon)

Surprisingly good snow conditions. No grooming but classical tracks are fairly good. Skating could be a challenge with the powder. The one deadfall has a narrow path through it.

(Thomas Eckstein)

Good conditions this afternoon. Ungroomed, but pretty decent tracks for classic thanks to those who had skied before me. Although it looks like someone had tried the longer loop, I took the shorter because the tracks were more established. There is a tree down at 1.7 km, maybe just before you hit the backside of what I think is a concession stand in the summer. Most of the add-on loops were untraveled. Not yet groomed for skate skiing.

(Brandon Drazich)

I skied 2 miles on the prairie loop this morning and had a lovely time at sunrise. Really powdery snow. No grooming yet.

Photos:

(Greta Kaul)

Amazing December fresh, groomed track skiing. Best ever. Skin skis were perfect. Skied Frog town, oak backwards, lake, hill loop. Fabulous. Winter wonderland. Skate observation: packed but soft at 8 am. Scenic heights was yet to be open. Heard there are races today.

Photos:

(Diane Pattridge)

I classic skied the manmade snow trails this morning and they were in great shape. Star Loop, Willow Creek, and Frog Town (2 miles) were open. The Foothills has a lot of snow and will hopefully open soon.

Photos:

(Kenneth Kooistra)

Silky smooth skate skiing this morning on all of the natural snow trails. No classic tracks, however. The Lake loop has some forest debris, but nothing to worry about. The Hill and Nature Center trails are fabulous. Shared the trails with 7 deer. Some of the best natural snow conditions in years.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

The groomed loop is perfect. I skied Lake and Hill trails (natural snow). They were rolled but not tracked. There was some leaf debris, a few thin/icy spots, etc. It was all fully skiable, if a little more challenging than usual. The deck was hard, which led to a little sideways slip, but overall fun.

(Laurie Ford)

Among the human made snow loops, only Star Loop and Willow Creek were open and in good shape. The Lake trail was open and I tried it but it was too rocky and I turned around.

(Steve Smith)

Skied around 1 p.m. Hardly anyone there! Oak Knob, Willow, and Star open and in great shape with rock hard track. Wasn't that cold!

(Stan Hokanson)

Skate skied a couple laps of the Lake loop and checked out the manufactured section that is open. Grateful for the effort that was put in to open the natural trails, as it must be hard to manage with the limited snow depth. The skate deck was pretty firm and had full coverage, no bare spots or anything poking through. Some minor twig and leaf debris in the woods as usual, but nothing that would scratch skis and the twigs were avoidable if you're paying attention. Rated B skis because of a couple patches of hard scratchy ice. One is a hump with ice chunks as you go down the first small hill just after leaving the manufactured trail onto to the Lake loop. The hump is enough that you may get a tiny bit of air if you're going fast (I did). It reminded me of the jumps kids make for sledding. The other icy spot is a bumpy patch and some volleyball sized holes in hard packed snow and ice- It's at the bottom of the hill at the very end of the Lake loop before the last hill up to the visitor center, where the beach section is on your right. I nearly fell my first time through, and just slowed to a safe speed on subsequent loop. Overall, really great conditions, better than expected. And it's so beautiful on the soft lighting and silky natural snow on that loop.

Photos:

(Amy Swan)

So much fun to be out on real snow! Since it wasn't technically open [ It is listed open by Three Rivers as of today -- Ed. ] we didn't do much and went back to the donut but lots of people trying it out and happy to have that option this year. The tracks that were set were just a bit too wide. Odd as I thought this was pretty standard but I recall this happened here a couple times last year too so perhaps it's an adjustable setting. Huge pile of snow just waiting to be moved onto a trail section (photo).

Photos:

(Karla Anderson)

It's alive. And looking (typically) great! Star and willow open and flawless (stayed on those so far). Some of natural snow trails are open including the lake loop (didn't go) which is rated as good per the electronic board in the chalet.

(Adam Bock)

Classic skied the natural trails on backcountry fishscales. Trails were rolled but not tracked, lots of leaf litter but can I say it was fabulous to be back on those trails and on real live snow?! I really didn't care about the conditions and my ankles enjoyed the extra trackless workout. Skate skiers looked to be enjoying themselves as well. Buy your Three Rivers pass and go have fun!

Photos:

(Bonnie Carlson-Green)

Intended to go on the natural trails, but the staff were adamant that they were closed. Lots of snow piled up on the manmade loop, though, ready to groom. staff said they plan to open Star and Willow this weekend.

(Laurie Ford)

Three Rivers staff said that they're shooting to open the man-made Star loop by mid-next week at the latest and potentially as early as this weekend. The snow guns are blowing around the clock, but they still have quite a bit left to fill in, especially by the chalet. They also mentioned that they're trying to keep skiers off the natural snow trails, hence the Closed status on the Three Rivers website. That said, it looked like the Lake loop was groomed overnight and had a couple of skate tracks on it.

(Matt Francsis)

Great skiing on the natural trails. They groomed in last night's dusting and it was basically perfect in the fields, woods a little bumpy and leafy but definitely don't need rock skis. No tracks, but I double poled and the skating looked awesome.

(Sam Holt)

Natural snow loops have been groomed. Solid coverage on the north loop and nature center spur with a couple spots that have lots of leaves. Snow guns were running into the start of Frogtown; though I stayed off the snow making loops.

(Ben Ruhme)

Drove by the trails at Hyland today. All the snowmaking equipment was operating with many piles of snow ready to be spread out. Looks like they'll have some snowmaking trails ready to go soon.

(Jeff Swanson)

All natural snow trails were groomed. Man made loop was not open. It was adventure getting across man made sections connecting groomed trails. Coverage thin, but skiing was awesome.

(Patrick Nelson)

Trails are not groomed. Talked to the concessions team they related that the snow was too thin. All they knew was they hope to be open in about 10 days.

(Scott Greymont)

Waxless classics on a fresh inch of snow. Mitigwaki from Trail Center to Old Logging, north to campground and return. New snow covered most of the tree debris, a beautiful morning before the next round of snow, I hope. And the entrance guarding doe is back for another year!

Photos:

(Bryan Lueth)

First time out this season and was pleasantly surprised. Waxless classics on the double tracked paved trails: Mitigwaki from Trail Center to Old Logging; Old Logging north to the dead end at the campground entrance; return Old Logging to Visitor Center, then "freestyle" on the bluff side portion of Mitigwaki back to Trail Center. Pole tips occasionally contacted the pavement, but otherwise good coverage. A good base for future snow, lately it's been a rare treat to be out before Christmas!

(Bryan Lueth)

Very pleasant ski yesterday and today, but just barely enough snow. Grooming nicely done with snow they received. Classic track set only from the Trail Center to Nature Center and on the old logging road where there is asphalt (which can be seen through the tracked base in places). Moderate debris, twigs and leaves. Sand coming through where there are horse trails.

Photos:

(Thomas Leaf)

The park is packed and tracked! We think we skied the old logging road but it was hard to tell as only summer trail maps were outside. Some leaf debris but mostly just great skiing.

Photos:

(Karla Anderson)

Skate skied today only on the golf course side, around 11-ish am. Tried to find any signs of the trailhead that the park map promised but couldn't find any. I just started from the golf clubhouse parking area. Then I couldn't find the actual track! I eventually found some evidence of the track but as there had been some fresh snow I believe I meandered off/on the established track since there was no flags to indicate where the track went. Ultimately I enjoyed myself but so frustrating that more care isn't taken to show the way. It worked out ok for me but at this point there was no grooming for either skate or classic.

(Eric Rautio)

Skated Memorial/Campground (Purple/Orange) - pleasantly surprised! Maybe it's just excitement to be back on natural snow, but the newly fallen snow on top of the groomed trail made for a very nice ski. A few leaves and branches but no grass or bare spots. No classic trails set yet.

Photos:

(Wade Demmer)

Skied the skijoring trails today. They were in wonderful conditions for early season. No classic tracks set as there is not enough snow.

(Charlie Rietschel)

Did some classic skiing on the campground trails. No classic tracks, not enough snow yet. I thought the trails were pretty good for early December. I didn't hit any bare ground. Skating may dig deeper and hit some dirt.

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(Jim Ringdal)

Trails on the Bunker Park side were combed today. Very limited base, poor to fair conditions with the fair conditions tending to be in the sheltered areas out of the wind. More snow needed before additional grooming can be done. Grooming plans: The golf course is being assessed tomorrow for grooming potential.

Photos:

(Todd Neal, Anoka County Parks)

I stopped by the Visitor Center at 1:30. The trails are being packed today, and per the person at the desk, may be tracked tomorrow. The parking lots are plowed.

(Steve Hauser)

Skied East Section long outside loop starting at Jensen Lake Trailhead. About a 1/2 inch or so of new snow on top of packed trail. Good snow coverage. Fun to be skiing natural snow trails after 2 years of no xc skiing at Lebanon. Lots of foot marks on a good proportion of the loop.

Photos:

(Ken Kuznia)

Skied the east trails between Holland Lake and the Visitor's Center. Packed, good coverage, some leaves/sticks due to the wind, a couple of avoidable rocks. Snowmobile groomer was repacking the trails while we were there. This improved the surface, but did get rid of the skied in track that was there previously.

Photos:

(Dave Gardner)

Packed but not tracked. Skiers had made remarkably good tracks all around the outer perimeter, and boot prints were not too bad. The big hill had enough powder for a safe descent. The one anomaly was that someone decided to clear the snow around the visitor center all the way to the pavement, even where the ski trail usually passes.

Photos:

(Rick Vatsaas)

Everything I skied was packed, not tracked. The base was firm, with complete coverage everywhere I skied.

(Steve Hauser)

Skied the west trails, both the short and long loops from the West Trailhead. Found 1" plus of fresh snow over groomed trails. Snow is thin in some areas, but no bare spots. Be especially careful at the downhill section between markers 211 and 212. There are large 5" plus rocks frozen into the middle and left sides of the trail which may be even more difficult to see now from the snow Saturday afternoon/night. Otherwise, decent coverage.

Photos:

(Marissa Kocaman)

Skied most of the outer loop, skipped the Big Hill. I found skier-made tracks, on 1+" fresh snow on top of rolled trail, to provide a great first ski; snow is thin but no bare spots.

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(Cheryl Vatsaas)

Skied East section Dodd road trail. Snow is thin but no bare spots. Trail rolled but not tracked. Overall an enjoyable ski.

(Paul Kraus)

No grooming yet, but the volunteer tracks look pretty good. I think rock skis are called for. Go out and enjoy.

Photos:

(Rick Vatsaas)

Got out shortly after noon. Trails not groomed and visitor center staffer said they need more snow before grooming starts. All trails on the north side of system had skied-in tracks. Some snowshoe tracks overlaid. Kick and glide were both good. Coverage was perfect with no rocks or tree debris encountered. Every skier I met glowed with that first snow joy. You can use your good skis but use your B or rock poles because you will be stabbing asphalt on many of the trails.

(Mark Orlowski)

Trails not groomed yet. Not as rough as I thought, but definitely areas where I was sinking down to grass on the Yurt green loop from the visitor center. Around mile marker 60 (the pine trees) was tracked the old fashioned way and fantastic all the way over to 34. Super fun early season skiing. I talked to the folks inside, who speculated they would try to pack them, but unlikely they will be tracked immediately.

Photos:

(Andrew Wolpers)

I got out 8:30 to 10:30 am and bushwhacked(regrettably) classic. Herky-jerky hitting rough trail and my call was "go somewhere else". There were many people with dogs walking on the ski trails and I didn't see signage yet indicating the no-walk ski trails. Sudden stops on rocks made downhills especially risky (I fell).

(Peter Dorsen)

Rolled and tracked. Wonderful. Skied Classic on Grim and King. King was getting wind blown at top of the hill after noon. Skate track looked a little soft as its new snow.

(Jim Johnson)

Freshly groomed including tracks. Nice conditions with gently falling snow. Great for classic with fish scales. Skate might be a little soft until it sets up.

(David Koester)

Great ski on Grimm today. Very few rocks, very little grass poking up and very easy to avoid. Was in much better condition than expected. No classic tracks.

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(Lorrie Parent)

Some grass visible but wasn't slowing me down and some twigs and other tree debris. But very avoidable. Great ski, so nice to be back at Carver!

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(Scott Haag)

Packed for skating. No tracks for classic. A little uneven but not bad. Some bare spots easily avoided.

(Loren Johnson)

The internet was correct! All of Carver's ski trails are open and skiable! Beware of a few thin spots (the long uphill going north towards Grimm Farm). But yeah, it's a great time.

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(Dave Niday)

The main trail (Sugarbush/Lake? Signage is scarce) was rolled. Soft snow, but good coverage with little debris, so it was fun. This was my first time here, so I just followed others' tracks. The loop I was on is easy. Another skiier said some of the harder trails (King?) were also open.

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(Laurie Ford)

I used rock skis but didn't see rocks, just a few sticks. The snow is soft but packed and not tracked so I skated. The grooming crew did a great job.

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(Chuck Barden)

Groomers were out early this morning and trail conditions are good. East side is groomed with classic tracks. West side is groomed.

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(Grace Johnson)

Great coverage throughout the park. Skied all trails and the North Loop was the only one where I hit pavement/ground. The swans were honking as I skied by the lake, probably warning me of an impending storm. So great to be skiing on natural snow!

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(Marie Jordan)

Wonderful conditions this morning with the skate deck significantly improved from last week. Trail is wider and starting to even out. Not enough snow for classic tracks yet. North trail still a bit soft in places but wonderful to be able to ski the full outer loop this early in the season. The Flats trail was the highlight this morning with a fresh, wide groom and no leaves or debris to work on getting the rhythm back. Thank you groomers and park staff- such a beautiful place to ski.

(Paul Shirilla)

Trails were in good shape. A few stray leaves but was able to really enjoy first time out for the year. Joined by a pair of "pedestrians" - two deer. Skied most of the trails near Nordic Center.

Photos:

(Bob Kammann)

Not groomed for classic. There are classic tracks set by other skiers on some of the flat spots. The snow is thin on hills, a few sticks to avoid. Overall the skiing conditions were okay, but so good to be out.

(Thom Green)

New Snow is soft and light. Easy gliding and freestyle looked excellent. Classic tracks are skier made and therefore range from okay to messy. Typical "okay" classic track.

(Lincoln Fetcher)

During and after the 1/2 of new snow this morning most of Lake Elmo trails are in good shape. There are a couple of up hills on browns pond trail that are a little thin, and near the top of yellow, there was exposed dirt (it is now covered), but will need to be watched for until we get more snow. Red trail is covered, however, your poles, will hit the pavement underneath. Still it is better than earlier in the week, when grooming had left some ruts.

(Bruce Fiedler)

The groomers' efforts are always appreciated, but today the results were disappointing. The shallow, skier-made classic tracks that I found on Monday were gone today. And I suspect that skaters may have wondered why there were deep tractor tracks on much of the deck. The natural snow is wonderful, but I guess we still need more of it.

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(Paul Lohmann)

Don't bother, trail was 100% rutted. Minimal dirt showing everything covered but only an inch deep. Lots of foot traffic and groomer tire ruts everywhere. The practice area is reasonably smooth but again covered with foot traffic. Skied half a lap and quit.

(Steve Thatcher, Ride and Glide Bike & Ski Club)

Great early season rock ski conditions. Impressive work by Lake Elmo grooming crew given the amount of snow we received. Some thin spots and a stray rock here and there, but quite skiable. Thanks groomers!

(John Leaf)

The entire trail is groomed, no classic tracks yet but decent for early season. Rocks showing through in some spots, some spots uneven and on the pink loop pretty soft but the rest setup well. I tried everything except the red loop to avoid pole plants on pavement. Strong work LEPR grooming team!

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(Tyler Lindquist)

I took my rock skis out this morning and was pleasantly surprised with the conditions. Soft and slow but good coverage. They had started grooming, too! I skied the full outer loop and just skied over a couple sticks. I don't think I hit the ground at all but would still recommend rock skis until the snow hardens up a little. Thanks to the groomers for getting out early today!

Photos:

(Nick Arth)

The best conditions I've seen at Baker in years! Shoutout to the groomers for getting out early so that we could get in a moonlight ski this morning before work. Perfect coverage on all of the trails. Thought I wasn't classic skiing, the tracks looked spotless throughout. However, as expected the snow was occasionally a bit soft and slow, as it needs a bit more time to firm up. Get out and enjoy it!

(Ronan Winkels)

Excellent conditions! Full coverage with occasional scattered leaves and there was a bit of grass poking up leading out to the island loop. No issues running race skis. Bonus highlight was a pair of pileated woodpeckers working on a dead ash tree.

(Ben Ruhme)

Skater's paradise at Baker! Nice wide trails, great grooming, full snow coverage. No real debris other than leaves. A few uneven spots but nothing really to worry about. I used race skis without issue. No classic tracks that I could see.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Great to be on natural snow this early in the season. Baker is in great shape. No tracks set. I skied the whole system this morning. Minor leaves and a few twigs poking through. Easily could have skied good skis.

(Brent Lackas)

Pretty nice conditions at Baker today! No track set but the skate deck is pretty nice. No rocks or sticks in the snow although I did feel and hear some crunchy stuff under my poles on the climb towards the barn on Timber Trail.

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(Gene Kay)

Completed the outside loop including the island. Everything is groomed but no tracks. Very good conditions for early December, there is some unevenness, leaves in the woods and grass showing in the fields, but very little ground showing through. I used rock skis but easily could have used B skis.

(Joe Anderson)

The Horse Shoe trail including the "Shoe" and the climb up to the cross over to the Prairie Loop were groomed with a classic track set as of 3:00 pm today. Still a bit soft with the warm temps. This addition should provide an approximate 1.5 km continuous loop.

(John Fitzgerald)

The Prairie Loop is now open. Snow has been made on the Horseshoe Trail and will begin to be pushed out and should be open soon.

(Kristopher Lencowski, Ramsey County Parks)

I skate skied the natural snow trails on the World Cup loop on Saturday. There was no direct path if you start from the main parking area by the manmade loop, so I had to do some ski hiking through snow piles and ungroomed sections to get there. I was happy to find fully groomed trails on the natural snow trails. Small rocks and tree debris were visible but avoidable. The trails were uneven at times, but soft enough to still ski with control and deep enough to edge with confidence in most sections. I also skied the Ski Games trails and they were more uneven than the World Cup natural snow sections and soft, but still enjoyable to ski. I was very happy to be able to ski the amazing trails at Battle this early in the season. For those of you that like the challenge of these trails, get out there and ski them while we have the good conditions!

Photos:

(Jeff Annesley)

The pond loop (0.6 km) and the stadium were fully groomed with classic tracks set as of 2:00 pm today. There should be no issues with snow depth as it is quite deep and Pisten Bully groomed. The official opening day is tomorrow (Saturday) but feel free to come on over for a sneak preview this afternoon or evening.

(John Fitzgerald)

Levelling snow in preparation for grooming in the stadium and Pond Loop. Grooming plans: Absent mechanical issues, we anticipate opening the Pond Loop by Saturday morning.

(Kristopher Lencowski, Ramsey County Parks)

The ski games trails remain in fair to good condition albeit a little bumpy at times. The fresh snow on top of the grooming from last week makes for some nice glide. Even crossed the road and skied a large portion of the trails on that side. There was surprisingly good coverage, but it could use another grooming (and there seems to be enough snow for that).

Photos:

(Kent Sall)

Natural snow on the ski games is in great condition! Drove by the snowmaking loop, snow was pushed out, but not groomed around the pond loop. One snow gun blowing in the stadium.

Photos:

(Ryan Soule)

Drove by BC and many of the machine made snow mounds had been leveled out but guns still blowing in area of the timing/shack/start area. Nothing groomed from the parking lot view. It appeared some guns already blowing in the lower sections and the "up hill".

(John Witzmann)

Ski games loop is open, other trails are not. When I started skiing, the trail was rolled and had great coverage, but it was not well compacted or set, so there were starting to be deep ruts - then a high school team came through and compacted/smoothed most of the trail really nicely. Unfortunately, the heavy traffic also exposed grass in quite a few spots.

(Tuomas Sivula)

Pond loop not open yet but the snow guns were blasting. I skied the Snow Games loop which was uneven at times but a pretty decent ski overall. Not bad for our first significant snowfall.

Photos:

(Kent Sall)

The trails west of Battle Creek Road (Ski Games) were rolled this afternoon. The snow cover is thin in some areas.
It was a good day for snowmaking. Hope to have the Pond Loop open soon.

(Rob Adams, Ramsey County Parks)

Guns blazing but not groomed yet, looking like they are working to get a good base around the donut before it opens, looks close!

Photos:

(Tyler Lindquist)

A decent amount of snow, no Trails set, but hopefully soon. This is my favorite place to ski. Someone set a trail manually and it's ok. Definitely walked on by the dog park. For me I'm not as picky i live nearby And just want to ski.

(Lori Schmidt)

Skate trails are rolled. A few people have been out skating so far. It's soft and a lot of effort (at least for me!) but still soo fun. Hopefully groomed soon.

(Katie Swanson)

Generally good coverage throughout and recently groomed. The problem spots are the usual places: trails near the crossing of the railroad tracks and the S-curve downhill on the return to the trailhead from the Savannah trail. Pretty good chance of hitting a rock in those areas, thus the rock-ski rating. The Hardwood Hills trail gully seems to have grown a bit over the off-season. Would not recommend that trail until we get a little more snow.

(John Leaf)

All trails have been rolled but not packed. With the nice wide trails I'd say it's better for skate skis now. The firm ridges in the corduroy made skiing in a straight line a bit challenging.

Photos:

(Karla Anderson)

Amazing to be back at William O'Brien, my favorite spot in the cities! Skied the outer loop minus Hardwood Hills. No grooming or rolling yet, but earlier skiers made a decent set of tracks. I used rock skis but felt I could have skied carefully on B skis. Very few spots with debris, like under the bridge and on the downhill after the railroad track. A joyful way to spend the afternoon.

(Molly Schaus)

Skied around lunch time on the snowmaking section -- basically down the fairway and then up to Coaches Corner. Good conditions, good skis fine, but with the gray sky and the snowflakes, it was sometimes hard to track the edges of the trail. Realized I should have brought some kind of eyewear...

Photos:

(Bruce Adelsman)

The snow was in great shape when I went out around 8am even after a dusting of snow this morning! A tad soft but nothing the next grooming run won't handle. So beautiful to be out while the snow is falling!

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(Ophelia Loree)

I skied JD Rivers, Bassett Creek, Tornado Alley, Skyline, and Bridge trails before sunrise this morning. Overall, still great coverage. Hard packed and fast for skate. Looked like some viable classic tracks from other skiers throughout many sections. It's a bit uneven and wobbly, but generally pretty great. Some areas to look out for - under 55 I took off my skis. The snow under there is quite thin with lots of bare concrete. The section immediately South of 55 (when you are coming out of 55 toward Glenwood) has a lot of bare asphalt exposed - you can avoid it if you keep an eye out. On the bridge trail there are some parts where I'm not sure if it's asphalt poking through or ice. I don't think it has been groomed since Friday - hopefully we get a couple more inches this week.

(Sam Knuth)

The snowmaking ski trail is now open up to Coach's Corner in addition to the par 3 cutoff of Green Meadow trail, for a total of about 1.5k. Natural snow trails were groomed Friday night for skate, with no classic tracks set. The usual early season detours around lake crossings are in place. Natural snow trails do not connect to snowmaking trails at this time due to ongoing snowmaking - connect via the Trailhead parking lots. Buy your ski pass at the Loppet website and come enjoy the winter!

(Robert Ibler, Loppet Foundation)

The natural snow trails north of Glenwood continue to be in excellent shape - and I did not run into any debris this morning just before the snow started to fall. Great for skating everywhere from the Trailhead to Glenwood Ave, and pretty good classic tracks on the Skyline trail!

(Bill Oyler)

The Par 3 cutoff of the Green Meadow loop is now open, for a total of about 750 meters of snowmaking ski trail. Bring a headlamp after dark - Green Meadow is unlit. The rest of the snowmaking trails remain closed for snowmaking at this time. The entire natural snow trail system was rolled Sunday evening and is in generally good shape, but needs more snow for further grooming.

(Robert Ibler, Loppet Foundation)

Snowmaking loop: Great conditions on the small 200 yd long track. Better than nothing. Got to warm up my legs before my Silverstar trip. Natural snow: The south side was packed hard for skaters. Not much in the way of skied in tracks. So nice to be out on my first ski of the season and even on natural snow. No bare spots.

Photos:

(Diane Pattridge)

Excellent conditions on the natural snow trails! Great coverage from the Trailhead (Skyline and Tornado Alley) all the way through the woods to 394 on the natural snow trails. Ideal for skate skiing, but Some decent classic tracks too, especially on the Skyline loop. B skis are good for most of the natural snow. Super nice grooming!

(Bill Oyler)

Loppet did an awesome job with a 400m loop, snow guns are blasting and I would bet a longer loop opens soon.

Photos:

(Erin Moening, Moening the Tracks)

Winter is here! The roughly 400 meter out and back in Lower Stadium is now open 6am-10pm. Plan is to groom nightly for classic and skate, and lights are on. Snowmaking is ongoing and the other snowmaking trails remain closed. Natural snow trails are open but ungroomed at this time.

(Robert Ibler, Loppet Foundation)

Natural snow trails were well covered but not groomed. People had broken trail for classic which was well set, all things considered.

Photos:

(Chance Davis)

I skied the Valley, Lake, and Northern Lights trails this morning. The natural trails are packed for skate and are in really nice condition. A few leaves and fallen twigs but all were easily avoidable. A portion of the Northern Lights trail leading back to the chalet hadn't been packed yet but it wasn't difficult to get through.

(Maisie Lavoie)

All of snowmaking loop open except for the most southern loop. All trails seem to have been groomed since the snow yesterday although I kept to the ones with lights this morning. Could see the groomer tracks coming and going from the other paths.

(Ben Fuller)

I skied this morning on the same limited groomed area; Chalet to practice area and back including the North Donut. However, when leaving at around 9:00 am the groomers were out working from the practice area to the South Donut and Elm's Everest which would complete the snowmaking loop.

(Don Callander)

1k+ in very good condition, packed and tracked at Valley Trail by chalet. Northern Lights Loop is packed, not tracked. Great skiing.

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(Mark Skinner)

The Valley trail has 1.25km (by my gps) of perfect manufactured snow. Skate and classic. The next section of trail looks to be ready soon. All other trails are ungroomed.

(Mark Erickson)

Elm Creek Cross Country Trails Remain closed at this time. We are actively making snow and hope to open up our Valley Trail sometime this coming week.

(Dominic Ray, Three Rivers Park District)

Classic skied lagoon trail. Newly groomed for skate skiing and classic. No one out here. Beautiful ski as the snow quietly fell.

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(Jeffrey Saslow)

French was in surprising good condition for skate (no tracks) with few leaves and dirt in some places. It had been just packed so enjoyable although somewhat slow.

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(Bernard Cerles)

Trails were all packed but not tracked. Coverage is a bit thin in places, with a little bit of dirt showing here and there. Surface is mostly smooth and flat. Very few leaves and sticks. We were on skin skis, which worked well, but most other people were skating. It seemed like even better conditions for skating than classic. I was surprised that the Three Rivers website rated the French trail conditions as poor and the Hyland natural trail conditions as good. We skied most of the Hyland natural snow trails Saturday afternoon and most of the French trails Sunday afternoon, and we thought the trails at French were in significantly better condition than the natural snow trails at Hyland. There were a few small stones scattered on the trails at French and I picked up and tossed out all the ones I saw.

Photos:

(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

Skied the whole trail. Good coverage and great conditions for early skiing. It is thin in several spots so I'm glad I had my rock skis. With good early conditions I'm hoping this a good sign that we will be able to ski French through the whole season!

(Joe Anderson)

My daughter and I skied at French around 7pm. Amazing skiing! Great grooming and all the lights for the trails were on. We skied most everything and while there was some very minimal amount of leaves and small areas where small rocks were showing. Definitely a treat to be able to ski natural snow trails on Dec 2nd... or any date for that matter! :-).

(Jason Midgarden)

Groomed for skate. Open at the nature center. The loop down to the lake is not groomed.

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(Jaime Konerman-Sease)

Packed and track set on Pike Island. I didn't ski the other areas, but the groomer was out working. Great conditions with a minute amount of leaf litter. Used skins and grip was great. Best conditions in last few years.

(Thomas Eckstein)

Trails are rolled AND tracked! We started down near the visitor center and went up to the picnic area, around the lake and up to the ranger station. It looked like they may be doing some heavy equipment work on the other side of the lake so we just doubled back. While the tracks were a bit shallow in places the groomer did a phenomenal job! Sadly some of the groomers efforts have been run over by a fat tire biker along the entire length of the trail. Still a great ski with tracks!

Photos:

(Karla Anderson)

Trails were packed not groomed. Footprints from people walking. The moon lit up most of the Pike Island trail. It was great.

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(Daniel Thonglyvong)

Skied Pike Island full outer loop. Packed but not tracked. Surprisingly good conditions considering relatively little snow depth. Unfortunately many walkers have used the loop and left footprints all over,

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(Karen Margolis)

Skied Pike Island loop. Good coverage and glide. Fresh snow cover helped. Park staff was packing trails.

(Cindy BulsonMcKnight)

Groomed area was well covered, nice and firm but soft enough for good traction. A few footsteps, fewer as you got further from the lot onto Pike Island.

(Anna Cates)

Mother Nature was kind to us and gave a wintery treat. Trail is rolled and there are a some snow ridges on the trail. They will be groomed out in the near future. Get out and have fun!

Photos:

(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

I had a great ski on Saturday afternoon. The deck was narrow and held up well. Mind your tips as there isn't a lot of room (I'm a beginner skater skier though). There weren't any real classic tracks but plenty of people out there. There were a few spots with the dreaded oak leaves, and the tips of grass, but overall safe to use your better skis. If you are nervous, grab your B or rock skis.

(Howard McCann)

Decent snow coverage with a few thin spots due to wind. The skate deck is still very soft, but definitely skiable.

(Mike Robertson)

Skied a few loops around Phalen late Friday afternoon. Was surprised to that there was such good coverage, only a few grassy spots. Snow was fresh and ungroomed but glide was fine. Looking forward to grooming.

(Tim Nelson)

Great coverage! Only a couple grassy spots on top of hills, but nothing that made me worry about scratching a ski. Soft slow skate deck that's wind blown in some places, so for that reason I might recommend classic if you're debating the two. It was so fun to be out on natural snow this early in the season!

(Dena Coffman)

Skated Phalen this morning. Rolled but wind blown over most of the track with the new light snow this morning. 99% coverage with the exception of two or three grass spots. Snow is ample, just need a fresh roll and groom.

(John Witzmann)

Phalen cross country ski trail was rolled today. Overall pretty good snow depth with a few bare spots on the hills. Rolled the trail with the third lap not completed due to groomer issues.

Photos:

(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

No grooming, but lots of tracks and plenty of great coverage! Thin spots on knolls of hills and under trees, but fairways are splendid!

(Grant Schoen)

The holidays came early, and brought a snowy gift! Highland 9 is rolled and ready to get packed in. Grooming/track setting will begin at a later date. Come out and enjoy!

Photos:

(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Classic sunset ski did not disappoint. Lovely skier-made tracks on much of the course, especially the gradual climbs for nice striding practice. Tracks washed out here and there and a couple small thin spots, but I didn't feel asphalt paths under my poles. Quite nice for the small amount of snow. Cold slow grabby natural snow today at about 10 degrees.

(Jeff Streier)

Light dusting of snow over a nice firm skate deck. Looks like there are some decent skier-set classic tracks - better than Friday and early Saturday when they were pretty much obliterated. I said B skis because I don't want to be responsible for anyone ruining their favorite skis, but really there is 99.9% good snow coverage and I skied on my good skis. Early morning sun, good trails and natural snow.... Amazing!

(Anne Valaas-Turner)

Course has been rolled, so skating deck is fairly solid. Only classic tracks are skier-made--good is some places, but they disappear in others. There's enough snow to have a good time, but it will be better when the groomer has enough snow to lay down some good grooves.

(Bob Hartzler)

Lots of youth out practicing! Some spots with grass peaking through, some leaves but overall fine conditions.

(Zara Zanussi)

Skated three loops at around 3pm. The wind has firmed up the base. A few small areas where the grass is poking through but otherwise great conditions.

(Daniel Keifenheim)

Skated Highland 9 this afternoon. A few scant grassy areas and debris but easy to avoid. Thanks for rolling,-it felt great to be out!

(Jenny Cho)

Highland 9 cross country ski trail has been rolled today. For the amount of snow we got it rolled out pretty good. I had to change up the course a little due to grassy areas. Overall, it's pretty good.

Photos:

(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Surprisingly skiable! Not groomed yet, but some skier-set track. Snow is what you would expect: soft, slow, windswept bare in spots, drifts in spots, but overall a delight to ski natural snow on November 30.

(Anne Valaas-Turner)

Trails were untouched, ready for grooming after all this amazing snow!

Photos:

(Lexey Westlund)

Trails have been rolled, but there is not enough snow to groom. Conditions are fair to poor.

(Kristopher Lencowski)

Ski trails are rolled, but there is not yet enough snow to groom. Conditions are fair to poor.

(Kristopher Lencowski)

Classic skied. Difficult to see where the trail is as it hadn't been groomed in some time but skate skiers had packed it down in some spots and was easy enough to figure out if you generally know the loop. There were no tracks but amazing coverage for early December and grateful for a 5K loop. Only one sketchy spot coming down the hill from the top near alpine area that has exposed pavement.

Photos:

(Tanya Adelman)

Good coverage, however it needs grooming. Very hard to see the trail and I ended up in deep snow off track a few times.

(Christina Ewig)

Overall it was a very good ski. There was plenty of snow coverage in most areas but It was hard to see where the trail was at times. It is definitely in need of another grooming! All the recent snow was sitting on the barely visible grooming from last week. There were some classic tracks visible along the trail but they were mostly filled with fresh snow.

(Kent Sall)

Don't go between the pine trees before going down the hill. Go around the pine to the right. I scraped my rock skis on asphalt and took a photo so you may learn from my mistake. That was the only problem I encountered on the 5 km loop. St Paul Central skiers passed me striding up the hills in shallow tracks while I skated.

Photos:

(David Byrne, Minnesota Rovers Outdoors Club)

Rolled to full width. A bit soft and lumpy in places, but I had a great time. A few wind scoured areas with grass showing and pole tips were hitting cart paths in a few spots.

(Spencer Davis)

Rolled Como golf course today! The roll turned out fantastic. There are a couple areas with grass exposed. Two inches of snow afterwards, but should still be fun.

(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Groomers were out with the corduroy, fresh as of today. Get out there before the foot traffic does. Was on foot so can't say how the snow feels. Some thin spots but looked pretty good overall.

Photos:

(Dylan Nesvig)

Ungroomed but enjoyable for classic. Other skiers have made tracks that cover most of the course and even breaking trail is not bad. There are some bare spots, areas of seepage from the non-frozen ground and some patches where our kick has pulled up snow with grass visible. But hey, it's November and skiable on stuff that fell from the sky - I'll take it!

Photos:

(Kent York)

All trails (10+ miles) were groomed today for skate and classic. Conditions are excellent for early December.

(Milt Hovelson)

Conditions were soft with some bare spots. The trails were groomed but classic track not set. Mostly saw grass not many rocks or roots visible.

(Dan Breitkopf)

Trails were groomed today. There is 2-3 inches of groomed base snow. Expect snow drifts on the campground road.

(Levi Thesing)

2+" new snow. Rolled all trails this morning and set classic track on Main 5K loop and inner trails. Skate deck very soft but may set up with colder weather. Best early December trail conditions is several years.

(Bruce Johnson)

Fresh groom after an inch last night. Reset tracks on most of trails except the 5k because of thin areas. Get after it! You could use a good pair of skis if careful. Upper/Rattlesnake not leveled yet, need more snow up there.

Photos:

(Jason Mork)

Great to be out on the trails! Still soft but still good skiing today.

Photos:

(Brad Berzinski)

Unbelievably we received about 7-8" in Winona. The groomers cleared several trees and rolled everything! Skiing is soft but great coverage!

Photos:

(Jason Mork)

Rolled and packed 8" down to about 3". Trails are very soft but not bad coverage. Main loop and river are open with a shallow classic track also.

Photos:

(Steve Horeck)

Used junky classic skis and checked out the green/blue loops. Only the lighted loop has been rolled/groomed. Very thin still but should make a good base; some grass poking up in some areas but avoidable. No classic tracks have been set yet, for good reason.

Photos:

(Kelli Lester)

All trails are groomed and tracks set. Tracks are shallow and pulled up some grass and leaves. Skate lane should be pretty good. Fair early season conditions. Celebrating skiing on groomed trails in Ashland on December 2.

Photos:

(Andy Goyke)

The hill received between 2-4" last night. Abbey Rd, Seagull to the summit, Anchor, Telford, Sugarbush and Seagull Classic were all packed and groomed this morning. Thanks for your support!

(Mac Tezak)

Abbey Road to Northern Lights to the summit and The Buzz have all been freshly groomed. The Anchor system entering from Roller Coaster and Jolly has also all been freshly groomed. Snow is a bit thin in places on Abbey Road between the Skid Road junction and the cabin, also some parts of The Buzz. Fat Bike/Snow Shoe Trail Report: All of the trails have been groomed and if snow comes early this week, it may be groomed mid-week. If not, the next grooming is planning for Friday. Thanks for all your support!

(Mac Tezak)

What an amazing trail system. Super groomed tracks and skate deck. No debris. Smooth skiing. Well worth the 60 minute drive from Seeley.

Photos:

(Diane Pattridge)

Classic skied 23 km for 2 hours. Good amount of hill climbs with a 1.6 mile climb in there. Smooth descents. Conditions are still phenomenal. A few people out and about. Tracks are firm everywhere but the top 3/4 of buzz. Skate deck is firm. Absolutely beautiful ski! Get out and get active.

(Kevin Grand)

All trails have been groomed and retracked within the last two days. Snow has been firming up well with the recent temperatures.

(Mac Tezak)

Classic skied alittle over 14 miles of great hill climbs and gradual descents this afternoon in 2 hours. Today I waxed my skis! Phenomenal conditions still. Everything really firmed up. Tracks are great, skate deck is firm. The only sketchy area I saw was the tracks on buzz. I'll be back for another 20 km plus tomorrow to check up on it. Let's bring out all the potential of this phenomenal trail system!!! Get out and ski!

(Kevin Grand)

The Anchor system and Jolly Long were retracked and groomed in the afternoon. Abbey Road to Northern Lights to the top of the chairlift were groomed at night. Every classic only trail was retracked and groomed at night as well.

(Mac Tezak)

The Anchor system and Jolly Long were groomed this morning. Abbey Road, Northern Lights to Seagull and up the hill will be groomed this evening. Our crew also plans to groom all the classic trails this evening and early tomorrow morning. Thanks for your support!

Photos:

(Mac Tezak)

We got about 2" of snow last night. The crew moved the classic tracks in a bit more from yesterday. Telford, Jolly, Abby Road, Northern Lights, the Buzz, Anchor, and dual use Seagull were all groomed. We widened all the trails, and got most of the ridge between the skate land and classic track smoothed out. Thanks for your support!

(Mac Tezak)

Sugarbush, Seagull classic, Deerpath and Black Bear have all been groomed. The skate lane on Anchor, Seagull, Jolly and the connector from tin shed has been groomed. The Abbey Road classic track has been groomed along with both side of Seagull, the skate track on The Buzz and both sides of Roller Coaster. Thanks for your support!

Photos:

(Mac Tezak)

Classic skied 13.1 Miles of phenomenal conditions this morning. Did all the hill climbs I could handle for the first ski on new boots. Absolutely perfect tracks, firm yet giving skate deck. I definitely bought a season pass! Super start to the season! Thank you groomers! Birkie number 8 classic full coming up. Can't wait! You have to ski this.

(Kevin Grand)

The Buzz to Seagull (between summits) to Northern Lights were packed and groomed last night and this morning again. Northern Lights to Abbey, down to Skid Road, to Jolly Long and Anchor were also all packed and groomed this morning. Oppedahl's and Lower Sugarbush were packed, flat dragged and groomed twice this morning. As noted, the snow we got yesterday is lighter but the repeated packing should set well as temperatures are staying low. As of now, all Nordic trails are open. Fat Bike Trail Report: The out and back portion to and around the little loop were double track packed and double rolled with a flat pan drag on the way out. Once it freezes should be firm enough to ride. About 1/2 the trail is groomed. Watch out for eye pokers from the bent over Ironwoods. Thanks for all your support!

Photos:

(Mac Tezak)

From Blue Hills website: 1/2" fresh snow topping the East Side groomed trails which have a 1"-2" fairly solid base (a mostly uniform cover with a corduroy surface) where the first grooming of the season was performed. The groomed trails are a bit soft if you plan on skating; but firm enough to provide decent striding. The Core Loop has the firmest surface. Typical of early season skiing, anticipate an uneven surface with occasional dirt spots and grasses. Ungroomed trails (West Side trails) have 6+ inches of snow covering an icy crust on warm ground. Use your rock skis - or 'B' skis - until the base is thicker.

(Sam Behrends)

As reported by Blue Hills website: Groomed trails have a 1.5"-2" fairly solid base (a mostly uniform cover with a corduroy surface) where the first grooming of the season was performed on November 30th. Groomed trails include the Core Loop, Whitetail, Rollercoaster, and Roundabout. The groomed trails are a bit soft if you plan on skating; but firm enough to provide decent striding. Ungroomed trails have 6+ inches of snow covering an icy crust on warm ground. Use your rock skis or B skis until the base is thicker.

(Sam Behrends)

Blue Hills reports: Performed first grooming of the season by rolling the East Side Core Loop - creating a corduroy surface. Estimating ungroomed trails have 4+ to 6+ inches of snow on an icy crust.

(Sam Behrends)

JT and I skated the 18k race loop today with about 1.5" of fresh snow. The efforts of both the DNR and the BVSC volunteers are continuing to show. Many thanks to all involved. Expect a few hanging trees on White Pine but you can still get through. The Classic trail has been partially cleared and rolled and the rest of the trails have been rolled. Some grooming by the chalet but no tracks yet. Come on out and help snap a few twigs.

Photos:

(Jon Jurek)

With a great volunteer effort and the WiDNR support we have some great progress. Not all trails are open yet but the trails near the chalet are firm and very skiable. Fat bike trails are getting firmed up too. As of noon today (Friday) no tracks were set. Grooming plans: Plan was to groom and set tracks prior to Saturday.

Photos:

(Jon Jurek)

Stopped by on the way to work. Looks like the area was rolled. Not sure any track was set but it's great to see some progress. Thanks to the crew!

(Dave Miller)

Stopped by the trail this morning. Parking lot is plowed but no grooming was done.

(Dave Miller)

Over the past week Anvil received 5-7 inches of fluffy snow. We cleared and rolled all trails at Anvil today. There were a lot of trees and limbs down. Expect some debris in the trail. The packed snow depth is 2-3 inches, not enough to set tracks yet.

Photos:

(Valerie Knurr)

Nicolet North received about 6 inches of dry sugary snow. We have rolled the Pat Shay Loop and Narrow Gauge Trails. Packed depth is about 3 inches. There is not enough snow to set classic tracks yet. Expect early season conditions with some debris in the trail. The Butternut Trail connector between Anvil and Nicolet North has not been cleared or rolled yet. We plan to roll and clear that on Thursday or Friday this week.

Photos:

(Valerie Knurr)

Ungroomed night blizzard ski. About 3" of grainy fast fluff on top of whatever was there previously. Bonus downhill exfoliation on exposed facial skin. Amazing night to be out.

Photos:

(Andy Freeburg)

Skied the outer 10k loop. Everything was well covered and groomed. Few bare spots here and there but nothing to worry about. Thanks to the groomers!

(Dan Freedman)

Skied only flat areas near parking. Great conditions, not tracked, some skate ski tracks, inch of soft snow covering due to snowfall all day.

(Brandon Miller)

I skied the lighted loops. These sections were groomed with a dusting of fresh snow on top. No classic tracks set that I could see. A few scattered but small areas of exposed ground. Great to be back out at Tower again.

(Jesse Quinn)

Enjoyable ski from Startline Inn to Hecklers' Hill and back. Beautiful winter wonderland with trees hanging heavy, but that has required a lot of work by trail crew to remove hundreds of overhanging branches, trees and sticks, with some still blocking part of the trail. Watch out for tree debris but new snow should help bury most of it. Thank you Birkie crew.

Photos:

(Ian Wolff)

From Hwy OO, we skated south 3k and found it very fast at 17F, but a fair amount of debris scattered around, returned and went north 2k with a little less debris. The hills are a challenge at this early season time. The woods are beautiful with all the snow covered trees.

Photos:

(Diane Pattridge)

I skied north from Hwy OO on the skate trail using classic skis. Tracks were set on both sides, but there were saplings leaning across the track in some places where it was necessary to step out of the track to get past them. There was also forest litter - in some places a lot. I would score it 5 out of 10.

(Don Quick)

The only set track for classic skiing from Mt Telemark Hub (only area I was in) was the Nordmor Trail which makes a mile out and back. As of now, I'm not sure I will purchase the snow making trail pass next year. I was here last weekend and there wasn't much for classic open either. [ Note: Much of the MTV Hub and Birkie Trailhead are undergoing snowmaking prep for the races in less than two weeks, so expect on-going operations and some lack of grooming -- Ed. ]

(Tonja Wick)

Skied from OO Trailhead; what a start to winter! Corduroy around the OO trails. Skied south and there was a 1/4" of fresh snow on top of what had previously been groomed, but still excellent condition! The further south you get, the more debris (twigs, leaves) from the recent snow fall, but still great skiing. Used B skis. Heading North tomorrow!

Photos:

(Marit Ross-Sonnesyn)

Another great day on the Birkie Trail! Started from The Hub and skated over our usual up the Birkie Classic a couple of times and then down power lines before heading in. Skate deck was very firm and fast, no real debris to speak of, other than some rare wayward acorn parties. Stiff skate skis and confident technique will help you until we get a little bit more "give" on the deck (I had neither, but still had a blast). Classic tracks looked very well-formed, although I don't know if they were glazed or not. It was pretty quiet out there at 3 pm, but a lovely evening for a ski.

(Rick Cochrane)

Skied from trail head down skate course, had about 5km until the trail dead ended. The trails were very hard packed in classic man made style. It was a little icy in spots and was a bit difficult to get an edge in places but I was on a slightly soft pair of skis (I think something stiffer would have been more stable). The conditions were a bit tricky to ski with good technique but very fast. I would hold off on race skis unless you are choosing between real beaters and good skis in which case I think good skis would be alright. It was great to get out and I am excited for more of the trail to open soon :) hope to see you out there.

(Jim Schwinghamer)

Skied from OO towards cable to Fire tower aid station (10km one way) on the skate trail, starting around 6:30 pm. Trails were firm covered in 1-3in of powder. I used decent B skis with no regrets but wouldn't take out any favorites. Trails were relatively fast, with some branches and trees over hanging/down. I would recommend eye protection especially if skiing in the dark. Classic trail was open but less skied in so not as fast. Great early season skiing! Hooray!

(Jim Schwinghamer)

We decided to hit the trails closer to home to see how the grooming was coming along - it's awesome! For "part two" of our day, we started at The Hub, and did our usual - Birkie Trail out to Birkie Classic, up the hill, and this time we doubled back rather than hitting the powerlines. The classic tracks looked even better than the other day, and the skating deck was firm, but with a good bite. One thing I noticed was that some of the trail maps have been replaced (they needed some love), but they removed the numbers. Good to run into some old friends, and feel the general vibe with lots of youngs - Birkie Trail is back in business. Great to see!

(Rick Cochrane)

Observed at the Birkie Mosquito Brook trailhead. Lots of virgin white snow. Snow ungroomed and not rolled. Locked gates to trail.

(Audun Mikkelson)

Amy and I decided to give our classic muscles a break and skated today. We went to ski from the TH at Birkie Ridge (between Cable and Seeley) for the first time, it was wonderful! This is a public system, but maybe lesser-known than the main Birkie Trail, although it connects to it after a few K. Snow is all natural, and they have rolled the North and South loops. Little to no track for classic, but the skating was the perfect mix of control and speed for the first skate of the season. Woods were divine, of course - we have a ton of snow up here, and the trees are feeling it. There were several places where you had to work your way through some low branches and stuff like that - but unless you're going for PRs, everything was super navigable.

Photos:

(Rick Cochrane)

Yellow, blue, brown, red, purple and green have been rolled and follow-up groomed. One classic track was put down on all trails. Midwinter conditions so I wouldn't be afraid to use the good skis. The park received about 6" of heavy snow.

Photos:

(Bill Callas)

Skate skied all groomed trails south of the lake (non-hunter area), about 15K of trails. Amazingly great conditions. Thank you groomers who accomplished so much with the snow we got. I used rock skis, but would have been fine with B skis. So great to be skiing at Willow again.

(William Sikorski)

Classic skied the green trail, blue trail to the falls and then the purple trail. Absolutely great conditions, no rocks at all on the main trails. The only place I'd avoid is the low land loop on the purple trail. Thin snow base with lots of grass and sticks.

(Shane Meisner)

Received two minor snowfalls in the last several days and the base is building up. Fresh corduroy on Green, Blue, Red, Purple and some of Yellow after grooming today. For skating, it is almost like mid-winter without significant bare spots. For classic, it is still too thin for machine tracks but the thing is, with the light dry snow that has been compacted, the skis track very well and classic is fun. Park management will not block hiking on the trails before December 15, so there are foot prints in sections, but not too heavy and with the thin base, the footprints are shallow and not that disrupting.

(Jeff Roberts)

Skied (skate) the "no hunting zone" - Green, purple, yellow, brown, blue. It was so awesome to be back at willow after two years of snow drought. The skiing was actually surprisingly good! Of course the snowpack is thin but I really didn't hit any dirt or gravel. Thanks for the grooming crew rolling it out. The new snow last night (a bit less than an inch) was a bit fluffy on top but deck was pretty firm (still a bit soft in spots). Get out there an ski. Beats the habitrails of snowmaking loops:).

Photos:

(Brian Bell)

Parts of Willow are open to firearm deer hunting through Dec. 15. Trails open to hunting include all of the Silver and Pink trails north of the river as well as most of Orange and all of the Red Prairie Loop. Due to park policy requiring hunter access to trails, all park trails will remain open to hikers. We plan to groom the open trails for skate skiing but will not set track until after deer season closes.

(David Thofern)

The downed trees have been removed from blue and brown. I regroomed all the trails that were rolled yesterday with the Ginzu, skate only. I skied the green after grooming and it was very good.

Photos:

(Bill Callas)

Purple, yellow, some of red, blue and green were rolled. Snow packed down to about a 2" base with full coverage. Trees are down on brown and the blue west heading one-way segment. Trails will remain open to walkers due to the deer hunting season until Dec. 16th.

Photos:

(Bill Callas)

Groomed this morning. Very good conditions. Track set as well, looked great. Some leaves in spots, areas where animals frolicked, otherwise wonderful.

(Robert Ziller)

Skied in the afternoon, mostly doing a big loop around the front and back nine of Forest Hills. The only spot where I ran into grass and debris on the trail was on the back nine near #s 15 and 16. Other than that, it was a wonderful first ski in La Crosse. Thank you to the groomers.

(Jim Daniels)

Finally a proper start to the season. While trails have not been set with a groomer just yet (told the crew awaits equipment back from the shop), many have been out to experience the beautiful snow. With 7+ inches of snow, all trails have full coverage and perfect for your touring/fish-scale classic skis.

(JP Ericsson)

Rolled all but Roller Coaster this afternoon. Groomed sections of the lower trails including Lower and Upper Pines, Logging Road, Spring Run and Mount Fuji and part of Buck Ridge. Better than expected results with forest litter poking through and dirt pulled up in areas with very nice corduroy in others. We debated whether to rate the trails as rock or B skis. Grooming plans: We plan to do more grooming over the next few days.

(David Challe)

Skated down to Irvington and back. Full coverage and no debris on the trail. Bit soft, but I'm not complaining. Gorgeous!

Photos:

(Dan Freedman)

Red Cedar trail was rolled from the trailhead in Menomonie to Downsville. No classic tracks were set. The trail is skiable and will be a bit soft before it has a chance to set up.

(David Gorman)

MECCA Trails are gradually coming to life again after last week's snowstorm which resulted in hundreds of trees falling across the ski and snowshoe trails. Here is the latest: Wolf - skiable, trees cleared, rolled, limited tree debris, tracks set and skate lanes combed. Warmup Loop - skiable, trees cleared, rolled, limited tree debris, tracks set and skate lane combed. Moose - skiable, trees cleared, rolled, moderate tree debris. Homestead - not skiable, wetland packed today by snowshoers to promote freezing. Osprey - skiable but rough, trees cleared but additional cleanup required, rolled, moderate tree debris. Bluebird - skiable, trees cleared, rolled, very little tree debris. Voss Lake, Otter. Birch - portions of Otter skiable however the majority of the loops need tree removal and grooming. Volunteers have been amazing working in harsh conditions removing hundreds of trees. Check our webpage to see when the next workday is scheduled.

(Norman McKindles)

Warmup and Wolf Looped trails were groomed and track-set this morning. Conditions are mostly good, but a little rough in the areas that had numerous windfalls. Use your B skis. Snowshoers reported the Mercer Springs trail is in great shape, with some snow-covered trees bent over the trail. The Flowage Trailhead has not opened for skiing. MECCA is 20% open from the Chalet Trailhead. Grooming team and volunteers put in over 75 hours this week removing windfalls.

Photos:

(Norman McKindles)

The Wolf and Warmup loops are rolled but in rough conditions. The Flowage trailhead is closed due to trees down near the parking lot. Groomers and volunteers are out preparing other trails and removing downed trees.

(Norman McKindles)

It was a decent afternoon of early season classic skiing. I skied 15 kilometers. I found classic tracks in about half of that distance. Skiing the portions without a classic track was no problem.

Photos:

(Jim Gantz)

Use good skis everywhere except River Run. Excellent skating deck all over. Most places had good tracks. Lots of snow and beauty everywhere. You will not be disappointed.

(Eric Koch)

Today was the official opening at MWP. Plenty of skiing to be had including the long trail River Run. Wilderness trails were all groomed too with tracks set. No debris to get in your way. The main trails were only tracked where there is enough depth. Check out the new wilderness trails for skijoring, classic skiing, fat biking.

Photos:

(Brian Ciske)

Mighty fine day kicking around! While not everything is open, or tracked, we skied the Wilderness Trail, Cedar Loop, and found it most excellent with good track most of the way. A few thin spots were easily stepped around. The skate deck seemed firm the few times that we stepped out on it. A few locals today we're enjoying the Opener, with more on the way as we departed.

Photos:

(Ken Schoville)

2"-3" packed trails, no classic tracks yet. Some sticks, branches in trail. Thanks to the volunteers who make it happen!

(James Hoffman)

Only alternative loop is groomed. The other trails have been classic skied but I'd use a back up set. I only have one set of skate skis other wise I would have used an old set.

Photos:

(Max Swanson)

There has been some grooming on the following trails: Alternate Trail, Part of Cabin Loop, and Part of Engagement Loop. There is not a classic track until we get more snow. We hope to get more tree clearing done this weekend and open more trails next week. The first snowfall dropped many trees and branches over the trail, which is a challenge.

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

The lighted trail was groomed this morning. There are not classic tracks until we receive more snow. The lights are on each evening for night skiing.

Photos:

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

Due to extreme heavy snow damage to trees, shrubs and brush along the trails the Sayner-Star Lake Lions have not opened the trails for skiing as yet. Volunteers have been hard at work clearing things out. In over 40 years of grooming at Razorback I have never seen so much heavy snow damage on the trails with tons of stuff hanging down on or nearly hanging on the ground. The Lions are putting as large a volunteer work force together as possible for this Saturday. Anyone in the area who would like to help could meet at the trailhead building on Saturday at 9 a.m. Grooming plans: As individual loops are completely cleared, I plan to roll, groom and set track on them. The Lions will open up each loop as we finish clean-up work on them.

(Will Maines)

I was pleasantly surprised at the trail conditions this afternoon. Tracks were set and clear of debris. Good snow coverage. Couldn't ask for more this time of the year.

(Mike Glodosky)

All trails where packed and are thin with some debris. No track was set due to low snow conditions. Rock skis are suggested.

(Rex Runke)

All trails have been groomed and tracked, and their conditions are satisfactory. However, the inner purple trail still reveals some grass peeking through the base.

(Kara Czapinski, Superior City Parks)

Surpringly nice! Classic skied Red and Green. Great tracks, just a few thin spots to remind us it's still early December. Skate deck looked fantastic. I also skied the field section of Purple, and the straight/flat half of Yellow, which were not in as good of shape, but still very skiable, and still better than other trails in the Twin Ports I've skied in the past two days.

(Jesse Coenen)

We classic skied the outer red and part of the green today. It was not freshly groomed and Mother Nature or the squirrels dropped more debris on the trail and in the tracks. The skate lane was in good shape, nice edge and nowhere near scary or concrete like. The classic tracks were fun and solid. We had to get out of the tracks a few more times due to debris today but still a fun ski.

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

We classic skied the red outer and part of the hilly green today at the Superior Municipal forest around midday in 10F temps and had surprisingly good glide! Those groomers are the best! The classic tracks were bomb proof with minimal debris except for the typical spot towards the end and under the pines on the red there was a bit more dirt and we got out of the tracks. Skate deck was fresh cord. Minimal debris and dirt all easy to get around.

(Eve Graves)

We were treated to freshly groomed tracks and a nice firm freshly corded skate deck at 12:30 today! Minimal debris all easy to see and get around. We just skied the red trails today and skijored part of the Millennium. Only a skate deck on the Millennium no tracks. Passes are not yet available at NW Outlet, they are working with the city to get them. You can still get them from the city in person or online though.

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

I skied everything except the purple (white pine) and yellow (cedar) loops. They were rolled when I looked. The groomers were hard at work the entire time I was there making the trails nice and wide. A classic track was set on the right side of the red (red pine), blue (alder), and green (aspen) loops, with a double track at some points. There were a few bare spots but they were avoidable. The deck was soft as I was first track but it was already firming up by the end of my ski. Grateful for such an amazing ski on natural snow this time of year! Thank you groomers!

Photos:

(Chelsey Youngberg, Ski Hut)

Classic skied the red and inner green trail. I used good skis but I should have used B skis. Debris in classic tracks on both trails. Inner green trail tracks were soft.

(Sarah Skudstad)

Grooming and rolling operations have commenced. Inner and Outer Red have been groomed and tracked. Inner Green groomed and tracked. Outer Green, Blue, and Inner Purple have been rolled. Grooming plans: The City plan to be working on Outer Purple and Yellow tomorrow.

Photos:

(Bridgit Maruska)

Skied the red and blue loops. There is four inches of fresh powder on all of it. However, it was ungroomed, so there's no track set and no skate deck as of this afternoon. There is a reliable track on the red (and now blue!) after a few brave souls who are out there with the backcountry skis have set (and I struggled in with my skate skis, haha!). If you want to get in some pow and lay fresh tracks, get out there now!

Photos:

(Richard Kaufman)

Good coverage. I didn't feel like I would have hit anything, but this early in the season I would still go with B skis. We skied the red loop, which was not groomed. There were some decent skied in tracks, though they were pretty soft.

(Adam Schwartz-Lowe)

We got 4" of beautiful snow last night. Trail is groomed and tracked in and ready for skiers! Ready for good skis.

(Paul Martin)

Skate deck and classic tracks groomed Friday night. Should be a good weekend of skiing right here in town.

(Paul Martin)

We got an unexpected gift of 3" of good snow today. Set tracks and redid skate deck on the 3.5 k course this evening. Should be great skiing tomorrow!

(Paul Martin)

Groomed for skating. No tracks yet, but ok skied in track. Decent coverage. Just be a bit careful on cart paths and bridges. Thank you Paul Martin.

(Gary Zimbric)

Both Pisten Bullies regroomed the 47 km combis again this morning and wide track regroomed the single tracks. Skiing was great and I saw many repeat smiling faces from Saturday. Grooming plans: I have a 6 person grooming crew coming in tomorrow to clear brush and blow downs and pack the south trails tamarack and on to windy ridge. We hope to have all of Tamarack 2 track and maybe windy ridge open by this Friday!

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Awesome! Deep base of snow on all trails. Firm and deep classic tracks. Rare small branches on deck due to winds last night. A dusting of snow present on deck and tracks. Skied blueberry and Haughten Highland. Beautiful!

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(Ron Fabrizius)

"World Class Tracks" was the comment I heard today that made me and the grooming crew feel good. We had both Pisten Bullies out this morning grooming all the combis including opening Peltonen Pass and Popple Climb while Wide Track put the finishing touches on brushing as he groomed the famous single track. So in total we have about 57 km open and groomed and in excellent condition -- mid winter conditions. Grooming in the early morning with a full moon on one horizon and a beautiful sunrise on the other horizon was spectacular. Snow hanging on the "Christmas Trees" was also spectacular. With almost 40 inches of snowfall this is a great start to winter.

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Beautiful afternoon classic ski at ABR trails. Snow laden trees were absolutely beautiful! Two inches of ungroomed new snow on trails from morning snowfall. Tracks were solid and firm. At least 12 inch base of snow. Some of classic only trails are not open due to down branches (check before you ski).

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(Ron Fabrizius)

We have 41 km of combination trails Pisten bully powertilled and track set including the Highlands. The main trails 27 k are pretty firm and have nice tracks. The exit of highlands, blueberry/bards south, deer trail, and dog trails are Pisten bully groomed but are softer than the main trails (to be expected after 39 inches of snow in 4 days).

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(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Fantastic skiing, with plenty of snow and more snow coming down! They are working their tails off to open it all, there's plenty of snow, but they just need to clear off the branches to get it all open.

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(Will Andresen)

Couldn't ask a for any better. Beautifully groomed, snow drenched trees, deep snow...on November 30? Don't know about the rest of the season, but today was a good one.

(Ken Schoville)

Excellent conditions and, after only coming to ABR the last 2 years on the day of SISU, probably the best conditions I've skied on there. Did all the open trails skate with great conditions overall except for a bit of ice/water on Sulo.

(Benjamin Fuller)

Well folks, it is looking like it is going to be a great day for skiing today! The half inch of fresh powder we got overnight has groomed out really beautifully, and the base has set up very nicely overnight with the warmer temps yesterday. Tracks are re-set and in great condition. Don't believe the webcams, the start of valley is actually the ugliest part of the trail right now due to the wind stealing all the fresh snow from that segment. Get out and enjoy it!

(Tom Alberg, Expedition Inn)

We groomed and re-set track again today. Still having some snow buildup issues on our equipment, but overall the fresh powder we got overnight groomed out very nicely! The trackset in particular is in very good condition today. Enjoy your ski!

(Tom Alberg, Expedition Inn)

This morning we were able to pack and smooth out the left edge where the tracks are, and re-set track before grooming the skate deck. So, the tracks should be much firmer and flatter today. Lens, Tiger, Valley, Pine Ridge, Cedar, and Tamarack are all fully groomed and tracked. Enjoy your ski!

(Tom Alberg, Expedition Inn)

All cleared trails have been dragged and tracked this morning. Tracks are a little rough from first track setting but skiing is reported to be good on cleared trails. Trails reported as ungroomed have not yet been cleared of storm damage.

(Tom Alberg, Expedition Inn)

Wolverine, Lighted Loop, Crossroads and Husky were all groomed last night. I skied Wolverine and part of the Lighted Loop. Trails are in good shape - fantastic conditions for early December.

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(John Rebers)

Had a great time skiing the Crossroads and Husky loops at Blueberry Ridge today. Crossroads parking is plowed, and the trails have been packed by snowmobile. If you're looking for a fast ski on groomed trails, I'd recommend Forestville. However, Blueberry had great snow and the trees were gorgeous. Blue skies and sunshine were nice, too. The trails are not groomed, but are skiable. Skating would be difficult under current conditions, but I had a good time with classic skis.

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(John Rebers)

All trails groomed this morning and tracks reset. Excellent conditions with a firm base and about 3" of snow last night.

(Deborah Leonard)

All skate lanes refreshed. Work continues on low snow coverage areas. Trails in excellent condition.

(Deborah Leonard)

The whole trail system was Pisten Bully groomed again today. Work continues on the lower novice loop to make it better; the cold weather is helping to freeze it up. Cool day but the trails are in excellent condition.

(Deborah Leonard)

All trails, track set this morning and snow is firming up on top with the cold temps. The chalet is open and is toasty warm.

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(Deborah Leonard)

We opened all the trails today and got through the initial packing and downed trees removal. Grooming plans: We did not set any tracks yet for classic skiing; they plan to be done Tuesday 12-2 and then Wolverine will be fully ready. Expect somewhat soft conditions. Thank you to all our 7 groomers that were out today!

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(Deborah Leonard)

Groomers have been out prepping the 32+ inches of snow since Wednesday. 5" of snow fell overnight and it continues to fall this afternoon. We will post when the trails open.

(Deborah Greiter)

Trails are rolled but not tracked. The conditions are perfect for skating - nice wide trail, beautifully groomed, no walkers and fresh snow! So peaceful listening to the birds and the squirrels as the snow fell. On loop 3 a deer leapt across the trail in front of us. Everyone is loving the snow!

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(Karla Anderson)

There are no tracks for classic but there was real good coverage. The course had been rolled after today's snow. I had a great ski!

(Steve Dolan)

The skate deck was fully groomed and pretty firm. While coverage was 95% good, it is thin and there are dirty patches, grass, and tree litter around. Most of it is avoidable except on a handful of climbs.

(Matt Francsis)

I skied Cleary at 6am today. The 1" of powder made a big improvement over yesterday's boiler plate surface. Much easier to get an edge and maintain balance on the still-uneven trail contours. It was being groomed as I skied, so should be nice today! No classic track, of course, and though the coverage was very good I'd still use rock skis as there are definitely some areas of rocks and dirt. It was great skiing these trails at all, let alone on 1Dec 3! The entire system is open and groomed, with the exception of Lower (or is it Upper?) Ironwood.

(Dan Steger)

Trail is nicely packed, granted a bit bumpy. A few uphill areas are thin but didn't see much that could not be worked around.

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(Scott Greymont)

Good grooming today. Rolled a second time since the storm. Three Rivers site rates as poor, but it is 95% good. A bit rolly polly in spots. Only questionable spots are the two small hills at the finish by the lake with some rocks showing. No tracks yet.

(Scott Engstrom)

At mid-day I skated all trails except Upper Ironwood which was not groomed. No tracks were set. All trails were in very good shape, good coverage, little leaf and twig debris, and only some visible hazards that could be easily avoided, except for the left fork as you near the end of the outer loop near the lake--take the right fork. In summary, thank you groomers.

(Richard Swenson)

Rolled for skating. No track yet, but good coverage. Good double poling workout without track. A few visible rocks.

(Scott Engstrom)

Packed trails are open for Poplar Creek, Lakeside, and Upper Ironwood. Very soft conditions. About half the sections were double wide and half were narrow, single wide. Surprisingly little leaf litter and sticks visible; most easily avoidable. I could feel gravel and asphalt with my poles on some sections and could see the ground on some uphill kick tracks. Get out there!

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(Matt Francsis)

Pine Valley looks freshly groomed. White Pine Trail is also groomed. Both have classic tracks set.

(Tim Blais)

Snow is still soft, but all trails have been packed and groomed. Outside loop has been groomed for skate skiing. Trails are in good condition. The inside loop has been packed and groomed with two sets of classic tracks. Trail conditions are good. Possible leaves and sticks on trail due to forest type.

(Sarah Weed, Stearns County Parks)

Skied skate and classic trails today, both are pretty soft but have good coverage. Classic was gathered and set so surrounding area outside tracks is fairly thin. Some debris, mostly leaves. Walkers have been on the skate trails already but have avoided classic.

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(JeAnna Toenies)

Snow has been gathered and set for classic track on the inside loop = Good to fair. The outside loop has been packed and groomed for skate skiing = Good to fair.

(Sarah Weed, Stearns County Parks)

Forest Service employees started clearing trees on the Rock Lake trail system last week and have now cleared the 2k, 4k, and 7k loops. These loops have been packed with snowmobiles making a nice base for the grooming season. Tree clearing began on the 11k today, but work is slow going.

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(Natalie Osowski)

The Forest Service started clean up on the Mukwonago Trail system this week and cleared trees on the 2k, 4k, and 7k. Today, employees rolled those loops and attempted to groom without tracks, but there wasn't quite enough snow under the tree canopy for a nice deck. There are many twigs and leaves on the trail and grooves from snowmobiles on the deck. However, this will be a good base for the season! Rock or B skis recommended, again, there are no tracks set and the deck is not very even.

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(Natalie Osowski)

All trails were groomed and groomer was out while I was there. I think he's making classical tracks! I saw some on trail point 1. So beautiful out! Snow was a bit soft which made it more difficult to skate but still amazing.

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(Mateja Rogahn)

Had a great ski between 9 and 11 this morning on the fresh powder! Groomer was in progress, working through the fresh stuff. By 11, he had rolled then combed most of the trails North of the Gateway Pathway, and was working south. No classic track set, but grippy snow made for good kick. Skate deck looked good and was in use. Expect 1 inch of squish under foot in places. Happy Skiing!

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(Andrew White)