Trail Reports

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• Jan 20 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  
  Conditions: Closed - solid ice or bare spots.
  Tried to ski Sunday, but trails are closed.
  (Brian Simon)
• Jan 20 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Excellent for classic.
  Excellent tracks Sunday afternoon on the snowmaking loop. Solid sides and great angles on the turns. Faster in the tracks than out.
  (Ted Lystig)
• Jan 20 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Good skate conditions tonight on the Valley Loop. A few icy spots, but nothing unavoidable.
  (Bill Oyler)
• Jan 20 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Hard skate deck unfortunately with a lot of debris on top and in the classic track.
  Too bad for the high winds Saturday since this would have been very skiable for skate and classic but in the woods there was a lot of debris. Twigs and branches everywhere in the woods. Out in the open very skiable with little debris. Skate deck was hard but could get a good edge. Amazing grooming they have done at WOB.
  (David Gorringe)
• Jan 20 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Great! I went out on the back lighted loop tonight and it was fantastic - for classic or skate. There are three sets of tracks laid for classic because of the races during the day. It was chilly, but the course was excellent. Icy patches that were present last week are all covered with a fair amount of snow now.
  (Anne Pilmonas)
• Jan 20 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Classic near perfect.
  The groomers laid down a bomb proof classic track this morning. Couldn't have been much better. Skate deck was pretty hard but not icy. A bit nippy but still a beautiful day out there. Toko green klister base with green binder on top kicked perfectly.
  (Noah Swiler)
• Jan 20 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Scheduling:
  Monday Jan 21st - Chalet will be closed due to the temps projected
  Tuesday Jan 22nd - High School Practices 3:00 - 5:00
  Wednesday Jan 23rd - High School Race 2:30 - 5:00
  Thursday Jan 24th - High School Practices 3:00 - 5:00
  Friday Jan 25th - High School Practices 3:00 - 5:00
  Saturday Jan 26th - No High School events scheduled at this time
  Sunday Jan 27th - MYSL Kids Youth Ski League 12:45 - 3:30.
  (Beth Springborn)
• Jan 19 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Fair to quite good for classic, depending on location.
  Classic skiing Saturday morning was a bit of a mixed bag. The outside track on the Wetland trail was washed out in a number of locations, and there was a bit of 2+1 tracking. Thinnest sections were by the campground, but snow was being shoveled onto the area to patch up problem spots. Entering and exiting Woodland Edge trail caution was needed in the tunnel heading up (mixed ice and debris) and crossing the railroad tracks at grade on the way down (they were quite exposed). However, the climb up Woodland Edge from shortly after the tunnel up to intersecting the end of Hardwood Hills was quite good and thoroughly enjoyable. Best skiing was probably just looping around Woodland Edge, staying on the West side of the railroad tracks. Somewhat surprisingly, the longer loop in the field just south of the Visitor Center was also quite good. In general the tracks seemed faster than the skate lane, as the newer snow in the latter tended to slow things down.
  (Ted Lystig)
• Jan 19 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Very icy. The day's melt and consequent freeze made the valley loop frozen ridges.
  (Kim Oberg)
• Jan 19 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  
  Open, for now. We picked up 3/4 inch of snow Thursday/Friday during the night. Buckthorn Bob and Scout screened that out this morning to make a bonding layer for future grooming. Buckthorn and Shear-Pin were just finishing a trail testing lap when I arrived for my lap at 2. I would describe conditions as fair to poor, for the most part, but the new snow slows you down enough and gives just enough traction to be able to negotiate the trails. Some of the short, steeper, up-hills were icy. The wind will blow a few other sections down to ice. I had no trouble on the downhill sections or the corners. So, if you are desperate, don’t mind a little ice, have sharp tips on your polls and good edges on your skis, have at it. If you come, ski with more than the usual caution and watch for wind-blown sticks and branches. On my lap, there were plenty of sticks to “flick” and even a few bigger ones to pick and toss already and the wind had only been blowing for a couple of hours.
  (Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)
• Jan 19 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good. Typical 1/4 inch over ice and dirt in a lot of areas but well adhered.
  More trails have been groomed. You have to access them from the southern tip of the yellow loop. Take a right over to the green loop. Excellent snow down around the barn and the big climb and the green out-and-back loop. Looks like more trail could be groomed eventually - lots of untracked snow. Did several loops on the green for a nice ski with Ride and Glide students.
  (Steve Thatcher, Ride and Glide Bike & Ski Club)
• Jan 19 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Mixed, packed powder on ice, still good skiing.
  WOB was busy this morning, and you could tell from the trails. Yesterday's fluff was now hard packed, in some areas ice was showing, and other sections were fine white cord because less used. Lots of leaves. Striding looked good, I saw many people doing that. Skating was great, too, although a bit slow. I saw a merry crew shoveling some snow onto a problematic spot. Very nice of them to do that. Thanks!
  Photos:
  (Jenneke Oosterhoff)
• Jan 19 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Valley - pretty good, starting to mush out on the uphills later in the morning. Northern Lights - about a half inch of sugary processed ice over top a solid ice base. A bit of debris here and there.
  Skied 9-11 AM, conditions were very pleasant as the temps had not started to fall yet. Northern Lights is surprisingly skiable for skate - the base of ice is obvious in a few spots and there's a bit of debris. I wouldn't use your best skis but B skis are fine. They've done pretty well to de-ice that one. Valley (snowmaking loop) was somewhat busy, as you'd expect it to be.
  (Andy Kruse)
• Jan 19 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Very good on Valley Trail, fair to good on Northern Lights trail.
  I did a long easy ski Saturday morning at Elm Creek. Valley Trail was in great shape, the best grooming in town in my opinion. The trail did have the usual ridges from the groomer however, can't complain. They groomed the Northern Lights Trail Saturday morning and it really wasn't bad! There's an inch or so of ground up snow and ice on top of a rock hard sheet of ice. I got a nice edge while skating. Absolutely rock ski conditions, but it could be much worse!
  (Matt Jorgensen)
• Jan 19 - Jackson Meadow (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  New classic tracks are marginal. Skating is good.
  (Andy Powell)
• Jan 18 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Very good. New snow freshly groomed ready for January 27th Marine O'Brien Ski Race 42nd Annual.
  It really is that good. Skiing on A skis. See photos taken January 18th throughout the trail system. More race info in Racing Outlook.
  Photos:
  (Everett Myers)
• Jan 18 - Jackson Meadow (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: After almost an 1" of new snow, the main loop, sunset meadow and ridge trail were groomed and new tracks set. Skating should be very good. Tracks are shallow in places, good in others.
  We are working on some way-finding for the trails. In the meantime print the map and bring it with you. When we refer to the "main loop" it consists of Windy West Side Trail to Blue Stem Hill to East Side Trail to Pine Forest around to (cutting through) North Meadow and back to Windy West Side. Everything that wasn't groomed tonight is classic only. If the trail is too narrow for skating and/or has a classic track running down the middle, please avoid skating there.
  (Andy Powell)
• Jan 18 - Jackson Meadow (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Fresh melty snow over good cover or debris.
  There was 1/2" to 1" of fresh ungroomed snow on top of either good coverage in the fields, or lots of debris in the woods. It was getting pretty warm out so it was very soft new snow. Went to O'Brien after a loop at Jackson and my experience matched the report from Jenneke. O'Brien was better today.
  (Benjamin Mullin)
• Jan 18 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: As Bill and Ted would say - Most Excellent.
  Very impressive conditions skiing at Elm Creek this afternoon. Great striding trail even late in the afternoon.
  (Scott Greymont)
• Jan 18 - Jackson Meadow (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Good spring skiing today.
  Full coverage with an inch of fluff on the chopped base. No tracks really but classic is doable. Poles had good stick. Used rock skate skis but could use better. The tree debris is pretty harmless. Enough loose stuff for good control. The numerous hills all seem safe. Overall good if not easy skiing.
  (Mark Orlowski)
• Jan 18 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Good, inch or so of fresh snow on top of icy base.
  Surprisingly good skating at WOB. The fresh snow made a huge difference. It was fun either way, on the fresh cord or on the not yet groomed bits. Trails were being groomed as I skied. Hats off to the groomster.
  Photos:
  (Jenneke Oosterhoff)
• Jan 18 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Man-made (Valley)loop was great, Northern Lights Thicket was OK.
  We had a little bit of snow (2 days in a row...what a concept) but this time it and the warming temps slowed things down. I guess I was spoiled by the speed of the last week. The NL/Thicket was fine if a little dirty. No rhinocerii although I may have tripped over a protruding wooly mammoth tusk - actually a piece of embedded bark almost got me or maybe it was the 3G Manly experience last night.
  (Mark Lahtinen)
• Jan 18 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  The 1/2" or so of new snow made for a surprisingly good classic ski. All of the debris and ice is covered, and the tracks are actually better than before the rain. Did only the first hilly loop, it was fine, but decided to skip the Terrace and South America loops since a fall could really hurt. Under that thin cover of snow it's still basically ice. Only thin spot continues to be under the tracks.
  (Mike Chrun)
• Jan 18 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Yellow loop open and portions of the green loop now open. Can't access green loop from trailhead due to dirt and ice, but on southeast point of yellow loop you can get to finger trail on south end of Lake Elmo and down near the old barn. Trails not great but skiable. No tracks set.
  Note: Only the yellow loop at the Lake Elmo Park Reserve will have lights on at night until conditions improve.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 17 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Very good for classic.
  Classic skiing on Valley Trail was very good Thursday evening. Sides of the tracks were a bit more solid than Tuesday, less of the sugar snow starting to be seen then. Only a couple of corners where the tracks were breaking down. Still no tracks set on Northern Lights.
  (Ted Lystig)
• Jan 17 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Valley Trail - very good. Northern Lights - poor to fair.
  Let me preface this with I'm a beginner. Each time I've been to Elm Creek I've skied Northern Lights and Valley Trails (because I can only go at night) - this time I went part way up Northern Lights and should have been on my hockey skates instead of skis. I couldn't get an edge so I turned around and did lap after lap on the Valley Trail. I think for the more experience skier they would possibly do fine - but it was not very fun for me. The groomers came out later in the night so I was able to ski some freshly groomed trails and that was nice (it was also nice of the groomer to wait for my beginner self to make it up the hill without running me over!).
  (Jane Dullum)
• Jan 17 - Hornet Hiihto Trails (Edina):
  
  Conditions: Snowmaking loop increased to 750 meters; other trails improve with some natural snow.
  Another 250m loop has been snowed in and groomed. This new loop has a moderate 20 m climb with speedy downhill. The loop on creek valley field has enough new natural snow to improve from unskiable to passable. If you need to do some intervals or only have a short time to ski, you will appreciate these conditions. If you need some distance, go to Wirth or Elm Creek.
  Grooming plans: Additional grooming on Friday morning.
  Photos:
  (Craig Jarvinen)
• Jan 17 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Conditions: Continued good conditions today on the snowmaking loop.
  Skiing was great but walking up to the stadium was challenging. Be very careful when walking up the stairs to the upper stadium as there was glare ice between the top of the stairs to the stadium.
  (Bill Oyler)
• Jan 17 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Quite fine with occasional small stones.
  Skated Green Acres 2pm Thursday before H.S. racers arrived. Fine coverage on all but the southernmost extension, which lacked enough snow to ski. Super grooming on hard base, though classic tracks were sometimes tilled away. My Garmin says skiable total course is now 3.6k.
  (David Moore)
• Jan 17 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Conditions: Excellent skating on the manmade loop.
  Beautiful sunny afternoon to enjoy the fully covered well groomed loop. Sharing the trail with lots of high school teams created a festival like atmosphere and simulated Birkie race conditions on the uphills.
  (Stephanie Hoepner)
• Jan 17 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Better than not skiing.
  Skate deck is solid ice. Several striders reported decent tracks and good grip. Outer loop is not much fun for skate but there's some good skiing on the inner trails.
  (Chas Joy)
• Jan 17 - Jackson Meadow (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Firm surface, 1/4" new snow. Seems to have setup crispy from the cold temps. Only 16 degrees, overnight single digits.
  First time at JM. Lots of speed bumps. Some very tough climbs and exciting downhills in the pine forest with all the tree debris. A good ski but requires a lot of concentration on what you're skiing over (bumps and debris). Trails aren't marked, there's a lot of them, so bring a map.
  (Steve Thatcher, Ride and Glide Bike & Ski Club)
• Jan 17 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Excellent on Valley Trail, fair on Northern Lights, cold with little wind.
  Spent an hour or so right after opening this morning on the Valley Trail and looped Northern Lights once. I was the first skater out, a classic skier was ahead of me. Valley was perfect, soft, easy edging, decent glide, very well groomed. Surprised to see Northern Lights open; it had a thin snow layer with our infamous ice right below. Poles won't sink to the baskets, but it was fine to ski. Technique was important because edging was not too good. The groomers were making another pass when I was returning to Valley. Getting back onto Valley made it clear how well that trail is groomed, but Northern Lights is more what "cross country" is about. The meadow grass surrounding Valley has a strong sweet scent right now. I had to leave for this thing called "work". Used polar wax and it worked fine, no white spots after 12k or so.
  (Steve Evans)
• Jan 16 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Good. Around 2 km of skating with an inch or two of fresh snow, well packed. No classical tracks.
  Lake Elmo trucked in snow, spread it over the ice, and groomed it for skating. It is decent skiing. A little too firm to qualify as excellent. Some irregularities. But, all in all, good skiing.
  (Greg Filice)
• Jan 16 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Good snow conditions.
  Skated around 5Pm on Wednesday. Conditions were real good. Good job Green Acres grooming crew! The top of the big climb felt a little loose though, you can feel your pole hit hard surface and skid close to the top.
  (Samuel Kidane)
• Jan 16 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Great for skating.
  I skated Valley and Northern Lights Wednesday night at about 7. The trails were great despite the used snow. The Valley loop was the fastest I have experienced there. It wasn't just me, as I overheard the winning skater in the Wednesday Elm Creek race series set a course record while I was there. The Northern Lights loop was harder and just as fast as well.
  (Saul LaCoursiere)
• Jan 16 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Pretty darn good--New snow rolled over the ice base.
  Skied the entire outside loop and it was very good. Blowing snow filled in the fossilized tracks giving a nice soft ski. 1/2" of snow made all the difference.
  (Dan Murphy)
• Jan 16 - Jackson Meadow (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Skate trails were groomed last night and are in good condition. Didn't touch any of the classic tracks. They are shallow, and we had a 1/4 inch of snow late last night (post-grooming), so you might lose the track every now and then, but totally skiable!
  I wanted to wait to post a report until I had a chance to ski the trails. Skated tonight and I can't really believe how good the conditions are considering all of the rain we had last week. No ice or snowless patches. A bit of debris in the pine forest on the east side. Skate lane is still a bit bumpy in places, but I'll take it over ice!
  Grooming plans: We'll probably groom again Friday night / Saturday morning.
  (Andy Powell)
• Jan 16 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Pretty good. Very firm, but not icy. No slip outs, you can skate hard. Dirty snow but reasonably fast.
  Did 7 laps of the Yellow loop. 1/2 to an inch of packed mixed new, shoveled and ground ice. The Yellow loop is nice rolling hills. You can go hard without putting yourself under. Three 10-15 stroke medium climbs and then downhill to flat field skate and V2 back to the chalet. Yes I was a bit bored, I was counting my strokes. Takes about 8 minutes per lap, at least for me (about 2K).
  (Steve Thatcher, Ride and Glide Bike & Ski Club)
• Jan 16 - Hornet Hiihto Trails (Edina):
  
  Conditions: Tilled ice on the snowmaking loop, good for skating but only 1k open. A bit crunchy.
  Groomed this afternoon, the snowmaking loop is in good shape with one icy spot on the s turn and at the top. It is short however, so if you are looking for 30 minutes of intervals come on over - if you want 2 hours head to Elm Creek.
  Grooming plans: We are working on the rest of the ice with the groomer and trying to make some additional snow to open more of the trail.
  (Andy Turnbbull)
• Jan 16 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Surprisingly good!
  I skied from 10 til noon on Wednesday and found the trails to be in very good shape. That little bit of fluffy snow made everything nice and soft. No ice. No scary downhills. Very enjoyable. Thank you, Green Acres!
  (Karen Weium, WAMXC)
• Jan 16 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Great. Looked clean but it was dark at the time.
  I saw snow being spread on the south side. I think this means that more K's are in the works. But, to be clear: they were not open yet. My advice: watch the Green Acres reports for good news in the next few days.
  (Per Nelson)
• Jan 16 - University of Minnesota Golf Course (Falcon Heights):
  
  Conditions: I-C-Y you ain't got no alibi, you icy.
  Trail is ice but pretty decent crust skiing south of Larpenteur. Still better than where we were at last year this time!
  (Brett Arenz)
• Jan 16 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Very good considering what they had to work with. In some places you can see the ice under the very skiable layer of powder they've managed to create and truck in. Just one loop open.
  Since some of the snow they trucked in is dirty (looked dusty to me - I saw no pebbles) you might want to use a ski that's not your best. Many thanks to Lake Elmo!
  (Russ Ludeke)
• Jan 16 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Skating report: Valley Trail-very good; Northern Lights-good to fair.
  9:00-10:00 am skating conditions: The Valley Trail was very nice, getting packed down and faster. This morning the groomers magically softened yesterday's icy surface on the Northern Lights Trail, and now edging is very secure almost everywhere. I'd call Northern Lights good for skating, unless you are concerned with getting base scratches, in which case it's only fair. I think the groomers did some snow moving, but there still are areas with gravel and small pebbles that are getting hard to avoid.
  (Ron Refsnider)
• Jan 16 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Skijor trails: very icy.
  Skijor trails: Alternating between glare ice and icy ruts with a few spots of bare pavement to keep you jumping. Nasty, but you can skijor it.
  (Dallas Johnson)
• Jan 16 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  The Northern Lights trail (yellow loop) is now open. 1.2 miles - no tracks set. Lights will be on tonight - that loop only. All other trails remain closed.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 16 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Grooming plans: Hauling snow today to clean up trails. Skiers are still welcome just a heads up.
  (Beth Springborn)
• Jan 15 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Very good for classic.
  Classic skiing was very good on Tuesday evening on snowmaking loop. The base of the tracks were solid throughout. Sides of the track were starting to deteriorate a bit as the snow started transforming from icy towards sugar. A bit slower than Sunday's speedy conditions.
  (Ted Lystig)
• Jan 15 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  
  Conditions: Skiable (crust skiing).
  I would not say Phalen is thee place to ski, but a ski there tonight showed crust skiing is out there. Give it a shot at your local golf course. I think the best spot would have few hills (ponds at the bottom of hills) and not much traffic (foot or ski). Phalen had plenty of ice rinks, grass and trampled snow, but there were also a couple fairways that were skiable. I bet other golf courses (or even fields) could be better. Daylight recommended. Phalen Lake did not look skiable.
  (Jay Wenner)
• Jan 15 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Not too bad -- 1/4" of new snow over rock ice tracks.
  The light dusting of snow made for pretty good skiing. There was some ice runs but the vast majority was good classic skiing. The skating looked thin over ice. I did not ski the hills as I did not want to risk a nasty fall. As I skied past the turn off I did notice a couple of tracks going off to the South America Hill.
  (Dan Murphy)
• Jan 15 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Scheduling:
  For the week of January 14th:
  Jan 15 high school ski meet @ 4:00
  Jan 16 high school ski meets @ 3:30 and 6:00
  Jan 19 Tour De Twin Cities race @ 8:00 ABC Relays @ 12:00 anticipate trails being open by 5:00
  Jan 20 Second day of Tour De Twin Cities @ 8:00
  For the week of January 21st:
  Jan 21 Mpls team trials @ 9:00 AM
  Jan 22 High school ski meet @ 3:30
  Jan 23 High school ski meet @ 3:30
  Jan 24 High school ski meet @ 3:30
  Jan 26 Second stage of the Tour De Twin Cities @ 8:00
  Jan 27 Second day of the second stage of the Tour De Twin Cities @ 8:00
  High school ski meets traditionally last about 2 hours.
  (Mike Baker)
• Jan 15 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  
  Conditions: Very thin snow cover near shore. Ice pretty thick.
  Ended up nordic skating around Wirth Lake and then Lake of the Isles. They were mostly windblown with very thin snow near the shore, but I don't think the snow would be enough to get a solid skating push. Lakes are posted "Danger: Thin Ice", but most areas had over 6" and often much more. Just be sure to watch out for natural and manmade springs. Skates worked great with poles to get some high end speed in on the ice!
  (Wyatt Behrends)
• Jan 15 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Absolutely excellent for both skate and classic on the snowmaking loop. Other loop has no classic track and deck was thin and a bit icy, but very skateable.
  (Dale Vaillancourt)
• Jan 15 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Valley Trail-good to excellent for skate. Northern Lights-fair for skating, not tracked for classic.
  This morning I skated the Valley and Northern Lights Trails several times. Valley is in typical good to excellent shape for skating. The Northern Lights Trail didn't look like it had been scraped since Monday morning's passes, so edging is starting to get a bit dicey at places. Some small stones and gravel are evident, so minor ski base scratches are likely. Northern Lights was not tracked yesterday nor today, in contrast to the Three Rivers Ski Trails Update for Elm Creek dated Jan 14. There is no classic track there at all; with the icy base I'd say classic skiing out there wouldn't be any fun.
  (Ron Refsnider)
• Jan 15 - Jackson Meadow (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  We're working on it! We have enough base to get the trails back to a skiable state. Groomed the central meadow loop over the weekend and it's in good shape for skating. No tracks set.
  Grooming plans: We will work on the trails this week and post an update, but right now we are optimistic about having good skiing for the weekend.
  (Andy Powell)
• Jan 15 - Francis Gross Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  
  Due to the warm weather, the ski trails at Gross were closed as of last Thursday, Jan 10th. No grooming will occur and users of the trails are encouraged to stay off the trails to prevent damage.
  (Robin Smothers)
• Jan 14 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Skiid the Valley Trail Monday night. Classic tracks had new snow, softer landing and yet still fast. Northern Lights trail had no classic tracks at all leading from the Valley Trail. Skiied about 200 yards down the trail, no tracks.
  Classic tracks looked to have had new groomed snow in them, had shallow points, especially near turns with a total washout on the left track of the final downhill of the Valley Trail.
  (David Moore)
• Jan 14 - Hornet Hiihto Trails (Edina):
  
  Conditions: Good on flat snowmaking loop, a bit icy on hilly snowmaking loop.
  We made more snow and have a very good 200 meter section of our snowmaker loop open - this is the flat portion. The 300 meter hilly portion of our snowmaking loop is groomed and in fair condition. It can be skied, but it is a bit icy in places. The other 4km of trails are in poor to unskiabe condition.
  Photos:
  (Craig Jarvinen)
• Jan 14 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Conditions: Quite good on the 3K snowmaking loop (although about 1/3 closed for snowmaking).
  I classic skied this afternoon (10 degrees F) using hardwax (Rode Multigrade Violet) and had great kick both in and out of the tracks. Generally good coverage, nice classic tracks, only a few icy patches and small rocks churned up in the snowpack here and there - all easily avoided. The Wirth crew has been making and spreading a lot of new snow and are getting the trails back into great shape.
  (Ryan Atwell)
• Jan 14 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Good enough! Groomed when warm, now hard packed and fast.
  There is still 6-8 inches of snow on the ground here. I saw one 4 inch long dirt spot in 8km ski, classic. I did not ski the outer loops. Tracks were 95% excellent. A few blown out sections where heavily used. Dusting of snow deep hard tracks. Extra blue worked perfectly for me. Still very enjoyable skiing.
  (Rudi Hargesheimer)
• Jan 14 - St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park (Hastings):
  
  Due to icy conditions, ski trails are closed at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park until further notice.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 14 - Pine Point Park (Stillwater):
  
  Due to icy conditions, ski trails at Pine Point Park are closed until further notice.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 14 - Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park (Cottage Grove):
  
  Due to icy conditions, ski trails at Cottage Grove Ravine are closed until further notice.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 14 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Grooming plans: The rain and warm temps last week caused many dirt spots and very icy conditions. Park maintenance staff are working on the yellow loop today – bringing in snow to cover bare spots and using the groomer to chop up the ice. All trails continue to be closed and we will post notices if any trails open tomorrow.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 14 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Skiied the valley trail this morning. Classic tracks were fast and in excellent condition.
  Waxless skis worked well.
  (Mark Basiletti)
• Jan 14 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Pretty darn good all things considered. Nice soft skate lanes and firm classic tracks. Tracks are shallow or missing a few places. Dirty snow and a few small rocks to watch out for through out the trail. They had piles of snow to use and still blowing more this morning. Thank you Green Acres!
  (Tom Ferry)
• Jan 14 - Ramsey County Parks (Saint Paul):
  
  Grooming plans: The rain and warm temperatures that moved through the metro area late last week caused significant damage to all cross-country ski trails within the Ramsey County Parks system. All trails are currently ice covered and have numerous bare spots. At this time, Ramsey County Parks & Recreation considers all trails closed until grooming can resume with the next significant snowfall. Users are advised that the trails are unsafe and are asked to remain off the trails until they reopen.
  (Allison Winters, Ramsey County Parks)
• Jan 13 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Scheduling: A lot of high school events this week...
  Monday Jan 14th: 3:00 - 4:30 High Schools Practicing,
  Tuesday Jan 15: 2:30 - 5:00 High School SEC Race,
  Wednesday Jan 16: 3:00 - 5:15 High Schools Practicing,
  Thursday Jan 17: 3:00 - 5:30 High School Race,
  Friday Jan 18: 3:00 - 5:15 High Schools Practicing.
  (Beth Springborn)
• Jan 13 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Poor. 9 degrees; partly sunny. Icy base with a bare minimum of loose snow on top to allow enough bite for skating. On the the trails I did - Wetlands and Wedge Hill Savanna - there seemed to be consistent classic track.
  You really have to want to ski to go out in these conditions. I had a ski go out from me a couple times as I pushed off but I recovered and didn't go down. Only did one downhill - coming off of Wedge Hill Savanna back on to Wetlands - and that was not fun. The wind and rain knocked down lots of litter in sections of trail going through the trees. Hopefully we get snow soon.
  (Keith Carlson)
• Jan 13 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  
  Conditions: Good solid crust on most of the fairways.
  Checked out Phalen this afternood and was able to put together a good ski on the crust. There are many good fairways to ski, the fairway that runs along Arcade St maybe the best.
  (Bill Stuber)
• Jan 13 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Very good for classic.
  Tracks were very good for classic skiing this afternoon. Deep and solid tracks. Waxless skies worked great. So much double poling that the feet got cold fast.
  (Ted Lystig)
• Jan 13 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  The man-made loop was in excellent shape. Great classic tracks. I believe klister or grip tape a must for kick. Deiced nicely.
  (Ralph Schwartz)
• Jan 13 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Continued good conditions today on the snowmaking loop. No debris and very little ice. The loop is slightly shorter due to ongoing snowmaking work, but it's still an excellent workout with good conditions for both skate and classic. One downhill is just a little bit slick, but there is enough powder to gain control. Uphills are sugary but better than yesterday, and most importantly the uphills are not icy at all. Get out there any enjoy the loop.
  (Bill Oyler)
• Jan 13 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Skate and classic both great.
  They tilled up the skate lane and it had had some soft stuff to edge on. The classic track was rocket fast and solid which is a mixed blessing when it is 3 or 4 above and is mostly double-poling anyway...brrrr. The Pisten Bully even went out on the Northern Lights/Thicket (didn't check it out). The most dangerous part is exiting the snow to the parking lot: icy surfaces and plastic ski boot soles are not a good combo but not as bad as yesterday.
  (Mark Lahtinen)
• Jan 13 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Good-good-good-good-good.
  Just a few dirty spots on the edges. One icy patch on the left as you go out to start the loop. Some soft powder at the base of the plunge (from the snow gun) was surprisingly even glide and easy to navigate. No excuses to stay home. What a relief after last week. Hope every one gets out and enjoys it.
  (Per Nelson)
• Jan 13 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Very good, firm but not icy skate deck.
  Fully power tilled and excellent classic tracks. Much improved from yesterday with very few rocks and most of the dirty snow areas covered with fresh snow. Full loop is approx. 3.5K.
  (Bill Callas)
• Jan 12 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Recently groomed and tracks have been reset.
  Sunday there will be a race held at Green Acres from 7:00am - Noon.
  (Beth Springborn)
• Jan 12 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Mix of icy spots and some relatively decent grooming for skate skiing.
  On a scale of 1-10, about a 3. No rocks, no dirt on inner loops. Snow is thin with some icy spots, but also some surprisingly decent grooming. OK if you live close, otherwise don't "make a trip".
  (Jerry House)
• Jan 12 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Very good on snowmaking loop, considering the freeze. The groomers did a good job breaking up the ice for the Pre-Loppet. Much better than Elm Creek, which was basically sheet ice.
  (Bill Oyler)
• Jan 12 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  
  Conditions: Not skiable. Mostly rutted ice.
  The warm weather and rain did in the track at Phalen. Much of the track is now only rutted ice and there are many bare patches.
  (Jonathan Poppele)
• Jan 12 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  
  Conditions: Closed indefinitely. Even after eight hours of grooming, our trails have too much ice and not enough snow.
  Grooming plans: No grooming is scheduled. After the grooming run this afternoon, Ancient One decided to cancel the rest of the planned grooming. If someone could order up a couple inches of snow for us, that would be really nice.
  (Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)
• Jan 12 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Too icy for skating. Hard to get an edge, especially on uphills. If you go, your best bet is to double pole in the classic tracks. They are fast enough that you can get up most hills double poling.
  (Bill Oyler)
• Jan 12 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Pretty good but not for the faint of heart skaters. Classic looked good.
  Crashed ice...or should I say scratched ice. Corduroy with alot of starch in it if you will. Edging was a little tough in spots but then you want to try and ride a flat ski. Very fast with the wind. Comfortable once my face numbed into the wind. The trace of snow we got blew into the classice tracks and slowed them down and grabbed some klister (I was told).
  (Mark Lahtinen)
• Jan 12 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Icy but skiable. Partially groomed.
  They are working hard. Skiing was much better than I expected. Lots of little rocks so bring old skies.
  (John Bradford)
• Jan 12 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Trails have been groomed! No tracks set.
  Grooming plans: Hauling snow on some low areas first then we will set tracks.
  (Beth Springborn)
• Jan 12 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  The snowmaking loop was mostly groomed by noon with the ginzu groomer. The skiing was ok except for numerous small rocks scattered throughout the loops (I would definitely use rock skis). I took a hard fall when I hit a rock.
  Photos:
  (Bill Callas)
• Jan 12 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Concrete hard icy skate deck.
  Manmade loop open, all other trails closed. Very icy skate deck. Minimal edge.
  (Matti Koivula)
• Jan 12 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  
  Conditions: Awful, I am sorry to say that the trails are still closed. There is still good coverage on almost all of the system. While some of the base is pure ice, most is just plain hardpack that takes a lot of energy to turn back into snow. Bob and Scout set a new record pulling the screens for six hours this morning.
  Grooming plans: Ancient One and Doc are going to head out at two to make few more laps. Taxi and Yet-to-be-Determined will get after it this evening. Stay tuned, but look for alternate places to ski. Sorry for the bad news.
  (Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)
• Jan 12 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Went to Elm Creek and it's open but pretty much not skiable. Solid ice and no edge.
  (Bob Wilson)
• Jan 12 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  
  Non-skiing report: French was closed this morning.
  (Bob Wilson)
• Jan 12 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  
  Conditions: Very poor. Not skiable.
  Trails were glare ice. Big frozen "ponds" at the bottom of the hills and in the practice area.
  (Marie Jordan)
• Jan 12 - Vadnais/Sucker Lakes (Vadnais Heights):
  
  Conditions: Poor. Ice filled tracks.
  Non-skiing report: Trail appears to be a large sheet of ice. Not recommended for skiing.
  Photos:
  (Mark Oswood)
• Jan 12 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Basically, solid ice.
  I skied one lap of the manmade loop: Solid ice, virtually no edge control.
  (Tony Pellegrini)
• Jan 12 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Not groomed.
  Tiller broke on our groomer and so the trails have not been groomed since the rain. Hoping to have it fixed very soon and resume grooming.
  (Beth Springborn)
• Jan 12 - Washington County Parks (Lake Elmo):
  
  Washington County ski trails will remain closed. Maintenance tried to groom them this morning. Long stretches of dirt in places with sheer ice in others. Machine broke through ice into water in low spots. We need snow to get these trails back in shape.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 12 - Battle Creek Regional Park West (Saint Paul):
  
  Grooming plans: The trail has been turned to mostly ice by the warm temperatures and rain. It will not be possible to groom the trail until a significant snow fall is received. Conditions are such that the trail is unsafe and should not be skied.
  (John Fitzgerald)
• Jan 12 - University of Minnesota Golf Course (Falcon Heights):
  
  Conditions: Ice skates anyone?
  Non-skiing report: The parking lot corner at the trailhead is a wonderful skating pond. Unfortunately, not quite frozen where it was deeper than my shoes. The trails have a firm but thin 'base' of ice. Impressions of ski tracks can be seen encased in ice.
  Photos:
  (Michael Sweet)
• Jan 11 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  
  Conditions: Hard packed, mostly icy, some slush.
  What a shame! The man-made snow loop had been clean and in great shape on Monday but by Thursday -not so much! Skated the loop around 5:00 pm Friday and there was a lot of tree debris and dirt mixed in to what had been really white snow.
  (Kathleen Miller)
• Jan 11 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Good rock skiing, hard and fast.
  Relatively good skiing this morning. As seems typical at Green Acres, there are rocks and dirt, but for the most part the dirty patches can be avoided. I would still use rock skis, but the snow was holding up really well in the rain.
  (Bonnie Weiskopf)
• Jan 11 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  
  Grooming plans: The ski trails will remain closed until posted as open. Buckthorn Bob and Scout plan to head out at 6:30 Saturday morning to survey the trails and groom if conditions permit.
  (Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)
• Jan 11 - Fort Snelling State Park (Saint Paul):
  
  Poor. Ski trails have deteriorated due to the rain and are icy, wet, and in some places completely gone.
  (Krista Jensen)
• Jan 11 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: The snowmaking 2.5km loop open, in great shape with a recent groom. Some uphills getting a little soft.
  Loop looked great, was there from 11:00 to 12:20. Uphills were get softer as day wore on and more ski traffic.
  (Jill Troutner)
• Jan 11 - Washington County Parks (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: The ski trails are currently closed until temps drop.
  Come to the Grand Opening Event to celebrate our new lighted ski trails and Nordic Center at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. Help us celebrate! Today, 4:00pm until 6:00pm. No vehicle permit required after 3pm.
  (Mike Polehna, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 11 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Grooming plans: Due to the rain and warm temperatures, the ski trails are currently closed until temps drop.
  Washington County will celebrate the official opening of the lighted ski trails and the new Nordic Center during a short program starting at 4 pm today at the center. Light refreshments will be served.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Jan 10 - Carver Park Reserve (Victoria):
  
  Conditions: Excellent. Groomed. Plenty of snow.
  Skated the Lake trail. Freshly groomed and very few dirt patches. Did 3 laps and it started to rain!
  (Steve Miller)
• Jan 10 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  Conditions: Lousy. Packed down skate deck and icy tracks.
  It was pretty good late February conditions. The tracks were glazed and icy - very fast. The skating was flattened from heavy use. No loose snow on top. The rain had just started when I left.
  (Dan Murphy)
• Jan 10 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  
  Conditions: Quite solid on the main loops.
  Skied Green Acres noon Thursday in 35 degree temps. The outer loops appeared unskiable due to low snow, but the core course was quite fine: very firm in most places, but Per's Plunge, thankfully, groomed to full cord. There's some thinning, but I saw a huge backhoe working on a massive snow pile.
  (David Moore)
• Jan 10 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  
  Conditions: Once again, trails in very good shape with the skate deck firm and fast in the morning.
  I did some double poling in the classic track and there were some leaves there blown in by the wind. Most of the leaves appeared to be from those pesky red oaks that tend to hold their leaves into winter. Bravo to the French Park groomers!
  (Jack Stech)
• Jan 10 - University of Minnesota Golf Course (Falcon Heights):
  
  As the warm air and rain moves in, we are planning to close the trails at the U of MN at 4 pm today. With a thin base, deep ruts would likely not be able to be repaired without more snow. Please use judgement in the short term to provide better skiing in the long term. Lets hope we can preserve some snow for when it cools back down this weekend. Thanks so much, U of MN Grooming Crew.
  (Mitch Hoffman)
• Jan 10 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  
  The trail is holding up very well! Still 99% coverage this morning.
  (Chas Joy)
• Jan 10 - Columbia Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  
  Grooming plans: Due to the warm weather, the ski trails at Columbia will be closed as of Thursday. No grooming will occur and users of the trails are encouraged to stay off the trails to prevent damage. We expect to open and resume grooming on Saturday, Jan 12th when the colder temperatures are predicted to arrive.
  (Tony Kelly, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation)
• Jan 10 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  
  Grooming plans: Due to the warm weather, the ski trails at Hiawatha will be closed as of Thursday. No grooming will occur and users of the trails are encouraged to stay off the trails to prevent damage. We expect to open and resume grooming on Saturday, Jan 12th when the colder temperatures are predicted to arrive.
  (Tony Kelly, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation)
• Jan 10 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  
  Conditions: Amazingly good on the outer loops this morning -- fresh corduroy, good coverage, fast snow.
  Started skiing around 10:30 am, went straight for the outer loops. The trails were freshly groomed, had plenty of snow (even for good skis), and found it to be quite fast (for the first lap). Nice wide skate deck and plenty of edge control, but very firm. Second the surface cord was warming up and the snow was slowing down a little. Didn't see any bare spots, but did see some evidence of shoveling -- nice work! Very enjoyable ski, even more since I only had to ski about 2K on the man-made loops.
  Photos:
  (Bruce Adelsman)
• Jan 10 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  
  Conditions: Good, hard packed, full coverage, more seed pods.
  It was miraculous at 10 this morning. Super fast skating, with occasional slower places where there is a lot of sun exposure. Some dirt showing, but no problem at all. Tossed a few more seed pods off the trail. Some rhinoceros ran down the course making foot prints as deep as jumbo tea cups. But what a great midwinter, uhm, spring ski.
  Photos:
  (Jenneke Oosterhoff)
• Jan 10 - Carver Park Reserve (Victoria):
  
  Conditions: Excellent on King and Lake.
  Groomer is out. Grimm being done as I left.
  (Kevin Wendland)
• Jan 10 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  
  Trails In amazingly good shape considering the warm weather - about 35F at 10:30 this morning, and essentially no bare spots. Only skated, but classic tracks looked to be in good shape, only a little shallow and wiped out in a few places. Did not ski the west side.
  (Kristin Miller)
• Jan 10 - Ramsey County Parks (Saint Paul):
  
  Grooming plans: In an effort to protect the ski trails from damage due to use during the rain, we will be closing the trails at noon today. Rain is expected to start between 2:30 and 5:00pm and ample notice should be given to the public so that they can plan accordingly. We will reopen the trails based on the impact of the storm.
  (Allison Winters, Ramsey County Parks)

• Jan 20 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
  
  Conditions: Excellent for both skate and classic.
  It's a winter wonderland on the Gunflint! Continuous snowfall from Friday through Sunday made for a long weekend full of skiing on an abundance of powdery new snow.
  Photos:
  (Colleen Corcoran)
• Jan 20 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Trails well groomed, with attention to detail. Adequate depth throughout, although there are some large rocks that are visible, mid-trail. Great skiing, mostly single track.
  Despite the cold conditions on Sunday, we had a very enjoyable ski, due to the fact that most of the trails are through dense woods, so that we were protected from the wind. No skate skiing. However, great classic trails. A very nice place to ski.
  (John Faley)
• Jan 20 - Jay Cooke State Park (Carlton):
  
  Very good. We skied from Carlton to Forbay, then into the park. The CC loop and Thomson loop (except for cemetery loop) had been groomed but not tracked. The part of White Pine loop that is open is groomed also. Very few skiers (maybe 1 or 2) had been out, but lots of walkers have been on the trail, particularly the White Pine loop. There is plenty of new snow on top of the ice.
  (Jan Hille)
• Jan 20 - Black Bay Trail (International Falls):
  
  Conditions: -4F, windy. Fastwax White, Swix Polar.
  The beginners loop is packed and machine tracked, but the new snow has filled in the tracks a bit. I skied the upper loops, "Pine Trail," which evidently were packed some time ago and have not been tracked, but skiers have made a good set of tracks. A very beautiful sunny afternoon in the woods.
  Photos:
  (Burgess Eberhardt)
• Jan 20 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  
  Conditions: -16F, sunny, new snow. Very good base, level trail now.
  We got about 3" fluffy new snow - again. Rolled all segments for skating but left tracks for another day. They are well-marked or skied in nicely.
  Photos:
  (Burgess Eberhardt)
• Jan 20 - Spirit Mountain (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Skate and classic groomed recently on the shorter loops. Black diamond only partially groomed.
  Classic track was mostly good. Skate was a little soft but nice. Ice was suprisingly minimal. Good pole plants all around.
  (Les Martin)
• Jan 20 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Shaggier than expected, but good.
  The D Loop and everything above F has not been machine-groomed. The lighted trails that were just groomed are already in need of a refresher. The ice just below the surface is hard and occasionally causes your poles to slip. Lovely to be out skiing on good snow, and seeing so many skiing friends.
  Photos:
  (Bryan French)
• Jan 20 - Gooseberry Falls State Park (Two Harbors):
  
  Conditions: Very good. Most of the trails were rolled on Saturday and today they are rolling again and resetting the classic track. Excellent snow coverage although still a little thin under the big trees.
  I had an excellent ski this afternoon. Cold temps, green wax. Curt was working on grooming after rolling yesterday. The track on the Birch Hill loop was perfect. The river frozen and beautiful. Lots of foot traffic on the shared trails until you get above highway 61.
  Photos:
  (Tony Lockhart)
• Jan 20 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Lower trails good for skating, all trails good for classic.
  Had a really good time on classic skis here yesterday and decided to come back today. The trail has held up well for classic and on the lower sections the skating looks much better in comparison to yesterday's appearance. The lower trail would benefit from a gentle touch-up and the upper trails and side loops fortunately did not suffer from the wind last night and would also benefit from grooming.
  (John Ipsen)
• Jan 20 - Northwoods Ski Trail (Silver Bay):
  
  Conditions: Very good with the new snow we got Friday.
  We got 6 inches of snow Friday. The trail was set. There was a few thin spots under heavy trees, but all in all, a delightful ski.
  (Teresa Workman)
• Jan 20 - Pincushion Mountain Trail (Grand Marais):
  
  Conditions: 3-4" of packed powder over an icy base. Very good for classic; and very good to excellent for skating.
  C-C-C-Cold! Fresh snow over an icy base is available on all loops. All trails are rolled and packed, track set on West Overlook, Upper & Lower Snowman and Pincushion Mtn. loops. Compacted Base: 3-5" Snow Depth in Woods: 6-10" New Snow Last 24 Hours: 2" New Snow Last 7 Days: 11" Groomed for Skating: 25 of 25 km. Groomed with Classic Tracks: Classic tracks set on West Overloon, Upper and Lower Snowman and Pincushion Mtn. Loops. Classic skiing possable on surface of other trails; quite good with waxable skis.12 of 25 km's. Last Grooming Day: Saturday, January 19th. Total Snow for Season since November 1st: 35".
  (Dave Bartol)
• Jan 20 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  It's cold out here but the trails are awesome! Very well maintained :).
  (Cynthia Anderson)
• Jan 20 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Very good. Well groomed.
  It seems the trees ar always blanketed in snow, and there is rarely any one else on the trail.
  (Dann Henseler)
• Jan 20 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Fresh snow, but beware of ice and the occasional rock because its not very deep. Just groomed yesterday.
  National Forest Lodge is the ideal place to stay and Andy rocks!
  (Wendy Sjoblom)
• Jan 20 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Three inches of new snow, freshly groomed, good condition.
  So pretty with snow on pine trees.
  (Jerry Johnson)
• Jan 20 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Well-groomed fantastic trails.
  Dress warm today. The pine treed trails protect you from the wind!
  (Lori Askelin Chase)
• Jan 20 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  
  6 " of fresh since Friday! All trails will be open for the season on Sunday. Conditions will be soft, but should firm up with additional grooming.
  (John Filander)
• Jan 19 - Big Aspen Recreation Area (Virginia):
  
  Groomed and set a track on the Big Aspen Trail this past Saturday. The Forest Service was able to set a track on most of the trail (a few areas were still too rough to do so).
  (Mark Toot)
• Jan 19 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Excellent, well groomed, powder, classic tracks.
  Perfectly groomed trails, beautiful, powdery snow. Thank you, National Forest Lodge for an incredible weekend of skiing. Your trails are amazing!
  (Holly Bayer)
• Jan 19 - Sturgeon River Trails (Chisholm):
  
  Conditions: Crusty base with 6" of fresh snow on top. User tracked.
  Really nice, quiet day out at Sturgeon River. Evidence of a recent wolf pack kill.
  (Reni Keane)
• Jan 19 - Sugar Hills (Grand Rapids):
  
  Conditions: Good. About 4 inches of fresh snow.
  The fresh new snow made for a good base for snow plowing and navigating the hills. No bare spots - great coverage over the entire loop.
  (Patrick Johnson)
• Jan 19 - Korkki Nordic (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Groomed and pretty darn good.
  A bit thin in places, but overall good coverage of fluffy snow on top of ice, creating a soft track. Didn't touch down on any rocks. The big hill was fine. Very nice to be back at Korkki. Worth the trip.
  (Joe Ostazeski)
• Jan 19 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Pretty decent. 3-4 inches on ice base. Good skied in track. Some thin spots, but good overall. With light use trails should last for awhile.
  Enjoyed the surprisingly good skiing Sat just before the temps dropped. Classic track groomng may require more snow. However skier tracks work just fine. We were able to ski all of the loops, even the hills on the west side.
  Photos:
  (Chip Treen)
• Jan 19 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Good classic, fair skate.
  Grooming went up the main trail to the cutoff at F. Beyond there and on all side loops the trail was skier tracked - nice for classic, and the snow and tracks were deeper the higher up the trail system we went. The classic tracks were placed too close to the center in many sections (in fact dead center on much of the ungroomed trail - though I guess until skating is a reality on the upper loops it doesn't matter much). Nice to see the groomer making the effort to compact the snow all the way out to the edge of the trail. This will help especially if we get additional snow. The skating looked like a chore and the skate deck had been pretty churned up, with many cuts going down to the ice below.
  (John Ipsen)
• Jan 19 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Good for classic.
  The trail was in pretty nice shape today. Good classic track, thoroughly used. No rocks to be seen! Occasional ice in the bottom of the track. The wind was kicking up in the afternoon and in some places the tracks were filling in. Well worth the trip.
  (John Ipsen)
• Jan 19 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Skating: The lower trails were groomed but fairly beat up for skating, with lots of deep grooves in the fresh snow -- some down to the ice -- while the upper trails were ungroomed and slow going skating in the 5-6" of recent snow. I wished that I'd been out with classic gear.
  I skated the entire Lester system at dusk, and found the lower trails in decent shape, but the majority of the park hasn't yet been groomed, so it was a good workout trudging through the fresh snow, especially the farthest upper loop where I didn't see any other signs of previous skating. The old ice is under the new snow, but it didn't cause my skis any trouble, just the occasional pole tip slipping.
  (Lane Ellis)
• Jan 19 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
  
  We've groomed the entire 77k a couple times in the last two days to keep up with the 7 inches of new snow that we've just received. Conditions are now good to excellent systemwide. 6 inches of base and 12 to 14 inches of snow in the woods. Everything has set up well due to cooler temps.
  (Bob McCloughan, Bearskin Lodge)
• Jan 19 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  
  Conditions: Snowy and I groomed.
  We skied Moose Fence today. We had to break trail for half of it, but it was awesome to be on real snow and not ice.
  (Teresa Workman)
• Jan 19 - Spirit Mountain (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Good; recently groomed.
  Skating - Overall the trails were in good shape for skating. An occasional rock still pokes through the snow but all are very avoidable. The latest snow smoothed the trail out quite a bit and most of the trails have been groomed. The hilly, windy section on the north side of the system (black diamond on the new maps) has not yet been groomed but is very skiable. The connector to Magney has not been groomed.
  Grooming plans: The City and DXC will be working hard this week to prepare the course for the race on January 27.
  (Tony Shoberg)
• Jan 19 - Two Harbors Ski Trail (Two Harbors):
  
  Conditions: Skating soft, no classic tracks set yet.
  The trail received 5 to 6 inches of snow yesterday which has been rolled and packed lightly. Skating was soft. Encountered numerous skiers going the wrong direction and one unfortunate crying baby had its diaper changed in the middle of the trail at the bottom of a downhill! Nothing was said, but maybe the trail needs more direction signs.
  (Tom Peterson)
• Jan 19 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Lower Trails: Groomed; Upper Trails: Ungroomed, skied in tracks.
  5+ inches on snow in Duluth yesterday, and Lester is back in business! The lower trails have been groomed, but the skate deck still looked a bit icy at times when trying to get an edge (the ice is still down there). The classic track was decent. The upper system was ungroomed as on 12:30 pm. There are some nice skied in tracks. It's more like 6+ inches up top. Good times!
  Photos:
  (Rich Hoeg)
• Jan 19 - Fond du Lac State Forest (Cromwell):
  
  Fair to good. 3" of new snow yesterday so I set a new track. Most of it came out pretty good but we really need a good dump of snow to help even out the trail base and cover the young brush sticking up. I did run into several skiers who were enjoying the trail and fresh snowfall before the colder weather sets in.
  (Lon Gervais)
• Jan 19 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Good early season conditions.
  The lower trails are rolled and tracked and had gotten a fair amount of use by 1:30. The upper loops and side loops have not been groomed but have a good skied-in track. Looks like skating would be tough. There's about 4" of new snow over an icy base.
  (Catherine Winter)
• Jan 19 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Great. Snow deep enough to cover the ice underneath.
  Met the groomer out on the trails this morning. The most beautiful place to ski. Intimate trails. Very few bare spots - mostly excellent. And coming in for a hot lunch at National Forest Lodge made it even better!
  (Debra Gagner)
• Jan 19 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Coverage - very good. Tracks - decent.
  Coverage was very good. Could have used the A skis. Track was a little washed out - probably due to fluffy snow and heavy usage. Well worth the trip. If you've never been here, it's worth the trip. Nice flat/rolling terrain with great signage.
  Note to new parents: If you are towing your 25 lbs 2 year old behind you in a pulk, plan on lots of kick wax.
  Photos:
  (Ben Fornear)
• Jan 19 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Good - A ski conditions.
  It was groomed yesterday and the tracks have firmed up. The fresh corduroy in the center is a bit soft but never had an issue with pole plants. A lot of skiers this morning and tracks are washed out in places but still in good condition.
  (Jakob Wartman)
• Jan 19 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Reasonable. Groomed this morning. Soft over ice base.
  Main loop was groomed and tracked this morning. Cutoffs and D and F loops weren't groomed as of 10am. Did both classic and skate. Classic was good, skate very soft over an ice base. OK for the good skis.
  (Gini Breidenbach)
• Jan 19 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Three to four inches of heavy new snow covering ice. Good skating.
  Thanks to the previous grooming efforts of scratching up the ice, the new snow is sticking well to the old base. Skating was a little soft at first and getting better each loop. Skiing should be even better after another pass of grooming, which was happening as we left. The classic track looked ok but also soft.
  (Bruce Bauer)
• Jan 19 - Bagley Nature Area (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Looks good but is thin. Icy in the bottom of the tracks quite a bit and thin underneath some of the tree covered areas. Tracks are kinda soft too.
  Hope for more snow. The icy base is hard for a new track to set up on. For now, get out there with some older skis and enjoy!
  (Zack Gill)
• Jan 18 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Good.
  Perfect VR40 night. Tracked much earlier and skied in since the roughly 6 inches of snow Duluth got today.
  (Jakob Wartman)
• Jan 18 - Hidden Valley Ski Trails (Ely):
  
  Conditions: Great, beautiful! 2-3" of new snow today.
  Trails were rolled but not tracked. What a delight to ski in fresh natural snow. It is our 21st annual women's xc trip, first time to Ely.
  (Genevieve Johnson)
• Jan 18 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  
  Conditions: Weather: snowing and 12F; 3" of puffy new snow on the trail.
  More snow, more grooming. We used the roller and Ginzu today. Skate lane done on the entire trail and set tracks on everything except no new tracks on VNP connector, the Blue Trail. All segments look really nice!
  (Burgess Eberhardt)
• Jan 18 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  
  It’s winter in Biwabik! Great day for skating. I found about 1” of “Utah Champagne” on my car this morning. Snow continued to fly until mid-afternoon. Out loop was groomed full width, Gold and Copper trails half width, both with very soft tracks over ice. Skating I stayed on top of the fresh pow. Best ski of the year.
  (Madeline McAlister)
• Jan 18 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: 4-5 inches of fresh, ungroomed snow. Very nice for a "backcountry" classic ski on fishscales.
  It wasn't dog day at Boulder, but we figured it wouldn't be groomed yet since it was still snowing. Skied North Loop trails and Blue Ox. Decent coverage, a few ruts or depressions that could catch skis. Easy to see/avoid since it's pretty flat.
  (Anne Flueckiger)
• Jan 17 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Boulder got just a dusting over the last couple of days.
  Tried skating around the edge of the lake but didn't work as it was icy up to the edge under a light dusting and the ice was rough from snowmobile marks from before the meltdown. Quit after 10 minutes. Very windblown in the afternoon.
  Photos:
  (Clayton Keim)
• Jan 17 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  
  Conditions: The track was in very good condition. The track was firm and deep.
  It was 10 above and I classic skied 21 KM. Track was firm and only saw one rock in the track. I crossed a fresh wolf track that was not there on the first loop around.
  (David Kettula)
• Jan 16 - Banadad Trail (Grand Marais):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good ski conditions. 3-4 inches of base on the trails and 7-8 inches of snow on the ground.
  From the east end trailhead, 7 kilometers of the Banadad was tracked Wednesday. Lace Lake, Tall Pines and Knopp trails tracked Wednesday. Some center stubble still showing through.
  Grooming plans: Remainder of the Banadad to be tracked Friday.
  (Ted Young)
• Jan 16 - Flathorn-Gegoka Trails (Isabella):
  
  Conditions: Good, firm but not icy.
  Trail is much improved by 1.5" of new snow covering the underlying crusty base and debris. Tracks are not deep but adequate for good striding. Extra blue hard wax worked perfectly and lasted all afternoon. This is a great trail on windy day as much of it is protected by towering red and white pines with a thick understory. I used my old skis, but you could use good skis with a little care.
  Photos:
  (Tom Peterson)
• Jan 16 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  
  Conditions: Good. Packed powder over hard base.
  Amazing! The gold was not just good skiing considering what happened last week, it's good period. Skied Gold classic to check on our college race courses for next weekend, and was blown away. The groomer is a magician. I don't think I've seen a place so masterfully use light grooming equipment in challenging conditions like the Ridge. Golf course is still problematic with ice under little dusting, but the double track and skate lane access to the Gold up the north face cat track with a link out to the Gold trail is good ski skiing, no doubt. Saw some thin snow cover on the skate trail but ice over any exposure makes the need for even B skis pretty much unnecessary. The Gold skate lane looked absolutely sublime. Did not ski Silver because getting there on golf course was rough. Right now could hold individual start classic and skate races that access Gold on north face cat track and finish off normal exit on the side of golf course on Cedar/Gold. Bronze looked great anywhere I crossed it, both techniques.
  Photos:
  (Chad Salmela)
• Jan 16 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  
  Conditions: New snow, windy and sunny, plus 10F.
  We took both groomers over all trail segments today. Groomed skate lanes and set tracks on Green, Orange, Blue to VNP shelter, Yellow, and Red trails. New snow makes for a much more level trail and good tracks throughout.
  (Burgess Eberhardt)
• Jan 16 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  
  Conditions: Barely fair...but much better than not skiing at all! Rock skis are a must. Not groomed recently, about 1" powder on firm base. Some ruts and ice on skate deck, but edging was ok. Lots of twigs. Classic track looked so-so.
  Skated from Moose Fence Trailhead and did the Upland and Maple loops. The initial climb was icy with much debris, then deeps ruts leftover from last week to make things tricky. The Upland loop was quite bumpy. The southerm Maple loop had a lot of stubble to trip you up. The inch of powder made skiing way more enjoyable than it would've been. The balance muscles got a workout!
  (Michael Kosloski)
• Jan 16 - Blueberry Hills (Deer River):
  
  Conditions: Groomed as of 4pm. Robin is even trying to get track set. Skating is very good to excellent. Watch out for blowdown now that winds are picking back up.
  Robin is an uber groomer. High School race yesterday morning and out grooming next day. Conditions are surprisingly good given goofy weather.
  Photos:
  (Will Hoeg)
• Jan 16 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  
  Skated 5K and 10K. Fresh grooming of what new snow (1") we have over the death-ice turned out quite nicely on the 5K. They widened the skate lanea bit on the 5K and the side opposite the classic track is good throughout. The central portion is also good in 75% of the trail with the only sketchy areas on the uphills and the first 200' or so from the chalet- exposed ice- so you can't ski most of the uphills aggressively (except the practice hill which is nicely softened up). Special K is 95% very good and seems less icy. Coverage is great throughout. The 10K is ungroomed thus far but the snow seems better with less ice and more crust (especially after the first few K- as after the last rain to ice problem we had in December). B skis recommended but good skis not out of the question if careful. Enjoy!
  (Tom Heinitz)
• Jan 16 - Hidden Valley Ski Trails (Ely):
  
  Conditions: Way better! Overnight flurries groomed this morning. Classic tracks now snowed in but usable.
  It's amazing how an inch and a half of overnight flurries, with good grooming, can transform a trail from "skiable" to excellent! All of yesterday's icy patches, wind-blown tree debris, and deep deer prints are covered. A very enjoyable morning 10K skate.
  (Elton Brown)
• Jan 15 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  
  East end of Blue Trail was better than expected after recent weather! The NPS has groomed from the park's maintenance road (Co. Rd 96) to the shelter and around the larger loop. Kind of crusty. Beyond that was lovely with ungroomed soft powder. Someone's been out trimming back the trees, too. Thanks!
  (Pete Sweger)
• Jan 15 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
  
  Conditions: Pretty good for both skate and classic.
  Classic skied the usual suspects today (Summer Home and Campground loops), and found the classic tracks in very good shape. A little bit of snow in the last two days made for hard wax conditions, with good kick and glide. The skate lane looked like had been worked recently, and skating looked good also.
  (Timothy Lederle)
• Jan 15 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  
  Conditions: Poor to fair. Not groomed recently. Icy base, but fairly level (few ruts). Lots of debris. Definitely recommend rock skis. The classic tracks looked decently formed, but also had debris.
  Skated the Onion River Road, not quite to it's end. There was a lot of debris (pine cones/needles and twigs) but the qtr/half inch of snow last night helped. The first 2k from the trailhead was in the worst condition, beyond that it became fair where you could at least get a better edge and ski with a little tempo (thanks to the local who mentioned that the trail was better further out). I was not willing to check out some of the other trails by myself in the sketchy conditions. Crossing fingers for snow!
  Photos:
  (Michael Kosloski)
• Jan 14 - Mount Itasca (Coleraine):
  
  Conditions: Immaculate conditions on the 2.5k biathlon loop.
  I used my classic boards in single-digit temperatures on the 2.5k biathlon loop. Perfect grooming with plenty of snow; deep, firm tracks; and fresh corduroy on the skate deck. Plenty of sun to ameliorate the cold conditions. The mix of natural and manufactured snow was quite abrasive on the grip wax, but still delivered very fast glide on the downhills. The remainder of the system not quite as good.
  Photos:
  (Daniel Gerdts)
• Jan 14 - Sugar Hills (Grand Rapids):
  
  Conditions: Surprisingly, quite good.
  Skied Thunders, Long Lake and Snag classic and skate. The rain made a nice hard base. The new snow on top keeps it from being slippery. No bare spots, just some twigs.
  (Amy Dettmer)
• Jan 14 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  
  Conditions: Mixed bag - Glare ice to rutted ice to absolutely fantastic firm corduroy.
  The good - The entire Gold Trail (except golf course) is in fantastic shape, with firm corduroy covering all of the ice, and ruts, and rocks. The vast majority of the Silver Trail (except golf course) is very similar to the Gold Trail, with only 3 or 4 small patches of ice usually on the uphills and only 2-3 meters in length. The Cedar Trail (except golf course) skis quite well.
  The bad - Bronze and Summit Trails. Both trails saw a lot of traffic on friday and saturday. Any fresh snow that fell was pushed off the trail or compressed into the soft, watery, snowy, slushy, ice. It is possible to get an edge on your skis but not all that enjoyable.
  The ugly - If you didn’t notice a theme above... the driving range, golf course, and cart paths. Avoid at all costs!
  The best way to get out to the Gold and Cedar Trails is to ski up the North Face Cat Track past the chair lift, sidestep it down the snowshoe trail to the right side of the Cat Track, jump on the Gold return and then take spur trails to the trail of your choice. The Silver Trail supposedly has a “special trail” groomed to the trailhead accessible behind the golf cart shed.
  A special thanks to the groomer for doing such a great job with some pretty tough conditions this season. Cheers!
  (Tony Norland)
• Jan 14 - Pine Valley (Cloquet):
  
  Conditions: Poor. 100% ice covered with light snow.
  The back loop finally gave it up. Uniform ice with a dusting of snow. With caution it could be classiced but I'd walk the downhills on the edge where it's not so slippery.
  (Les Martin)
• Jan 14 - Ridgeview Golf Course (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Skiable mix of snow, ice, crust.
  Took my dog out skijoring on the golf course today. I used skate skis and it was ok. I think if I go back I will probably use classic touring skis. There are spots that are skateable, but then spots of complete ice, then crust, then snow and so on. It was kind of a bumpy, variable mess. But, still better than not skiing as one friend says.
  (John Hatcher)
• Jan 14 - Hidden Valley Ski Trails (Ely):
  
  Conditions: Surprisingly good!
  This afternoon I skated the 8+K main loop -- new Birch Highlands trail, Sommers, Deer Trail, Bambas -- and had no regrets about using good skis. Some icy spots, especially in the open stadium area, but basically good skiing. The classic track is largely intact! Deer tracks (our deer didn't read the trail etiquette notice) go all the way down to the ground, but thankfully no one skied during the wet, soft time last Friday -- so the Hidden Valley trails remain in surprisingly good shape!
  (Elton Brown)
• Jan 14 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  
  2-3" of "Glacial" base covered by .5" of snow. We are skiing Gold, Cedar, Silver, Bronze, Summit, but getting to them is difficult. Classical track and skating up the North Face Cat Track, enter the Gold Trail at the top of the climb. B skis recommended. Skiing the base of the Alpine and up and down North Face gives a 3Km loop of excellent man-made skiing, classic and skate.
  (John Filander)
• Jan 13 - Washburn Lake Solitude Area Trails (Outing):
  
  Tenderized and set tracks on north loops today. Some debris and some thin spots but pretty good for the lack of snow.
  (Mike Laputka)
• Jan 13 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
  
  Conditions: Skiable, but still pretty icy.
  Went out for some lake skiing on East Bearskin Lake, and noticed that Bearskin had roughened up the skate lane on the Campground and Summer Home loops. Still hard pack, but edge able with some concentration! Actually, the classic track looked to be a better option with very hard tracks with about a half inch of snow in them. Thanks for the grooming efforts on these trails.
  (Timothy Lederle)
• Jan 13 - Ridgeview Golf Course (Duluth):
  
  Non-skiing report: Went to Ridgeview to sled with my son and walked around a bit. Definitely icy, but the inch or so of snow is sitting on the top and, I think, one could skate it if one really needed to ski.
  (John Hatcher)
• Jan 13 - Carey Lake (Hibbing):
  
  Conditions: Skiable, but icy in spots. Sunny 5 degrees.
  Fact finding mission to see how the trails survived the rain and heat. Skied Highland and found about 1/2 inch of fresh snow on top of a crusty base with ice flooding the lower spots. Certainly skiable, but little to no control coming down the big hill. Pole plants were good over 90% of the time, and tracks are still fairly deep.
  Photos:
  (Craig Holgate)
• Jan 13 - Univ of Minnesota-Duluth Field 6 (Duluth):
  
  I drove around looking for any patch of snow, golf course, field, whatever. Pretty grim. I did a few laps around field 6 at UMD, right off the Bagley trail, but lots of footprints and other ruts. I got in a minimal workout, but I would not recommend it at all. Time for snow dance party!
  (Tim Holst)
• Jan 13 - Hidden Valley Ski Trails (Ely):
  
  Conditions: Icy base with layer of fresh snow on top. Surprisingly good ski this morning.
  Did a short loop just at sunrise this morning. The rock hard classic tracks were covered with a layer of fresh snow and very skiable. It was, however, very cold. Groomers were just arriving as I departed.
  Photos:
  (Tony Lockhart)
• Jan 13 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  
  Conditions: One inch of new snow on top of icy crust on top of more snow. Temp 5 below at 9 AM, sunny.
  Rolled Tilson last night, set tracks this morning. Skate lane looks very nice, tracks are a bit shallow because of the underlying ice, but that ice did cover all the exposed rocks. Good skis OK everywhere.
  Photos:
  (Burgess Eberhardt)
• Jan 13 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Glare ice covered by a dusting of snow...snowing in Duluth as I write this...
  Jim Wood and John Gould gave grooming a try this morning from 8:30-10:00. They were able to scratch up the stadium and learning hill a bit. When they started grooming the 5k trail the teeth of the groomer just pulled off the dusting of snow to expose glare ice. Jim Vos said, "It is so uniformly bad that it is a credit to the trail" The trails are very icy and we advise no skiing until more snow has fallen. In 20 years of skiing and grooming at Snowflake I have never seen the trails this icy.
  Photos:
  (Dave Johnson)
• Jan 12 - Hidden Valley Ski Trails (Ely):
  
  Conditions: Surprisingly good.
  The 1/2" of snow over the previously frozen skate surface revived the skate lane. Very enjoyable ski. The new trail section is very nice.
  (Bill Hamilton)
• Jan 12 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Ice covered by a thin layer of new snow.
  The rain and the warm-up really saturated the trails at Snowflake. There is a thin layer of snow on top of ice and some sections that looks like it would groom out nicely.
  Grooming plans: John and Jim are going to hit the trails tomorrow morning and see what happens. There is a lot of snow still off the trail and in the woods. If the groomers can't soften up the trail, I am going to see if we can get a large crew of folks out to shovel snow onto the 4k. I think Snowflake might be the only place in town that we could get back into decent skiable shape. Whoever skied the 10k yesterday and left behind big ruts should come out and shovel in all the ruts they made. Without new snow they are going to be difficult to groom out.
  Photos:
  (Dave Johnson)
• Jan 12 - Mount Itasca (Coleraine):
  
  Conditions: Excellent, firm tilled manmade snow. 11 degrees, fast conditions. Classic tracks set freshly groomed. Used our good skis on the manmade loop.
  The manmade loop was freshly groomed both skate and classic and excellent. We ventured off onto the other trails and they were not recently groomed, yet they were very skiable.
  (Anne Ellefson)
• Jan 12 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Non-skiing report: Hiked the bike trails near the Lester ski trails this morning and got a look at the ski conditions here and there where the trails run alongside each other. The ski trails are chutes of ice. They don't look skiable to me.
  (Catherine Winter)
• Jan 12 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  
  Non-skiing report: As expected, icy trails now. 1/4" of wind whipped snow not quite enough to help. The good news is the coverage (from what I could see at the trailhead, I did not walk or ski the trails) looked OK. Not sure how much groomable snow survived. I feel like I'm living in Iowa! (no disrespect to the Iowans).
  (Tom Heinitz)
• Jan 11 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  
  Giants Ridge has closed the Cedar/Gold and Silver trails on Friday to preserve conditions for the Mesabi East race Saturday. Skiers can train on Summit, Bronze, Northern Lights.
  (Bruce Adelsman)
• Jan 10 - Banadad Trail (Grand Marais):
  
  Conditions: 41 kilometers tracked. Skiing excellent to good.
  All trails tracked included the 30 km BWCA's Banadad. Some center stubble showing through all trails. Lace Lake and Tall Pines trails still is quite bumpy (not enough snow to level).
  (Ted Young)
• Jan 10 - Hartley Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Fair on the outer loop, very good on the inner loop.
  This was my first time at Hartley this year. The outer loop has been walked on extensively, even on the high side. On the other hand the inner loop has been left alone and is in very nice shape. The track was good and the rare obstructions were easily avoided. Under the big evergreens the cover was particularly thin and there was a fair bit of needle klister but there was a way around.
  (John Ipsen)
• Jan 10 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Very nice conditions on most of the trail.
  Piedmont was a good ski today on waxless classic skis. The steep sections were skied off to a firm base though and were very fast. The track was pretty good throughout but disappeared occasionally.
  (John Ipsen)
• Jan 10 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  
  Conditions: Decent skiing on the upper section (didn't bother trying lower). Uneven, bumpy surface, but mostly solid coverage with only a couple of exposed rocks.
  I was skating, started at Maxwell Rd. Trail was firm. I personally wouldn't want to ski it by headlamp because it's so uneven, but it was fun in the daylight. Tracks looked OK.
  (Anne Flueckiger)
• Jan 10 - Big Aspen Recreation Area (Virginia):
  
  Getting there, 2" of new snow added to the rolled base made for enjoyable skiing today. There are some rocks to watch out for though, so B skis are still recommended.
  (George Bekkala)

• Jan 20 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  Conditions: Great - full snow coverage - nice tracks.
  Full coverage - very good grooming for classic and skate. First time at Rainbow for us, The Waffle Nordic Ski Club, and we loved it. Trails are hilly, beautiful and fully wooded -- which is nice on these cool days.
  (Tony Mommsen)
• Jan 20 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Packed powder/ hard base 3-4" 64km open. Tracks set on 50km of trail. 15km open for skating. Scattered forest matter.
  Grooming Report: Tracks reset and cleaned out on 25km of trail early morning, skate deck groomed. Temp bottomed out at -18F while grooming, setting up bomb tracks.
  Grooming plans: We will not be grooming on Monday. Overall the trails are in very good to excellent condition with track solid, firm and relatively fast considering the cooler temps.
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 20 - Soaring Eagle Trail (Park Rapids):
  
  Skated Lilly's and Eagle, then classic skied whole system. Skate deck is good everywhere, classic tracks are variable. Only Lilly's and Eagle were tracked, and have some thin or icy areas, but are generally good. Quite a lot of debris from yesterday's wind, but still an enjoyable ski.
  (John Hershberger)
• Jan 20 - Zippel Bay State Park (Williams):
  
  The entire trail system is now groomed, including the new section around the gravel pit on the south side of the park. The classic track set up very hard, almost instantly. Overall, the trail system is in the best shape of the year.
  (Tom Heinrich)
• Jan 20 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  Conditions: 0 F; cloudy skies with very light snow flurries then clearing; 20K trail system renovated, combed, and track set with exception of Lost Bobcat and Hawks Run.; average 2” base; a few scattered areas of leave and small twig debris due to yesterday’s gusty winds; 3K classic only trail renovated and track set; ski conditions rated as very good.
  I went out this morning once the mercury hit -10*F below and groomed with the Tidd Tech. The gusty NW winds from yesterday did do some damage with some debris however it also brought along some more snow that trees filtered out of the blow. You still can find some marginal snow areas in just a few short sections of the south exposed trails but over all ski conditions are very good.
  Photos:
  (Doug Schumann, Rainbow Resort)
• Jan 19 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Twin Lakes, Island Lake, W.Gravy, Sukkerbusk, Mother North Star, etc., total of 25 km - all in good condition.
  Great recreation despite the wind, thank you!
  (Istvan Gombocz)
• Jan 19 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Changing from fast silky snow to windblown snow with scattered forest matter. Temps falling 35 degrees in a 8 hour time period.
  Grooming Report: All skate trails groomed and new track set on Sukkerbusk and North Loup.
  Skiing Report: Skate skiing this morning was incredible. Best of the year, fast silky snow on mostly firm deck. Late afternoon classic ski found drifting and blown over tracks but in the woods it was very nice and could hardly feel the wind and seemed warm. Reports from folks skiing Roy's Run were excellent. Wind protection and good snow.
  Grooming plans: If weather settles down, we will be grooming select classic trails in the morning.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 19 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  4-5" fresh powder over hard base. Very good to excellent conditions. Jay's grooming has been very good, treading lightly to not stir up leaves and twigs. Most of runs are open. Snow is setting up great with the falling temps, which should make for fantastic classic skiing Sunday!
  (Carl Shaffer)
• Jan 19 - Hiram Ski Trail (Hackensack):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  Wife and I skied the trail in the morning, before the cold windchill. Adequate snow cover, a good track for classic skiing. The best conditions was the last and furthest loop. Kind of thin close to the beginning because of heavy evergreen cover. Great job of grooming with limited snow.
  (Earl Stabenow)
• Jan 19 - Shingobee Recreation Area Trails (Walker):
  
  Conditions: Fair classic track.
  An inch of fresh snow, hasn't been groomed for awhile, but a few other skiers have been out which made it an enjoyable ski when you were out of the wind.
  (Linda Seaton)
• Jan 19 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  Conditions: 7*F; blustery NW wind; periodic snow showers then sunshine; all skate lanes on trails East of Rainbow Pond renovated and combed morning hours today(approx. 8K); balance system covered with 1” fluff from snow showers past 48hrs.; average base 2” packed power frozen granular mix; 3k classic only trail track set Thursday with light snow dust cover; ski conditions rated at very good.
  I went out early this morning with 20F temps and cloudy skis to due some grooming on the skate lanes for the Maple Grove Nordic High School team to tidy up the new powder snow from the last couple days. Track sets have a great covering of fresh powder snow to be skied in. Maple Grove Nordic skiers are having some fun along with the workouts, skiing on some fresh powder.
  Photos:
  (Doug Schumann, Rainbow Resort)
• Jan 18 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Great time had today. First time at Maplelog skiing, but will be back often. Easy to tell that the groomers know what they are doing. Well maintained.
  (Ben Olson)
• Jan 18 - Soaring Eagle Trail (Park Rapids):
  
  Conditions: Solid ice base with 2+ inch total new snow this week.
  Friday night all trails groomed skating with tracks set on Lillys Loop. Skiing is slowly moving from fair to good to great. We still have spots where the snow is thin over the ice base on a few hills on Eagle where pines are thick. All trails are 100% skiable!
  (Anne Ellefson)
• Jan 18 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Classic tracks were solid and deep enough for great skiing today. We were first skiers on few trails and maybe second on the others. The tracks had a soft yet fast feel, almost like skating on a very light dusting. Snow cover was very clean. I really like it that the track setter is lifed on the steeper hills to allow fast downs without getting a ski hooked in a track.
  (Denny Barry)
• Jan 18 - Cut Lake Ski Trail (Pine River):
  
  Packed new snow and set tracks on all except the 5K expert loop. Conditions are fair to good with some thin spots and debris.
  (Mike Laputka)
• Jan 18 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Powder/Packed powder. 1.5" dense snow over night. Powder/packed powder on top of 3-4" hard base. 64 km open. 60km recently groomed with 50km trackset, 15km combed/ginzu groomed for skating. Good to very good ski rating for classic and very good to excellent for skating. Light snow giving way to sun/cloud mix, hi of 29 degrees falling to 26 later afternoon. Marshy areas still rough, require walking through. Around 200 meters of total trail system.
  Grooming Report:40km of trail groomed. All 15km of skate trails were combed and new tracks set on 25km this morning.
  Skiing Report: Skated all the skate trails. Conditions a bit soft with high humidity and temps near 30 but great glide and beautiful sunny afternoon.
  Grooming plans: All skate trails will be groomed again and a track set on the side of the skate deck on North Loup the next 12 hours.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 18 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Another shot of fresh snow last night with 1.5" of nice dense snow.
  Grooming plans: Trails are being groomed this morning.
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 17 - Montebello Trail (Bemidji):
  
  Not bad, icy but yet very skiable. Groomer did a great job after the ice storm. I skated but the tracks looked ok. It is currently snowing lightly. Every bit of snow helps.
  (Lisa Boulay)
• Jan 17 - Goose Lake Trail (Longville):
  
  Outer loop tenderized and tracked, more snow is needed but it is skiable. Snow conditions fair to good.
  (Mike Laputka)
• Jan 17 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  Conditions: Overnight dusting of fresh powder snow; 10F above and light west breeze; 1k skate & double classic tracks groomed on lake; 3K classic only trail combed, renovated, and track set; average 2” packed base on trail system 20k system groomed and 80% track set Wednesday; ski conditions rated as very good.
  Can you believe it, snow fall two day in a row. I went out after lunch to groom a little play area on the lake and then groomed out the 3k classic trail only. Pleasantly surprised with the rolling snow in areas of the trail and found some very pretty back woods scenery. Bring your good skis.
  Photos:
  (Doug Schumann, Rainbow Resort)
• Jan 17 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Powder/Packed powder. 1" fresh fluff snow over night. Powder/packed powder on top of 2-3" rock hard base. 64 km open. 60km recently groomed with 48km trackset, 15km combed/ginzu groomed for skating. Good to very good ski rating for classic and very good to excellent for skating. Light snow giving way to sun/cloud mix, 7 degrees. Marshy areas still rough, require walking through. Around 200 meters of total trail system.
  Grooming report: A track was set on Lucky's Loype for the first time this year and groomed out much better than expected. 90% of the track looks great. Double tracks set with the Pisten Bully on Sap Run, Mother Hen, Rootin Tootin and JibFly. Front end renovated just a little bit of old crusty snow with the new snow from last night and the night before. Most of the tracks groomed up pretty much perfect. With today's grooming, 60 of 64km of the trail system has been groomed 1-4 times the past week.
  Skiing Report: Skiing is the best it has been all year and the tracks are getting close to as good as it gets. Few short areas still rough, bumpy, hard, but some amazing sections of trails on the trail system. Great weekend of skiing on tap.
  Grooming plans: All skate trails will be groomed Friday morning and select trails reset with tracks. This pattern will continue on through the weekend. The last remaining trail, Bullhead, is on the attempt list to groom next.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 16 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: 2 inches of new snow received on Tuesday night. All skate lanes and classic tracks reset and in great condition.
  As usual, Maplelag nordic ski trails somehow gets snow while the rest of the snow-starved midwest wimps along. If you are looking to ski on plenty of Ks of natural fresh snow--Maplelag is the place to go.
  (Roger Landers)
• Jan 16 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Powder/Packed powder. Just under 2" fresh snow past 24 hours. Powder/packed powder on top of 2-3" rock hard base. 64 km open. 58km recently groomed with 45km trackset, 15km combed/ginzu groomed for skating. Good to very good ski rating for classic and very good to excellent for skating. Morning temp at 26 degrees, -5 at 8pm. Cloudy with flurries early, clearing with sunshine in afternoon.
  Grooming Report: The new snow from last night was groomed in about 28km of classic trails, setting new track. All 15km of skate trails combed. Falling temps tightened everything up nicely by dusk.
  Skiing report: At dusk I classic skied the tracks set earlier in the week, Roy's Run and Mother North Star. The new snow from last night bumped the ski rating up to very good on these trails. At the end of the snow last night, we had a moment of freezing drizzle that was the best thing that could happen. The snow was fast despite temp dropping over 20 degrees and helped pack the snow down nicely. Skiing was fantastic, best classic skiing of the year.
  Grooming plans: We will be setting new tracks with the Pisten Bully on JibFly, and Rootin Tootin and setting track with Ginzu on the single track classic trail, Lucky's Loype, tomorrow morning.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 16 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  Conditions: 3F above; clear skies; 2” new snow past 24hrs; 20k trail system snow cat roll packed; tidd tec combed; 80% groomed with single track set; average total base depth 2”; 1” packed powder base over previous avg. 1” frozen granular base; ski conditions rated as good and bring the good skis.
  With Keith grooming with the snow cat and roller this morning I found that the cleats did a fair job of breaking up our previous packed ice base and with the renovate knives I was able to mix in the new with the old. The track set for the most part are clean and deep; however you will run into areas where track sets are lifted on short stretches of thin snow cover south exposed trails. We do have some downhills that caution is advised due to marginal snow cover, however, bring your race skis.
  Photos:
  (Doug Schumann, Rainbow Resort)
• Jan 16 - Hiram Ski Trail (Hackensack):
  
  Conditions: Trail fair to good.
  Trail is pretty good for the amount of snow that is there. A few spots with very light snow.
  (David Suker)
• Jan 16 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  Conditions: 2" fresh powder overnight; 15F above; cloudy skies. Snow flakes falling; trail base depth from 1 to 2 inches; base is frozen granular; ski conditions rated as fair; bring your race skis.
  What a great surprise this morning to find 2" of fresh moist powder snow on the trails. We cleaned the dust off the snow cat and hooked up the roller and went out to begin grooming. Conditions have improved greatly from last week ends thaw/drizzle. The cleats on the snow cat are doing the job of cutting the frozen base.
  Grooming plans: Doug plans to grooms with the Tidd Tech later today.
  Photos:
  (Keith Schumann, Rainbow Resort)
• Jan 15 - Hiram Ski Trail (Hackensack):
  
  Tenderized and set tracks today, still need more snow but system is skiable.
  (Mike Laputka)
• Jan 15 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Powder/packed powder on top of 2-3" rock hard base. 64 km open. 41km recently groomed with 35km trackset, 15km combed/ginzu groomed for skating. Fair to good ski rating for classic and good to very good for skating. Scattered icy spots and areas of thin cover.
  Grooming Report: A single track was set on Roy's Run and track on Sukkerbusk was touched up. The track on Roy's is good 75% of the loop. Any new snow the next 24 will make for a great ski after it gets skied in.
  Skiing Report: Skied all the skate trails and found fast and very good conditions. Each trail had different deck making for a fun ski. I used my best skis and just had to be careful on a few sections on North Loup.
  Grooming plans: Depends on weather tonight and tomorrow morning but most likely all skate trails and possible first time tracks on Wavy Gravy and Island lake.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 15 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Powder/packed powder on top of 2-3" rock hard base. 64 km open. 41km recently groomed with 35km trackset, 10km combed for skating. Fair to good ski rating for classic and good to very good for skating. Scattered icy spots and areas of thin cover.
  Grooming Report: A single track was set on Roy's Run and track on Sukkerbusk was touched up. The track on Roy's is good 75% of the loop.
  Skiing Report: Skied all the skate trails and found fast and very good conditions. Each trail had different deck making for a fun ski. I used my best skis and just had to be careful on a few sections on North Loup.
  Grooming plans: Depends on weather tonight and tomorrow morning but most likely all skate trails and possible first time tracks on Wavy Gravy and Island lake.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 14 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Powder/packed powder on top of 2-3" rock hard base. 64 km open. 35km recently groomed with 25km trackset, 10km combed for skating. Fair to good ski rating for classic and good to very good for skating. Scattered icy spots.
  Grooming report: This morning Skaters Waltz and North Loup was ginzu groomed, working in the dusting of new snow. The deck on Skaters waltz is becoming more stable and textured with each grooming pass and is very good skating for the most part with a few icy like sections. The Pisten Bully was used to set double track on Mother North Star, Mother Hen and Sap Run. Mother North Star a mostly complete track was set but bumpy and uneven. We set track in anticipation of a centimeter or two of snow tomorrow night. Mother Hen and Sap Run the track was shallow but we will continue to lightly renovate to set a deeper track. We also made numerous passes at the start area to improve the structure and texture.
  Skiing report: I skied all the groomed classic trails at dusk and once again found the best tracks on Twin lakes, Rootin tootin and sections of Jibfly and Sukkerbusk. Mother Hen and Sap Run the track was thin but the coverage is great and skiable throughout. Mother North Star the trackset was fast and fun but bumpy and uneven. Bottom line, I was skiing and happy.
  Grooming plans: A track will be set on Roys Run with the ginzu groomer tomorrow unless we feel no new snow will happen on Tuesday night.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 13 - Montebello Trail (Bemidji):
  
  Conditions: Icy with a little snow on top.
  Last week's ice storm transformed Montebello into an ice rink with some packed snow on top. It's fast and slick, but use caution as the snow layer on top can wear away quickly. Kudos to Bob Montebello for grooming the beast and managing to set down a classic track all the way around. Commence snow dancing.
  (Michael Meehlhause)
• Jan 13 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Powder/packed powder on top of 2-3" rock hard base. 64 km open. 28 km recently groomed with 18km trackset, 10km combed for skating. Fair to good ski rating.
  Skiing Report: Got out for a late afternoon classic ski and found conditions much better than I expected. VR40 kick wax worked great with the fresh snow and hard granular base. Found best tracks on twin lakes trail with some sections of trail as good as it gets. Fast tracks under cold conditions. Checked out the skate deck and found enough compaction mixed with a little crust for just enough edging, few pushouts where more icylike.
  Grooming plans: We will be grooming trails during the week to have best possible conditions for MLK weekend.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 13 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: Quarter inch of snow on top of crust.
  Went out and did some intervals up suicide. Super fast conditions, gives a motivational boost. Had a few slips coming up suicide because of ice. Other than that, fast conditions and just happy to be out skiing. Think snow!
  (Ian Fritz)
• Jan 13 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  I was told that I was the first person to ski Rainbow since the rain on Friday, so I'm sure you're all dying to know how the trails are. I skied the 6K loop three times. The trails were well packed before the rain, and now that snow has turned into hard ice. There is a thin layer of fresh powder on top of that. It's just enough cover to make it so your skis don't slide and grind all over the place. You can actually get some good glide in some parts. No bare spots are showing, but there is grass poking through the ice in certain sections. There are some stretches where the snow has blown over leaving only the ice, but they are very short. Use your rock skis if you have them. Given the circumstances, I was just glad to get out and ski! The road conditions driving from Fargo were good. I think the plow went through right before I did.
  Photos:
  (Brian Kaeter)
• Jan 13 - Zippel Bay State Park (Williams):
  
  Conditions: The trail was groomed Saturday. The skating lane groomed up very nicely. The classic track is about 75% nice. Rain from the previous day formed some slush, and the classic track cut into that in areas, so those will be icy.
  The park looks really nice right now. When the snow came last night it was warm and sticky. Now the trees are coated with snow.
  (Tom Heinrich)
• Jan 12 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: 1" fresh powder on top of hard 2-3" rock solid base. Fair to good ski conditions.
  Grooming on 28km of trail this morning including new tracks set on 20km of trail. Skating good. Hard base underneath but skiable conditions and nice January temps finally.
  Grooming plans: Continuous in effort to improve conditions.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 12 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  
  Conditions: 3*F above; Northerly breeze; partly cloudy skies; dusting of fresh powder snow overnight; average 1” frozen granular base covered with ½ “ powder snow; open trail areas have areas of wind swept clear icy surfaces; no track sets at this time; trail system open for skate skiing; caution advised on most difficult trails; lake snow has been for the most part thawed due to temps, rain, and runoff; option for lake skiing along shoreline areas; ski conditions rated as fair at best.
  Well the big blizzard turned out to be a bust for our area. After about two days of mild temps and rain/drizzle our trail base snow is now frozen but at least it has a little texture. The snow dusting overnight covered the base and gave us an option for some skate skiing.
  Photos:
  (Doug Schumann, Rainbow Resort)
• Jan 11 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  
  Conditions: 1-3" icy base. 33 degrees and drizzle at 3PM.
  Took the Pisten Bully out to break up ice in the parking lot which had turned to a ice rink overnight. Also worked over the start area and pleased not to break through the ground so I combed the 1km Mother Hen trail for a test run. Pleasantly surprised to not have tracks break through even though the temps were still above freezing. Overall the trails are holding out okay after the rain and warm temps. There is still fair to good coverage with a icy solid base.
  Grooming plans: We are ready to groom any possible new snow this evening and tomorrow morning with both the Pisten Bully and ginzu groomers.
  Photos:
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

• Jan 20 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  
  Conditions: Skate trail still in great shape. The classic track had some leaves and blown snow.
  In the woods out of the wind the skiing was very nice.
  (Kayo Aslagson)
• Jan 20 - Vasaloppet Nordic Center Trails (Mora):
  
  Conditions: Poor to fair conditions.
  After the big wind on Saturday open areas are again very icy and skiing is difficult. Sheltered areas are skiable but no attempt at grooming until after the temperatures moderate.
  (Wade Weber, Vasaloppet USA)
• Jan 20 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  
  Conditions: Classical – poor to good.
  I refrained from posting yesterday as the wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping quickly, and thus conditions were going to change rapidly as well. I was correct... Gusts exceeding well over 40 mph left the trails wind-scoured in spots, drifted over in others, with quite a lot of trash (bark, leaves, branches) cover. Classical skiing was still good in some protected areas, 1-2 km in stretches, and you need to link these together with sections where one needs to ski-in the tracks or double-pole over a hard, glazed surface. Skating lane is similar, lots of exposed hard glaze in places. Wind was once again beginning to gust ferociously as I was leaving early this afternoon and I suspect more damage will be done.
  (Keith A Brugger)
• Jan 20 - Spidahl Ski Gaard (Fergus Falls):
  
  Not groomed after Saturday's wind. Sticks, etc., in skate lane and tracks wind blown in open areas.
  (David Spidahl)
• Jan 19 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  
  Conditions: Good. Coverage good. Some debris. Recently groomed, not icy. Classic tracks shallow.
  Made a field trip to St.Cloud to get in some kms off the manmade loops. Coverage quite good... A little thinner on the Baltos(?) loop. Some leaf and stick debris, particularly on Hilltop. But all in all good, even with howling winds as the day moved on. Nice trails.
  (Sue Schroeder)
• Jan 19 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  
  Skate trails still good. With the arrival of these big winds the classic trails are filling up with red oak and ironwood leaves and branches. The snow is okay, all natural, and there are no crowds on the trails.
  (Margie Rock)
• Jan 18 - Vasaloppet Public Ski Area (Warman):
  
  Conditions: Open to skiing. Fresh one inch snow on ice base.
  It's skiable with areas of good condition and others only in fair condition. 5km Lanternloppet loop will be groomed before next Saturday's annual Lanternloppet.
  (Wade Weber, Vasaloppet USA)
• Jan 18 - Vasaloppet Nordic Center Trails (Mora):
  
  Conditions: Nordic Center trails again open.
  Skied Nordic Center trails Friday afternoon and conditions were good. The one inch plus of fresh snow covered the icy trail base and held well unless you really pushed hard. We did not use Yellowstone to put down a combed surface out of concerns the compressed snow would then simply slide on the ice and making skiing more difficult and hazardous.
  (Wade Weber, Vasaloppet USA)
• Jan 18 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  
  Conditions: Very good on the skate trails, just a little soft. A mixed bag on classic.
  The sun and warm temps caused some deterioration of the classic trails. Dirt and grass showing through in some places, thin spots and leaves in the tracks. Trails to the East of the trail center get the heaviest use, so if you head to the Western trails you'll find them in better shape.
  (Margie Rock)
• Jan 18 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  
  Conditions: Getting closer to fair.
  I've skied 3 of the last 4 days at Wild River. The base is still shallow and icy in places, but they've scraped up the base and combed some of the trails. The inch of snow overnight has whitened the winter landscape. An enjoyable classic ski if you just want to get out and ski.
  (Kris Backlund)
• Jan 18 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  Fresh corduroy on Orchard, Hilltop, Warm-up, North Loop and Baltos.
  (Dan Fark)
• Jan 18 - Spidahl Ski Gaard (Fergus Falls):
  
  Conditions: Good to excellent.
  Tracks set on all trails except Uff Da. Shallow in some areas but very good in others. Skate skiing is excellent.
  (David Spidahl)
• Jan 18 - Larson Lake (Deerwood):
  
  Conditions: Another 1 inch of snow Thursday night on the "hidden jewell" ski trail system in Crow Wing county--just east of Brainerd. Leaves and other debris now covered on all trails. Just groomed on Wednesday.
  Classic tracks skied in today and are in great condition. Skate lanes amazingly fast with one 1 inch of new snow under icy and firm base.
  (Roger Landers)
• Jan 18 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  
  Conditions: Softer surface (say 1 inch) over nice firm base. Good skating.
  Warm temperatures softened the surface layer of new snow that was groomed Wednesday afternoon. Somewhat slow going in the sun, but all-in-all pretty good skiing. Not much else to report other than I did ski the entire trail system this afternoon and it continues to be in very good shape.
  (Keith A Brugger)
• Jan 17 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  
  Very good for skate. A real surprise! They had tilled or knifed up the ice, and then rolled the new inch and a half of snow on top. No bare spots, no ice underneath. It looked like the classic trails had also been rolled and had tracks set. Those tracks were a little soft, and not full depth (still low snow conditions).
  (Margie Rock)
• Jan 17 - Vasaloppet Nordic Center Trails (Mora):
  
  Nordic Center trails are very icy and are generally in poor skiing condition. More snow on the solid base could do wonders. Northern loops are also in icy conditions.
  (Wade Weber, Vasaloppet USA)
• Jan 16 - Swan Lake Ski Trails (Willmar):
  
  Conditions: Fair. Trails survived the meltdown/rain and refroze solidly. No bare spots anywhere.
  About an inch and a half of fresh snow covering the boilerplate made for a pleasant ski. The skating was good and my little classic skiers had no trouble climbing hills on the golf course. The classic tracks had melted into nothing, but the fresh snow made the ice nice.
  (Margie Rock)
• Jan 16 - Spidahl Ski Gaard (Fergus Falls):
  
  Conditions: Good but with no tracks currently set.
  The 1.5 inches of fine, dense snow that we just got completely changed the trails from being unskiable to pretty good.
  Grooming plans: I'm waiting to see if we get a little more snow before setting tracks for the weekend. There is a hard base beneath the new snow and some icy spots in exposed areas, but we're open again.
  (David Spidahl)
• Jan 16 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  
  Conditions: Grooming was in progress.
  When several of us arrived this afternoon, 2 inches of new, unpacked powder covered the trails. Despite the depth, the skiing was fine if a bit slow. We encountered Paul Anderson during our ski who was grooming, and skiing a few kilometers of the newly groomed trail was better but needless to say soft. Coverage remains quite good, and there was some crust underneath but I didn't detect any ice.
  (Keith A Brugger)
• Jan 16 - Larson Lake (Deerwood):
  
  Only skating lanes were groomed today. Conditions are good for skating. Tracks were groomed on back on Jan 3rd and have light snow in tracks for good skiing.
  Photos:
  (Vickie Sullivan)
• Jan 16 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  Skate lanes freshly renovated and groomed this morning on Hilltop, Orchard, Warm-up, and North Loop. For classic, Orchard looks the best. For skating, Hilltop, Orchard, and Warm-up look really good. North Loop has some leafy debris.
  (Dan Fark)
• Jan 15 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  
  Conditions: 1/2" new snow over groomed hard pack skate lane.
  The trails I skied were good with only a few crusty spots.
  (Kayo Aslagson)
• Jan 14 - Sand Dunes State Forest (Zimmerman):
  
  Conditions: Trails unsafe for skiing.
  Sand Dunes trails are icy, hard and not even safe for hiking without grippers/instep crampons. Hilly areas are very hazardous.
  (Hans Erdman, Backcountry Trail Patrol)
• Jan 14 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  
  Scheduling: On Saturday, January 26th from 6-9 PM, The Friends of Wild River State Park are hosting our annual Candlelight Ski/Snowshoe/Hike at Wild River State Park. We illuminate more than five miles of trails which is the most of any State Park in Minnesota. That evening there will be entertainment including a bonfire in the prairie larger than a house and if the sky is clear a gentlemen with a huge telescope to peruse the stars. If the snow conditions are poor, the event will be a candlelight walk including all the previous mentioned entertainment.
  (Dave Kozlovsky)
• Jan 13 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  
  Conditions: Firm and fast corduroy.
  Firm base with a slightly scratched up surface for skating. Classic tracks are not reworked and would be icy. Very fast conditions! Fun even on a chilly day!
  Photos:
  (Kyia Anderson)
• Jan 13 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  
  Conditions: Nice, crispy corduroy. Full coverage.
  Groomers did a great job getting system ski-able. Very firm, but enough texture to maintain control. Our adventure included all the trail segments (Warm-up, Orchard, Dog, Hilltop, North) on good skis. Worth the drive.
  (Mark Rathbun)
• Jan 13 - Northland Arboretum (Brainerd):
  
  Conditions: Skate lanes renovated. Fast with some clear icy spots. The classic tracks had cold fresh (and slow) snow. Impossible to reset classic until more snow.
  Great job by the groomers despite the conditions. The club had around 50 kids on the trails with parents and volunteer coaches from the Youth Ski League.
  (Mark Stadem)
• Jan 13 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  
  Conditions: Very variable, but generally fair to very good skiing.
  Trails were groomed post-rain/warmth. I didn’t ski much of the trail system, preferring to do repeat loops on some of the easier sections because of the cold, slow snow. What I did skate was generally fair-to-very good. A couple of icy spots (none more than a few meters), but mostly wind-blown powder covering a glazed base. Only in a very few stretches did I feel my skis were skittish, and truth be told I should have had stiffer skis. Nowhere did I find “death ice” or need an ice axe or ice skates, to paraphrase some of those reporting conditions elsewhere. Note that the trail leaving from the parking lot is a bit icy, but once one gets onto the main loop you should be fine. Classic tracks looked OK if filled in a little. Bottom line here is there is still more than decent skiing to be had!
  (Keith A Brugger)
• Jan 12 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  Skate lanes renovated on North Loop, Orchard, Hilltop and Warm-up. Skied Hilltop and Warm-up: soft and fast. Classic tracks look mostly intact.
  (Dan Fark)
• Jan 12 - Spidahl Ski Gaard (Fergus Falls):
  
  Conditions: Trails are closed until we receive more snow due to extremely icy conditions in the open areas.
  We were hoping to catch a couple of inches of snow in the last storm but the quarter inch we got came after the freeze up and therefore blew off any exposed areas. Parking lot is extremely hazardous.
  Grooming plans: Will do a little renovating tomorrow.
  (David Spidahl)
• Jan 10 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  
  Conditions: Soft "wet" surface over firm base. Still mostly very good skating.
  Got on the trails a bit earlier today in anticipation of forecast bad weather. Snow coverage is good, despite the last days of warmth and sunshine. Wind (formidable!) was depositing leaves and twigs in wooded sections. I would suggest "B" but not rock skis. The short section around the junction of the Whispering Pines and Chuckwagon trails is littered with pine needles. Other than that no problems. Was getting warmer when I finished, thus afternoon conditions could be much different. I didn't ski Deep Woods or Finland so I cannot comment on conditions there.
  (Keith A Brugger)

• Jan 20 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  
  Conditions: Fresh man-made snow; 1K loop 100%.
  On Sunday morning we fired up the snow guns, moved new snow, deep tilled the hard base and actually set a new classic track.
  Grooming plans: Monday morning the skate deck will be very hard but we will groom again by late morning and the loop will be ready to go.
  (Bruce Johnson)
• Jan 17 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  
  Conditions: Very good on the 1K loop of man-made snow. Some regions with dirt and rocks.
  Thanks to the groomers for maintaining this oasis of snow.
  (Scott Cooper)
• Jan 16 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  
  Conditions: Firm base.
  We have a 1 K loop open with manmade snow in Yon's valley. I set fresh classic tracks tonight. There are no other trails to ski at SMU so please don't try!
  Grooming plans: We are grooming first thing in the morning but with the heavy skier traffic we may also groom mid-afternoon if its really hard.
  (Bruce Johnson)
• Jan 15 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  
  Conditions: Skiable on the short loop near St Yon's Hall and the elevated loop that runs immediately above it.
  The crew that maintains the trail has done an amazing job! The short loop by St. Yon's Hall has good coverage, as does the loop that runs just above it. Basically, I just did laps, starting by the parking area, up to Marker C, back down to the parking area, around the short track and back up to Marker C. I skied classic technique tonight and found that about half of this section had a classic track. Just to check things out, I also took a short leg toward marker B on the map and quickly ran into very dangerous rock hard ice and turned back. Don't even think about skiing from the "C" trailhead toward Marker D, E or B--it is very dangerous. Stick to the loops in the immediate vicinity of Marker C. Congratulations to the crew that put together something skiable. I really appreciate it.
  (James Martenson)
• Jan 14 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  
  Conditions: Snowmaking - excellent.
  Thanks so much to the 20 volunteers that helped move more snow onto the snowmaking loop. After shovel party effort yesterday and blowing more snow, the snowmaking loop is in great shape. Have HS meet this afternoon.
  Grooming plans: Will likely set classic track tonight or tomorrow.
  (Brad Skillicorn)
• Jan 13 - Hormel Nature Center (Austin):
  
  Conditions: Not enough snow to ski and too much ice to run.
  We are back to “Waiting for the Snow”.
  (Steve Williams)
• Jan 12 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  
  Conditions: Rain and warm temp has reduced the trail system to 2K of man-made snow.
  Tilled the man-made snow loop this morning many times and the skating is acceptable and safe.
  Grooming plans: We will be making snow on Sunday morning to cover the ice on one of the downhill sections. We will only be using the 2K loops as the rest of the trail system has only ice and exposed dirt.
  (Bruce Johnson)
• Jan 11 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  
  Trails are closed. We are asking everyone to stay off the trails today to save the trail conditions. We will be evaluating and repairing the damage done by the warm weather after it cools down this weekend.
  (Brad Skillicorn)

• Jan 20 - North End Ski Trail (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Good, a bit of new snow.
  Cold on the Korte trail, but pretty good really. Just enough new snow to freshen things up and recently groomed.
  (Bill Baldus)
• Jan 20 - Hickory Ridge Trail (Bloomer):
  
  The South, North and Tram Lake Loops were picked up and groomed today. There are thin areas on the north sides of Tram, Rat and Horseshoe Lakes. Would recommend using your "B" skies.
  (Scott Bertrand)
• Jan 20 - Mecca (Mercer):
  
  Conditions: Fair to good conditions.
  With the 3-4 inches on Friday and Saturday we were finally able to get out on the trail and try to make it into something. Track is a little thin and the skating lane hasn't adhered to the ice everywhere, but this is the best it has been this year.
  (Gary Mears)
• Jan 20 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Slow but good coverage.
  Skated from Hwy OO trailhead at 9 am. Lots of debris on the trail but very little ice. I think I could have used LF 4 as kick wax if I changed skis.
  (Pat Layde)
• Jan 20 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  
  I just finished re-grooming the skate lanes and shoveling over the thin spots. It looks very good or better for skating. Just fair for classic because most of the tracks are shallow.
  (Scott Everson)
• Jan 19 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Excellent grooming by the Tiddtech!
  Trails are in absolutely perfect shape thanks to the talented grooming staff and the new snow! Classic tracks are great as well as the completely flat smooth skating lane! Huge thank you to people for staying off of the trails during the competition and to the groomers for working their magic!
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 19 - Troll Hollow (Dresser):
  
  Conditions: Excellent for classic, very good for skate. Track was reset in the morning and had not totally set up yet at 9:30am but was solid enough. I had on grip tape because the temp was at 32 at start and rising - to 35+ within 2 hours, and the tracks were glazing with ice in places. Skate was good although it was loose snow on top of icy base so a couple corners were a getting a little iffy by noon. But overall a very nice ski, well worth the drive if Elm is getting old for you.
  The main troll loop is the same as always, except that the little climb/loop by the tubing hill is not open this year, and the towrope hill is really not meant to be accessible (and isn't tracked).
  (Pete Thurmes)
• Jan 19 - Balsam Branch Trails (Amery):
  
  Conditions: Good but slow. 32 degrees, windy with a few peeks of sun. Must have had more snow here over the past week than we received in the Cities. Trail were 100% covered with thick-ridged cordoroy. Snow base was just enough but soft. Ice was just below the surface and visible at a few points but was never a problem, even on the downhills.
  I switched almost immediatley from my yellow-waxed skis to my blue-waxed skis but that seemed like a mistake. Already slow conditions seemed even worse with blue-waxed skis. After skiing the 3.2 miles of the outer perimeter in a slow 45 minutes, I switched back to the yellow-waxed skis and did 2.6 miles of the inner trails in a faster 30 to 35 minutes even though problems with my inner-right thigh muscle slowed me.
  (Keith Carlson)
• Jan 19 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  
  Conditions: Classic is good to very good. Skate is excellent.
  After a very heavy use day, the classic track got blown out in some places, but as of tonight, it still is quite good on 90% of the trail. The skate lane was re-groomed after dark on all but White Pine, Little Joe, and part of Loop Trail. All of Oak, Spruce, Aspen, River, Maple, Triangle, and the entry/exit system were re-groomed. The skate lane should provide the best skiing we've had all winter! Enjoy!
  Grooming plans: White Pine and Little Joe will be done tomorrow morning.
  (Kevin Feind)
• Jan 19 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  
  Conditions: Fair, soft snow over ice.
  We skied later in the afternoon and found lots of snow but the trails have seen a lot of traffic and are quite beat up. The snow was groomed but it is dry and has not set up so is loose with the classic tracks washed out and the skate lane soft. Hopefully with another round of grooming things will improve. For now I would use rock skis in the classic track.
  (Joe Schneeweis)
• Jan 19 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Pretty good! Roller snow with ice under snow.
  I decided to take a gamble and give the Birkie trail a shot. I was pleasantly surprised.  On a scale of 10 I'd give it a 7. There is a lot of snow but it is on top of ice so it really isn't sticking very well. It was fine for a normal Saturday crowd but it would have been pretty ugly for a Birkie Tour crowd. The right call was made to cancel it. You can use good skis and not worry about it. The thin parts are easily avoidable.
  (Vince Rosetta)
• Jan 19 - Superior Municipal Forest (Superior):
  
  Conditions: 3 inches ungroomed powder over the icy ground.
  Skied-in tracks, generally good coverage, and the potential for pretty decent conditions. Trails would benefit greatly from packing/grooming, which would help bond the snow to the ice and prevent it from drying out and blowing away or sublimating.
  (Todd Campbell)
• Jan 19 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  
  Conditions: Skate - Very good. Classic - 99% very good.
  After a surprise 4" of new snow, groomers rolled and groomed yesterday and this morning. There is about 2" of new snow compacted base over ice. Classic track was laid on the entire trail system except for Alternate Trail. There are a very few places where the track went through to ice or dirt, but only very few places. Everything was finish groomed early this morning. There may be some places that skaters may kick into the ice layer below the 2" base. The south tip of White Pine Trail is the only dirty spot of the skate lane. the rest of the trail is in surprisingly good shape. Next Saturday evening there will be a free candlelight ski at Afterhours Trail.
  Photos:
  (Kevin Feind)
• Jan 19 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  
  Good to very good for skating, not as good for classic as the tracks are rather shallow and wavy. I groomed the trails Friday and then skated some of them this morning. I did put a new scratch in one of my skis; you might want to ski cautiously or use rock skis.
  (Scott Everson)
• Jan 18 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Mosquito Brook-North 10K, 2-2.5 inches of soft snow on top of a rock solid base.
  Skating was good but slow with deep cold snow, downhills were no problem as the snow created enough drag. The only spot were you could scrape through to ice was on a couple of the uphills, otherwise skiing was good. Use B or C skis as I did contact some debris. The trail is better to the North "OO" Boedecker, high point, etc.
  (Jack Zabrowski)
• Jan 18 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Excellent! Rest rolled too!
  Skated the race course on man-made snow at Telemark and I highly recommend the drive from anywhere...and you can use A skis! Head on up tomorrow for the 10:30 competition and then ski at 1 or so when it's over. I did follow the grooming to move beyond the Telemark trails and discovered it was all rolled with wide rolls which the talented groomer explained is so that when the wind blows hard tomorrow the snow will get caught in the ridges and make for a better base. It is solid ice under the snow. If you head out to ski the rest of the trails, I recommend using skate skis and no poles. The pole plant is just a slip due to the hard ice and fluffy top rolled coat.
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 18 - Mt. Ashwabay Ski Trails (Bayfield):
  
  Conditions: Yeah, snow! Well about 4-6 inches of nice wet base making snow came down. Doc and Paul packed all the classic trails, Dave and I packed and ginzued all the skate trails.
  Grooming plans: Cam was going to head out tonight to track as much as he can. So this means if Cam is able to track everything, all the trails at Mt. Ashwabay and Jolly should be groomed.
  (Scott Nesvold)
• Jan 18 - Tower Ridge Ski Area (Eau Claire):
  
  Conditions: Fair to good for skating, no usable classic tracks.
  The Tower Tour loop has been groomed several times since last weekend when it was all ice. It is greatly improved... a pleasure to ski again. The lower "rifle range" loop has been groomed including the hills going up and down to that loop. Not all of the other hills have been groomed as of Friday afternoon, but some are skiable because of the new snow. Tower Ridge has gotten a couple light snowfalls since last weekend and each bit of snow is making the trails better.
  (Dick Johnston)
• Jan 18 - Hickory Ridge Trail (Bloomer):
  
  Skiing not recommended. Trail was rolled today which left deep corduroy grooves in the trail exposing some leaves, debris, and icy base.
  Grooming plans: Sunday's plan is to ski and pick up debris then possibly groom.
  (Scott Bertrand)
• Jan 18 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  
  Conditions: Skate: very good. Classic only: good to very good.
  Three or so inches fell. Whole trail was rolled today and much of it was groomed. Classic track were set on: Classic trail, River, Aspen, Entry and Exit trails.
  (Josh McIntyre, US Forest Service)
• Jan 18 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  
  Conditions: The trails are skiable again, the underlying icy base is no longer much of an issue. Skating today on the freshly groomed trails (or on trails with ungroomed snow) was a bit soft, but overall very good. Note that with the underlying icy base, aggressive skiing doesn't work well in these conditions - it's better to pay attention to technique and ski lightly; better to ski a flat ski, and let the snow take your weight. Dirt spots now are pretty well covered - you can probably leave your rock skis at home.
  Grooming plans: Several mechanical problems interfered with grooming today. More grooming is planned for Saturday.
  Photos:
  (Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)
• Jan 18 - Mukwonago Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Rolled only, no tracks. 3-4 inches of powder over ice in areas and solid frozen ground in others.
  Trail was rolled which leaft deep corduroy grooves in the trail. Hopefully we get some more snow to fill in the grooves over the weekend. Trail bed is still very uneven with some debris showing.
  (Chad Jacobson, US Forest Service)
• Jan 18 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  
  The trails have recieved about 4 inches of new snow and snow is still falling.
  Grooming plans: The groomers are out rolling the trails, preparing for the weekend.
  (Catherine Khalar, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 17 - Mt. Valhalla Ski Trails (Washburn):
  
  Conditions: Fair, improving.
  I classic skied the Sun bowl on the North side of C. There is 2" of fresh snow on top of are ice under layer. The trail was covered, still some sticks coming thru. Three trees down across the trail in this 10k loop, watch for those. Conditions improving with each little snow fall.
  (Matt Edmunds)
• Jan 17 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  
  Conditions: Fair to good with decent coverage (~1" over ice).
  The main loop on the East Trails was groomed and the snow fairly firm. You can kick out and contact the ice if you ski aggressively. No issues if you are just enjoying the day. The West Trails were groomed as well but a little softer. Worth the trip.
  (Randy Davis)
• Jan 17 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Very good, groomed for skating tip to tail, 1"+ fresh snow compacted and bonded to underlying ice. Could use race skis, I used B skis.
  Skated most of the Birkie trail from OO over the hight point on classic and back on skate Thurs afternoon. Snow has bonded well to ice; corduroy on full trail thanks to a huge effort by the Birkie on snowmoblies on Wednesday. Best it has been all year! Old classic track from Boedecker to past high point on classic trail is decent today. That being said, cancelling the Trail Tour was a good decision as the trail probably would not have safely supported that number of skiers in one place at one time.
  (Scott Wilson)
• Jan 17 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  
  A half inch or so of powdery snow covered the trails since Monday's report. My skate ski today of the same route was definitely quieter and footing was more reliable. On the lower trail system, a good number of classic skiers have apparently improved the vanishing track somewhat.
  (Wayne Federer)
• Jan 17 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  
  Conditions: Classic - Poor, but skiable. Skate - Poor, ice under 1" of new snow.
  Last week's rain made for icy conditions with scattered bare spots. With an inch of snow, there remains problems with being able to pole plant. Some classic track remains (mostly at 50% depth) with snow over ice.
  (Kevin Feind)
• Jan 17 - Timberland Hills (Cumberland):
  
  Conditions: Fair conditions. Improving and very skiable, but use caution on downhills.
  There's an inch of ungroomed new snow covering the icy base. My skis were actually slow. The only real problem is that snowplowing or turning on hills brings you down to glare ice.
  Photos:
  (Louis Muench, CASTA)
• Jan 16 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Excellent 3K loop. 6" average base on Paralympic course.
  Telemark has a near perfect 3K course currently being used for the Paralympic World Cup XC-ski and biathlon through Sunday.
  Scheduling: Beginning Monday, Jan 22nd, this course will be open to the public.
  Photos:
  (Rick Carpenter)
• Jan 16 - Mt. Ashwabay Ski Trails (Bayfield):
  
  Conditions: Fair to good!
  With about 1/2 to 1 inch of new snow, I regroomed - both packing and dragging - the Ashwabay skate trails, including: Anchor, Seagull, Rollercoaster, Telford, and warmup. The tracks set well on Seagull and the upper part of Anchor, but didn't do very well on the lower part of Anchor.
  (Scott Nesvold)
• Jan 16 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  The 3k loop manmade loop used for the Paralympics is in excellent condition.
  Scheduling: Loop is closed to the public until the end of competition Saturday. There are no other skiable trails. It's worth the drive to see the competition. If you think disabled means slow...Brian McKeever, a visually impaired skier from Canada, skied the 1.2K sprint loop in 2:19!
  (Dean Grace)
• Jan 16 - Balsam Branch Trails (Amery):
  
  Conditions: Skiable! Roughly 1.5 inches ungroomed powder atop ice or hard/rough snow.
  I skate skied the green loop and the majority of the blue and black loops. Slow, but definitely skiable. I hit a few ice patches hidden by the fresh powder, but not enough to make the skiing unpleasant. No rocks and very little debris. The classic track didn't look skiable--when the track was existent it was very rough and shallow.
  (Georgia Danielson)
• Jan 16 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Outstandingly awesome, thank you groomers!
  Skated the trails today and, with the new snow and the perfectionist grooming, it was paradise!
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 16 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Closed for now per groomers.
  Non-skiing report: Stopped by to see if the new inch of snow might make skiing possible from OO. Groomer told me the trail is closed. Looked like they were taking out equipment to see if anything might work. Still ice underneath.
  (Carolyn Senty)
• Jan 16 - Mt. Ashwabay Ski Trails (Bayfield):
  
  Conditions: Solid classic and skate trails throughout. New snow over the past three days have made for fresh groomed surfaces. Snow is mostly lake effect and has covered up the ice completely.
  Some of the best views of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands! Wish more folks could see this amazing landscape.
  (Blaise Sopiwnik)
• Jan 15 - Tower Ridge Ski Area (Eau Claire):
  
  Conditions: Flat, groomed and nice. Just make sure to stay on the groomed areas, the rest is glare ice.
  Mick is a god! He's made lemonade out of lemons as far as our trails are concerned. No hills, but essentially all of the upper loops were groomed. It looked like he drove down to the lower loops, but didn't groom the way down. I didn't go down there.
  (Brian Pauley)
• Jan 15 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Groomed parts good and fast.
  I skated the trails in the afternoon after the races. The groomed parts that were not used in the race are in excellent condition and fast. The other portions are just really fast with an edge and not icy. There are some rocks on the section outside the waxing trailers.
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 14 - Mt. Ashwabay Ski Trails (Bayfield):
  
  Conditions: Amazing considering the weather last week. We got 3 to 4 inches of lake effect snow on Sunday and the trails were groomed back to life today.
  I skated 10K at 3:30 PM and found great snow coverage all the way. I did not ski the Jolly Loop which is lower and generally gets less coverage. The classic track has not been fully reset yet but looked skiable for the most part. It did rain Friday night and drizzled into Saturday. The base held and with the new snow the trails are quite good.
  (Steve Vizanko)
• Jan 14 - Mt. Ashwabay Ski Trails (Bayfield):
  
  Fair to good! We groomed all the Ashwabay skate trails and Jolly long. We didn't mess with the classic tracks, couldn't improve on them--need more snow! This includes Seagull, Anchor, Roller Coaster, Telford, and Jolly Trails. We got about 1 1/2" of light and fluffy last night. For skating I would rate these trails as good, classic tracks fair to good.
  (Scott Nesvold)
• Jan 14 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  
  For skate, darn good all things considering! (Not much of a track remaining) I skied for an hour in the single-digit cold around noon. The approximately one tenth inch of new snow Sunday morning helped a lot. Just a few tufts of grass sticking up on the prairie loop of the Purple trail, otherwise excellent coverage. The crushed ice beneath produced a background cacophony that induced me to be more cautious than was probably necessary. No problems even going down the steep sections of the Brown, though smoother conditions were encountered on most of the more traveled routes. Exception: some ruts and barer ice along the waterfront near the lower parking lot. Once again, hats off to our superbly competent and dedicated volunteer groomers! Reflecting on thirty years visiting WRSP, I think it is rather amazing that I was actually skiing today without fear for my life. Every square inch of my gravel driveway is a skating rink. Years ago we would be suffering with glare ice at the park!
  (Wayne Federer)
• Jan 14 - Troll Hollow (Dresser):
  
  Conditions: Skied both styles today. Skating is excellent. Good, deep classic tracks though slipped a little on a couple of steeper sections because of packed surface.
  Grooming has reconstituted enough snow so that getting an edge is no problem. The course is fast and there is still a very good base.
  Scheduling: High school classic race tomorrow starts at 6:00 with teams practicing about 3:30.
  (Mike Chrun)
• Jan 13 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Non-skiing report: Looks like the IPC trail crew pulled off a miracle at Telemark on Sunday. The 10Km skate course was totally white, flat, very hard corduroy. Definitely looked good. Wow: These IPC skiers are good; they made the icy fast, twisting ups and downs seem easy.
  Photos:
  (Tom Dunaway)
• Jan 13 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Great! Freshly groomed!
  Skated the course at Telemark after the competition today as the awesome groomer was going around again. I love fresh corduroy! 99% of the course is perfect, fast and sugary, the part in front of the waxing trailers could use a bit of rock picking and one other spot on a downhill by an old shack had a small "grabby" spot. Kudos to the awesome volunteers and groomers for shoveling, Yuri for staying up at night and making snow, and more for the incredible athletes!
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 13 - Balsam Branch Trails (Amery):
  
  Conditions: Trail is hardpack with many patches of glare ice covered by a dusting of snow. We will need more snow to make the trail safely skiable again.
  [ Updates for the upcoming Balsam Vinter Fest in the Racing Outlook -- Ed. ]
  (Craig Johnson, Balsam Branch Partnership)
• Jan 13 - Troll Hollow (Dresser):
  
  Conditions: Excellent for skate and classic.
  They groomed it up nice overnight and Troll Hollow was in excellent condition this morning. Excellent skate deck and great tracks. The only issues with the tracks, are running them around corners you can't actually ski around.
  (Benjamin Mullin)
• Jan 13 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  
  I skied this afternoon. I was hesitant since everything around is basically non-skiiable. I knew from last week skiing that Willow had a great base and they had done a fantastic job of grooming previously and had chopped it up after it froze. Thanks Dave and Wally! I parked at campground and skied the red loop many times! It was chopped and was great - fast skiing. No dirt, rocks, etc. I was on my best skis. I then went down the large hill into the lower parking area. The hill was in great shape. You need to go slow at the bottom by the parking lot but once you hit the woods it was great. Best 20K ski since the rain!
  (John Dewall)
• Jan 13 - Tower Ridge Ski Area (Eau Claire):
  
  Conditions: Poor, very icy skate deck. No useable tracks for classic remain, because of melting and rain and subsequent freezing.
  Non-skiing report: I did not ski because of conditions, just walked part of the trail (all ice). Rain and freezing have resulted in ice hard skate deck and have wiped out the classic tracks. Hills are hazardous. It will be difficult to get an edge even on the flats.
  Photos:
  (Dick Johnston)
• Jan 13 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  
  Our xc trails are closed due to icy conditions and won't be groomed until we get some snow. We do have a downhill ski area (125' vertical) that has good (artificial) snow, tilled just this morning; skiing up and down the hill several times is a great workout (the uphill, against traffic, is tricky but do-able)!
  (Scott Everson)
• Jan 12 - Troll Hollow (Dresser):
  
  Conditions: A little icy, but decent for skating.
  After waking up in Ironwood to 40 degrees and a cancelled SISU, a number of us stopped at Troll and did our own little marathon. There are a couple of dirty spots and it was pretty icy, but not completely. I would call it OK for skating.
  (Benjamin Mullin)
• Jan 12 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Barely skiable, hard pack snow and ice.
  Since the Sisu was cancelled I had to see what the Birkie trail was like at Hwy OO after it refroze. It was icy and scary. I didn't fall but I was 'skating on thin ice', literally. There were some places where leaves and the tops of the grass were exposed', but no bareground in the 4k I skied. The good news is that there is still a frozen base, so pray for snow!
  Photos:
  (Tom Detzner)
• Jan 12 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  
  Non-skiing report: Walked part of the trail system today. Good news is it still has hard base bad news mostly ice and dirt. Will need more snow to make it skiable. The light dusting only hides ice.
  Photos:
  (Gary Rutledge)
• Jan 12 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  
  Conditions: Skiable for skate skiing.
  The Ginzu was out ice busting today. After all the rain, warm temps followed by freeze-up, I thought it was pretty hopeless but the Ginzu did a good job of turning solid hardpack into a skiable surface. All trails except the Pink multi-use trail and the Silver (Nelson Farm) trail east of Nelson Farm Rd were groomed. It's not great, but you can skate ski. The best trail is the main Red trail. The 300 campground loop is pretty decent as well as the Blue trail. The Silver (Nelson Farm) trail west of Nelson Farm Rd is pretty good except for the big hill, aka, Everest. Don't ski down this hill! There is a lot of bark, twigs, leaves and pine needles in the trail as well as some solid ice patches here and there. The classic tracks, what are left of them, are shallow and slick. No hope of resetting track until it snows. If you're looking for a place to ski, give Willow a shot. Try the Red trail first and branch out from there. I groomed the trails but didn't ski so I'm interested in first-hand reports from skiers.
  (David Thofern)
• Jan 12 - Marshfield School Forest (Marshfield):
  
  It's back to rock skis but that's still better than roller skis. The skate lane on the A trail is in good to fair condition with 100% coverage but lots of twigs and a few icy spots. We were able to set a classic track on the portion of the trails that is on the north side of the ridge. Really quite nice skiing on the north side of the ridge. The F, E and D trails are in fair to poor condition with about 90% coverage. The skate lane is skiable but lots of twigs with scattered bare spots. The ice was roughed-up down the center of the skate lane. The ridge trails, G,H & J area closed along with the C trail as the coverage has receded to less than 80%. Its quite icy around the lodge and out to the first intersection on the A trail so be careful. Worth the trip out if you like skating on the A trail. Classic skiing is not too good.
  (Randy Lueth)
• Jan 12 - Tower Ridge Ski Area (Eau Claire):
  
  Conditions: Great, for ice skating.
  The rain and warm temps did some serious damage, but the skate deck is still covered on almost all the flat sections.....with ice.
  Grooming plans: We are trying to get permission to go out and groom with our YTS Ginzugroomer to see if we can scratch it up adequately to hold the Fritjof Nansen race next Sunday. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
  (Paul Loomis)
• Jan 12 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Mellow crust skiing and grey death ice.
  Skied the lighted loops at the OO trailhead. The good news is that everything is pretty much covered. There is a rock solid base. Bad news is that you would be better off with ice skates and a climbing axe. Definitely not for the faint of heart!
  (Tom Meyer)
• Jan 12 - Timberland Hills (Cumberland):
  
  Conditions: As expected, conditions quickly went from good to poor. We have a base of snow remaining but it is very icy.
  Skiing is not recommended.
  (Louis Muench, CASTA)
• Jan 12 - Trade River Trail (Frederic):
  
  Conditions: Rain and sub-freezing temps overnight iced it up.
  Poor condition until we get more snow.
  (William Johnson)
• Jan 12 - Coon Lake Trail (Frederic):
  
  Conditions: Rain iced the base we had.
  Poor condition until we get more snow.
  (William Johnson)
• Jan 11 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  
  Conditions: Not Good.
  We still have a 2" base but, like everywhere else, it is not good for skiing today or tomorrow (Saturday).
  (Scott Everson)
• Jan 11 - Mt. Valhalla Ski Trails (Washburn):
  
  Conditions: Poor to fair.
  Due to the heavy rain amounts received yesterday and the warmer temperatures, the trail base has been reduced to 1 ½ to 2 inches in places along the trails. Some portions of the trails have bare spots and all are wet and slushy. Trail conditions are poor to fair. The sledding hill is down to bare ground. The parking lot is very icy and wet. Please use caution.
  Grooming plans: No grooming actions will be able to be taken until a significant amount of snow is received on the trails. Think snow!
  (Teresa Maday)
• Jan 11 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  
  Grooming report: The road below the 200 campground is so icy that the park has closed it. We have had one run of sand and salt put down but the road was still bad. We'll have a look later again this afternoon. Trails will be soft and vulnerable to damage so consider your decision carefully when it comes to skiing today.
  (Jeff Bolte)
• Jan 10 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Excellent on manmade snow section.
  The trails are being worked on and are in great shape for skate. 400 truckloads of snow were brought in and volunteers have been shoveling, groomers grooming, and the athletes from other countries arriving! If you want to get a great ski in and volunteer to shovel, it would be worth the drive tomorrow!
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 10 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Fair. Firm base with dirt and debris. Still good coverage considering the warm temperatures.
  Skated the Telemark trails to the Powerlines and to 9k where I took the Korteloppet trail the rest of the way back to Telemark. Snow was holding up OK this morning, but began to soften up as the temps rose. 16k to 22k is the bumpiest, with mini moguls on the downhills. Coverage is still very good with occasional rocks, but the main problem on the Birkie and Korte trails is dirt and debris. Telemark's trails are the thinnest outside of the manmade loops for the IPC World Cup.
  Photos:
  (Jonah Gilbert)
• Jan 10 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  
  Conditions: Good under the power line. Classic tracks are somewhat eroded, but very usable.
  The best section we skied on today.
  (Margie Rock)
• Jan 10 - Telemark Resort Trails (Cable):
  
  Conditions: Fair. Thin with rocks showing and debris: leaves, bark , pine needles and cones.
  B or rock ski conditions. Still great to get on the trail.
  (Margie Rock)

• Jan 20 - Razorback Ridges Trail (Sayner):
  
  Conditions: Mostly good skate conditions and surprisingly good classic tracks. Still some dirt and debris, but not much.
  Re-tracked all classic loops Sunday morning except Will's Crossing. I skied Hair Raiser and Doug's Folly Sunday after I finished grooming and found tracks were mostly deep, clean and firm. A few short stretches where you need to step out of tracks and a little stubble yet here and there. Much better than I would have expected with so little snow to work with. Left the skate trails alone after grooming Saturday. Still debating if 1" of powder on top is better than regrooming and possibly making worse. Overall, fairly good skiing.
  (Will Maines)
• Jan 20 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  
  Conditions: Poor for skijorning.
  I did a full loop letting my dog run, but had to double pole since it was all
  ice. I have enjoyed the skijorning area this year very much with my dog, but it's been left untouched for a week, leaving sheet ice. Sure hope the groomers can get it scratched up to make it skiable. Even with some bare spots, it's great to mix skiing and exercising the dog.
  (Jim Sheibley)
• Jan 20 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: jan20-01ery good, recently groomed, plenty of snow for your good skis, nicely set classic track.
  With three inches of snow Friday and two more on Saturday, Pete was able to set a nice classic track overnight, so the skiing was pretty good. The cold weather made for a nice firm skate lane with full coverage. Just a few spots with grass in the classic tracks, but you can use your good skis. Even the hilly wooded Phelps trail is in good condition. Thanks Pete for all the hard work to keep the trails skiable with limited snow cover.
  (Dan O'Loughlin)
• Jan 20 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Very good conditions.
  A few thin spots, but overall awesome conditions. If the Birkie is this nice, everyone will be quite happy. Nice work Pete!
  (Dan Mckissack)
• Jan 20 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  
  Conditions: 13 degrees. Pour overall conditions.
  The park remains officially closed. Very hazardous conditions near trail head due to icing from slight mist on Saturday. Decent skiing on the main street sections of Maples and Birches. The hills section of Mapples is OK. The "outback" section of Maples is not skiable 'til we get more snow. Think snow!
  (Bob Warpinski)
• Jan 20 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Maybe 4-6" of new snow since the big meltdown. Trails really coming along. Classic track was set last night, and it came out great. Skied for 2 hours, mostly on #5, and classic was superb. Every skater was smiling. Thanks Pete!
  (Abbott Wright)
• Jan 20 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Good. The green and blue skate trails were very nice with good snow coverage and grooming. The black trails were a little icy in spots.
  A lot of sticks and pine needles had come down in the wind and the groomer was out racking the debris off by hand. Thank you! Most of the trail groomed up nice and I never hit anything hard.
  (Craig Stolen)
• Jan 20 - Washburn Lake Ski Trails (Woodboro):
  
  Conditions: Cold, arpund 2F above.
  Skied the inner loops today...it was all I could muster with the frost from last night knifing into my petax base. Eck Eck Eck...skaters know that sound. The 1-2 inches we received on Thursday was groomed onto the trail and its adhered quite nicely. However, the melt did expose a few areas with leaves with a thin base. You can skate ski as the deck is very firm, but still use rock skis. I’ve only seen one rock on the course, but I’d prefer not to have complaints about the one you didn’t see. Don't ski alone in this cold, or at least bring a phone. Wolf tracks are on the trail.
  (Brian Hegge)
• Jan 20 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Very good classic and skate!
  The tracks were reset this morning and they were awesome! Sure, there are a few low snow spots, but it was great to ski in some firm, deep classic tracks. The skating lane is looking more leveled with just a few bumpy sections, and I did not notice any bare spots for skaters. Very little debris on the trail even with lots of wind last night. Thanks for all your amazing grooming efforts Pete!
  (Troy Walters)
• Jan 20 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  
  Good skate skiing today on freshly-rolled trails. Most of the base is firm with a few soft patches. It's okay to use your race skis. No tracks have been set because of limited snowfall.
  (Tim Collins)
• Jan 20 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Very good. Big improvement.
  All classic track reset. 2+" new. Listened to the weatherman and completly overdressed.
  (Pete Moline)
• Jan 19 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  
  Conditions: Light snow over ice base.
  The trails have many areas of exposed dirt and leaves. Still skiable but you need to be cautious. It was 42 degree Saturday so lots of melt going on.
  (Diane Gustin)
• Jan 19 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Excellent! No debris, not icy, excellent coverage.
  Thank you Phil for your dedication so everyone would experience top notch trail conditions. It was a great day to see so many people enjoying IWSC!
  (Lisa Teske)
• Jan 19 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  I thought skiing yesterday was good, but it was even better this morning. The first hour and a half was excellent before things warmed up and slowed the skis down. Excellent grooming, good snow cover! What more can you ask for!
  Photos:
  (Chuck Kessler)
• Jan 19 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  
  Conditions: 40F degrees, sunny. Suprisingly good skiing for skate.
  Skated Maples and Birches, enjoyable ski, only problematic areas are on Maples during the final 200 yards before where the "outback" merges with the Birches, and at the trailhead on the in-bound side. Trail remains officially closed.
  (Bob Warpinski)
• Jan 19 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Beautiful ski day. Trail was in great shape for skate skiing. Plenty of striders out. Looked like a pretty good track was set.
  The small snow that we got Friday really helped. The trail was packed with skiers from all over enjoying the day. It's amazing how resourceful and hardworking the Iola people are. Thank you for the great ski day.
  (Gary Machlett)
• Jan 18 - McNaughton Lake Trail (Lake Tomahawk):
  
  Conditions: Poor to fair conditions.
  Base is thin and icy, very thin under heavy tree cover. All loops have been packed. Need more snow to set tracks.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 18 - Raven Trails (Woodruff):
  
  Conditions: Poor to fair conditions.
  Base is thin and icy, very thin under heavy tree cover. All loops have been packed. Need more snow to lay track.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 18 - Three Eagle Trail (Eagle River):
  
  Fair to good. Trail was rolled and combed this morning. Still too thin to set tracks. The 2 inches of new snow was cold and dry so did not consolidate well and did not bind well to the thin, icy base. Rock skis are recommended as there are several thin spots that are hard to detect through the corduroy.
  (Tom Rulseh)
• Jan 18 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Better conditions with new snow.
  Iola received another 1 to 1.5 inches of new snow last night. All trails benefited from the new cover. Still thin in spots and icy base, but most of the trail system is snow covered and open. Use B skis, but hey, it is good to be skiing.
  (Scott Frazier)
• Jan 18 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Firm hardpack base with 3 inchs of new heavy snow. No bare spots or dirt to be found.
  Skied all trails but 7 and 8. A little bumpy but skied well. Very good conditions for the snow Pete had to work with. I used my B skis but could have used good ones instead. Thanks for all the hard work you do for us skiers.
  (William Schnoor)
• Jan 18 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Very good. 2 inches of new snow over hard smooth base.
  Phil was out grooming this afternoon, doing his magic. Skate lanes smooth and sure. Very consistent and fast. Classic track set on Monday, with fresh snow skied in. No bare spots, but a few pine cones. Can use A skis for both disciplines.
  (Gary Zimbric)
• Jan 18 - Razorback Ridges Trail (Sayner):
  
  Conditions: Three inches of new snow this morning. Groomed half the loops this afternoon. Conditions vary from excellent for stretches and not very good on other stretches. Some dirt patches, a little ice and some stubble yet.
  Thankful for what snow we got but still need a bunch more. Track and skate sides vary in quality. Should be able to get in an enjoyable ski, but I would suggest using back-up skis.
  Grooming plans: Will go back to work on trails at 5 am Saturday morning.
  (Will Maines)
• Jan 18 - Jack Lake Trails (Antigo):
  
  Conditions: Pretty good considering the conditions.
  Two inches of powder over a hard base. Some grass sticking through. One tree down.
  (Dan Henning)
• Jan 18 - Escanaba Trail (Boulder Junction):
  
  Conditions: Poor to fair. Received 3-4 inches today but mostly over bare ground so more of a start to a base. Icy under but packed entire with snowmobile. No tracks and very thin under pines. This trail lags behind others due to uneven bumps of woods floor.
  Ice under fluff could make for a difficult time. May be best to wait on Escanaba until conditions improve. Other area trails with even flat surface may be a lot better.
  (Dan Jacoby, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 18 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: At least 3" new.
  All skiers I talked to report that they did not hit anything. A skis with caution. Old classic tracks skied in well.
  Grooming plans: Will groom again before morning.
  (Pete Moline)
• Jan 18 - Greenwood Hills Trail (Wausau):
  
  Conditions: Our 1K loop with man-made snow was just power raked and groomed and is in excellent condition! All other trails are closed due to lack of snow.
  Just a reminder that skiing at Greenwood Hills requires the purchase of a XC ski membership.
  (Scott Sann)
• Jan 18 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  
  Newly groomed with 1" new snow. Red trail excellent conditions but getting pretty warm this afternoon.
  (Dan Jarzemsky)
• Jan 18 - Washburn Lake Ski Trails (Woodboro):
  
  Conditions: 1-2 inches new snow.
  We received 1-2 inches of snow that was groomed into the icy deck. Only the trails leading from the Perch Lake Shelter were groomed and no trails leading to the Washburn Lot were groomed. There is a nice corduroy on the trails with a few thin spots. Use your rock skis until we get more snow.
  Grooming plans: The entire trail system will be groomed tomorrow.
  (Brian Hegge)
• Jan 18 - Lakewood XC Ski Trails (Lakewood):
  
  Conditions: About an inch of fresh snow on top of hardpack.
  Skied north end today and was pleasantly suprised. There were one or two spots in the 17 k I skied where I hit debris under the fresh snow.
  (Fred Axelrod)
• Jan 18 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Open! Rock ski conditions and improving. 1" new as of 7am.
  20 hours of shoveling since the meltdown is now paying off. Expert trails 7 and 8 are still closed. Old shallow classic tracks exist. Some trails classic tracks somewhat washed out. Other trails have decent tracks. Cabin guests skied yesterday. Now open to the public.
  (Pete Moline)
• Jan 16 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Improving daily. Very skiable.
  Phil continues to work the trails. Green and blue were very good Sunday. He has added some tracks to those loops and they were well defined. A portion of the black has been done as well as the field of dreams. We skated the field with head lamps Wednesday evening. There were some icy patches where the water had pooled then been chopped up. During day light they would be easy to avoid. Skiing with a head lamp, they came up kind of quick because it is lightning fast. Come join IWSC and enjoy some great skiing.
  (Tracy Pionkowkski)
• Jan 16 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  
  Conditions: Red and Green loops had been freshly groomed and were in poor/fair to good condition. Rock skis recommended. About 8 k of skiable trail.
  Rex groomed the red loop today and reworked the green loop. Overall I was pretty amazed at how good the skiing was given the conditions. The county is really stepping up to the plate. All of the blue loop is closed and roped off. The worst parts of the trail are the long up hill going left (if you went straight you would be going to red pine) and the crossing of Tower Rd were there are rocks mixed in with the snow and ice.
  (James Sniadajewski)
• Jan 16 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  
  Conditions: 20F. Ice to boilerplate to great. Dusting of wind driven snow.
  Yesterday's tilling on main trails (not all trails) made it skateable. The tiller brought up some dirt in places, great in others. Best bet is to find clean sections. Trailhead says closed and is the worst skiing. Better as you go in. Leave good skis home unless you want to shake hands with danger.
  Photos:
  (Mark Ernst)
• Jan 15 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  
  Conditions: Mostly people stayed off the trails during the melt and that helped a lot.
  We have groomed snow to ski on at the camp; its rock skis. Here is the bad news: All areas that go through pine tree groves (including trails named pines, birches and the far loop on maples) are pretty heat damaged and cannot be groomed. They need more snow to be viable for rock skis again. Here is the good news: There are frozen puddles over only less than a fraction of a percent of the non pine tree trails that require caution and a few bare areas that were thin and were exposed in the melt. The balance is groomed up for skating with Brown County’s Pisten Bully and grooming crew. The trail access is very very slick and is barricaded for that reason. The Parks department is still listing the trails as closed after their grooming attempts. None of the loops can be continuously groomed or skied until we get more snow.
  Spread the word, next melt, let’s ALL stay off the trails… Save the base for all the rest of us that can be patient. Thanks.
  (Scott Putman, Ashwaubenon High School Nordic Ski Team)
• Jan 15 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  
  Conditions: Green loop is in fairly good shape for skating. Ice and hard pack base that has been worked up to allow for fast and stable skiing. Rock skies recommended. Did not ski the red or blue loops.
  The only reason the green loop is ski-able is because a lot of snow was shoveled on to the trails on Sunday. Thanks to the efforts of Dale N. and the Central Nordic Ski Club and the county groomers we can ski the green loop (just under 2 miles). I was told that the running trail directly across the street from the parking lot has been groomed as is ski-able also.
  (James Sniadajewski)
• Jan 15 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Very good skate skiing on approximately 50 percent of the system.
  The Iola groomers (Phil) have done a fabulous job to salvage a difficult situation. Thanks for the wonderful skiing. While I was skiing, they were working on the open field part of the system. Pray for snow.
  (Gary Machlett)
• Jan 15 - Whitefish Dunes State Park (Sturgeon Bay):
  
  Conditions: No skiing due to no snow.
  With the recient warm weather, majority of the snow has melted. All park trails are open to hiking.
  (Carolyn Rock, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 14 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Closed for now, but ...
  Grooming plans: I shoveled for 16 hours in the last 3 days to cover nearly all exposed areas with snow. Trails 7,8 and 4 (expert trails) will likely not open until we get 2-3" of new snow. All other trails will now be ready with 1-2" of new snow. Shallow old classic tracks still exist and will ski in well with new snow. 36 hours of shoveling this year really has made a huge difference.
  (Pete Moline)
• Jan 14 - Razorback Ridges Trail (Sayner):
  
  Conditions: Like everyone else, unskiable. Ice, bare spots, you name it.
  Until we get more snow, all we can do is our snow dances.
  (Will Maines)
• Jan 14 - Washburn Lake Ski Trails (Woodboro):
  
  Conditions: Melted and then frozen.
  Probably shouldn't need to post this, but trails are not skiable until we receive more snow.
  (Brian Hegge)
• Jan 14 - Three Eagle Trail (Eagle River):
  
  Conditions: Unsuitable for skiing.
  Warm temps and rain followed by cold has resulted in ice and bare spots with not enough base to renovate. We'll need more snow to groom a good surface for skiing.
  (Tom Rulseh)
• Jan 14 - Bridgewood Resort (Neenah):
  
  Closed. Trails are iced over.
  (Greg Hollub)
• Jan 14 - Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve (Green Bay):
  
  Conditions: 9F, 90% coverage. Icy remnants of tracks. More snow needed to make useable.
  Tracks were shallow and very icy. Virtually unskiable unless very desperate. Trails were cratered by a walker ... arrrgh!
  Photos:
  (Mark Ernst)
• Jan 13 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Conditions: Better than expected.
  Skating on blue and green were very nice, it is not boilerplate. Hard base underneath, fresh topping of enough loose snow to get a good edge. Would use B skis. Phil said he was there grooming till 3:30 am. They hosted 11 high school teams today. IWSC continues to deliver on their mission to promote everything Nordic.
  (Tracy Piontkowski)
• Jan 13 - Lakewood XC Ski Trails (Lakewood):
  
  After the meltdown the trails are still mostly covered with boilerplate snow and ice. Thanks for staying off the trail while it was soft! I wouldn't recommend skiing on it. It'll take more snow before we can do much with it.
  (Fred Axelrod)
• Jan 13 - Nine Mile County Forest Recreation Area (Wausau):
  
  Nine Mile will be closed until further notice, based on changing snow and weather conditions.
  (Dan Leider)
• Jan 12 - Neshota Park (Green Bay):
  
  Poor. I skied all but the big down hill after the freeze. Lots of flooding on low sections, though there are some skiable sections. The bottom of the big downhill is completely bare. Hill tops are almost gone, thin sheets of ice. Over most of the trail, there is some damage from skaters and one walker during thaw too.
  (Philip Nelson)
• Jan 12 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  
  Non-skiing report: I did not ski on the groomed ski trails but looked at them from other ungroomed trails after the freeze up began on Saturday late afternoon, 32F, sunny and a little windy. I only saw 2 sets of tracks on piste. One was a skater and the other a walker. Both did significant damage on Birches. Overall, coverage was great. Some limited blue ice in the usual places.
  The surface was like crust. The base was 3-4 inches in many places. This appear to be a tillable base. This was a spring like melt and refreeze. The snowmobile trail is not skiable because of machine damage, it is a mix of sand and snow...mostly brown.
  (Scott Putman, Ashwaubenon High School Nordic Ski Team)
• Jan 12 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Closed but can reopen with more snow.
  Trails are still 99% covered in snow. This is where all the previous shoveling will pay off. Praying the forecast for this week comes true.
  Photos:
  (Pete Moline)
• Jan 12 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  
  Trails closed until further notice. There's more grass and ice here than snow.
  (Tim Collins)
• Jan 12 - Bridgewood Resort (Neenah):
  
  Trails closed. Base is soft in some areas and non existent in others.
  (Greg Hollub)
• Jan 12 - Governor Thompson State Park (Crivitz):
  
  Conditions: Poor conditions.
  40 degree temps and rain overnight have really honeycombed the trails. Bare spots are now showing on the trails. We will need more snow before grooming can occur again.
  (Maggie Kailhofer, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 11 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  
  Trails are closed as they expect very slushy and wet conditions for Saturday.
  (Chris Szymonski)
• Jan 11 - Nine Mile County Forest Recreation Area (Wausau):
  
  Grooming plans: Trails are now closed and will be re-evaluated for possible re-opening on Sunday, Jan 13th.
  (Dan Leider)
• Jan 11 - Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve (Appleton):
  
  The rain is making the trails poor but they are still covered as of this morning.
  (Mandy Bohn)
• Jan 10 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  
  Conditions: Slush mush is no good to ski on today and tomorrow.
  Brown County has posted the trail as clsoed and has barricades up at the trail head. Please stay off till the refreeze! Thanks for you consideration and thanks to the Refo camp groomers for some great skiing from mid December up to last night!
  (Scott Putman, Ashwaubenon High School Nordic Ski Team)
• Jan 10 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  
  Conditions: Fair, much debris blown onto the trails.
  Snow is still in good shape, but much debris has blown onto the trail (pine needles, oak leaves, twigs etc). At race speed, I feared several hamstring blowouts from the sudden decelerations and lurching forwards. I would avoid Red Pine, especially if it rains tonight. Otherwise the other trails should offer decent skiing with B skis, just to be safe.
  (Eric Wiberg)
• Jan 10 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Grooming plans: Closed Friday and likely Saturday due to predicted warm temps. We plan to reopen Sunday. This all depends on how warm and if we get any rain.
  (Pete Moline)
• Jan 10 - Bridgewood Resort (Neenah):
  
  Conditions: Base is still hard. Not groomed today.
  Trails will close if/when the expected rain begins.
  (Greg Hollub)
• Jan 10 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  
  Conditions: Classic: good conditions, some debris.
  Good striding conditions at Afterglow, but there are some thin spots and a lot of debris down. Waxless skis worked best.
  (Dan Mckissack)
• Jan 10 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  
  Conditions: Firm, fast and full of pine needles in wooded areas.
  Skated the Maples and Birches at dawn: fast, firm, a little rutted with significant pine needles in tightly wooded areas. Very nice skiing in open areas. The "main street" areas of Birches/Maples very nice. Use B skies if skiing full Maples.
  (Bob Warpinski)

• Jan 19 - Levis/Trow Mound Trail (Neillsville):
  
  Conditions: Fair, poor, good. Little snows over ice base.
  Reports from early morning skiers were very good with recent grooming. Late day warm temps made for slow skiing but on other sections very fast. With temps dropping conditions were changing to fast skiing. Avoid Loppet trail, I did have to do a short portage and skiing that section was not good! Latest reports are that loggers are starting work out on Flatlander which will close the Trow Mound loop Out and back over Buck hill will remained opened and was pretty good today.
  (Mark Sproul)
• Jan 15 - Levis/Trow Mound Trail (Neillsville):
  
  Conditions: Ice covered base 80%, see through thin 10%, nothing 10%.
  Thought I'd give it a try but no way! Not safe. Did some snow shoeing on and around the trail including the new section of the Sweaty Yeti Fat Bike race. Tried skiing Bruce Mound downhill ski area but not yet tilled.
  (Mark Sproul)
• Jan 13 - Wildcat Mountain State Park (Ontario):
  
  Unskiable. Significant bare stretches. Remaining base is very hard/icy. Waiting for more snow.
  (Joe Fieweger, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 12 - Drugan's Golf Course (Holmen):
  
  Lost everything, even the groomed trail.
  (Scott Cooper)

• Jan 20 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Flintrock was snow covered and icy.
  The only snow covered trail was the Flintrock trail that was fully covered but icy. The arctic blast following the warm weather took a toll on the trails with most trails bare ground. Flintrock, however, was a fast ice packed route that the crew actually groomed while I was there. It wasn't bad for perhaps the only place left south of Wausau with any snow.
  (Dan Bleil)
• Jan 20 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  I skied the green and red trails on Sunday. The green trail is dicey, with lots of ice and debris. Once in the red loop, not so bad! Enough for an edge. Good jobs on the grooming!
  (Mary Lou Geralts)
• Jan 20 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  I skied the brown and green-to-purple trails in the late afternoon Sunday. The brown trail was in excellent shape. I believe it was used for a ski race earlier on Sunday. The green-to-purple trail had not been used as much and therefore was a bit more icy. It also had more debris on it. The classic track had been reset and looked good.
  (Jim Van Akkeren)
• Jan 20 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Pretty good for skate skiing. A few then spots and moderately icy.
  The groomer was out in the late morning. The grooming was braking up the ice from the melt the day before. With a few exceptions there was complete coverage. There was debris in the woods, but it was easily avoidable. There is no classic track. The conditions were really pretty good.
  (Matt Valley)
• Jan 20 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  
  Conditions: Very Good Conditions on the 1.1k man-made snow loop.
  One small up hill was icy in the middle but if you stayed to the side it was fine.
  (Dave Karlovich)
• Jan 20 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  
  Conditions: Good, a bit icy underneath loose snow.
  Looked like it had been groomed this morning, some icy areas under loose snow, but overall pretty nice skiing, the only place to do it for many miles. The one short and steep hill was the only real problem, lots of ice with the loose snow being pushed away.
  (Ed Edinger)
• Jan 19 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Conditions: Ranges from fair to really good.
  Open areas are really good with a fluffy top over a hard-pack base. Woods are thin with debris but still skiable. Recommmend B skis. Didn't check out the west loop woods. Upper field were fun. 37 degrees and cloudy when I skied.
  (Russ Sobotta)
• Jan 19 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Grooming report: Trails were groomed Saturday night as they transitioned to freezing. Hope there is enough loose snow to set an edge.
  Grooming plans: Will try to run over them again tomorrow as temps warm, probably around 11 a.m.
  (Jerry Gensch)
• Jan 19 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Conditions: Trails are in fair to poor condition with quite a few bare spots and debris.
  Trails were groomed for skating on Saturday night. The strong winds were bringing down quite a few branches (some large ones) so there will likely be a lot of debris by Sunday morning. There are also quite a few bare and icy spots, but trails are still ski-able.
  (Brandon Smith, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 19 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Conditions: 38 degrees and mostly cloudy. Soft and slow.
  It was a nice surprise to drive up to Zillmer trails and find good conditions. The snow was soft and slow but still hanging on in above freezing temps. There are the usual spots under the pines the are thin and icy you need to go slow through. 75% of the trails are ski-able and well worth the drive.
  Photos:
  (Mike Healy)
• Jan 19 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Conditions: Good for skating. No classic tracks.
  I was pleasantly surprised at the coverage on the skate lanes on the yellow loop. A few areas in the pines are bare but easily stepped over. The downhills are in good shape- again just have to avoid a few thin spots. Rock or 'B' skis. I skied from 8-10 a.m. Snow started to get sticky as temperature rose.
  (Jean Ciske)
• Jan 19 - Elver Park (Madison):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  What a surprise. Groomer must have hit it just right and scraped up the hard pack as it softened. Thanks city of Madison.
  Photos:
  (Mike Ivey)
• Jan 18 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Mostly good to very good no - track striding and skating.
  The Flintrock and Ridgeview trails were groomed this morning for skating. The coverage was 99% and smooth for skating and striding. A couple of short bare stretches when connecting on the Pleasure Valley Trail. Gorgeous day.
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Jan 18 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Conditions: Pretty good considering the weather.
  Considering the wierd weather, Fox Hill is very skiable. Went out early this morning to Zillmer--not great. Went back to the Fox around noon when the temps were creeping above freezing. The 1/2 inch of new on top of the groomed hard surface was fast and fun. Still some debris in spots from all the wind and a very few thin spots but where I skied was surprisingly fun.
  (Russ Sobotta)
• Jan 18 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Good skating where groomed.
  Fern Dell is completely snow covered and groomed again this morning for skating. Turtleville was closed. Hastings had been groomed a couple days ago and is certainly skateable. Not sure about the rest of the trails, but these two are usually the best when we get to this point. I think they will be good through the weekend since they are so hard packed.
  (Dave Statz)
• Jan 18 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Snow was falling during my morning ski at Zillmer. Still use caution as some of the bare spots might not be as easy to see. All of the trails remain in good to very good condition for skating. Enjoy!
  (Jeff Grotenhuis)
• Jan 17 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Zillmer is good to very good condition for skating. I skied red/green, the back half of yellow and brown. All trails have a very solid base and nice and soft top surface. One need not be concerned with ice. Debris? Yes, but not a concern. Classic track is not set, but there have been people out classic skiing. Enjoy!
  (Jeff Grotenhuis)
• Jan 17 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  Conditions: I skied the green, red, green to purple and brown trails. All are skateable but there are sticks on the trails and a few spots where dirt and rock are showing. The trail in the best condition is the brown.
  The groomers have done a nice job making icy conditions skiable. Because of the hard icy conditions I only recommend experienced skiers use the trails.
  (Jim Van Akkeren)
• Jan 16 - Mirror Lake State Park (Baraboo):
  
  Poor to bad. Trails were slick ice and strewn with debris. There had been no grooming since the rain. Large stretches were dirt, no snow at all. Didn't even try to ski. Except for a few ice fishermen, I was alone in the park.
  (Karen Horn)
• Jan 16 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  Very good on the Brown Loop with no bare spots. Your good skis would have not problems. Skied around 7 pm Wednesday.
  (Ken Kuehn)
• Jan 16 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Conditions: Very skiable and fast corn snow.
  Still very good coverage but snow is very dirty in areas and a few rocks to watch out for. Better than I expected though!
  (Nate Lehner)
• Jan 16 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Conditions: 32 degrees and cloudy. Fast most sections but still a lot of tree litter under the pines.
  Got to the trail about an hour before dark and found two other cars in the lot. The trails are still 80% skiable with the poor sections mostly under the pine trees. Only one or two bare spots that are easy to get around. I would suggest using rock skis at this time though. Brown trail (short) loop was very soft and slow.
  (Mike Healy)
• Jan 16 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Skate only, hard but edgable, fair amount of debris.
  Good snow for the Madison area. My first time this year: the trails seem wider than in the past, but this could be only a trick of memory. A sign just before the campground says 'Open Ahead' which slowed me on the first loop, but there are no brown spots and it's fast as usual on the downhill approach through the trees. The debris really will catch you if not careful. By far the best left in Madison.
  (Dave Minden)
• Jan 15 - Odana Hills Golf Course (Madison):
  
  Conditions: Icy, ungroomed, but covered.
  The trails have snow with patches of ice throughout. Also much debris, so it's definitely B ski zone. Actually, the fairways are better skating, with that crust that gives grip and you can float over. Better than no snow.
  (Dave Minden)
• Jan 15 - Pleasant View Golf Course (Middleton):
  
  Conditions: Fair to poor. The trail is icy with bare spots.
  It is amazing that the west end of the trails is skiable. The groomers has done a great job under the circumstances. Snow has been shoveled into some of the bare spots. There are still bare spots and most of the trail is icy. In some places the trail is a ribbon of snow in the grass.
  (Matt Valley)
• Jan 15 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Conditions: Good overall, a few thin spots as well debris in the woods.
  All trails have been groomed, including the trails in the woods.
  Grooming plans: Will try to run the groomer through tomorrow about 7:30 am to loosen things up as I anticipate that the trails in the field will harden up overnight. Conditions are good with only a few thin spots.
  (Jerry Gensch)
• Jan 15 - Elver Park (Madison):
  
  Conditions: Closed.
  Non-skiing report: I saw cars and had hope but the chains are up and it's posted. Looked very icy and thin.
  (Robert Abendroth)
• Jan 15 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  
  Conditions: Very good for skating and classic on the 1.1k manmade snow loop which has a 2 foot base. Skied from 12:30pm to 2pm with the temp at 29 degrees. Mostly hardpacked but enough loose snow for good edging.
  After skiing on deep corn mush on Tuesday, it was surprising how much better it was today. The groomers did a great job.
  (Don Howell)
• Jan 15 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  Conditions: Good! Fast for skating! No classic tracks.
  The trails are holding up well. A lot of debris in the pines. Fast hard base and not too icy. Great skiing!
  (Tom Brown)
• Jan 14 - Cam-Rock Park (Cambridge):
  
  Conditions: Fair to good no-track skiing on Cam-Rock 2 loop.
  The base held through the thaw on the north part of the Cam-Rock 2 loop (about 2 K). A half-inch veneer of wet snow frozen on the base made for smooth striding and good edging. Boot marks from the warm days were the only detraction ("no hiking on groomed trails" sign is up). Skied across the bridge to look at the connector trail and that appeared well covered. Others had skied too.
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Jan 14 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  
  Conditions: Very good striding and skating on the man-made snow loop.
  Mostly double tracked. Tracks hard and fast. Skate deck hard and smooth with good edging. Really good skiing.
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Jan 14 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Most of the red/green trail at Zillmer was in good to very good condition on Monday morning. A few patches (mostly in the pines) you have to be careful and go slow, but the vast majority of the trail survived the meltdown. The groomers did a great job working up the crust. I could always get an edge when I wanted and it didn't feel icy at all.
  (Jeff Grotenhuis)
• Jan 14 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Good and getting better.
  There's skiing in Southern Wisconsin. We skated everything twice today. First time around, it was a bit hard and slightly rutted, but still decent for skating. The groomers were out later and where they had gone was very good. They were really able to churn up the base and soften/flatten it out. There's very little debris and only an occasional spot where the groomer pulled up a bit of dirt, but overall really nice and worth the trip. No tracks. Two large bare spots down low in the meadow on the uphill. Shelter is great with sun streaming in.
  (Alan Turnquist)
• Jan 13 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  After what could have been a disastrous thaw and rain late last week, anyone heading to Greenbush is in for some great skiing! The pine sections of the Green and Purple are pretty unskiable (first photo), but the rest of trail system is intact. There are a few thin spots but no grass except for the downhill on the Purple Trail. The Brown Trail is 100% covered, so start there to the Purple, then up to the Picnic Area. Take the Red Trail to the Green, Green to Purple, or finish the Green which has a few thin spots on the south-facing hills. It's a great loop! Think snow!
  Photos:
  (Clare Sedlacek)
• Jan 13 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Conditions: Good skating. More trail open.
  About 50% groomed after the ice/rain sotrm this weekend. Sunday night groomed the lower fields again plus Truck Lane to the south fields and up to the bench at the "Gap". West loops and the corkscrew still not groomed. Working hard to turn the frozen stuff into skiable. What's there is good. Good news is that the trail is entirely snow covered.
  (Russ Sobotta)
• Jan 13 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Conditions: Hard pack, refrozen boiler plate. 18 degrees and cloudy.
  I skied the yellow, red and green loops Sunday afternoon. There are many areas of heavy tree debris on the trails and a few short sections of bare ground. The DNR was out grinding up the top layer of ice and creating very fast and ski able conditions. There are only the old, iced over double tracks for classic skiing. It should only get better with more passes by the groomers.
  (Mike Healy)
• Jan 13 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  Three F's for skiing at Greenbush: Fast, Fun, Fantastic. Thanks to Tony for a great job of grooming. Still a lot of debris on the trail. If every skier would pick up just 10 pieces of debris each time you ski thousands of pieces of debris would be removed.
  (Dick Roeber)
• Jan 13 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  Conditions: Very good skating.
  We groomed all of the trail system Sunday and I'm happy to say all the trails are in good shape. There are only a few small exposed spots on some downhills and along the swamp on the purple. Some dirt on the trail by the power line crossings from the power company service work over the weekend. There is very heavy debris in a few isolated pine sections totaling > 1/2 mile. No tracks at this time. There was no traffic on the trails during the meltdown which allowed us to make a relatively fast recovery, some frozen footprints right by the shelter, but those are filling in as grooming continues.
  (Tony Schwaller)
• Jan 13 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Fair to good for skating. No classic track. The trails have been recently groomed.
  I skate skied the trails this afternoon. There is no classic track, and all the trails were open to skating. The snow mostly survived. The trails were dragged once since the melt and re-freeze. The Minix trail was icy and hard at the beginning. The flint rock trail and the campground were pretty good, but hard and icy in spots. Some more grooming and skiing will make a big difference. The pleasure valley loop has bare spots, is ungroomed, and practically unskiable. The trails in the woods have good coverage. There is lots of debris on the trails in the woods, but I wasn't catching on anything. I would not recommend using one's best skis. The warming house is open from 8:30 to 4:00.
  (Matt Valley)
• Jan 13 - Monona Golf Course (Madison):
  
  Conditions: Fair classic and skate.
  Amazingly, 3/4 of the classic track survived the rain, and is almost entirely continuous on all but the north side. It's shallow, but hard, icy and quite serviceable. The crust is also quite hard and skateable, and most of the course has continuous coverage. This morning's dusting of cold powder really things down, however. I'd use B skis for bridging the occasional gap. Way better than I expected, especially classic, and really not so bad.
  (Pete Anderson)
• Jan 13 - Lodi Golf Course (Lodi):
  
  Conditions: Fair to good for transformed snow conditions. Groomed Saturday night and Sunday morning.
  Only skied the golf course (not the fields). Very skate-able Sunday morning. You could get an edge in fairly easily. Classic track was average depth with solid sidewalls. About 1-2% of track had exposed grass. Other 98% was great. Grooming going on while I skied was scarifying the surface and flattening snow clods. Thanks Dale and Joe, et.al.
  (Don Fariss)
• Jan 13 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  
  Conditions: Snomaking loop - very good for skate and stride. Balance of the system - unskiable, but some base survived.
  The snowmaking loops, developed to allow for skiing under exactly what we just went through, are in great shape. The trails, which are lighted at night, are groomed for skating and striding, and have a firm base, with a corn-snow top layer. The snowmaking loops are wide enough to accommodate a lot of skiers, and will be the happening place for XC skiing in the Milwaukee Metro area for the foreseeable future; with Peak Nordic Kids on Monday evening, free lessons on Tuesday evening, and racing on Wednesday evening. Come out and join the fun.
  (John McCarthy)
• Jan 13 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  Skated purple loop about 1 PM. It had just been groomed and, although somewhat icy with pine debris in woods, was quite ski-able. Good job by the groomers today after last night's ice storm.
  Photos:
  (Michael O'Brien)
• Jan 13 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  The Greenbush Trail System survived the recent warm temps. Groomers are renovating the iced covered skate lanes producing fair to good corduroy made up of corn snow and small ice pellets. Skiers should beware of the fast conditions and icing in some areas. Pine needles still litter the trail surface through the confifer stands.
  (Jerry Leiterman, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 13 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Zillmer Trail System survived the warm temps and rain with about 98% snow coverage. However, the trail surface has numerous areas of forest litter (twigs and pine needles) because of recent and past wind events. The skate lanes were renovated Sunday morning producing fair to good corduroy made-up of corn snow and small ice pellets. Classical tracks were not reset because of limited snow and ice.
  (Jerry Leiterman, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 13 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good. Very firm, what has been groomed is fast but not icy.
  About a mile is groomed for skating. No classic tracks set. What is there is good to very good. I brought my B-skis, but wouldn't hesitate to use good skis. No bare spots, minimal debris, and a very fast skate lane made for a fun ski this morning.
  (Jeff Grotenhuis)
• Jan 13 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  
  Conditions: Very good for skating.
  Very good skate skiing on granular snow following a freeze and regroom. No tracks at the Mound until more snow so enjoy the skating for now. Thanks Willi!
  (Mike Ivey)
• Jan 13 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Grooming report: As of 8:30 a.m. about a mile of trails is groomed, the remainder is too icy.
  Grooming plans: Will attempt to groom more as temps warm.
  (Jerry Gensch)
• Jan 12 - Mirror Lake State Park (Baraboo):
  
  Conditions: Base survived the rain, extreme hard pack with considerable debris, worst under pines. Avoid downhills until further grooming!
  Skated Saturday afternoon on our rock skis after the snow set up. Fern Dell had 100% coverage but thin spots here and there. And giant ruts where a skier chose to skate 1/2 the loop at the height of the thaw. Beginning of Turtleville had two bare spots in the field, did not venture further. We removed many sticks. Classic tracks need new snow.
  (Paul Wagener)
• Jan 12 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Grooming plans: There appears to be enough snow for skiing. We will groom tomorrow mornng about 7:30.
  (Jerry Gensch)
• Jan 11 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  
  Conditions: Trails are closed to preserve the trail.
  The snow in the great fox hill area is holding nicely through the warm weather (as of 10PM Friday).
  (Russ Sobotta)
• Jan 11 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  
  Conditions: Doable for striding. Lots of thin spots and a few just plain dirt. And skating....not so much!
  We tried to skate first and although the snow was still about 5" base it was soft and we sunk right down into it. This made for good exercise but hardly fun! Then we strided and that was fine.
  (Linda Gourley)
• Jan 11 - Pleasant View Golf Course (Middleton):
  
  Non-skiing report: Appears closed -- there was a gate across the road today at 3 pm. So I guess they aren't allowing skiing now.
  (Linda Gourley)
• Jan 11 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  
  Grooming plans: Because of warm temps and rain the Zillmer Trail System is closed to all users until further notice. During these conditions, skiing places deep ruts in the trail surface. Once the temps drop below freezing again, the hard frozen ruts make it very difficult for groomers to repair. Tentatively, if there is sufficient snow cover left, grooming operations will resume on Sunday morning when the temps are predicted to be below freezing.
  (Jerry Leiterman, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 11 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  
  Grooming plans: Because of warm temps and rain the Greenbush Trail System is closed to all users until further notice. During these conditions, skiing places deep ruts in the trail surface. Once the temps drop below freezing again, the hard frozen ruts make it very difficult for groomers to repair. Tentatively, if there is sufficient snow cover left, grooming operations will resume on Sunday morning when the temps are predicted to be below freezing.
  Note: The Northern Kettle Moraine Nordic Ski Club Winterfest scheduled for Saturday, Jan 12th from 9am to 4 pm will still be held - free XC ski lessons, waxing clinic, ice carving, kids snow game, geo-caching demo, and more fun.
  (Jerry Leiterman, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 10 - Odana Hills Golf Course (Madison):
  
  Conditions: Coverage was nearly full in all tracks and skate lane.
  Very fast classic tracts while cruising in the light rain.
  (Jon Bohman)
• Jan 10 - Lake Kegonsa State Park (Stoughton):
  
  Conditions: Good to very good for skating. Getting smooth and hard pack in center of skate lane in some places.
  Skated all but the "cross the road loops" only because I don't like dirty conditions at the underpass, although I am sure that was still doable. Campground loops were very nice, open meadow loop was very good. Some tree debris, but not a problem.
  (Marty Dawson)
• Jan 10 - Nordic Ski Trail (La Grange):
  
  Conditions: Thinning, but still fairly firm, some bare spots.
  Came out in afternoon to scope out and see if at all skiable. It was actually half way decent. The trails are dense and pretty hard packed, so even with the 41 degree temp. it was ok for skating. No slush or anything. Skied most of blue loop. The steeper uphills and areas around the pine trees are the worst with bare spots, but was able to get around. Only 2 other people out there.
  (Ed Edinger)
• Jan 10 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  
  Conditions: Skated four loops of the lighted trail which was hardpacked but enough loose snow for good edging. It was very fast conditions as the few areas of debris and bare spots were easy to avoid.
  It was getting thin on two tier hill.
  (Don Howell)
• Jan 10 - Monona Golf Course (Madison):
  
  Conditions: Excellent classic only.
  Awesome blue klister hard track at Monona today. Firm, deep, icy, fast tracks. Nice skiing. But please stay out of the tracks when they soften up during the warm spell. With care, maybe they'll survive until it cools off if we stay off.
  (Pete Anderson)

• Jan 20 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Very good to excellent.
  Snow the evening before allowed the groomers to do an excellent job with the trails, including set classic tracks. Just a very few spots where some grass poked through. I could have used my A skis. The new "Ridge Runner" was groomed for classic, which was such a treat. My daughter Ellie and I both ranked it in the top handful of trails, with 6.4 K of continuous climbs and downhill runs that were demanding but never over the top.
  (John Greenler)
• Jan 20 - Michigan Tech University Ski Trails (Houghton):
  
  Conditions: Excellent for skate and classic. Freshly piston bullied skate deck and full depth classic track throughout.
  Cold, fine, slow snow. Definitely a fine grind and green wax day. Made better by the fine grooming of the Tech staff. Job well done.
  (Andy Schwartz)
• Jan 20 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Fresh grooming on Sunday, very good classic tracks, can use race skis.
  Heavy wet snow earlier in the week bonded well to the base for skiing Saturday. Nine inches fresh snow Saturday night resulted in perfect classic conditions Sunday. Skate deck looked great. Back to winter wonderland at ABR.
  (Judy Archibald)
• Jan 20 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: After 6" of fresh dry snow overnight all trails were groomed and track set this morning.
  Sun was out and made for the ultimate striding day.
  (Deborah Leonard)
• Jan 20 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  
  Conditions: Poor to good. Big groomer has been out from FV. Last 10k to town has been dragged. Not enough snow for big groomer on the last 10k of trail right now.
  The trail received at least 6 inches of snow Friday-Sunday. Unfortunately, there was no base in town before and the new snow has compacted down to one inch on top of dirt/pine cones/rocks etc. The last 4K of the trail to the dome is very poor right now. Otherwise the trail up to CR510 is very good to excellent.
  (Joseph Jameson)
• Jan 20 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  Conditions: 9" new snow in last 24 hours. Trails are firming up well. Ski conditions are great for both classic and skate.
  Grooming plans: Jimmy Track with Ginzu/Track setter will go out in the morning to dress up all trails.
  (John Swanberg)
• Jan 20 - Miljes Ski Trails (Wakefield):
  
  Welcome Back Winter, we've missed you! Milje's received 6+ inches of new snow overnight. The groomer has been out since 4 am grooming and tracking all 15K of trails. Trails are back in excellent condition. What a difference a day makes!
  (Greg Miljevich)
• Jan 19 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  
  Conditions: Classic in a recently set track.
  The newly set track was fine. There was plenty of moisture in the snow for the track to firm up quickly. It was snowing continuously with a strong wind starting to blow.
  (Rob Fox)
• Jan 19 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  All trails groomed and tracked this morning. Soft conditions on skate deck but tracks were great. Temps dropped 15 degrees by late afternoon when lake effect snow kicked in and winds picked up. 2" of snow fell by early evening and still coming down.
  Grooming plans: Groomers plan to be out Sunday.
  (Deborah Leonard)
• Jan 19 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Trail conditions were good, skied most of the trails twice including Ridge Runner.
  It was a great day with the fresh snow and the morning groom. Really enjoyed being out with friends and saw many smiling faces.
  (Ken Janckila)
• Jan 19 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Good early season.
  Hurrah, back on snow again. What do you mean early season? Its the middle of January! Well that's what the trails looked like early season. The skating deck coverage was good with just a few thin spots but very bumpy and uneven again. We started skating right at 9 am with temp of 24 degrees and the deck was really soft and got softer by the hour. We quit skating at 11:30 because deck was too soft. The track went from full depth to shallow with numerous dings with dirt showing. We used our good skis with no problems, but what a year - middle of January with early season conditions.
  (Greg Dahl)
• Jan 19 - Swedetown Trails (Calumet):
  
  Conditions: All trails freshly tilled, packed, tracked and groomed by 9:00 AM; then another 3" fell. High season conditions, so, excellent.
  We're closing in on 30+" of snow this week, 'bout time! Lake effect snow is kicking in, so it seems like no end in sight.
  (Geoff Harrison)
• Jan 19 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  
  Conditions: 4-6" of new snow, soft conditions.
  Soft skate lanes and tracks filling with continuous new snow, but fun! Pole plants were fine because of the ice base. The grooming crew worked overnight and are continuing throughout the day today.
  (Deb Loy)
• Jan 19 - Miljes Ski Trails (Wakefield):
  
  All 15K of trails freshly groomed and tracked as of Saturday morning with the new snow we received on Friday. Trails are in very good condition with minimal dark spots in the beautiful cedar swamp area. It should be a great holiday weekend!
  (Greg Miljevich)
• Jan 18 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: About 6 inches of new snow. Trails in great shape. Yipee!
  Great time skiing in soft fresh snow. Shaping up to be a great weekend!
  (David Harkness)
• Jan 18 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  Conditions: We received 6" of new, good to work snow. We groomed the trails 1-1/2 times today.
  Grooming plans: Will start at 7:30am and have trails fully groomed early. If we continue to receive snow, I will groom all day to make sure you have a trail to enjoy.
  (John Swanberg)
• Jan 18 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: 5-6 inches of new snow...awesome!
  Tons of new snow...finally! Much of the snow came mid to late morning so the skate lanes were a bit soft. Should be a great weekend of skiing!
  (Rich Scott)
• Jan 18 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Groomers were out all morning setting new striding track and skate lanes on all trails. All trails open with 4" of new, dry snow. Snow tapered off by early afternoon leaving about a 2" cover on the new deck.
  Striding the fresh track was fabulous on the Wolverine Loop, no bare spots or ice. Great trail maintenance after the warm spell. V20 green was perfect. Downhill was fast.
  Grooming plans: Grooming is planned for early Saturday.
  Photos:
  (Deborah Leonard)
• Jan 17 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  The new snow groomed in well; the grooming crew is filtering in from grooming tonight, still one groomer out. We groomed about 40 km tonight including resetting about 15-20 km of tracks. It looks like it should be some pretty good skiing for Friday and the weekend. The groomer does bring up some debris in the thick pines and on the classic only trails where it is thick with conifers. The skate lanes turned out smooth with cold dry powder on a firm base. The new snow over the last few days really helped shape up the trails. We are open Friday at 9 AM and the skiing should be nice.
  Grooming plans: We will be resetting more classic tracks Friday.
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 17 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  Conditions: 5F, 2" overnight snow.
  I classic skied yesterday up The Road, up Heart Attack, around Y and W. The classic was great with 1/2" of fresh snow in the track.
  Grooming plans: With last night's new snow of 2" Swanny is out rolling the skate lanes.
  (John Gierke)
• Jan 16 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  Groomers out on the Novice and Wolverine loop today. Fresh classic tracks set on Novice, good conditions. Powderhorn Trail and Cliff Hanger waiting for significant snow to groom.
  (Deborah Leonard-Polich)
• Jan 16 - Swedetown Trails (Calumet):
  
  A warmer day and great Pisten Bully grooming made for much faster skating conditions this evening compared to yesterday. The track looked good, too, though there are some thin spots under the pines on Greenstone.
  (Peter Vorhes)
• Jan 16 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Grooming plans: We have been getting small amounts of snow that have been accumulating on the trails, we will either groom Thursday morning and open for skiing Thursday or groom Thursday night and open for Friday and the weekend.
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 16 - Michigan Tech University Ski Trails (Houghton):
  
  We had more snow overnight and the Tech Trails are level and fully tracked. Skiing is excellent. Finally, mid winter conditions in mid winter.
  (Dean Woodbeck)
• Jan 15 - Swedetown Trails (Calumet):
  
  Around two feet of snow fell from Saturday evening through early this morning, giving the grooming crew a lot to work with. They have done a great job, and the trails are in very good condition. Skating was slow, but it was a beautiful evening to be out, with abundant snow, clear skies, light winds, and a waxing crescent moon. Classic tracks were set on all the loops I skied, and they were good when I got in them on downhills.
  (Peter Vorhes)
• Jan 15 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  Novice and Wolverine loops groomed for skating this morning. 1" to 2" base and conditions are good for skating. Some existing track for striding on the novice trail.
  (Deborah Leonard-Polich)
• Jan 15 - Michigan Tech University Ski Trails (Houghton):
  
  Michigan Tech trail system rolled and packed after the foot of snow over the weekend. Tracks set on 14km. A couple more inches of snow last night should help with the base. Very good skiing.
  (Dean Woodbeck)
• Jan 15 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  
  The Noque Trail to the 17k marker and Animoosh trail are in good shape. Use the hill bypass. The surface was groomed, but remains icy. Use caution. No tracks were set. There are a few visible bare spots. Ski within your ability.
  (Jenifer Kilpela)
• Jan 14 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  Conditions: Very good with solid base and 1-1.5" inches of fresh snow.
  I was pleasantly surprised by very good skiing conditions today at Valley Spur. It is completely covered with a solid base and new snow on top. I skied the upper loops (Y and W) and found very good conditions even in the open/exposed fields. Skiing is on at VS!
  (Wally Pearson)
• Jan 14 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Grooming plans: We are still waiting for new snow. We spent today taking down SISU signs , K markers and fencing for the race last Saturday. The trails have a thin, hard covering of snow and the dusting on top was groomed today on the skate lanes. It is still not good safe fun skiing until we get more snow or take the Pisten Bully out and powertill the thin base. We are waiting for a few more dustings of snow before we open for skiing. If we do not get any more snow by Friday we will reopen and groom the trails for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Without more snow we may only be able to open 15-20 km of trails, with more snow we can reopen all 70 k of trails.
  The Grooming Clinic is on for Wednesday and Thursday. The John Deere engineers will be here and the new JD Gators will be here for demo along with other vendors. Old World Meats will have the grill going with brats and burgers.
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 14 - Swedetown Trails (Calumet):
  
  Plenty of snow, 60 inches this season. All trails are rolled and leveled. Tracks set on 70% of trails.
  Photos:
  (Cynthia MacDonald)
• Jan 14 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Novice Trail open, groomed for skating. No track set due to thin snow deck. Other trails closed until more snow arrives. Volunteer groomers out today shoveling and patching.
  Early morning skate ski was great even at 3 degrees. Sunny and bright. Tuesday night skinny ski still on at 6pm, meet at chalet.
  (Deborah Leonard-Polich)
• Jan 14 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: We will not open for skiing today, we need more snow for grooming and safe skiing.
  The Midwest Grooming Clinic is on as scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday with or without new snow
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 14 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  1/2" to 1" new snow. Good coverage of hard frozen snow underneath. Classic tracks still have some form and will be left for skiers to ski in the form. Rolled Green and Blus trails. Trails E, F, G, H and Z are not recommended for skiing.
  (John Swanberg)
• Jan 13 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Poor to excellent striding. Skate lanes looked a bit better.
  Thanks to Eric for running the groomer around some of the easier trails and giving Sisu Fest refugees some skiing on Sunday. In places it was as good as it can get. In other spots it was pick through the bare patches. Thanks too to all the other Sisu Fest folks for their efforts. The right decision was made and the post non-event party was fun. Weather and Packers let us all down.
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Jan 13 - Porcupine Mountains South Boundary Road (Wakefield):
  
  Conditions: 4-9 inches of fresh snow over crusty base. No tracks, no grooming.
  Had an enjoyable ski on the road/snowmobile trail, finding plenty of fresh snow in the Porkies. Skied from the end of the plowed road 15km to Summit Peak. Pleasantly surprised to see just one snow machine out there.
  (Jonathon Rulseh)
• Jan 13 - Swedetown Trails (Calumet):
  
  Nicely rolled trails for skating, trees were beautiful after about 9 inches of lake effect snow. Some icy spots under the snow but did not cause a problem.
  Photos:
  (Liz Siivola)
• Jan 13 - Swedetown Trails (Calumet):
  
  Conditions: Much improved after the meltdown and the two-day trail closure, thanks to 5" of lake effect overnight and another 4" during the day. Persistent grooming, including some track setting, allowed many people to enjoy the trails today. Skating was good this afternoon, as the groomers continued to pack the snow throughout the day.
  Papa Bear is reported to have thin cover at the lower elevation. There are also some icy and occasional wet spots, but those are setting up well with the colder weather and the rolling of the trails by the grooming crew. Can't say enough about their work. Thanks, guys!
  (Peter Vorhes)
• Jan 13 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  Some spots opened up. We took the steel drag around W and Y and it is ok for skating if you must. We recommend walking down from heaven. We did have a racer come through and she had a blast on y and w and skied down from Heaven but we don't recommend it to the average skier.
  (John Swanberg)
• Jan 13 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  
  Conditions: Hard, icy, diminished coverage.
  Lost a lot of base, what's left is hard ice. Efforts to scuff things up were not effective. Trail remains closed until there's new snow. On the positive side, it appears people were respectful of the trail closure.
  (Deb Loy)
• Jan 13 - Miljes Ski Trails (Wakefield):
  
  Conditions: Not in very good condition.
  Although much colder temps firmed up and froze the trails last night, we will not groom or set classical tracks until we receive more snow. Think snow!
  (Greg Miljevich)
• Jan 12 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Coarse snow for skating only.
  The Novice loop (2.5K) was shoveled and groomed for skating Saturday night. The remainder of the trails are icy after the thaw and rutted where skiers chose to ignore the "closed" signs. They continue to be closed until they can be repaired.
  (Rob Gardner)
• Jan 12 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Grooming plans: I am out in the Pisten Bully powertilling some of the close, flatter loops and it is turning out quite nice. We will have some skiing in the morning. The new snow is mixing nicely.
  8 PM update: I groomed about 10K tonight and I will be out in the early morning to groom another 5-10K with some hills.
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 12 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Wolverine Ski Trails are closed due to high temps overnight, evaporating winds and rain leaving the trails in unskiable condition.
  We await more snow and colder temps to start grooming again.
  (Deborah Leonard-Polich)
• Jan 12 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  I am just coming in from the trails at 5 AM. The ABR Ski Trails have deteriorated to an unskiable condition. The SISU SKi Fest 42 k and 21 K races have been cancelled. Check the SISU Ski Fest for details.
  ABR Ski Trails will be closed for skiing until we get more snow and cold temps.
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 11 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  I am just coming from checking the trails and they are still quite soft at 8 PM with 36F. The snow is transformed from cold powder to corn snow.
  Grooming plans: We will be focusing the morning grooming on the SISU Ski Fest - Read the full update. We will be doing some regrooming after the race for the ABR day skiers at noon.
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 11 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  Conditions: Too soft.
  Grooming plans: Trails will be closed thru Saturday evening. We will dress skate lanes on Sunday. Praying for snow.
  (John Swanberg)
• Jan 11 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  
  Grooming report: Forestville: We have closed the Trailhead and will reopen for Ski Cats on Sunday. No grooming last night due to warm temps and rain. Yesterday was the last time temps were below freezing. We did a light groom on Animoosh, Chiwaji and the Noque to 14k. Zhing, Boozhoo and the sprint loop were groomed and tracked as well.
  (Jenifer Kilpela)
• Jan 10 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  We groomed about 30 km of the SISU Trail on ABR this morning and put up K markers. The trail is well covered and was dry cold powder. The classic track looked in very good shape in most areas, a few corners blown out and a few areas glazed. We closed Hautanen and Coyote to preserve snow for Saturday that we shoveled on the hills and groomed over.
  The SISU 42 K starts at 9 AM here at ABR on Saturday, it will be on 30 k of the ABR Trails. There will be 34 km of classic only trails for the classic skiers Saturday AM and a 4 km loop for skaters until noon when the entire course will be open for skating and classic on the entire trail system.
  Grooming plans: The trail is frozen now at 6 PM and we plan to re-groom again Friday night and Saturday morning.
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)
• Jan 10 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  
  Trails are holding. Full coverage. Some debris from trees in isolated areas. Skate lane were redressed today. All trails open except Little G do to a hazardous hill.
  (John Swanberg)
• Jan 10 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  
  Trail is holding strong. Our base is firm and skiing has been excellent.
  (Nikki Dewald)
• Jan 10 - Miljes Ski Trails (Wakefield):
  
  Conditions: Very good - nicely tracked.
  Even with the warmer temps, the trails are still good. For the most part, the trails are shielded by the trees so they remain well tracked and I didn't find any bare spots. Good running and well groomed.
  (Rob Sharon)
• Jan 10 - ABR (Ironwood):
  
  Conditions: Great conditions, firm packed, even and fast.
  It looks like things should hold up through the warm day Friday and still be in good shape for the Sisu Ski Fest on Saturday. Public can ski at least on Hemlock and Sunset classic trails even during the race on Saturday.
  (Scott Stalheim)

• Jan 20 - Lindenwood Park Ski Trails (Fargo):
  
  Blizzard winds Saturday filled in the skier-packed tracks with abrasive snow and wind-blown dirt. Tracks in protected areas filled with a half inch of snirt. Tracks in open areas were completely filled. Many sections of the trail blew free of new snow down to the icy rock-hard layer.
  (Gary Brekke)
• Jan 18 - Viking Ship/Davy Park Trail (Moorhead):
  
  Conditions: Fair. There is a 2-3" base (ice on the lower part) with an inch on top.
  The trail was roller packed Thursday and it is surprisingly skiable. It helps that the old snow has turned to ice and provides a barrier from the asphalt. Skate or classic without tracks.
  (Jeffrey Quam)
• Jan 18 - Lindenwood Park Ski Trails (Fargo):
  
  One inch of light snow the past two days have filled in the bare spots in the thin skier packed trail. Short sections of grass or dirt. Skating on the river with one inch of fluff on top of two inches of icy rock hard snow.
  (Gary Brekke)
• Jan 17 - Viking Ship/Davy Park Trail (Moorhead):
  
  The course was ski-able, but rock skis are highly recommended. Asphalt and grass are visible at many points.
  (Andrea Franz)
• Jan 12 - Lindenwood Park Ski Trails (Fargo):
  
  One inch of wind-blown snow overnight Friday-Saturday on top of a two inch rock-hard base that saw 46 F temps on Thursday and rain on Friday. Some sections of classical track have an inch of new snow, other areas have blown free to the icy base or grass. The river edge has three inches of blown and drifted snow. Thin skier packed trails.
  (Gary Brekke)

• Jan 17 - Snow Mountain Ranch (Granby, CO):
  
  Skiing is very good. We had at least 5 inches of new snow last weekend, with a dusting Tuesday. All trails are groomed for classic and skate. Tracks are really good everywhere.
  (Stephen Lee)
• Jan 14 - McCoy Park (Beaver Creek, CO):
  
  Conditions: Fresh dusting of snow on top of great grooming. Classic track slightly filled in, but after a few people skied it in it was firm.
  This is a beautiful set of Nordic trails. Located at the top of a chair lift there are spectacular views and very quiet trails.
  (Greg Rhodes)
• Jan 11 - Flagstaff Nordic Center (Flagstaff, AZ):
  
  Conditions: 40K groomed for skate and classic.
  Several inches of new snow the night before. All trails in excellent condition.
  Photos:
  (Matthew Martin)