We decided ski the municipal forest trails. It was an interesting mix: soft, hard, icy, sloppy, somewhat clean, very dirty, with a couple rivulets and some bare ground to cross. We had fun nonetheless, never had to remove our skis, got some fresh air and a good workout and didn’t see another soul the whole time.

Photos:

(Todd Campbell)

Due to the rain, conditions are poor but skiable in most of the system. Grooming is limited due to the ice. Skiers should watch for flowing water and multiple ice spots on the trails. At this time we will have to hold off on further grooming operations unless we get snow next week.

(Angie Harker)

Very good spring skiing conditions. Skied all the trails in the system this evening, and all appeared to have been groomed today (for skate only). There were just a few dirty and icy patches, along with the usual thin spots. No water running over the trail, and only two places where I had to shuffle across 10 or 15 feet of grass (again, the usual spots: the southern parts of the red loop and an isolated patch at the north end of the yellow trail, both on flats). I waited until 6:00 pm to hit the trails, which turned out to be a good decision, as the lower sun angle and cooler temps allowed the trails to set just enough to result in a fast, firm, and controllable surface. Unfortunately, a couple of folks decided to ski during the heat of the day, which resulted in some relatively deep ruts. Of course, mornings and evenings will be the best time to be skiing for the next few days.

(Todd Campbell)

Groomers are reporting 80% of the trails are groomable and holding up condition wise. Classic track is very icy and won’t be worked on until we get fresh snow. We will try to keep up on the skate deck as long as we can with the warmer weather. Skiers should watch out for ice and some flowing water in the low spots on the trails. At this time, we have suspended weekend grooming.

(Angie Harker)

We skied the flat side of the yellow trail today. The road to the yellow had four wheeler, snowmobile and other tracks. The yellow trail was in great shape and looked to be very recently groomed! The tracks were in tact and cord was visible! There was still quite a bit of deer fur left from the unfortunate Bambi last week. Unfortunately someone mountain biked the trail and did leave some ruts. We also saw a bunch of baby wooly bear caterpillars!

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

All trails were groomed between yesterday and today. Some new track has been set as well and conditions are looking good with only a few icy spots out there. Due to the warm conditions we will not be doing any weekend grooming this week in an effort to preserve the trails but we will be back out there Monday morning to see how the trails hold up.

(Angie Harker)

Skied the Red, Blue, and Green trails at mid-morning. Grooming was in progress. Skate-skiing was fantastic, just a couple of brief icy patches on the easy Red Trail. I skated on B skis then took another turn on my new A skis. Groomers reported that they had just gone over all trails but did not plan to groom later in the weekend with warmer weather in the forecast. Trails were just starting to soften up a bit by late morning. Classic tracks looked firm. Superior received an inch or so of glittery new snow on Thursday, making it pretty in the woods. It should probably be good skiing until warmer temperatures occur. Until then, I'd advise my fellow Minnesotan's, "It's just a bridge! Get over it!," as Superior people like to say.

(Tim Larson)

We skated and classic skied the purple and the flat portion of the yellow and both were in great shape and fast! The purple had some debris towards the end but nothing bad and we picked any pine cones off of the trail. The flat side of the yellow has some road kill though. There is a deer that looks recently deceased in the middle of the trail and it was dragged a ways so there is blood and parts along the trail. This is .75 miles in from the road. Just a reminder, 42nd street will be closed and the purple and yellow will be in use for the Stride, Ride, Glide tri from 6am to 2pm Sunday March 1st. If you could use the red, green and blue participants will be happy!

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

Just a head's up that the Purple and Yellow trails at the Superior Municpal Forest will be in use for the Stride, Ride, Glide Tri on Sunday March 1st from 6am until 2pm. 42nd street will also be closed to all non event traffic during that time also. The red/green and blue trails will be open though! We ask that people refrain from using the yellow and purple on Sunday until after the event to preserve the conditions for event participants and for the safety of everyone.

(Eve Graves)

We were able to run two groomers and groomed and reset track on all trails. Conditions are good to great, with a few icy spots here and there. We will continue to groom this week unless conditions get too warm.
On Sunday March 1st there will be a winter triathlon that will involve 42nd Street and the purple trail system. Access during the event will be limited to the yellow trail system as well. Through vehicle traffic will not be allowed on 42nd Street from Badger Drive to Albany Avenue during the event for racer safety. Non-race trail users should avoid using these trails during the event and use caution when traveling through the event area.

(Angie Harker)