Trail have not been groomed since the several inches fell early Monday, hence deep (4 in) wet snow in places, drier in others. A few short sections were firm enough to skate if feathering your ski and pole plants. Not uncommonly the skis would "knife in" so there was some effort lifting the ski out of the ruts. We didn't ski much of the trail, just finding the better (in a relative sense) stretches. Ultimately we spent more time skiing one of the wetlands that abuts the trail. Too bad as it was a beautiful day to be outside.

(Keith Brugger)

Started skiing slightly before 11 a.m. (25F) and conditions were good. Skate deck was firm with a soft 1/4 in veneer with much corduroy left. Overall reasonably fast. Finishing at 1 p.m. the snow was getting pretty moist due to temperatures around 30F and the intermittent sunshine, so quite a bit slower. Snow is a little dirty owing to high winds yesterday. Some drifting in places, and more so in Finland. A few more leave and pine needles, the latter of which did me in on one of the downhills!

(Keith Brugger)

Trails are in excellent condition! We started skiing a little before noon today and the skate lane was newly groomed; only one skier had been out before us. A tad slow given the cold temperatures overnight, and the temperature hadn't come up yet. Of course better in the sunny sections. Grooming of the classic tracks was being done while we skied. Remarkable trail conditions for mid-March.

(Keith Brugger)

Excellent conditions. Very fast and freshly groomed. Minimal bare spots. Occasional icy. Get out there before it all melts!

(Kent Carlson)

I was the first one on the freshly groomed trails. The skate lane was firm and fast but not icy. Classic track looked nice. Nice day on the trails.

Photos:

(Kayo Aslagson)

There is still lots of snow and a variety of conditions, from fairly skiable to needs grooming badly. Lots of deer tracks and some human boot prints, probably snow boarders. It would be nice to get some grooming done and get a few more weeks of skiing.

(Chad Bergerson)

As per yesterday, firm skate deck that skis pretty well, but glazed sections. Thin, new drifts in places with drier snow, so slower. "Cancer spots" beginning to form in open areas. The skating isn't optimum but it is still pretty good. Classical tracks quite variable in terms of definition or depth. And also many, many deer chewing up the trails with at least one bloody spot with fur everywhere.

(Keith Brugger)

Given the thawing and freezing cycles over the last days we expected icy conditions but that was not the case. Yes there were a few short sections where the skate deck was glazed but overall it was firm and yet enough to set an edge. And despite temperatures hovering near freezing the snow was dry enough and fairly fast. In a few sections we we "punching through" with our poles. The deer, however, have been very active and there are stretches that are roughened with hoof prints. Winds have also littered the trails here and there. Another nice day of skiing, if short.

(Keith Brugger)

Skate deck on the east side of the main trail (Whispering Pines), and associated shortcuts etc. has firmed up, so I didn't encounter any soft spat as I did yesterday. Still lots of corduroy. The west side was quite a different story. The deck remains softer, skiable but earlier skate tracks are sometimes up to 6 inches deep. Hi 20s when I left before noon. Nice skiing today.

(Keith Brugger)

Trails were recently groomed and are in excellent shape. This morning there was still good corduroy, and intact in places. Relatively firm skate deck mostly everywhere, but there are some soft spots as reported in days past. There are also some "hollow" spots where you might lose a couple inches of your pole. A fellow skier reported Deep Woods was narrow and soft. Classic tracks are well defined and similarly firm.

(Keith Brugger)