Trails were not groomed this morning. There is a large bare spot forming from the NW corner of the warm-up loop to the ski rental building as well as a few other thin spots throughout the trail. Some of the shaded areas, especially through the woods still have a decent layer of snow. We will likely be done grooming for the season unless we get a significant snowfall in the future.

(Collin Bergholz)

Generally soft conditions for skate; faster in the shaded areas. The Ginzu was out at 9:30 am and did a nice job on the skate lanes (thanks Collin) taking out any frozen ruts, but it can't really do anything about the bare spots, which are getting more numerous. Still plenty of base on most of the trail, but especially up in the woods. Best segment is the north-south skate lane in the middle of the field - use it to avoid the bad spots on the finishing straightaway. Striders are making do with the tracks, which are somewhat icy. Skaters have to pole down the sunny parts of Magic Carpet while the striders glide by.

Photos:

(John McCarthy)

I scratched up the skate deck on the man-made snow loop with the ginzu this morning. Conditions should be fair for today, but some spots are getting pretty thin. The tracks were not reset from yesterday. They look good in some spots but get down to bare ground in other spots. The trails off the man-made snow loop have not been groomed and remain open to hikers.

(Collin Bergholz)

Manmade snow loop was decent for classic. Some iced over spots and some bare spots. Also skied off the manmade loop today. Those trails are not groomed, but has a handful of tracks broken in and plenty of coverage in almost all spots. Not as free flowing as if they were freshly groomed, but a great time for those feeling adventurous before all this snow melts.

(Brad Perkins)

Variable conditions for skate, with fair conditions for stride. Full coverage on the skate lanes with some thin areas that have turf underneath. Grooming with the Ginzu provided a firm, but softening surface, that is getting sticky, especially on the downhills. Tracks are somewhat icy, with a few bare spots that can be skied around.

(John McCarthy)

Very good conditions for skate this morning. Grooming last night with the Pisten Bully provided a loose soft layer on a firm, ice base. Softening throughout the day. Full coverage around the manmade snow loops with a couple of icy spots and some nearly bare spots in the northwest corner of the Field Loop. Not bad for the first day of spring and 105 days of skiing on the manmade snow. A big shout-out to Mark for keeping us skiing on groomed trails, and to the snowmakers for providing a deep base to weather this challenging winter.

(John McCarthy)

The Piston Bully was out at night grooming the man made snow loops. While it's getting thin it's still full coverage. The skate deck was tilled and is in good condition. New classic track was set and is in good condition as well.

(Mark Janis)

Excellent conditions for skate this morning. A thin layer of powder on a firm base provided some of the fastest, fun-est skiing of the season. Alas, the rising temps and bright sun are slowing things down in the afternoon. but still great spring skiing. Tracks are holding up well, with just a few dirty spots.

(John McCarthy)

The classic track on the outer man-made snow loop (1.1 mile) was deep and solid late Saturday afternoon, a mix of compacted crusty snow and ice. There was some evergreen debris in the track in a small spot at the back corner, where I would use the skate deck for about 15 yards. Despite the iciness, the end of the magic carpet downhill was slow due to a brisk headwind yesterday. A bonus was the group of three young deer that wandered down the center field track and the sandhill crane pair next to the backstretch. Skate skiers were enjoying the outer loop plus some of the inner loop segments, which didn't have good classic tracks.

(Tom Benson)

The Piston Bully was out at night grooming the man made snow loops. The skate deck was tilled and is in great condition. The classic tracks were left as is and are in good condition as well it. Tomorrow should be a nice day to ski the trails.

(Mark Janis)