Trails were fairly icy. The ski grooves from previous skiers were frozen into the trails making it difficult to maintain form and balance. I fell pretty hard and the trails were rock hard. Not ideal conditions last night. If they get soft during daylight, then that would be the ideal time to venture out.

(Thomas Gorman)

We did some skating Monday night around 6 or 7 PM. The trails were freshly groomed which was awesome, however, the sun during the day created some melt and the trails started to get a little hard and icy. Great glide, just no ability to push off. Some spots were better than others. I think if you went during the day it might not be as bad.

(Thomas Gorman)

Fresh Powder and good movement. Pristine conditions. Everything is in great shape, including the oval in the bowl. The classic tracks looked really nice as well.

(Thomas Gorman)

Conditions, ungroomed perfection! Just enough beautiful fluffy snow to make the downhills feel like flying on a cloud and not enough snow to impede the climbs. In these conditions I don't have to hold anything back. Classic tracks were skied in and looking great. Enjoy! :-).

Photos:

(Chandra Shoberg)

I'm new to skiing but with the fresh powder and recent groom the trails seemed pretty nice. I was moving pretty good out there. Great night for skiing!

(Thomas Gorman)

Nice conditions at Chester today. A soft top on a firm track. The trail had been recently groomed. There were still a couple thin spots on two of the hills, but the big rock on the backside hill is now covered. Modest foot traffic, but the solid underlayer prevented post-holing. Classic tracks looked good, and it was nice to see several recreational skiers enjoying them.

(Fritz Anderson)

All trails were freshly groomed this morning after the new snow last night. A beautiful classic track was set and is clean. The skate deck was soft on top allowing for control and stability. I give it an A+!

(Chandra Shoberg)

Chester was freshly groomed today and was in good condition, hard, and relatively fast. A few things to note: first there is one large rock going up the back side right before reaching the top. It is easy to avoid, but just a heads up. Also, there are a few thin spots and boot prints scatter throughout, so I would highly recommend B/training skis. Other than these few things it was amazing. Chester has such an amazing ski history and it never disappoints. Thank you to the city groomers for resetting the corduroy today.

(Samuel Olson)

Skied three laps at Chester this morning. What a treat! :-) 1-2 inches of fresh wet snow over a firm base slowed the hills down but provided stability. Classic tracks have been set this year and are a welcome sight. There are two thin places on the trail where you might encounter some dirt hence the B skis rating. I was using my good skis and didn't regret the decision. Thank you to the City of Duluth for returning these trails to skier use only when snow is on the trail! Chester is definitely worth visiting today before they hit it with the groomer. It'll probably need some time to set up after grooming. Happy trails!

(Chandra Shoberg)

The trails are holding up relatively well by Chester standards with only scattered boot craters spread out along it. The snow survived the warm up, avoided any melt freeze so the downhills are fast and fun, not bone jarring and sketchy.

(Fred Sproat)