Lower Arb trails were (mostly) groomed and classic tracks set this afternoon (thank you!). Decent coverage for the most part but thin in the predictable exposed spots where you'll need to watch out for gravel and bare ground. Nice temps and fast tracks. 90% very skiable.

(Todd Orjala)

I groomed the lower Arb last night and skied this morning. 95% of the trail is great, considering our weather since mid-December. 95% of the freshly groomed trail is great! I strongly recommend staying off anything that isn't groomed; you will find spots with gravel, ice, etc. The last picture is a map of what I groomed in purple, with red circles where I found some rocks poking through. The Carleton Arb trails are multi-use, so be aware that you may see walkers out there.

Photos:

(Phil Bowen)

Trail from the parking lot around the soccer fields is very wind blow with ice covered by intermittent snow drifts. This area was no fun to ski, but once you get past it (or if you use a different access point than the Carleton rec center) the conditions were really nice everywhere protected or wooded. Just a very few icy spots, but mostly the coverage was great. No classic tracks, but if you can brave the cold, the conditions are worth skiing again!

(Nathan Porath)

Skied 10km with our Carleton student today. First time for all of us in the Lower Arb. Fun to be out, not immaculate but very skiable. Some bark in the trails and a few places where there's visible dirt but you can avoid that. Tracks are well-set but are icy in places. Do a robust job with kick wax or use skins/fishscales. Amazing that the walkers on this shared use trail stay out of the tracks!

(Kristin Riker-Coleman)

Enjoyed a wonderful ski through the woods and countryside with deep grooves through most of the routes once past the entrance. Parked by the gym bridge entrance where and travelled back to bench area at Kettle Hole Marsh. The bridge area has no grooming remaining and the hill dropping from lower Arb to Turtle Pond extremely fast and slick so watch out. Little if any debris except a few oak leaves.

Photos:

(David Scott)

First time I skied the trail - lower arboretum. Overall the trail conditions were solid. Beautiful area.

(Mark Wehe)

I groom the Lower Arb. I tilled the existing base and packed the new snow during the blizzard. I set tracks Monday night and skied Tuesday morning to check it out. Conditions were great. Tracks set well and pole plants were very firm. There were two wind blown spots that still show some dirt (see image). I skied on good skis and will definitely continue to do so. Note the lower arb (everything north of hwy 19) is classic only. The upper arb (south of hwy 19) is groomed for skating. Walkers are allowed on the trails. See ya out there!

Photos:

(Phil Bowen)

Upper arb was groomed last night and again tonight, and looks like really nice skiing. Open areas are very thin as most or all new snow blew off, but are still surprisingly skiable - just watch for grass patches and potentially gravel n the open fields. New Classic tracks are set where there was enough snow , about 2/3 of trails, mostly in and near the woods. They look shallow in places but good overall. A few deer tested the fresh skate deck and seemed to like it.

(Ben Doherty)

We groomed the upper arb skate deck on Thursday night, and were able to turn the ice and blown snow into decent conditions. Noisy and a little slick but it's fast, smooth and pretty consistent. There are some leaves and sticks in the woods from the wind, avoidable grass poking through a couple small patches near the soccer fields, and a little gravel to dance around by Hwy 19. The classic tracks look to be in ok shape; the ones that survived the warmup caught some blowing snow and that's been packed down by classic skis since then. Grooming plans are for a re-grooming touch up on the skate deck Sunday afternoon, but we probably can't do anything about classic tracks until there's more snow to work with.

(Ben Doherty)

I skied the lower Arb this afternoon. I started at the west trailhead and skied most of the trails. Trails have been groomed and tracks set. Beautiful skiing!

Photos:

(Bill Jokela)