Still good coverage throughout the trail with decent skied-in tracks. Pretty soft in the warm afternoon sun but with sub freezing temps tonight, the glazed tracks may be rocket fast tomorrow morning. Hard to say how much longer we can hang on to this ski season. Pretty sweet to find conditions this good in mid April.

Photos:

(Tom Rulseh)

Finding skied-in tracks through the new, crusty 4" of snow was a real treat this evening. We started at the Hwy 45 parking lot and only a lack of time kept us from going beyond the Cranberry Boardwalk. The intrepid track setting skier kept going to points unknown. I have never skied in such firm, well set, skied-in tracks as those we enjoyed this evening. Both kick and glide were full-on fun! To paraphrase Ole Hanson as he waxed eloquent about the length of the ski season, "It isn't over until it is over.".

Photos:

(Tom Rulseh)

The end could be near. Still a good base in most areas but the warm sun is eating it up fast in the exposed sections. Striding was quite pleasant in the faint remainders of set tracks. We skied from the Sundstein Road trailhead to the Mud Creek Bridge. It'll take a pretty good dump of new snow to get the groomer out again this season.

Photos:

(Tom Rulseh)

No foolin'. There is skiable snow in April! Maybe not primo peak season conditions but if it was this good in early November we'd be celebrating. Spring skiing is usually best when the temps are near freezing. The top layer was just a bit soft at 38F early this afternoon. Hard to tell how much longer this will last. Better get it while you can!

(Tom Rulseh)

Spring skiing! Considering that the trail hasn't been groomed for almost two weeks conditions were better than expected. There is about an 18" base and the surface varied from crunchy to soft this afternoon. Several patches of debris under the dense conifers. Not quite enough woody fragments to build a small house but close. After adopting a proper frame of mind the classic skiing provided some enjoyable fun in the sun!

Photos:

(Tom Rulseh)

Groomed 2" of new, damp snow. Skate lane may be soft. Tracks are reset and ready to be skied! Thanks to Mike Boers for the TLC!

(Tom Rulseh)

Refreshed skate lane and reset classic tracks. There are several patches of annoyingly abundant debris.

(Tom Rulseh)

Fair to somewhat poor conditions. The skate deck is extremely soft and difficult to ski, with some deep ruts and a lot of debris. Pole plants were very soft and penetrated quite deep, to the point that I didn't even use poles for fear of snapping a tip. The groomers have undoubtedly been working miracles - given the amount of snow that feel in such a short time - but there's only so much that can be done to compact the trail. The classic tracks seemed quite nice and fast, but again, pole plants were an issue. If you have a choice of poles or can swap baskets, probably a good idea to use the biggest you have.

(Dan Mckissack)

The grooming crew have done wonderful work grooming up the huge snowfalls we have had. The trail conditions are great. The skate deck is pretty firm and smooth and the tracks are deep and firm. The woods, specifically the balsam firs, are gorgeous. Great skiing.

(Joe Panci)

Freshly groomed skate lane and classic track after a fair amount of use yesterday. The woods are heavy with snow. It will probably take a few more grooming passes before the trail really firms up. Get out there for some winter wonderland skiing!

(Jonathon Rulseh)