Course was freshly groomed today. Just great conditions, classic track was set on the entire loop and the skate lane was perfect. There is tree work going on but they cross the trail in just one section but this did not impede the skiing at all.

(Bill Stuber)

Some light tree work began on the golf course today and will likely continue tomorrow. The equipment being used and the number of trees being removed should not impact the Nordic trails too much, but there will be some disturbances. Please be careful as there may be some debris in areas where they have crossed the trail. We'll touch up the grooming as best we can once their work is complete.

(Tyler McKean, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Phalen has plenty of snow and is groomed for skate and classic. I didn't notice any bad spots to be aware of. Tracks are well used and washed out in a few spots but no big deal. Skate deck has a soft layer of snow, it looked like fun.

(Bill Stuber)

Full coverage, with very little debris to watch out for. Trails are rolled, but not combed or tracked, which made for some frustrating classic skiing. My skis didn't quite slot into the rolled groves, which made it tough to get good kick zone contact with the snow.
I measured a full loop at 6.1K. The southern portion of the course did not have all the fingers that the official trail map shows, which may explain why it's short of 7.5K.

(Karl Holub)

Classic skied late morning. Tracks are in very good shape except for a few grassy patches and oak leaves.

(Kathy Bjornson)

Skated 2 loops. Very fast snow. All around great conditions with good grooming. A few grass and wet spots, but nothing major.

(Ben Baltich)

Conditions are reported as great at Phalen after a full groom today. Get out and enjoy it before the weekend if you can.

Photos:

(Tyler McKean, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Very nice 3.9 mile loop. Snow was rolled but very nice to skate on. There is a wet spot in a few places but easily avoided.

(Bill Stuber)

Nothing is groomed but classic skiing was OK - soft with a slightly slushy base in places, but my fishscales were gliding OK almost everywhere. Variable snow depth so watch for those cart paths! Ground felt reasonably hard - no mud seen anywhere.

(Pete Thurmes)

We are anxiously watching the weather and hoping for a lot of snow over the next few days. Given the condition of the turf at the golf course, we will be waiting until at least December 2 to groom. In the interim if we are able to groom the Como golf course and the Highland 9 golf course we will be spending our time on that.

(Tyler McKean, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)