Classic track was left alone as it was mostly in good shape and I did fix it in two spots where it drifted over. Groomed the skate deck where it still is a little soft due to the deep snow depth. Overall still in OK shape with the only thin spot being by the restroom building. Enjoy the nice weather!

Photos:

(James Bezanson)

Earlier today the trails were groomed for the first time in more than a week. The skate deck was too soft and breaks away frequently. Only a couple of skiers had gone before me and left deep groves throughout the trail. The classic tracks look good.

Photos:

(Mark Virtue)

Trail groomed up ok with it still being a little soft. Groomed it twice to get the ruts out and set a nice classic track. Come out and enjoy the above zero temps!

(James Bezanson)

Windblown. No skier-set tracks. No evidence of recent grooming.

(Bob Julian)

Due to the extreme temperatures and the holiday weekend the cross country ski trail will not be groomed until Monday afternoon. The following reasons were taken into consideration. Blizzard/winter weather advisory. Wind chills below threshold for any outdoor rec activities. Anything that is done will be blown over. Other park districts are also waiting for the storms to pass before any additional grooming. Enjoy your holiday and stay warm.

(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Both classic and skate are in great shape. Skate deck is almost pristine corduroy everywhere - seemed pretty firm although I was striding. Tracks are solid although a bit shallow, but definitely deep enough to hold the skis even on turns, with almost no washouts. And they were pretty fast, even at 6deg, as was the skate deck when I glided some turns. Phalen skiing doesn't get much better than this. I did see a tiny bit of grass in the tracks at a few places, but no dirt anywhere and good skis should be fine. Nice job Phalen groomers - it's getting much better grooming now, no doubt due to the new fee structure. Well worth the fee in my opinion.

(Pete Thurmes)

A nice sunny morning at Phalen golf course with a full groom and classic track put in. Skate deck is soft but improved from last groom. Enjoy skiers.

Photos:

(James Bezanson)

Fair to good conditions. The fresh snow this morning on top of the rolled trail really helped. No set tracks, but the skied in tracks were ok. A few old wet spots were frozen and mostly covered by new snow. Only saw a few other skiers at Phalen.

(Chip Treen)

There is a good amount of snow here. Rolled the trail with one reroute due to water standing. Rest of the trail is in good shape with a couple of slushy spots. Enjoy.

Photos:

(James Bezanson)

As of 4pm today, the trails were very skiable. Mostly good coverage, a bit soft with some debris and thin areas. A few spots that need to be skied around. Groomed for skate only. About 6.5 K.

(Ned Brooks)