What a glorious day! There were at least 30 others enjoying the weather this afternoon. The classic tracks have a little side-to-side play where the snow didn’t settle, but deep tracks made for a smooth ride. Good luck staying in the tracks down the big hill!

Photos:

(Jennifer Myers)

Lots of families out enjoying the snow. Overall skiing excellent. Tracks were well-defined, albeit a bit slow with the new snow. Skating deck was likewise firm with a fluffy top. There's a new segment on the second hole, a left fork that takes you to Snelling and through the high school athletic fields. Adds about a kilometer to the loop.

(Bob Hartzler)

Saw the groomer finishing as I arrived at 2 pm. Thank you groomers for packing and tracking before the winds could blow away the snow on this exposed trail. Good coverage throughout. I was on B skis, but would have been fine on A skis. The tracks were blown in on most sections, but a steady stream of skiers kept resetting the tracks making it easy to follow during the daylight.

Photos:

(Janelle Jurek)

Recently groomed. They must have trucked in some snow from Canada or something because there were no bare or icy spots. Conditions excellent. Tracks were fast and firm, but not too deep. A few pesky leaves were the only minor problem. Skating deck was fast, too, as evidenced by all the HP Nordic team members who flew by me.

(Bob Hartzler)

Nice morning ski. Hasn't been groomed for awhile so trailed is well worn. Hopefully a groomer can get out soon.

(Ryan Broshar)

Beautiful sunny ski. The trail had not been groomed by 2pm. It was skiable though for skating. Someone had cut good and consistent looking classic tracks themselves.

(Anna Henderson)

Skated Thursday night. Definitely skiable and you can still get an edge pretty easily on 99.9% of the course. Hard to believe given the warm past few weeks, rain, and cold temps recently. That said, some may not like skiing on such hard conditions.

(Joseph Altendahl)

Highland 9-Hole went from ok yesterday to iffy today. Not many parked cars when I arrived, probably because others, like me, did one 3.5k lap and then packed it in. Super-hard and sometimes icy deck, defined but mostly icy tracks. Taking downhill turns skate was not easy with zero loose surface snow. If you want a continuous balance drill, this is the place.

(David Moore)

Highland 9-Hole is hanging in there. Almost completely full coverage, but a hard, sometimes slightly icy deck, and a few avoidable spots of grass on crests. You could use your good skis for now. Classic tracks were solid but sometimes icy -- I only double-poled -- but no more than a few leaves here or there.

(David Moore)

Some bare spots and ice where you'd expect it, and the trail has seen a lot of use, but good to very good overall. Track breaks up in places, but groomer did a pretty good job given the snow he/she had to work with. Skating deck has also seen a lot of use, but very skiable. Trail bifurcates at hole number 2 to avoid some ice, so be prepared for a bit of a detour.

(Bob Hartzler)