Unfortunately we will be closing the Como cross country ski trails due to the recent weather. We are unable to groom right now because of all the ice. We are hopeful we can reopen when the conditions allow. Sorry for the inconvenience.

(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Skied the small south loop, or what's left of it. Hats off to the groomers for doing their best with what they have, but the trails are in rough shape. Lots of ice, some debris, and grass poking through in some places. You can't ski the full loop because of the ice so I did some back and forth. Skiable, but we need some snow cover desperately.

(Sam Nesheim)

I just stayed on the southern loop by the parking lot. The classic tracks were in fair to good shape. A few icy patches on the skate lane.

(Mark Bushinski)

I figured that if the groomers thought it was worth grooming again then I should at least give it a try and I'm glad I did. Although it was still possible to do the complete loop, conditions alternated between pretty good, even excellent, and sheer ice. Hot shots seemed not to mind, but after I tried one loop I decided I was better off just stringing together short segments where it was good and just going back and forth on them, no matter how short. The best was an almost flat section of about 100 yards where the course had been rerouted just north of the chalet. Grooming completely new snow seemed to be the right approach. Grooming that was an excellent idea! The section on the south along the zoo was still very good as well. Thanks groomers for not giving up in difficult circumstances!

(Lois Braun)

Mother Nature was not kind to us with the rain we got. But with that said the skate deck ground up pretty well. There are still spots where water pounded and are frozen over. Did not touch the classic as the lanes are still good but icy. Would do some damage to the turf to redo them. Put a few reroutes in to make a few loops on the lower plateau and avoid the steep hill by the clubhouse that has no snow left. I would suggest if your a novice skier to avoid the back plateau/back loop as some of the hill tops are still icy. I did push a bunch of snow into the shoot to make it skiable. All in all trail survived pretty good. Weather looks great, enjoy the outdoors!

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(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Not too shabby all considering! Although I read it had been groomed this morning (thanks groomers!) I was skeptical. I went expecting to ski just the "glacier" on the south side near the zoo, where the snow stays fresh longer than elsewhere because it's on a north slope and there is shade to the south. But I was surprised to find the entire course ski-able, though with caution because at 3:30 p.m. it was starting to refreeze. Although I knocked myself for not getting out there earlier, before the snow started to freeze grooves where others had skied earlier, the grooves weren't unmanageable. If I had been there earlier I would have just contributed to the problem. On the second uphill after Lexington I encountered a high school ski team doing intervals. Their skis had broken up the ice well enough to make for very good conditions there, so I did multiple loops on that hill. Thanks kids! I also found a stretch on the north, just south of Hoyt to have excellent snow. Even the plateau was skiable, but I chickened out of doing the steep downhill. I finished back at the glacier, which was excellent, good enough to ski hard after dark with my headlamp.

(Lois Braun)

Classic technique over the freshly groomed corduroy. Surprisingly good for the April-like weather today - despite a few low spots with deeper slush, most of track was well-covered. Great job groomers and thank you for letting us know it was a good day to get out. Looking forward to hopefully more fresh snow.

(Karin Roof)

Groomed the skate deck with ok results. Was able to get most of the prior ruts out of the trail with a few still remaining. Left classic track alone. Tried resetting a portion of it and had worse results than what was already there. Tracks overall are still in good shape. Trail has some icy spots at the moment but may turn slushy. Come enjoy.

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(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Beautiful and fast! It was very consistent, which was helpful under today's grey sky which messes with my eye's ability to perceive depth. It was so good that after completing five laps I had to restrain myself from doing another. I almost didn't go because someone had told me it was icy, but the only icy patch I found was at the top of the windswept plateau by the top of the downhill ski area. The only thing that could have made it better would have been some sunshine or moonshine. Classic tracks looked good as well, as was confirmed by some other skiers I spoke with, though I did observe a few places where grass was exposed, the same places where it was exposed last Friday. I want to thank the groomers also for grooming that little extra bit to connect the loop on the south side. That short loop is good for a warm-up or cool down, and is better for beginners.

(Lois Braun)

Como cross country ski trail, the great spectacle of Saint Paul was groomed today. Skate deck is flawless. Classic groomed up well with a little grass exposure and some areas. Get it while you can!

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(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)