Rolled Como golf course today. We received about 2 inches of snow. The short track by the zoo rolled well and is in much better shape than the big track. Big track is an ice block with 2 inches of fresh snow. Lots of exposed ice as well. We won't be able to groom any classic tracks without more snow. Skate skiing is manageable, but be careful.

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(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Skied the loop by the parking lot 3x. Parts are quite icy, but worth it in my opinion to get out and move. Getting over ice sheets between lot and loop is the most hazardous part. I couldn't find anything skiable on the golf course proper, but they're making snow on the hill.

(Karen Margolis)

On reading that Como has been groomed I decided I'd give it a try and I'm glad I did. Although the flat practice area was a parking lot, and although there were patches of ice elsewhere, there were long enough stretches of good snow to make the trip worthwhile. The stretch that is shaded by the ridge by the zoo on the south side, "the glacier", was the best, as usual, except for the narrow spot. The west end on the other side was also good. So I ended up just going back and forth on a J-shaped strip. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner, but for intermediate or better skiers it was fine. The corduroy was hard and the snow was abrasive--I'll have to rewax my skis--but I don't think I added any new dings to them. Thanks James Bezanson for making Como an option despite challenging conditions!

(Lois Braun)

Groomed the lower loop straight out from the parking lot. The base is mostly ice but I was able to grind it up and get a decent loop. Was able to reroute the icy area by the parking lot. Use caution by the big tree by the bridge and pond. The hillside is still icy. Stay on that loop only. The rest of the course is mostly ice and still closed.

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(James Bezanson, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

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)