Andes hosted the Alexandria Nordic invite today. The race traffic was hard on the parts of the trail included in the course, but the groomer was ready to go as soon as the race was over. There was some really tough conditions as the day started out warm and sunny, then a cold front blew in with high winds and the temps plummeted, making for very icy conditions.

(Chad Bergerson)

Short ski this morning between 9:30-10:30. Skate lane is rough but somewhat firmer, in places hard. I didn't ski much of the trail system preferring to just repeat the better stretches I found - Haugs and the lower shortcut.

(Keith Brugger)

Skate deck firmed up a bit from yesterday, but still soft in spots. Snow a little faster due to warming temperatures overnight. Heavy traffic made for a rough surface. Some drifting on Finland in the usual places that reduce trail width. High school race on Tuesday.

(Keith Brugger)

Trails were groomed yesterday after the snowfall. Being succinct, the skate deck was soft and slow. Tracks were definitely faster, and in places significantly. Alex team was out when we finished, so a lot of traffic on the trails.

(Keith Brugger)

Cooler temperatures resulting in a substantially firmer skate deck today, compared with yesterday. A few soft spots here and there. Firmer and glazed in other places. Many rough sections due to use, but fortunately rather short. Lots of leaves!

(Keith Brugger)

Above 32F for most of our ski today, but not by much. The skate deck on most of the trail sections we skied was soft and slow with the all-to-familiar "whump-whump" under your skis - a sure sign of high moisture content. I thought the tracks in places were faster via double poling. The lower shortcut and Chuckwagon trails skied reasonable well, perhaps worth doing repeats? There continues to be more leaves and stick on the trails.

(Keith Brugger)

Quite variable conditions on the trails, and accordingly speed when skating. Skate deck is rough over considerable distances owing to the soft conditions post last grooming and high traffic. Drifting is problematic, particularly in the Finland loop. Classical tracks remain okay mostly everywhere. Despite warmer temperatures today there were some kms that skied slowly because the snow is still cold. The lower shortcut and Haugs were perhaps the better of the trails we skied. Leaves and sticks are also becoming an issue, so if using good skis be alert. Wind was definitely coming up as we skied so more litter might be expected. Nevertheless, skiing was fine and nice to out.

(Keith Brugger)

Arrived at 10:15 this morning and trail grooming was already underway. Grooming continued through the two hours I skied. Skate deck where groomed was somewhat soft in many places so I tried to avoid the newly groomed deck as best I could as it needs to set up. Classical tracks are well defined, and when double poling I found the track speed variable. Coverage is good, but there are some portions that are littered with quite a few leaves due to the high winds of days past. This is especially true in the tracks. Obviously these can be seen and avoided. Although somewhat slow today, nice skiing!

(Keith Brugger)

The trail has very good snow coverage. The skate deck was firm and recently groomed and fairly fast, though the snow was very cold, which slowed things down a bit. A few soft spot where snow had blown over the trail. Very cold out in the wind, but nice where protected in the woods.

(Chad Bergerson)

A few more leaves and twigs on the trails, but not really an issue. After our ski yesterday, someone was out walking on portions of trails so footprints appear here and there. Bottomline, trails are in good shape and skiing was fun.

(Keith Brugger)