I skated the Outer Loop this morning around 8 a.m. Most of the trail was in good shape with only a few wet and icy spots. At that time classic tracks had been set on the two inner loops. It was beautiful, get out in ski if you can.

(Chad Murphy)

Freshly groomed this morning. Still some tree debris on trails but no rocks. Great morning for skate skiing. Trails are not tracked for classic. 90% of the trail system is open!

(Eric Spieler)

Skated Cleary in the early afternoon, air temp +10F and sunny. All trails were open except for Lower Ironwood. No classical tracks were set, but the skating was very good to excellent. I used my rock skis on the first lap, and was confident enough to switch to good skis. There was enough new snow on top of the hard base to make it very enjoyable. Some leaf debris here and there, but very manageable. Kudos to the groomers for maximizing the snow that is available!

(Mike Maiers)

Skated the outer loop except for the (closed) Lower Ironwood spur as the inch or so of new snow was still falling, temp 15 F or so. The skate deck was pretty much lacking in waves and bumps, once I got used to the real snow, not groomed every night. The snow was working to cover the moderate amount of leaves, and although I didn't encounter any snow over rocks or gravel, I would have preferred to have my "B" skis, as the base can't be very thick. The intermittent(?) track I noticed was 90% filled in with snow, just waiting for someone to come out and enjoy the quiet, the solitude, the trails I had all to myself.

(Richard Swenson)

Groomers were out at 8 AM this morning. Minimal tree debris compared to last week but some leaves and a few branches on sections of the trail. Hard deck with no rocks sticking out. Would still recommend the B skis due to the debris. All trails open with exception of the Lower Ironwood Trail. Was not tracked at 8 AM.

(Eric Spieler)

Poor because of the leaf debris. Otherwise it would have been fair to good. Surprising little bare spots or dirt coming through. Just a few spots of ice. It was overcast and 37 degrees per my car thermometer. I used FastWax Red LF. Never seen so much leaf debris. I welcomed the few, more open spots on the trail for the chance to get away from it. I went down on the last hill before the ending flat when I caught a leaf under my right foot and my ski didn't move. Was stunned that I was able to skate at a, fast for me, 10k per hour pace.

(Keith Carlson)

At 7:30 AM, hard deck and packed conditions. A lot of leaves and tree debris on the trails. Definitely a bit sketchy out on the trail. The large rock/boulder at the 1 mile mark (on the hill) was removed and now its a one foot hole. Some rocks poking throughout the trail and a few areas that are just frozen puddles. Do the snow dance since we need more to get the trails back into good condition!

(Eric Spieler)

There are still no tracks set for classic but the groomer has been out this morning and the skate deck was firm. There are a few spots where dirt is breaking through but overall the trail is in pretty good shape. I skied the outer loop. On one of the uphills there is a pretty big rock sticking out.

(Chad Murphy)

Saw only one other skier on the trail at 10:40 am. Trail was soft and very slow as a result. Frozen cordoroy at the end. Otherwise good coverage. Fair amount of leaf litter. Good to be out for first time this season. Looking forward to using my new Fishers.

(Keith Carlson)

All three Loops at Cleary have been groomed but no classic tracks had been set. There were some leaves and small branches on the trails but coverage was pretty good. Thank you groomers! Looks like we can ski for Thanksgiving.

Photos:

(Chad Murphy)