Cloud like would be the best description on the trail conditions at Woodlands. It was a fantastic day to take in the sites and sounds since there would be no speed records set. Today promisess to be just as good. So take your Sweet heart out and do the Woodlands tour and start off 2020 right. Happy New Years everyone.

Photos:

(Rob Bullis)

The Woodlands trail crew was so anxious to put the rainy season behind them, they couldn't wait till tomorrow and jumped on the grooming tonight. Armed with a plan from Dave, orchestrated from over 300 miles away (where no walleye is safe) Shearpin and The Natural rolled the entire system. Best news, no puddles! Your ski tomorrow will naturally be a little soft, but we should now be shaping up for some great New Years Day skiing . If you are looking for some very nice skied-in classic tracks, the railroad grade tracks were saved.

(Mark Rathbun)

Nifty weather we are having. We plan to close the park and trails this evening to help preserve the base for another day. Expect the closure to last through Monday at this point.

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Impressed with the amount of snow coverage. Good conditions considering recent weather. Some icy spots, very few bare spots. First time skiing here, very nice loops in the woods.

(Jenny Beltman)

Conditions - Like the Vanilla Ice song, Ice Ice Baby! We were in great shape through the morning of the 24th, but not so much since then due to around the clock plus 32 temps until today. The Electrician and I played follow-the-leader twice around the outer loop this evening, pulling the Godzilla screens. We did a reasonable job of knocking down ski tracks, deer tracks, and yard sale divots, but otherwise only marginally improved the skate deck. Ski only with extreme caution as it will be super fast and scary on Friday. B skis due to ice. Every time I check the weekend forecast it is warmer with less snow so we will wait and see what Monday brings. We had our nearly 30th annual family Christmas ski/hike(when snowless) at Woodlands this morning with less than ideal conditions, but with three generations on the slopes, it was a great day.

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Skied at 10:00 am, the snow was just starting to warm. 99% system was fantastic, I was able to get a good edge. There are just a few spots that are starting to ice up, the usual south facing slopes; Bull Snake Run, the climb out of Peeper Hollow and coming off the top of Maple Hill were icy but no grabby ruts. So if you have a pair of A skis destine to be B's next season, ski them with confidence. If you time the temperature and snow transition right you well be treated to some of the best pre-Christmas skiing that Woodland's has had to offer in 5 years.

(Rob Bullis)

Did two loops at Woodland starting at 2pm. Was expecting soft and slow conditions as temp was about 45. But skate deck was firm, glide was great, and coverage was complete. Used good skis. Great afternoon! Wonderful trail system, extremely well groomed.

(Tim Nelson)

Made third trip on 10k loop this morning. Incredibly, it was even nicer than yesterday's race conditions. Thank you to groomers for keeping it primo.

(Mark Rathbun)

First time visiting in a couple years. Really, this is such a gem of a trail system, thanks to the groomers, volunteers and local community. Skied the full outer loop this morning. The trails were in fantastic shape, with a good, hard packed skate deck, recently groomed, only the slightest of leaf debris. Hopefully the snow holds up over the next week, looking forward to the next visit.

(Jonathan Williams)

Very good skating conditions. Full coverage with enough loose snow to control speed. No sign of melting despite 40 degree temp in parking lot. As of 2:30 pm the trails had survived the hazy sun. Lots of oak leaves, but very doable for at least another day.

(Chip Treen)