It was a great last ski of 2021. Started around 11. Met Buckthorn Bob in the parking lot while getting ready and he gave a great run down of how things were looking this morning. Good base of snow overall with a few areas here and there that had grass/dirt poking through. I was excited at how much track was still avaliable. I'd estimate around 50% or a bit more of trails had track available. Saw at least one of the difficult trail portions was closed. Happy New Year!

(Caitlin Anderson)

Very nice complete coverage. Grooming continues to firm up the base a bit. Afternoon ski was very nice and not crowded (never is at Woodlands). Nicely set classic tracks on parts of the system this afternoon.

Photos:

(Dean Kleinhans)

Went out this morning and skied the newly groomed trails. Last night's run with the screens smoothed and firmed up the trail nicely from yesterday afternoon's ski. I would say you can use your B skis with a little caution on the paved sections.

(Rob Bullis)

Chainsaw just reported in that he and new rookie groomer, The Sailor, had just finished their evening grooming run around the 10k outer loop with the medium screens. Expect a much firmer and smoother ride for your Thursday skate. Earlier in the day, Ancient One did some screening to level the base ahead of Buckthorn Bob on the track setter. You will find several km of some pretty fine tracks on most trails west of and on the Great Norther Trail, as well on Wash Pond on the east side. Due to the still not quite deep enough base, you will need to watch out for exposed earth in the bottoms of some of the tracks. Classic skiing should definitely not be done in the tracks with your best skis. Hopefully The Sailor didn't rub out too many of the tracks on his rookie run or he will likely hear about it tomorrow from his wife and two daughters. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Skied at Woodland today in the early afternoon. All the trails had been rolled. A bit soft. A hidden gem of a course! Thanks to the grooming crew!

(Jim Williams)

Shear-Pin just reported in that he and Evinrude had just finished their evening rolling of our newest two inches. Expect another rather soft (think better than hard and icy) ski tomorrow, with a few lay-of-the-land land bumps to test your agility. We have coned off the "mitten" at the end of Wash Pond. It should be avoided until we get more snow to soften the anti-erosion channels(know as tank traps during summer mowing). My daughter and granddaughters were out skating a couple of 10k laps today and had a great time being back on snow at Woodlands. Enjoy!

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Soft base of very consistent rilled surface today. Snow falling. What a great job of breaking up the icy crust. Not noticeable so long as one stays on groomed surface. Any excursion into ungroomed territory is going to raise some eyebrows and provide good chance for a tumble. I skied Big Tooth Chute to Gravity Box Bypass, Peeper Hollow and onto Poplar Loop for finish.

(Dean Kleinhans)

Four new inches topped with a sixteenth on an inch of ice, rolled curb to curb. Ancient One and Blooming Onion had to put the sleds in neutral for a few hours this morning while waiting for the light freezing rain to stop and for the temps to drop before heading out on their slow rolling run. They reported that it rolled out very nicely. Crash and Evolution are out now, rerolling the outer loop for width and to help firm up the base. Coverage is good, but thin. Rock skis recommended until we get some first hand reports. Trails will be bumpy until we get enough snow to run the screens. Enjoy with appropriate caution.

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Still closed. We are rolling each of these little snows to set the base and to help drive down the frost. With these 3/4" to 1 1/2" snowfalls, it is going to take a while. Stay tuned.

(Dave Anderson, Elk River Nordic Ski Club)

Woodland Trails is closed for skiing for the foreseeable future. For Wednesday only, the entire park will be closed in addition to ski trails.

(Dave Anderson)