Skated all of black and some of purple at Iola late morning today, and for our first time here we were pleasantly surprised. Black lived up to its billing with plenty of fun ups and downs, and conditions were quite good throughout for skating (and looked like the tracks for classic were plenty deep and consistent on the whole course). The snow is pretty fast, and the entire system well groomed and as wide as needed for those uphills. This said, we recommend B skis because of some thin spots and debris, and staying in the woods with better snow cover (purple was too thin in many spots for our choice of skis). While the parking lot was getting full, at least on black we barely saw a soul until returning to the lodge on main street. Many thanks for the great grooming!

Photos:

(Pieter DeHart)

Groomed all the trails for skate sking this morning. There are a few areas with minimal debris, and both the field and wooded portion of the Purple Trail is a bit thin in spots. Yesterday used skin skis in the classic tracks, and the Blue, Green, and upper field were in great shape!

(Mark Dostal)

Though it was freezing cold - close to 0F - we managed to ski most of Black loop, Wonderful skiing! And a nice shelter to warm up, change and recharge.

Photos:

(Anna Klovsky)

This club always makes the best with limited snow. The skate deck and classic tracks are holding up well with the cold weather. The major issue today was a lot of debris—oak leaves, pine needles, bark—in the tracks. Had to be cautious on the descents, avoiding debris. Hopefully, we get some fresh snow soon. I used my good skis but I’m a C-skier. B skis might be a good idea. Such a beautiful place.

Photos:

(Nathan Van Zeeland)

Classic skied at Iola today and it wasn't too bad. The tracks were super fast and a little worn down in spots, but very skiable. Like many places they could use some snow. Very little debris in the tracks.

(Kevin Hillegas)

Skate deck was firm and fast for being 10 degrees. Just a couple areas on the south loop you can easily ski around with little snow. Skating is about as good as it gets. The tracks are pretty well defined on all trails and in good condition. My wax pocket picked up lots of bark, needles and leaves. Need a little snow to freshen up the tracks. Recommend waxless skis for striding. I did the green, blue and black loops with my good skis no problem.

(Mark Meyer)

Skating was excellent on green, blue and black loops. Field of dreams was getting thin in spots with some debris showing through but very avoidable. Classic tracks were in good condition but a fair amount of debris.

(Marla Meyer)

Skied black, blue, green-all in great shape with plenty of cover! Awesome trails and conditions at perfect temps. Well worth the drive north!

(Dan Dudley)

Skate deck looked firm and very well groomed. I classic skied the Green, Blue and Purple loops. Tracks were poor on the Purple loop (drifted in). Too many pine needles, leaves and small bits of debris in tracks on the Green and Blue loops for my liking. ( Waxless skis would work great there). Also skied the Field of Dreams trail - this trail was in very good condition. Did not ski the Black loops.

(Bill Konieczki)

As always, with reasonable snow amounts, you're never disappointed at Iola! The classic track petered out at a few spots under trees, I assume as the snow depth is minimal, but otherwise they were excellent. Skating also looked excellent with only a few worn areas - easily avoided.

(Ian Duncan)