Skated the green and blue trails at about 2 p.m. Phil had been out during the morning Pisten Bully tilling those trails and setting a classic track. Trails were fully covered and conditions were fast in the ground up crusted snow. Tracks were of moderate depth. Phil was heading out to do the black when I started. Should be good conditions for tomorrow before it warms too much.

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(Tim Corcoran)

I had meeting with Phil. Walked out on trail. It's hard packed not boiler plate. Would recommend stiff skis for skating. Tracks are worn but look good. Phil just called me, he is scuffing up skate lane said it looks good.

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(Tracy Piontkowski)

Full coverage with a packed skate deck and solid classical tracks. Some debris is starting to collect is spots due to today's winds. People I talked with were pleased with both the classic and skate conditions.

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(Tim Corcoran)

Skated the green and blue(lit) plus purple and field by ambient light. All trails have great coverage with solid tracks through out. Friday night there is a fat bike race at 6pm, trails will be closed for that event. The rest of weekend is winter carnival, all trails will be open, expect chalet to be very busy Sunday with ski jumping.

(Tracy Piontkowski)

Full depth and very firm tracks on the blue, green and The Field. Just a very few places where tracks were thin. Just a step-out on these spots. There were a few pesky leaves in a few places in the tracks, but not too bad at all. I have seen them much worse. It was very calm tonight with great ski temps. No ice. The skate lane looked to be very good as well. Winter Carnival is this weekend. Come watch the jumpers, skijoring race, and bike race!

(Larry Dobberstein)

Skied all trails today, very good conditions, there were a few sections on the black with crusty ground up chunks on a portion of trail. Classic track thru out, firm and deep. Got in them often to double pole. Lots of people enjoying trail. Note: Sunday is Norseman Challenge ski race. It will be busy. Racing is from 9-1pm. You can still ski but would need to be aware of racers and yield to them.

(Tracy Piontkowski)

Wow! Real snow with a 6" base with no thin spots, icy areas, or debris on all 20k of the trails! I had a very enjoyable ski thanks to Phil the groomer who provided the good conditions. After 14 times on the 1.1 mile man-made snow lap at Lapham, it was the first time on real snow.

(Don Howell)

Awesome trails, the well-conditioned base from recent snowfall last week. Great vibes, great people, and fantastic conditions. Skied the black trails, blue and green. I would feel very comfortable using my good skis.

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(Nathan Koch)

A lot of skiers out enjoying the great conditions at Iola today. Skate deck firmed up from yesterday and track for classic was set. Get out and enjoy these conditions.

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(Tim Corcoran)

On the blue loop, mid-day conditions for skating were excellent. As the day went on, the bottoms of the hills got pretty washed out, but never icy and uncontrollable. The purple loop had an area underneath the pines that were getting littered with needles, but still plenty of coverage. Spoke to there skiers that were out on the black earlier in the day who reported it to be in great shape. Grooming plans: Groomers will be out again before tomorrow.

(Mark Ehlers)