Very good conditions for skate and stride on the manmade loops this afternoon. A thin layer of slick powder on a slippery base put a premium on good weight transfer and landing on a flat ski. Tracks that were set on early Sunday morning are still in great shape. Check out the improvements that Peter J made to his ice castle today. Note that with no new natural snow, conditions off the manmade remain good to fair with growing trouble spots. B or rock skis recommended.

(John McCarthy)

I skated the man-made loop exclusively Sunday afternoon and it was outstanding. Despite heavy traffic, upper 20 degree temps and a sunny sky, the snow remained loose powder. I was not skiing on my skis' edges at all. Perfect grooming.

(Brian Birschbach)

Andrew and I had the Pisten Bully out late last night and early this morning. We tilled, groomed,and reset tracks on the entire man-made snow trail system. The skate deck is really becoming hard, thankfully we have the Pisten Bully that can tenderize it and make it very skiable. We also tilled, groomed, and reset tracks on Beattle's Loop and Mark's Park. The DNR continues to to groom the entire trail system off the man made. They doing the best they can with the minimal and shrinking base that we have. I highly recommend rock skis off the man made. We welcome Andrew S. to the grooming team. He operated the Pisten Bully for more than half of our five hour shift and did an excellent job. When you see him on the trails be sure to thank him!

(Beattle Adelmeyer)

All trails groomed again. Only some rocks and stumps poking through on some of the uphills. None of the downhills had bare spots, ice, or debris.

(Greg Diessel)

Excellent conditions for skate and stride on the manmade loop this morning. The Pisten Bully left a soft, deep layer of slippery powder on a firm base - the closest to a frictionless surface you will ever see. New, deep, straight, and solid tracks greeted the striders. The balance of the Green Loop is in good to fair condition, with a little more debris and a few more loose rocks than yesterday. B skis recommended off the manmade loops.

(John McCarthy)

I had the Pisten Bully out overnight and tilled, groomed, and set new tracks on the entire man-made snow loops. I also tilled, groomed, and reset tracks on Mark's Park and Beattle's Loop. The man-made snow loop is in really good skiing condition. The D N R continues to groom the entire trail system off the man-made. Again we still need more snow to have good skiing conditions in the southern kettles. I would definitely recommend B or rock skis and be careful.

(Beattle Adelmeyer)

Good conditions for skate and stride on the manmade loops. A shallow layer of powdery snow on a firmer base for skate. Tracks are holding up well. The Ginzu made several passes around the playground and interior Field loops - be sure to check those out - lots of fun. The lower lighted loop is holding up well - only one real trouble spot at the far south end.

(John McCarthy)

Skied the black loop for the first time all season. Was worried that I had my good skis, but had no issues with coverage. A few rocks showing through on uphills but were easy to avoid. Classic track was great throughout. Was a great day of skiing. Thank you groomers!

Photos:

(Jill Werner)

Great conditions for skate and stride on the manmade loops. Soft surface layer on a firm base that felt very slippery compared to the sandpaper snow from yesterday. Solid tracks from yesterday, showing a bit of wear in the warm air. Off the manmade, conditions are good to fair for both skate and stride. Generally well covered and groomed, with occasional spots of debris, especially under the dense pines, where there is less snow. Debris on the lower trails is almost entirely wood chips, but on the upper black trails, there are some rocks. Use your B skis up top.

(John McCarthy)

Tuesday the trail off the man made snow was really good. Full coverage, semi flat, rocks were you expect on and near roller coaster, and just the normal grooming hump running down the middle of the skate lane. Today it was groomed down to dirt in many places. I used good skis, but had to be careful.

(Matt Smith)