Ventured out to try to hit a window of good skiing before it warmed up and was pleasantly surprised at Hiawatha GC! Groomers had done a great job with what was there. Even though there were some spots to double pole though (icy) in most areas you could get an edge. Also they'd groomed the multiuse - so I used that in some spots. I think the start temp was ~30F & finish temp was ~ 33F - was a bit easier to get an edge as the sun softened things a bit. There was a bald eagle hanging out the whole time!

Photos:

(Sara Brokaw)

Skied two laps. About 70% of the trail has some coverage to get an edge. Unfortunately, the wind on Friday blew a lot of debris onto the trail below trees.

(Daniel Keifenheim)

The skate deck is freshened up, and most of the course responded well to the grooming with a consistent corduroy as a result. There is about 15 percent of the trail that is iced over and won't hold snow as well as the usual avoidable grass spots.

(John Saunders)

I ventured out for a sunny afternoon easy ski at Hiawatha, and found conditions better than expected for skate skiing. The skate deck is very wide and there has been some recent nice gentle grooming to make most of the course very skiable. There are a few icy stretches to watch out for, but they can typically be skied around, or, you can work on simply double-poling across the icy stretches. The classic tracks were shallow but pretty good overall. I had a fun time so I did three laps of the 3K loop. Thanks for the great grooming of this little neighborhood course!

(Bill Oyler)

Trail is generally in good condition, with fewer bare spot than earlier in the month. After some above freezing temps this week, conditions lean more toward crushed ice than compacted snow.

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(Dan Gilchrist)

Look what a couple of inches can do! Classic skiing was fair -- very windy this early afternoon, which covered up a lot tracks, which, for the most part, were pretty shallow. Freestyle was very good - the deck held, great push and glide, icy in a few spots, but it was just great to be out again, chugging along.

(Mark Tafel)

Groomed Monday evening and plan to be groomed most evenings this week. Ski deck is nice and solid. Classic tracks are a tad shallow until we get more snow. Good conditions!

(Joe Henry)

Hopefully Sunday night's dusting of snow will adhere to the hard Hiawatha surface after a number of laps with the groomer. Reset a very shallow classic track. It looked good when I left, and I was happy to pack the new snow down before it blows around.

(John Saunders)

Trail grooming equipment is back in order! Now we just need some fresh snow to push around! Went up today and did what we could, but the trails are largely iced over. Pray for fresh snow. 1 k, 2k, and 4k loop are technically open but ice and hard packed. Skate deck has a few spots where a little bit of grass is poking through and easily avoided. There is a classic track but it is icy in some parts and washed out in others. Your volunteer grooming grew is doing the best we can given the natural conditions we have to work with.

(Mike Guild)

Tricky conditions at Hiawatha on Sunday with the light snow on top of hard, packed ice. it was more like a frozen lake than a golf course. The ski trail is very slippery and unpredictable, but skiable if you like super hard skate decks and/or double poling. Many of the skied in tracks had been wrecked by the weather. Some trail segments are better than others. There is still enough snow pack for crusty touring all around. Hopefully more snow can help set things right.

(Brian Aas)