Skate deck was a little soft from wind blown snow. Bits of grass show through occasionally. Overall the groomers have done a great job considering the quantity of snow that is out there. Classic track was visible most of the time. Many people out there this morning - the most I've ever seen.

(Darryn Kozak)

Skyline views, check. Nearby libations, check. Come ski Columbia! The course is in great shape and ready for a beautiful Saturday. The skate deck is ready to rock and the classic track looked beautiful when set but will likely fill with some snow overnight. Could probably get away with your best skis if careful. See you on the trail!

Photos:

(William Risse)

Better than expected! While the classic tracks are thin and blown over, the skate deck is quite good. Only an occasional bit of grass visible, deck is firm, and groomed smooth.

(Greg Engel)

Groomed Columbia this afternoon and set new classic tracks. The snow was welcome but not the wind. There is some drifting and a few usual windswept areas, but otherwise pretty good. Grooming plans: We’ll keep grooming and covering thin spots over the next few days to keep the trail skiable. It’s looking good though! Come ski Columbia!

Photos:

(Jim Daggett)

Trails not yet set after snow. Knew that might be the case but came out and tried. Classic tracks did not exist. Skate barely visible. Excited for new snow though and will try later. Thank you groomers for the great job y’all do. I did see a snow mobile out there, so maybe I was just a bit early...

(James Nutt)

I got to the trails as they were grooming. The spots where I was skiing freshly groomed on hard packed base was great skiing. The problem was that there were areas where the snow had drifted and I was sinking into 6-8 inches of fluffy snow. The bottom of the hill by the driving range was one of the worst spots. There were a few spots where the snow was dirty. There were two others out, but they were classic skiing (more like backcountry).

Photos:

(Elizabeth Loper)

The skate deck was smoothed out this evening. Coverage is very good with just a few grass spots showing through here and there. The classic tracks were not reset due to the thin, hard snow. But they are in good condition for most of the loop. The tracks do have a bit more grass/dirt areas than the skate deck and are starting to be washed out around some corners and hills. Think snow and ski Columbia!

(Mike Keyes)

I was out skate skiing the driving range. The skate deck was nice and firm and well covered. The north end of that little loop I was doing was smoothed out and a little icy. Talking with other skiers most of north facing skate deck and downhills were a little icy. There was only one spot that I saw some dirt in the snow, but it was easy to avoid. Even though it was cold the snow wasn't that cold. There were tracks set, but be aware that there are spots with grass poking through.

Photos:

(Elizabeth Loper)

Very good conditions at Columbia today, especially given how thin the snow is. The skate deck is fully covered almost everywhere, a few isolated bits of grass and dirt here and there - very easy to avoid. The classic tracks looked amazing for most of the trail, although there were more patches of grass to watch out for in the tracks. Quite a few people were out there enjoying the sun today!

(Mike Keyes)

There was still a nicely set classic track set around most of the course when I skied late afternoon. The track bottoms out to grass in a number of places, but I didn't hit much for dirt or rock. Not exactly setting any speed records in the sub-zero temps. Skate deck looked pretty good. Parking lot was pretty empty when we arrived, but half dozen cars when we left.

(Bruce Adelsman)