It was fast, icy, and rutted at Columbia. My skis were pretty squirrelly but I could get an edge. Full snow coverage with minimal debris.

(Alyssa Murphy)

Skate skiied columbia today. Skate deck was a tiny bit icy but as a result, very fast. Sun is shining so get out there!

Photos:

(Brenton Smith)

Groomed the skate deck this morning. It looks very nice, should be a skater's paradise out there today. The snow was too hard to reset the classic tracks so I left them as is. Unfortunately, they're in rough shape but there is not much we can do with them at the moment.

(Mike Keyes)

Skied at 8:30 AM. The skate deck was very good. It had been scratched, and there was good edging. I was classic skiing, but I spent most of my time on the skate deck. The warm weather this week has wreaked havoc on the classic track, which was shallow in some places and non-existent in other places. I suspect these conditions for classic skiers will be fairly common until the weather changes or we get some snow so that the groomers can then work their magic.

(Michael Kuhne)

Groomed the skate deck and reset the tracks after it cooled off this evening. The trail looks good, full coverage, no dirt, minimal tree litter. The new tracks are pretty shallow-- it's tough to set deep tracks in old snow like this.

(Mike Keyes)

Skied at 8:00 AM this morning with my eldest daughter (which, in and of itself, justified the ski). She skated on a firm, edgy, icy deck with just enough give to provide some purchase. I double-poled in the classic track (surprise, surprise, two-week old klister did not work). The track was icy. The corners were washed out where folks skate turned. The most challenging for me in the low light of morning was the dreaded three-track situation. I assume the groomers put down new classic tracks, and in some places that meant three tracks instead of two. In places the track is close to the right edge, which means the occasional punch-through. Still and all, I am thankful for the groomers' efforts. I hope the warm weather doesn't do too much damage.

(Michael Kuhne)

Conditions remain good at Columbia. The skate deck is firm and full of snow, no worries of rocks or grass. There is a bit of tree litter on the NE bit close to the road, but no worries you can ski right by the bark and bits of twigs. The classic track is there but I didn't use it so no valuable comments from me. It was just starting to sleet as I stopped for the day, can't see a downside in more stuff closely related to snow on the ground.

(David King)

Set new tracks and groomed tonight. The snow is firm and a little stubborn out there so it didn't groom out as nice as I'd have hoped, but overall I think you'll find good conditions out there tomorrow.

(Blaine Gudbjartsson)

Great skiing at Columbia today - very good snow and classic track, almost no leaves. Lots of people. Thank you groomers.

(Karen Peters)

Groomed the skate deck and reset tracks tonight. The snow is a little hard so the tracks aren't as deep as I'd like, but they're OK -- and at least they're fresh!

(Mike Keyes)