The classic tracks were all gone today for the skate Loppet. The deck was very soft, even in the morning. It was somewhat uneven too. There were a few stretches of ice, but it was all still skiable before the afternoon warmth.

(Dan Boody)

The classic tracks set for the Loppet were the best around and across the lakes that I’ve seen. They were deep, solid and fast. Only two spots with ice and water (not open water, just melted snow).

(Dan Boody)

This morning while it was well below freezing I went for a little "beta test" ski on the Chain of Lakes, and I was super impressed with all the great prep work from the Loppet grooming team. Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake, the Cedar Terrestrial Trails, and Brownie Lake were all in fantastic shape for skating, with some fresh snow from overnight as a bonus! The path through the Southwest LRT tunnel was clearly marked with little Christmas trees and very easy to navigate. A "warning - low clearance" sign was posted on the Brownie tunnel to warn skiers taller than 5'10". The snow seemed like the cleanest snow we have had in ages, especially on the land trails. I used my race skis without any issue - major kudos to the Loppet crew for preparing us for a great weekend!

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(Bill Oyler)

This afternoon, I classic skied from Isles to Brown and back. There is no classic track on Isles at this time, nor on the channel. There is a classic track around Cedar.

(Bart Cannon)

I went out for a spin around the lakes this morning. Jumped on at south end of Isles, skated East and south portion, through the channel to Cedar, over to Brownie, and then back over the rest of Cedar and Isles. I would say that most of the track is in great shape. Good coverage, real tracks for classic, and plenty of snow. There are a few patches that are a little bit icy, but they should be easy enough to dodge. I was out early and forgot my headlamp, so I had a hard time following the track perfectly through the channel. There is a very narrow passage under the bridge where the new light rail tunnel is going through that will have to be single file, but the snow coverage there is really good. There are definitely some icier, rough patches around that section, but I’m guessing with a bit more grooming and milder temps (and daylight!) it should be great. The Cedar and Brownie portions were fabulous. Basically I’d give the whole Lakes portion a solid A- which in my book is a huge win. Shaping up to be an awesome weekend for the Loppet!

(Bill McKinney)

Tried grooming Cedar but a lot of sections were ice made worse by people walking on the trails so stopped trying to groom. Definitely use rock skis.

(Ken Valley)

Skied from Wirth Lake down to the chain of lakes. Snow over 394 due to warm weather and sloppy road spray made the overpass extremely dirty. The hill down onto Brownie was covered nicely and Brownie was good. Good coverage through the tunnel and on both ends going onto Cedar. Cedar had about 10 slushy spots at 2:00. Some fat bike ruts through the slush which could create a challenge if they freeze up before grooming out. Several oblivious walkers on the ski trails as well. I didn't do the land trail on the NE side of Cedar as it didn't appear groomed, but then when I came by Hidden Beach saw it was groomed up from that side. The channel between Cedar and Isles wasn't groomed and had major slush spots. I skied the channel until the new SWLRT bridge which was roped off from passing underneath and couldn't tell if it was open water under or just water on top of the ice. Either way it could pose a major challenge for the Loppet next weekend. The land trails on west side of Cedar were groomed and good coverage. Highly recommend skiing Cedar if you want an easy flat ski. Beautiful and change of scenery.

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(Clayton Keim)

Skied from Trailhead down to Lakes. The section was a mixed bag, having not seen as much grooming. The tunnel from Brownie to Cedar is fully covered but due to high water the clearance is low (watch your head!). Skied up onto the trails east of Cedar Lake, those were in nice shape with about 1/2" of fresh snow on top. Lakes were a little worse, more chopped up and a few icy/wet spots -- can't imagine trying to drive grooming equipment on there while its warm, as fat bikes had left water filled ruts in places. Channel between Cedar and Isles was a bit sketchy in places, I was able to stick a pole through at least one hole but most of the ice seemed firm.

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(Bruce Adelsman)

All of the lakes are in good shape for skiing! The skate deck appears to have been groomed in the past few days (about 1-2" of snow on top) for Brownie, Cedar, and the Cedar Land trails. The tunnel under Brownie has plenty of fresh snow - low clearance in fact due to all the snow. Classic tracks are solid throughout all the lakes, as well as the channel to Lake of the Isles and around Lakes of the Isles. Skaters will get a good double pole workout. There is an easy classic track set to get through the LRT construction tunnel in the channel. So nice to be back out on the lakes. Can't wait for the race!

(Bill Oyler)

Three part report, as I checked out trails from North Wirth all the way to Lake of the Isles. Part #3: Brownie and Cedar Lake are freshly groomed and were quite soft but fast. The walkers, including someone with a jogging stroller had already found the classic track, but did not do significant damage. The Cedar land trails on the east and west side are in good shape. There is a tiny bit of black sand to contend with on east cedar beach. The channel from Cedar to Isles is passable to skiers, but not groomers, because of the construction for the light rail. As such, Isles is not machine groomed. There is a very good, deep firm, and well-spaced skier set classic track around isles however, that is worth checking out. There is skier set track heading in the direction of Bde Maka Ska through the other channel, but I did not have time to explore it. Overall, the entire trail system is outstanding and better than it ever gets most years.

(Zach Handler)