The snow making loop was in great shape at my 10:20 start. Car thermometer said it was 40 degrees. Skate lane was firm with enough bite. Softer and deeper on some of the climbs but even the hill down from Boulder was skiable with no problem. No soft snow at the bottom, no sudden decelerations. Even though I walked all of the Boulder climb and a portion to the top of Scenic going out and almost all of it going back, I was still able to cover the three mile loop in 30 minutes. FastWax Yellow LF had great glide, passing a lot of skiers on the long downhill stretch from top of Frog town to the short climb after the shack. Great skiing. Wish I had the stamina to do another loop!

(Keith Carlson)

Skiriffic!! Classic skied this morning in the 8-10 window and had perfect tracks and the deck was awesome too. Groomers had power tilled everything and reset the tracks. Every one was toting a large grin and having fun. Pristine grooming on a stellar morning! Thank you for the excellence!!

(Ross Jacobsen)

I got out to Hyland around 10:00 and skied a couple hours. It was a little icy in the tracks at first, and slushy later on. Even with the warm temps, the downhill runs were really fast and exciting. I think it was my "last hurrah" for this season. Many thanks to all the Three Rivers groomers. They do an amazing job!!

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)

All man made trails were tracked and skating deck was packed but could see many ski tracks at 6:30 AM. Snow was definitely softer than Thursday morning. The Boulder Ridge Uphill was not groomed since yesterday and it was icy mashed potato consistency. The downhill was fast but still skiable! Trail is holding up well and really fun in the early morning hours. Where else can you see the sunrise on one side of the trail and turn around and see the full moon on the other side.

(Eric Spieler)

Another day, another fun ski at Hyland! We got there at 10:00, and the tracks were a little icy, and the skate deck was hard at first. By 11:00 things had already started to transform with the warm March sunshine. The no wax skis performed better as it warmed up. Hope the season keeps going for a few more days!

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)

Skied Hyland in the 8-10 range this morning. Manmade trails were all power tilled and tracks reset. Super fast and big time fun! Snow was white as white, no dirt or debris. About good as it gets! Better call in sick tomorrow and go enjoy the trails. You will be amazed!

(Ross Jacobsen)

Hyland was fabulous at 9:45-11-15. Tracks softening up fast at 11. Skating looked very hard packed and crusty at 9:45. I cracked open the universal klister for my waxable skis. Super good kick and glide. My skins of 3 years just were not working well on the uphills. Gorgeous day. Hope they keep grooming.

Photos:

(Diane Pattridge)

Very fast conditions. Had my fastest three laps ever. Perfect grooming. A little challenging getting edging going up hills, due to hard surface. But amazing glide! I was skating between 8:15 and 9:15 am. Only the snowmaking trails are open but they still have at least 18" of snow on all of those trails.

Photos:

(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

5K Manufactured Snow Trails (Star, Willow Creek, Frog Town, Scenic Foothills, and Boulder Ridge) are Packed, Tracked, and in good condition. Natural Snow Trails (Lake, Hill, Oak Knob, North, and Nature Center) are closed.

(Sonja Bercich, Three Rivers Park District)

Well let's just say it was pretty good spring skiing in the classic tracks this afternoon at Hyland at 47 degrees! The tracks had a little slush and ice, but I still got a decent glide and kick with the nowax skis. The skate deck was very soft by the time I started skiing. The Boulder Ridge hill going down was rutted and icy. Otherwise all the other hills were still good in the tracks. I experienced a lot of solitude this afternoon--an unusual feeling at Hyland! Thanks to the Hyland groomers!

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)