Skated Knob, Kettle, and Razorback. About 90% of the skate deck was good and 10% was fair to poor because of low spots/gullies/big rocks. It's easy to avoid the gullies and the few rocks if you're watching carefully. Classic tracks still look good. Observed skiers outnumbered observed hikers/snowshoers/dog walkers, by a count of 5 to 3.

(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

We skied Knob, Kettle, and Razorback on our wood classic skis, with Swix V-20 kick wax. Conditions were excellent. Very little ski traffic evident since the trails were groomed two days ago. Beautiful scenery and great workout and exciting descents on the many hills. There's still enough soft snow on downhills to control your speed if desired. No icy spots. Quite a bit of hiker boot prints on the skate deck, especially near the parking lot, but at least they weren't walking in the classic tracks, and the snow is firm enough that they didn't trash the skate deck. A few more leaves on the trails than Monday, but not too bad. Tops of a couple of large rocks were visible in the skate deck, but these could be easily avoided if you keep your eyes open.

Photos:

(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

Skied the Knob, Kettle, and Razorback trails on my wood classic skis with Swix V-20 and V-30 kick wax. Trails had been groomed today, probably in the late morning or early afternoon. The classic tracks were generally very good, with no rocks or bare spots and just a small amount of leaves/bark/sticks in the tracks. Great day for classic skiing there! Enough snow for control on the big steep downhills and no ice. This place is one of the most enjoyable and challenging ski trails in the metro area. The skate deck appeared to be fair to good. No bare spots, but the thin snow cover meant there were some places that were pretty concave or convex, and a couple of severely eroded spots. Looked like only a couple skate skiers and one or two other classic skiers had been there before me. Saw two snowshoers on the trail but they were off to the side not walking in the set tracks. And saw one set of boot tracks in the ski tracks for a short (~100 yard) stretch.

Photos:

(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

Trails are not groomed at all. Classical trails are from previous skiers. Unfortunately, the ski trails are also used by hikers, runners, snowshoers, and unleashed dogs. The fresh snow was nice, but the trails are very uneven. The park is really pretty and would be a great ski trail if maintained. It is not clear to me why you need to purchase a pass for this trail and whether the dogs had passes too.

(Ivo Merks)

Excellent backcountry conditions on the entire system. 5-6" fresh pow! Waxless fishscale skis kicked great through the wholly non machine groomed Razorback trail, among others. We stepped over and skied around several downed trees to add to the adventure. Hopefully the snow levels will remain about the same, as it will take a lot of snow to even attempt grooming, based on the easily apparent underlying rocks, ruts, and uneven surface due to erosion. This is the ideal backcountry experience in the Twin Cities metro for those seeking a respite from the crowded, manicured, manufactured loops. By far the most enjoyable ski this season under sunny, bluebird conditions. Finished with a slight detour on the lake for the return stretch, and the Bald Eagle's nest was unoccupied today, with the snow a displaying a pristine and crystal like shimmer. We left the system with two skier made classic tracks...no fossil fuels required. With plentiful hard climbs and gleeful descents, this is the best outdoor workout on the planet. Thank you, Three Rivers, for not grooming.

(Dale Vaillancourt)

Looked over the trail, which now is a walking trail, apparently, despite it being closed. There is every bit as much snow as other TRPD trails that are open, but I suppose it is closed due to it’s challenging terrain and summer erosion which seems like needs a whole lot of snow to maintain for skiing. The sign stating “Don’t be an easy target-don’t leave valuables in your vehicle” is relatively new.

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(Dale Vaillancourt)