Grooming crews did well to scratch up skate deck east of Nordic Center for fast controlled ski. West side actually skied like cold snow, as there was more to work with on that side, trail widened a bit too. Only sketchy stretch is the multiuse portino, so about 1 K of rutted icy boiler plate to double pole across, worth it though.

(Walter Ebertz)

The groomers have done a wonderful job with skate deck on Nordic center trails. It was super icy Monday this week but groomers have worked some magic and it was great skating this morning. Only very small number of icy spots on skate deck.

(Tyler Kallevang)

I went out this evening, and was surprised how good the trails on the east side were. A little fast but there was a cover of snow over the ice-covered trails--made it fast but not too slick. The groomers have done a good job on the trails.

(Joey Nilan)

Great skate ski at Lake Elmo today. Deck is firm but easy to get an edge. Groomers have done a great job. All of the east side trails are in good shape for skating. Use caution on the wooden bridge on the Orange trail as it is pure ice. Classic tracks have not been reset and are very icy.

Photos:

(Patty Carlen)

East side trails are hard packed and icy. Classic tracks are solid ice. The trails have seen a lot of skiers since it was groomed and has resulted in a very firm skate deck that is also icy in places.

(Bill Callas)

Trails on both the east and west side were groomed today. The skate decks are in fair condition. Classic track was not reset - and existing tracks are very icy.

(Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)

Skied the Yellow, Brown, Green, and Orange loops. I was using skate skis but couldn't get an edge so I double poled in the classic tracks to stay going straight. I thought the classic tracks were less treacherous than the skate deck, which was pretty much hard, frozen ruts. I didn't see any bare ground. I skied at night, maybe the mid-day sun might soften the snow a bit.

(Bonnie Weiskopf)

I skied (classic) the outer loop this afternoon, and found it to be quite treacherous. Skating might have been better, but even on the recently groomed deck, there were many places that were rock solid and icy. Ski with care -- especially in the striding tracks.

(Paul Lohmann)

The yellow trail at Lake Elmo Park Reserve was groomed for skate skiing. Existing classic tracks are present. The other ski trails have not been groomed since Friday. Conditions are very icy with some debris.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

Still lots of snow... no coverage issues, despite the very warm weather. And not much debris, considering how long it's been since we've had snow. However... skate lane was very soft. With each stride I could hear the snow crunching underneath me. The snow was very sticky, except where it was very icy. Sometimes my ski would slip out from under me, and sometimes it would just stick. It was a lot of work, dealing with the wide variation from one stride to the next. I'll be interested to see what the groomers can do with the well-packed snow when the cooler temps return. I know they sometimes work wonders, so I'm hoping for the best.

(Richard Gerth)