Lake Elmo's east and west side were groomed today. Tracks were set. Trails are in great condition.

(Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)

I classic skied the Eagle Point loop. It hadn't been groomed since the light snowfall on Thursday. Plenty of people had gone through on classics, so there was enough of a trail and I saw multiple people skate skiing as well. The snow was very sticky though - and I have waxless skis that are usually pretty slippery! Not much glide happening. There was a ski meet happening on the trails out of the Nordic Center. Beautiful day, though - all the trees were still covered in snow. Also note that part of the Eagle Point loop is closed and you need to ski the on the blue trail first. There are signs and you will hook back up with the red Eagle Point trail, but it's a little confusing.

(Heather Whelpley)

Eagle Point Trail was in fair condition. It was 34 - 35 degrees and overcast. The classic track was a skier-laid and inconsistent on the multi-use portion of the trail but seemed okay but narrow after that. ( I used it on some downhills.) I used FastWax Yellow LF. Trail has not been groomed since the snow of the last night or two. Consequently, I was pushing a couple inches of snow the entire 3.8 miles. Obviously, it slowed me some but not that much. Rutting was rarely a problem but as I hugged the right-hand curve on the downhill after the quonset shelter my left ski did get caught in the classic track and I did a one-legged, Bonnie Bell imitation (for those old enough to remember) before I recovered and broke free of the track. A few mtn. bikers had ridden the trail so there was a consistent tire track or trough down the skate surface. It was generally not a problem. At the very end, the trail was also rough from snow mobile tracks.

Photos:

(Keith Carlson)

Trails on the east side of Lake Elmo have been groomed and the track was reset on the yellow and orange trails. The skate deck has been redone on all trails on the east side. Conditions are good but soft. The Eagle Point trail on the west side was not groomed today and multi-use trails were not groomed.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

Ski trails on the east side of Lake Elmo have been groomed and tracks have been set. Conditions are good but soft. Groomers will not be regrooming the Red Trail on the west side of Lake Elmo today.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

The Eagle Point trail on the west side was groomed today. There is pretty good coverage but a couple of bare spots due to blowing snow. Tracks have been set. Groomer operator says they're in good condition.

(Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)

The east side trails were in excellent condition. Corduroy throughout after grooming that had occurred earlier in the day. Consistent classic track. It was 19 degrees and cloudy. I used Fast Wax Blue LF. 2:45 start worked out perfect to finish just as the high school teams were hitting the trails at 3:30. (My experience is they never ski the perimeters where I ski anyway.) It was a fresh corduroy due to the excellent work of the groomers. Snow was dry, as the squeaking as I skated probably signified. My wax performance seemed inconsistent - fast on flats and downhills, slower on even moderate uphills, I was on a fast for me 7 mph + pace as I got to Bur Oak but my shoulders were getting pretty tired by that point and I finished last 1.3 miles at only about a 5 mph pace.

(Keith Carlson)

Trails on the east side were groomed today. Track was set. There is good coverage. Groomers consider them in good to excellent condition. Minimal debris on the trails.

(Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)

Ski trails on the east side of Lake Elmo Park Reserve have been fully groomed and tracked! Coverage is good. The Eagle Point Ski Trail on the west side has been rolled and the multi-use trails have also been rolled as well. There is a lot of drifting snow in the open areas of the trails.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

Eagle Point was in very good condition. Finished just before the snow started. Still a little dirt showing through on the connection from the multi-use trail to the original trail right of way but the roots on it are finally, nearly completely covered. There has been a lot of snowmobile traffic on northern portion of the trail. Snowmobile-tracked portion slowed me a little and I finally figured out that I might have been using too warm a wax but I still skied it in under 35 minutes, pretty quick for me. I used FastWax Red LF.

(Keith Carlson)