Tricky conditions. Fresh, moist snow is slow, but, where blown, bullet-proof hard pack beneath is rocket-fast. It works but be careful! Bad optics at best! No grooming for awhile.

(Charlie Corcoran)

I couldn't get out until after lunch, 35F when I started and 38F when I finished. I stuck to the Hills and Prairie loops which seem to hold up better than some of the other trails. I found some segments with very nice corduroy and other segments getting scraped/packed hard. The flat segments were reasonably fast, the ascents very skiable, and the descents getting snow-plowed down to hardpack. There was more brown coming through than when I skied here last week, as one might expect due to the lack of snow. A couple south-face crests show a lot of brown, and there was quite a bit of detritus in a couple areas, also. Overall, I'd rate the trails I skied as 50% good, 50% fair.

(David Sonnenberg)

Skated the entire system. Overall good coverage with a few thin and icy spots. The groomer made passes on a few of the inner trails creating some great conditions.

(Ethan Knuti)

Friend, Pam, John and I skated there this afternoon. We were pleasantly surprised to see the Pisten Bully out freshening up the skate deck. Was very skiable, especially of course where he had made new corduroy! John and I both talked to the groomers and thanked them for trying to basically make a skiable trail out of a tiny bit of snow! Base is thin, some brown spots showing up but right now easily avoidable. Classic tracks were shallow but good in a lot of places, thin and barely there or not at all in other places. Again, very thin base so we got what we got! Thanks again to the really nice groomer running the Pisten Bully!

(Carol Fitzgerald)

Not bad conditions. I used classic skin skis around noon. The classic track is holding up pretty well. Photo#1 near the barn shows most common conditions- a few leaves and a few bare spots. Other places are worse and other places are better than photo #1. Photo #2 shows the better conditions. I will definitely go again!

Photos:

(William Buell)

Skied all but the new prairie section and the the portion of the green trail by the barn. Most of the trail was great, but some sections are very thin and/or have a lot of concerning debris. I was on good skis but nervous on these sections. Overall the groomers have done a great job given the limited snow they had to work with.

(Jess Holle)

Ski trails were groomed today. Trails are in fair to good condition with some debris and grass present in the thin spots. The classic tracks are getting thin but the skate deck has a decent base.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)

I classic skied all the night-lit Lake Elmo trails starting at 8PM. Quiet calm night, only a few other skiers out. Nice tracks from the groomers on almost all the trails. Looked like there was still some untouched corduroy in spots over on the skate deck. However, there's at least some leaf litter on all the trails. I ran into a few bare dirt and grass spots as well, including at the peak and base of a few big hills. If you go at night, I recommend a headlamp to help see the ground better, although the park's lights make navigation really easy. I loved the long glide on the Prairie loop.

Photos:

(Cory Quirk)

It was a nice ski at Lake Elmo this afternoon. I started out on the Savanna and North loops and found them skiable, but somewhat beat up with brown coming through in several places. Be careful crossing the timber bridge - deck planks exposed and it would be easy to snap off a pole tip if it got jammed in a gap. The brown areas were easy to avoid, the climbs were OK, and the downhills were hardpack but manageable (I got in some snowplow practice on a couple hills). When I came around, I jumped on the Prairie loop and found it to be in better condition, so I went on to the Hills where I found fairly pristine corduroy. The flats were smooth and quick, and I could actually skate a few of the uphills. The downhills were really fun (no snowplowing on the Hills loops), especially the "roller coaster" run just past 10E. I'd rate Savanna and North as fair, Prairie as fair+, and because of the nice corduroy deck, I'd rate the Hills loops as good, irrespective of the occasional brown spots and leaf litter. There isn't much snow to work with, but the groomers have once again worked their magic at Lake Elmo. The grooming plus the nice weather (+25F a little after noon and +29F a little before 2:00, winds southerly at 8 knots) combined for a wonderfull ski.

(David Sonnenberg)

Designated ski trails were groomed for both skate and classic. New tracks were set. Trail conditions are fair to good with some thin areas on the hills. The multi-use trail is being groomed as well.

(Carolyn Friedrich, Washington County Parks)