First hand Trail Reports

These reports are maintained by readers like you. Let us know about the skiing conditions in your area via our Ski Trail Report form. If you'd like to send along some photos, please e-mail those as attachment and we'll plug them into your report. Can't find a recent trail report on your favorite trail system? File a Trail Report Request!

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Minnesota Metro Area

• Feb 8 - Irondale Trails (New Brighton):
  Conditions: Packed powder.
  Packed the trail this afternoon. Soft conditions, but so great to have so much snow! We will pack the trail again in the morning and hopefully set classic.
  (Chris Torvi)
• Feb 8 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Slow and snowy.
  Trails around the Jensen Lake area were understandably not groomed as of 7:00 PM, but it was still great to get out there and enjoy the wonderful winter weather. Signs of a few people on the trails, but most people seem to be a bit more patient than myself. Hopefully this snow will not be coated with ice like the last. Can't wait to get out there again soon. Thank you Lebanon Hills!
  (Troy Feustel)
• Feb 8 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: 20 degrees.
  Hard to classic, not very good tracks.
  (Katelyn Palmatier)
• Feb 8 - Vadnais/Sucker Lakes (Vadnais Heights):
  Conditions: Excellent for Classic.
  Skied the southern Vadnais Lake section today. Though the tracks were not rolled since the fresh snow, they were remarkably well worn and in great shape. The section paralleling county road F is a little sketchy as it tracks over the junk the plow throws off the road. Otherwise I was impressed. It was windy out but this trail is well protected. Overall a great classic day. Don't even bother with skate skis until (unless?) it is groomed for it.
  (Steve Miller)
• Feb 8 - Carver Park Reserve (Excelsior):
  Conditions: 22 degrees.
  Went to Carver, only the skating trail was groomed - Sugar, Sky, King. Nothing done on the Grimm trail, my most favorite trail to classic. Must learn patience after a big snowfall.
  (Katelyn Palmatier)
• Feb 8 - Saint Paul Alleys (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  My back alley is rocking for skiing right now. I've been skijoring all the neighborhood alleys with my husky Madison and must say that they are all in great to excellent condition. Got hung up on one of those ice droppings from a car wheel, but otherwise smooth sailing. Watch for the poop in the alley between Walsh and Weidi near Phalen - I'm letting it freeze up a bit before I pick it up but will do so shortly.
  (Jeremy Sartain, Twin Cities MultiSports Club)
• Feb 8 - Battle Creek Regional Park West (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: New snow, soft conditions.
  We rolled/packed and groomed Battle Creek for skating and classic today finishing around 3 p.m. I think we had about 6" of new, fluffy snow and it was still snowing hard when I left. The open areas were already filling in with the wind but in the woods it seemed like the tracks and skate lanes would hold. Expect this to be pretty soft until the snow has a chance to set up overnight.
  (John O'Connell)
• Feb 8 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Lots of fresh snow.
  I classic skied the golf course, creek, and lake. On the golf course the skate lane is buried in snow and is no where to be found. Skiers have broken track for classic to make it enjoyable for striding but it's a bit deep for double pole. Fun skiiing on the creek up to Portland Avenue where it gets dangerously slushy. Lake has some user set track as well. Avoid skating until it's groomed!
  (Bradley Pazian)
• Feb 8 - Snail/Grass Lakes (Shoreview):
  Conditions: Slow but worth it.
  Around 2-3PM classic skied the three legs north of the Gramsie underpass. All three trails had classic tracks and much of it was double-tracked, although they looked human-made rather than machine-made. No real packdown for skate skiers. Fluffy snow not fully compressed makes for poor-to-fair glide but a wonderful woodland experience.
  (Bob Galkiewicz)
• Feb 8 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: Piling up. The trails are rolled, but will be soft and fluffy for a few days. The tracks are lost in the snow and will be reset when it is over.
  The Goddess of the Trails and Ancient One rolled the 5:30 shift this morning. Taxi and Chain Saw are out this afternoon. Buckthorn Bob and the Engineer will be rolling later tonight. Tomorrow - repeat? Enjoy!
  (Dave Anderson)
• Feb 8 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  Conditions: Late morning - grooming well underway everywhere. Soft and slow for skating.
  I think we started about when Don Callandar was leaving. Nothing was groomed when we started, not even the Valley Trail, but by 11:30 Valley was packed and tracked, all the outer skate trails were packed by the Pisten Bully (but still were very soft), including the return half of Northern Lights, and Eagle was even double-tracked. At that point no other classic tracks had been reset, not even on Northern Lights, but they were still actively grooming. It was still snowing & blowing, so any tracks may be temporary.
  (Ron Refsnider, Ride and Glide Bike & Ski Club)
• Feb 8 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  Conditions: 9:00am Snowing and blowing snow.
  4+ inches of fresh snow with some additional drifting. Soft and slow going. Skis felt more like shovels. Groomers were just going over the man-made loop as I was leaving. No classic tracks.
  (Don Callander)
• Feb 7 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Good to excellent.
  Good conditions despite that there was a lot of heavy use on Saturday for a lantern loppet event (just happened to be at the same time as the City of Lakes Lantern Loppet). Reports were over 750 skiers on the trail and all rental equipment given out. Very few places icy. Pine needles and oak leaves seem to be covered up for the most part.
  (Thomas Brown)
• Feb 7 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Outstanding!
  Great conditions for skate. Skied the outer and middle loops. Just one small section on the middle looped hadn't been groomed since Friday's snowfall except by the walkers.
  (Karen Amundson)
• Feb 7 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  Classic tracks on Skyline and Medicine trails were in fair-to-good condition this afternoon. Skate tracks looked pretty good.
  (Mark Girouard)
• Feb 7 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Fantastic. Wirth too. Just perfect coverage and great conditions for the race today.
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Feb 7 - Lake Minnewashta Regional Park (Chanhassen):
  Conditions: 25 degrees, light snow through the sunshine.
  We classic skied the north loops and it was excellent. The park and trails are beautiful. It's obvious the grooming staff takes pride in their work. Thanks Carver County parks!
  (David Adams)
• Feb 7 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Outstanding.
  When on, the Leb skate loop is as good as anything within 200 miles. And it was on this morning! With more Surley riders on the single track than skiers, I had the trail mostly to myself. Dakota county has come a long, long way with trail maintenance and have this trail in the best shape ever! Even so, it wasn't all good as I ran into some fat tire tracks slashing into the corduroy. I also had to kick some dog stuff off the trail and deal with over-friendly, unleashed hiker's dog. Even with all of that, one of the best skis of the year!
  Photos:  
  (Randy Zarecki)
• Feb 7 - Carver Park Reserve (Excelsior):
  Conditions: 20 degrees.
  Classic skied the Hill and Grimm trails, classic tracks filled with blown snow on many parts. Grooming nice in woods.
  (Katelyn Palmatier)
• Feb 7 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: Good for skating, not much of a classic track.
  First time visit. Travel tip: Proctor is also County 1.
  (Jim Zyskowski)
• Feb 7 - Carver Park Reserve (Excelsior):
  Conditions: 20 degrees.
  Classic skied the Grimm trail, it was great.
  (Sue Palmatier)
• Feb 7 - Pine Point Park (Stillwater):
  Conditions: Great! Plenty of snow.
  Michelle and I have inline skated the Gateway trail so we been to Pine Point park in the summer but this was the first time we cross country skied here. We did all of the outer loops. We just kept taking a left turn at all the intersections. What a great trail, this classic only trail goes through some great scenery. Great time skiing with my sweet.
  (Charlie Cremers)
• Feb 7 - Irondale Trails (New Brighton):
  Conditions: Firm track, packed skate lane.
  After the snowshoe race on Saturday, the trails were still in nice shape. Classic in the the solid track was great, and the skate lane still looked to be in good shape.
  (Jonah Gilbert)
• Feb 7 - Chomonix Golf Course (Lino Lakes):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Classic skied the loops a few times this morning. Tracks were in very good condition, with just a few leaves and pine needles. The skate track looked to be in fine shape - perhaps 5 skiers had used it since last grooming. As mentioned by others, only about 3km of the course is groomed this year.
  (Chris Rauschl)
• Feb 7 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Very good for classic.
  I never get tired of the hilly backloop at this park. Great place to get a good work out.
  Photos:  
  (Conrad Sanders)
• Feb 7 - Vadnais/Sucker Lakes (Vadnais Heights):
  Conditions: 25 f, sunny, calm winds.
  Skate lane is in fact way too narrow to be usable, and it's already been tracked out by hikers. Classic tracks looked in good shape, but watch out for that random dog standing in your way as you speed down the hill on the east side of the lake. Argh.
  (Steve Miller)
• Feb 7 - Fort Snelling State Park (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: The Pike Island trail--very good. Minnehaha trail--poor-not groomed.
  The Pike Island trail is well-groomed with deep tracks. Even though the Minnehaha trail is not groomed, I still had a lot of fun on it, and moved along at a good clip. There is a track of sorts made by skiers. There is a good base of snow, and the track is not icy.
  (Jodi Pritchard)
• Feb 7 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: Excellent! Light snow on well groomed trails making it more fun and also more challenging on "Gravity Box" and "Top of the World".
  Running into a few local hardies with happy smiles, we all agree that the new snow made this well groomed trail system a gem. A few weeks left before the Birkie, if you have not skied here yet this year, you should. The trail system reminded me of my place up north(Rainbow Resort trail system) with steep yet not too long hills and very fun rollers and technical corners. If you are racing Birkie or whatever goal races, come on out for some fun skiing. You'll definitely enjoy the Rollers.
  (Amy Xu, Rainbow Resort)
• Feb 7 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Classic has been washed out already on turns/hills. Skate was easy to get an edge. No ice. Great out there today. Lots of folks out.
  (Stuart Knappmiller)
• Feb 7 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Fair snow-pefect weather.
  Skated the outter loop this morning and the trail was trashed. There must have been a hiking club out there yesterday. As I was finishing up at 9:30 am, the groomer was just headed out so it should be better.
  (Doran O'Brien)
• Feb 6 - Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Ungroomed.
  2 inches of ungroomed snow made for a heart pounding in my throat ski on the Razorback. Berms were the biggest I have seen at Murphy - quite exhilarating going down the 3 sisters luge run of terror (yeah - I screamed like a little school girl - twice)!
  (Karen Amundson)
• Feb 6 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  Conditions: Great.
  Went out around noon for a bit of skiing and it was fabulous. The hills were a bit soft but I prefer that to the ice of last week. Though I skated, I believe the classic tracks looked better than ever. A great day for skiing.
  (Beck Witschen)
• Feb 6 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Good but soft on the lakes, needs much grooming.
  I hit the lakes during the luminary this evening, and skied through the canal to Cedar. Isles is pretty well packed but definitely soft from the new snow this week, and probably got loosened up by the thousands of luminary skiers. The canal was soft and thin in a couple places and needs a groom, as was Cedar. The section on the trail on the west side of Cedar was loose and pockmarked by footsteps. Hopefully temperatures will dip low enough for long enough to allow it to set up. Otherwise, get to the front of the pack!
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Feb 6 - Columbia Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Good base, but mashed potatoes on top. Not recently groomed for skate, but nice for a slow day. OK for classic.
  (Rachel Erickson)
• Feb 6 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Great classic great skate - just great. Freshly groomed again today. The only down side was talking to some walkers on the trail today. There have been a few more than other years. I thought I was being nice but it got ugly quite quickly. Tried to diffuse it but had to just ski away. What can you say?
  (Jim Smith)
• Feb 6 - Vadnais/Sucker Lakes (Vadnais Heights):
  Conditions: 25 degrees cloudy, light east wind, around noon, skied Vadnais Lake section only.
  Freshly groomed early Saturday morning. Very good classic track, certainly one of the best this trail has been all season. Up until this week, the groomer had been tilling and rolling a skate lane too. This time it might be too narrow for a skate lane.
  (Eric Snider)
• Feb 6 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Outstanding.
  Classic skied around mid-day and the tracks were very well groomed. No ice, very few leaves. Best I have seen there.
  (Phillip Williams)
• Feb 6 - Bunker Hills Regional Park (Coon Rapids):
  Conditions: Almost perfect.
  Fresh corduroy and classic tracks set. It was almost perfect except someone made a campfire in the middle of the trail. It's on the NE end of the trail, at the bottom of a steep hill. Skaters will have to swerve into the classic tracks to avoid it.
  (Sue Logan)
• Feb 6 - Pine Point Park (Stillwater):
  Conditions: 10 am; 22 degrees. Fresh snow.
  I was lucky on the wax, but the conditions were just right. Good grooming and beautiful trails in the woods with minimal oak leaves. These trails do not have much elevation change so it is a nice even workout and you can get in a rhythm. Also good for the spouse who does not want hills. Classical only. Only one other car.
  (Ben Maize)
• Feb 6 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  The groomers have been all around the park since Friday. The tracks are clean, firm (but not hard), and deep; all the washed-out and rutted corners are now nice and full. A real pleasure skiing there this morning.
  (Brian Wray)
• Feb 6 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Partly cloudy with wind out of the north at about 5-8 mph and temps in the mid to upper 20's.
  The skate deck was regroomed and a classic track added including an inner loop/shortcut around noon today. Skate deck was a little soft due to the snow temp and recent grooming. The classic tracks looked firm and deep. The groomer was still out.
  (Arne Stefferud )
• Feb 6 - Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Good with the fresh snow. Last groomed late in the week, could probably use a fresh groom.
  A little slow, but surprisingly good classic and skate track, with good control on Razorback Hills. This park offers some of the funnest hills in the metro area by far. Great morning to be out and about.
  Photos:  
  (Scott Ford)
• Feb 6 - Cleary Lake Regional Park (Prior Lake):
  Conditions: Wonderful!
  Skied the outer loop at 10am and were some of the first on the trail. It looked like it had been groomed early that morning or the night before, and was just beautiful. Wasn't as fast as it could be since it's new snow, but the track was perfect. Classic tracks looked good too. Wonderful day to get outside!
  (Sarah Wein)
• Feb 6 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Skied at noon today. Half inch to an inch of soft powder on top of a pretty firm base. Solid conditions.
  (Rich Hoban)
• Feb 6 - Battle Creek Regional Park West (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Good.
  Skate and classic tracks groomed this morning. The new, wet snow makes for soft conditions, but it's still very skiable and should set up well during the day overnight Saturday. Also, lots of people out this morning which helps pack it down.
  (Bill Kosfeld)
• Feb 6 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: Perfect!
  I love this area and today was the best conditions ever! What a great ski! I seriously don't think it could have been better! What a gem!
  (Neil Eerdmans)
• Feb 6 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Classic track was set at noon today! Classic is bumpy as it is down to the ice from rain a few weeks ago. But it is a good track! Skate was probably perfect today as it had hardened up from yesterday's fluff.
  Lots of folks out today. Very nice.
  (Stuart Knappmiller)
• Feb 6 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Skied most of the east portion of the park this morning (didn't get over by Jensen Lake though) and the conditions were wonderful. Pisten Bully passed us while out, thanks for the great job! This was almost as good as it gets, hope you can ski this weekend.
  (Robert Weides)
• Feb 6 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: More fun than a guy should be allowed to have. The skate trail was rolled extra wide and had set up nicely. The tracks look like they were extruded from giant Play-Doh Fun Factory.
  Chain Saw and Ski Dad will pull the light screens this evening. Enjoy!
  (Dave Anderson)
• Feb 6 - Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park (Cottage Grove):
  Conditions: Very good skate and classic.
  Groomed yesterday afternoon.
  (Dave McAlpine)
• Feb 5 - Hyland Lake Park Reserve (Bloomington):
  Conditions: Skate - very good.
  At 6 pm the trails were soft but had complete coverage. Great to have fresh snow. The classic tracks also looked good, although a classic skier complained about them being icy.
  (Julie Andreson)
• Feb 5 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Excellent, groomed this afternoon.
  I classic skied starting at 1:00. Groomer was out and looked like he just finished when I left at 4:30. All trails were groomed skate & classic. The new snow made it slow today. Tracks were full depth with only a couple of places where you could see ice underneath. Thanks for a great job of grooming.
  (Jim Moore)
• Feb 5 - Fort Snelling State Park (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Good but soft.
  I skied all the trails in Ft Snelling state park tonight. Like other places the snow was soft and wet and it was hard to get any kick. However I heard owls hooting and saw many deer. The double pole workout was terrific as my kick wax sort of sucked and I didn't want to stop. Plenty of good skiing to be had at Ft Snelling. Give it a try.
  (Xena Huff)
• Feb 5 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: 32 degrees, overcast but not snowing/precipitating.
  The newly groomed portions (noon today) were great and even the less recently groomed portions were in good shape. I skied the classic tracks but the skate ski trails looked good too. Loop A is in great shape.
  (Matt Ludt)
• Feb 5 - Afton State Park (Afton):
  Conditions: 32 overcast and snowing slightly.
  The park received 1-2 inches of the recent snow and as of noon today it had not been groomed. I was the first to take it on today and it was very sticky, especially the wooded area. Some non-ski traffic noted.
  (Matt Ludt)
• Feb 5 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Very good, but sticky snow.
  New snow not groomed today. Classic tracks skied in, but snow was slow and sticky. No-wax was the way to go.
  (Kevin Gregerson)
• Feb 5 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: The trails were a wee bit soft this evening. Our forecast for an inch of snow and 30 degrees turned into three inches and 35 degrees at midday and 29 at ski time.
  We pulled the groomers off at noon today when the temps moved past 32. They we back out at 6:30 this evening. The Old Coach and Classic Guy put down what should be our best tracks of the season. Mrs. Shear-Pin called worried about the long time the grooming was taking this evening. When Shear-Pin finally reported in, they had rolled the entire system and the outer loop twice for our Saturday skiing pleasure. Our Saturday ski should be a nice soft ride. The early ski should be the best. Enjoy!
  (Dave Anderson)
• Feb 5 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Very soft, but excellent coverage. It just needs some grooming and some cooler weather.
  We skied from the Chalet south along the course through the trail up behind Hidden Beach. The trail is in excellent shape, including across the lakes (the new snow makes a big difference, especially since it was sticky and fell with little or no wind) so the coverage is full. Snow was being hauled to road crossings, too, and grooming with a sled was in progress; it was still very soft after the sled had passed but hopefully it will go down to 15 at least to set up some for Sunday, otherwise it will be a very soft race! The only minor problem spots, and I mean minor, were at either end of the I-394 bridge where water on the road was being kicked up by cars on to the snow, making or very slow, sloppy sections. A couple tubs of shoveled snow and it would be all better—the middle of the bridge is in good shape.
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Feb 5 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: 1.5 inches of new snow.
  Skied the first section of the loppet course from the chalet checking out the new start area and new decent to the bridge over Wirth Pkwy. Things are really looking great with the new snow! After complaining about the uphill start for years, I'm starting to think it wasn't all that bad. The Minnesota Skinnyski Team Champion Ski Trophy got a warm welcome home from Grandpa Cheater.
  Photos:  
  (Peter Hanson)
• Feb 5 - Irondale Trails (New Brighton):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Trail was packed this morning. Couple more inches during the day was skied in by the team. At the end of practice I cleaned up the whole trail and reset classic track. Should be great skiing this weekend. Heads up to any early morning skiers on Saturday. There is a snowshoe race starting in Long Lake park that will be using part of the trail in the woods.
  (Chris Torvi)
• Feb 5 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Well, conditions have changed. Has been rolled before 2:00 today. Snow is wet and slow. Stay home till it cools down?
  Phalen seems to be running a few degrees higher than St Paul's temp. It was 35 here earlier when weather was reporting 32.
  (Stuart Knappmiller)
• Feb 5 - Brown's Creek (Stillwater):
  Conditions: Two inches of wet new snow groomed this afternoon had not set up yet. The trails are in good shape.
  Fisher Crown no-wax skis were perfect for classic at 32 degrees.
  (Dick Peterson)
• Feb 5 - Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Township):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Trail groomed today. I unfortunately did not get a chance to ski it.
  (Shannon Stewart)
• Feb 5 - Highland 9-hole Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Nicely groomed.
  An easy noon ski before the COLL found trails groomed this morning. It was as well groomed as I've seen Highland all season. It was still soft and slow but, given the fresh snow and temps, surprisingly firm. The classic tracks were firm with solid pole plants. For skate the top inch or so was soft but firm beneath.
  (Michael Sweet)
• Feb 4 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Recently groomed! Soft snow falling Thursday evening.
  Nice to see they got this neighborhood trail groomed. Nice soft skating, if not breakneck fast. The tracks looked good as well, with several people out.
  (Matt Thill)
• Feb 4 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Skied classic trail east from Jensen Lake at 7:30 p.m. No leaves, twigs or ice--just perfect skiing. Super kick using warmer wax. Headlamp works great for evening skiing! Park is open until 10:00 p.m.
  (Jeff Andresen)
• Feb 4 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  1 inch of new snow made skating fast and slow at times. Classic track a little shallow. Fun!
  (Kevin Gregerson)
• Feb 4 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: Excellent. I have been waiting a long time to use those words again. My Thursday evening ski was sped up by the light freezing drizzle that was changing to light snow at the end of my ski.
  Friday we will ski on our new inch while we wait for the snow to stop. The Lonely Groomer will be out to start the grooming during the day today. Old Coach will be trying to set some new tracks. Shear Pin and Harley will be finishing the system after dark. The tree cutters will be out some this weekend, so approach the sound of the saw with some caution. Enjoy the new snow wherever you ski!
  (Dave Anderson)
• Feb 4 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Very good and becoming excellent.
  Practice today entailed shifts of shoveling snow interspersed with thresholds round the back loop in the woods off the Par 3. I was told by one of my skiers that I am not to call the Mound by its previous name, so it will now be "Collin's Mound," but that's where we shoveled. The trail over the Mound was pretty much white, but quite thin, and we shoveled a mixture of powder and ice on to the treadway. It probably didn't need too much shoveling but we were happy to oblige. (Shoveling, it turns out, is a fine workout. Especially when you take a shovel like a canoe paddle and "paddle" a stroke of snow off the crust and on to the trail.) The rest of the trail back there is in fine shape, and was getting somewhat soft with the new snow, but perfect for no-poles intervals. The snowmaking area is a bit firmer, but groomed up well so the hills are no longer icy at all.
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Feb 4 - Battle Creek Regional Park West (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent.
  I skied the lighted loop only about 7PM on a thin layer of new (but not fluffy) snow over a nice firm base.
  (Chris Amley)
• Feb 4 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Fair to good for classic.
  Since it hasn't been groomed for several days, the classic tracks are beginning to deteriorate. Mostly good, but in spots they barely exist.
  (Curt Hillstrom)
• Feb 4 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Pisten Bully was out on part of Cedar Lake late afternoon, regrooming the path of plowed snow. The trail was looking good. Here are a couple pics after the grooming.
  Photos:  
  (Craig Rudd, City of Lakes Loppet)
• Feb 4 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Decent for classic.
  Skied at 5:30-ish pm. Tracks were ok, but definitely a bit sloppy. Not too icy and didn't notice any debris.
  (Seth Lindenfelser)
• Feb 4 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: At 10:00 to 12:30 on Thursday was excellent for skating. However, even yellow lenses made for tough viewing, had to watch the classic track for my "compass". Wirth Lake was just groomed and fine but shallow.
  Great fun! Only got to Wirth Lake but did the front and back 9's. What a treasure this place is! Best skating conditions this season for me. We are so lucky to live in this area.
  (Carrie Kostroski)
• Feb 4 - Snail/Grass Lakes (Shoreview):
  Conditions: 28 degrees, calm, light snow.
  One last ski, this with my eleven-year-old son, before minor arthroscopic surgery puts an end to this glorious nordic ski season for me. I was surprised at the grooming approach this week, which seemed to push much of the recent snow off to the side. The classic track is very shallow and inconsistent, sometimes wandering into the middle of the trail and sometimes nonexistent. Until it's groomed and tracked, the course, albeit narrow, is probably better for skating. Lest this seem like sour grapes, it was an absolutely beautiful day for skiing, one that I'll be dreaming about in July the first time that it tops 90:).
  (Michael Kuhne)
• Feb 4 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Same as yesterday. Maybe an inch of snow on skate, classic track is as it was.
  (Stuart Knappmiller)
• Feb 4 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Very good coverage all the regular trails, a little thinner on the lakes.
  I did the annual course recon around 1 pm today. After looking over the new start area (make sure you are familiar with the new start area -- see maps), I headed down to the front 9 (golf course south of chalet). Skate lane is very good to excellent, the classic tracks were a bit washed out, don't appear to have been recently set on the front 9. Plenty of snow under Hwy 55 and good skate deck on Wirth lake. The classic tracks on Wirth lake, and most of the lakes for that matter, is pretty deep but it was getting down to nearly ice in a number of stretches. South Wirth (all the trails south of Wirth lake) are looking good and even the classic track looked very good. No issues at all where I skied. The I-394 bridge crossing is well covered with the usual amount of road debris mixed in. Brownie Lake was a wee bit soft, but they hadn't plowed there. Cedar and Isles have been plowed and have a nice skate deck and decent classic track. Some parts of Cedar were a little bumpy from the first grooming pass. The snow cover on the lakes is such that my pole tips were at times hitting ice -- if we don't get more snow, I'd recommend sharpening those pole tips for a little extra purchase on the lakes. They had two ramps off the Mall area onto the lagoon, should nice with event traffic on Saturday. Workers were just in the process of hauling and laying down snow of the big Mall finish area.
  Overall, conditions were very good and good skis are recommended, no problem. As usual, this report is based on the conditions I encountered today. Without fail, I've always found the race day course conditions to be even better, especially after they done the final touch up and grooming (Friday/Saturday). Should be a great race on Sunday!
  Photos:  
  (Bruce Adelsman)
• Feb 4 - Pine Point Park (Stillwater):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Pine Point groomed today. Trails in excellent condition.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Feb 4 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Classic Tracks Good to Excellent--mostly Very Good-Excellent. Eloise Butler and The Bog/Oakvik tracks were in great shape. It was just so much fun to have a great classic track on all those trails. From the Bog I skied over to Brownie, Cedar, and Lake of the Isles on the Loppet Trail. The tracks on the lakes were set, but not as hard and firm as the Theo tracks, with some lake ice in the bottom at times. The snow just isn't that deep on the lakes, but it's still very skiable. The skating lanes looked good on all the trails I skied today. The Wirth groomers have really helped to turn Wirth back into one of the premier ski areas in the metro.
  I probably had my best ski of the season today. I was just pleasantly surprised by the quality of the tracks at Eloise and the Bog. I usually ski the Back 9, and they always have a good track, but it's usually just groomed for skating at Eloise. Also, it was one of those days when your wax and kick were perfect, and you glide forever with ease! The Luminaries look like they're all set to go out. I just had one awesome ski this morning. I think these are going to be the best snow conditions for the Loppet in years.
  (Bill Lundberg)
• Feb 4 - Sunfish Lake Park (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Very Good.
  Sunfish groomed today. Trails in very good condition.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Feb 4 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  Conditions: Great.
  Fellas in the mist. Skate deck was pretty fast. The flat light makes the deck hard to see though. Classic track looked great too.
  (Mark Lahtinen)
• Feb 4 - Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Township):
  Conditions: Fairly decent.
  The intro loops are pretty beat up due to the heavy usage by the elementary programs. Which is a great thing! I love what TNC is doing with the elementary! Once you get past the intro loop, the tracks are still pretty good.
  (Kate Hanke)
• Feb 4 - Highland 9-hole Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Recent grooming - decent condition.
  Lunchtime today found full coverage and recent and decent grooming. The skate area looked freshly rolled (a bit soft) and the classic tracks were set but shallow in many spots. Very pleasant skiing conditions all around.
  (Jason Heaton)
• Feb 4 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: No tracks from Wirth Lake through Front 9, despite abundance of snow.
  I tried striding from Wirth Lake and around front 9. No evidence that tracks had been laid since the last snow. Skating, however, looked like it was good.
  (Tony Pellegrini)
• Feb 4 - Rum River Central Regional Park (Ramsey):
  Conditions: Fair to good.
  Trail was groomed after the recent new snow and parts of the classic track were a bit icy. There were a few areas that had some dirt mixed into the track.
  (Mary Dawson)
• Feb 3 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Not bad considering it still hasn't been groomed.
  The trail has not been groomed since the last snowfall. The classic track is still in pretty good shape. Enough skiers have blazed a trail so there is a decent track. The skate lane looks very fluffy. Doesn't look like more than a handful of skaters have been on it since the last snow.
  (Sue Logan)
• Feb 3 - St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park (Hastings):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  SCB grommed Wednesday. Trails in excellent condition.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Feb 3 - Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park (Cottage Grove):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Cottage Grove groomed Wednesday. Trails in excellent condition.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Feb 3 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Very firm base with approximately 2" of recently groomed fresh snow. All trails are in great condition. Skiing is fast but not scary fast.
  (Jon Erickson)
• Feb 3 - Highland 9-hole Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Good. A little slow since the track appears not to have been groomed since the snowfall earlier this week. No icy patches.
  (Christian Franken)
• Feb 3 - Francis Gross Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Poor to fair.
  Has not been groomed recently. Classic track is skied in track which disappears at times. Skate track is snow covered.
  (Jim Zyskowski)
• Feb 3 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Good!
  Best classic skiing I've done all year. Nice deep tracks and just a ton of trail to ski on. First time here and definitely not the last!
  (Bradley Pazian)
• Feb 3 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  Did the time trial at 7PM. Conditions were excellent.
  (Ralph Schwartz)
• Feb 3 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Very good.
  The trails at Wirth are still in very good shape. With the warm(er), moister weather, I grabbed some Rode Super Extra -1 to -5 which kicked real well. The snowmaking area is good, the rest of the golf course is good, and the tracks over to Wirth beach are in fine shape, although under the bridge is a bit wet with debris from the road above. Still, it's pretty great. The tracks across Wirth lake are deep but down to ice in places, so it might strip off kick wax (which, later in the race with more lakes ahead, isn't the end of the world). The plowed-in skate lanes on the lake were in fine shape. Bring on more snow!
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Feb 3 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Groomed and tracked this morning. Soft corduroy ...much of newly set classic track snowshoed on!
  Arrived early afternoon to a freshly groomed trail. Only 3 sets of tracks in the skate lane...and 2 sets of snowshoe tracks (on top of the newly set classic track). The snowshoer mashed much of the track around the entire outer loop. My classic skis stayed in the truck.
  (Dean Gathje)
• Feb 3 - Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park (Coon Rapids):
  Conditions: Very good on the south loop. Snow is soft.
  Tracks are excellent. Skate lanes are unused.
  (Steven Chies)
• Feb 3 - Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Not groomed since new snow. Skied-in classic track. "Snowplow gulleys" forming.
  Skied Razorback loop around noon today. Quiet and peaceful...until the tornado siren went off as I was walking back to my truck. My ears are still ringing. Headed to Terrace Oaks for some corduroy and the sound of I35.
  (Dean Gathje)
• Feb 3 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: 4:45-6:05 PM: skating good, low 20s.
  Some debris, no ice, skate lane well used but good, classic track beat up by skaters a lot, hiking lane well used but good (with occasional spillover to skate lane) I passed 5 hikers.
  (Rich Swenson)
• Feb 3 - Manitou Ridge Golf Course (White Bear Lake):
  Conditions: Great.
  I classic skied and the tracks have set up nice, full depth. Skate lane looked like it has seen a lot of use before it had a chance to set up and looked a bit soft, but still nice.
  (Jim Moore)
• Feb 3 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Great, but lakes still being worked on.
  Skied front 9 through the Bog at 10am. Wirth Lake is still being worked on by the volunteers and groomers. Looks like the lakes should be in great shape by race day if what I saw was any indication. Everything else has very good coverage and was groomed this morning. The the trails are slightly soft and a little slow at the moment.
  (John Keane)
• Feb 3 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Incredible.
  Very few days in the life of a skier like today. Calm winds meant that newly set trail were clean and fast. A true day in paradise. Even the snowshoer trashing the tracks didn't bother me.
  (Randy Zarecki)
• Feb 3 - Battle Creek Regional Park East (Maplewood):
  Conditions: Tracks are holding up fairly well. Still a pleasure to have tracks set and not so icy.
  Someone was skating over the right hand track and into the left lane some. Then it looks as if they decided to reverse and skated over the left lane going the other way. Are you kidding me. There are two one way tracks set and the sign says classic skiing only on groomed trail. Hello!
  (Susan Anderson)
• Feb 3 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Excellent! Groomed today.
  Skiing simply doesn't get any better than it was today.
  (Mike Chrun)
• Feb 3 - Battle Creek Regional Park East (Maplewood):
  Conditions: Ok.
  I went to Battle Creek East based on the wonderful report from yesterday. The trails have definitely been re-groomed, but the tracks are shallow in many places, washed out in others, and in some areas very wavy. I certainly enjoyed being out and love BCE. Just had hoped for better after the new snow.
  (Deb Malmon)
• Feb 3 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Skate is excellent in 1-2 inches powder. Classic looks like it may have set up a bit.
  (Stuart Knappmiller)
• Feb 3 - Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Township):
  Conditions: Good - excellent.
  Fourth graders out skiing today. The first part of the trail has a couple of rough spots but the rest of the trail is still in excellent condition.
  (Shannon Stewart)
• Feb 3 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Both the classic tracks and skate tracks on the easy and intermediate trails were recently groomed and neither have had much usage yet.
  (Kate Hanke)
• Feb 3 - Snail/Grass Lakes (Shoreview):
  Recently groomed for skating with a striding track on one side, the width of the trail is not that wide which makes it hard not to skate on the striding track a bit. The trail has plenty of snow cover and is fast. Beware of the very icy tunnels, they are a mess.
  (Carol Stadler)
• Feb 3 - Irondale Trails (New Brighton):
  Conditions: Good to very good!
  Trail has been packed and tracked! Should be very good for skate and classic!
  (Chris Torvi)
• Feb 2 - Francis Gross Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Fair to good.
  The new snow helped a lot. Tracks are skied in over the old tracks. It was decent classic skiing. There is a short section that is really wavy and hard to ski and there is new snow on the skate lane. It was fun though.
  (Mark Trumper)
• Feb 2 - Vadnais/Sucker Lakes (Vadnais Heights):
  Conditions: Not groomed as of 7:00pm Tuesday night, and a bit more light snow (~3") than other places in the region. Some homemade classic tracks.
  A little used -- as evidenced by the fact that I am answering my own request for a trail report -- gorgeous trail in the near northern suburbs. I got a seriously aerobic workout skating the loop. Various indistinct animals, large and small, crossed my path in the distant haze.
  (Richard James)
• Feb 2 - Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Township):
  Conditions: Great!
  Trails were recently groomed and barely used (yet), which made for a great ski!
  (Kate Hanke)
• Feb 2 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: On a scale of one to awesome, definitely closer to awesome.
  The whole of the trail west of the Parkway is excellent. It was rolled so it was soft and a couple hills were ice and berm, but all were easily navigable. It should set up splendidly for the big race. In addition, the big hills on the golf course are three inches of snow over a solid crust, which means one thing: drop you knee and telemark down! And what's better than hill repeats? Hill repeats where you get some turns in on the way down.
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Feb 2 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Great. The latest snowfall has completely transformed the place. Just a few exposed icy spots, primarily on the descent adjacent to the downhill slopes.
  I'd still be out there if domestic obligations hadn't pulled me back home.
  (Tom Kunau)
• Feb 2 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: New snow.
  The skiing was good at Como tonight. Everything is groomed and it's easy to get an edge in the skate lane. There are still some icy spots, usually at the bottom of the hills.
  (Christine Lehman)
• Feb 2 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Soft, fluffy skating. It was groomed Monday but as of 5 p.m. not today. About 3 inches of new snow with no hidden bumps. People tracked in the old classic track, looked fair to good.
  Good prep for the 5th wave of the Korte! My softer, "floater" skate skis were the right choice. Giant, brilliant red-orange setting sun as I skied the high prairie toward the top of the "S" downhill near my finish. More skiers were arriving as the lights came on in the lot.
  (Carrie Kostroski)
• Feb 2 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: 10F, 2+ inches fresh snow.
  Tonight's ski was slow and fun with the new snow. Leaves are covered and the trail is fresh again. System was groomed Tuesday evening (skate only) so should be a nice ride Wednesday. Not quite enough snow to reset the tracks. Tracks will be reset when we get another couple inches.
  (Dave Kallemeyn)
• Feb 2 - Bunker Hills Regional Park (Coon Rapids):
  Conditions: Freshly groomed today. Soft, but pleasant.
  Skied the golf course classic track this evening. Conditions were soft and a bit slower than over the weekend, but should set up nicely as the week progresses. Most of the sporadic bad spots have been covered and very few icy patches remain on the course. The skating track was freshly groomed and appeared to be quite soft. A beautiful evening for a ski!
  (Chris Rauschl)
• Feb 2 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Not groomed yet, but classic tracks are being made by skiers, and while sometimes sloppy, there is no ice now.
  The few inches of snow made such a difference from Sunday to today in the classic tracks! I also love that other skiers went off the formerly-groomed trail---it made it easier to ski other parts of the course.
  (Jodi Pritchard)
• Feb 2 - Highland 9-hole Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Good for skate, fair for classic.
  No classic track by late on Tuesday afternoon, and I had on classic skis, so I skied at the edge of the skate lane as a couple others had done before me. Skate lane was dragged with a couple inches of soft light snow.
  (Dan O'Loughlin)
• Feb 2 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Skated the trails on the back nine and par three course (not sure what the trails are named other than Hap and Judy). Trails were in very good condition with the new snow, there were maybe two corners that were icy. It didn't seem like the groomer had been out yet today (went at 5 pm) but the snow was really light and fluffy and made for some really nice skiing.
  (Nick Raisanen)
• Feb 2 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  2" new snow, not groomed.
  (Keith Canny)
• Feb 2 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Freshly groomed today and a beautiful ski. So nice to have fresh snow again!
  (Regina Sullivan)
• Feb 2 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Perfect.
  Great job on the grooming! The trails are in perfect condition.
  (Tom Birkeland)
• Feb 2 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Primo! Freshly groomed, soft underfoot, couldn't ask for better.
  Ooh la la! One of the best skis of the year this afternoon. Old Leb groomed to perfection with a new dusting of soft, fluffy snow. Yes, it was a bit slow compared to the past few days but speed isn't everything. Beautiful ski on a beautiful day in a beautiful place. Keep it comin'!
  (Bill Boecher)
• Feb 2 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  I classic skied all the trails starting at 3pm today. All were full depth tracks. What fun!!
  (Jim Moore)
• Feb 2 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  About 3" of new snow, freshly groomed - excellent. Nice course layout - mix of rolling and flat terrain with several challenging climbs. Nice wide skate lanes. Noticed they have been "harvesting" snow from the surrounding pasture and adding it to the trails- looks like much of the trail has 6 to +12" base. Excellent ideal.
  (Steve Kangas)
• Feb 2 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  Conditions: Beautiful.
  The trails are great! Karl and I dropped our moms at about 5km, so they better keep practicing.
  Photos:  
  (George Sponholz)
• Feb 2 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  New snow, skied in in skate lane. Soft, with good coverage. One or two small icy spots, but not anywhere problematic. It looked like there was a snowmobile set classic track in good condition. All in all, in great shape.
  (Ralph Schwartz)
• Feb 2 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Has been over once. Classic track is gone for now. Skate was 2-3 inches of soft snow.
  (Stuart Knappmiller)
• Feb 2 - Battle Creek Regional Park East (Maplewood):
  Conditions: Wonderful, no oak leaves, no poop, newly groomed.
  Thanks groomers! I chased the setting sun all the way around at about 4:30 and it reminded me why I live here. Also saw a bald eagle booking it north for a look see. Beautiful sunset, great ski.
  (Susan Anderson)
• Feb 2 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  We plowed snow on Wirth, Cedar and Lake of the Isles. The base is at least 6 inches where plowed so we will be able to set nice classic tracks. The entire course has been rolled including the lakes and the golf course has been groomed with classic tracks. We have a crew out shoveling under the bridges as I write this so things are really looking good (it would also be very good ice skating on Cedar and Isles since we plowed ribbons around most of those lakes). Should be some of the best conditions we've every had.
  Photos:  
  (Craig Rudd, City of Lakes Loppet)
• Feb 2 - Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Burnsville):
  Conditions: No grooming since the snowfall last night.
  It's always good to get back to the Big Murph. I happened to be in the area snowshoeing, so I thought I would take a spin on the Ol' Razorback after shoeing. The skied in classic tracks weren't too bad, but it wasn't the usual wild ride.
  (Bill Lundberg)
• Feb 2 - Battle Creek Regional Park West (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Good 2-3" snowfall over the last 24 hours, groomed a couple of times but a little soft.
  I arrived around 1 pm as one of the groomers, John O'Connell was parking the sled after a re-grooming run. The section meets here today and tomorrow, the trail hasn't had time to set up yet, so it was a little soft but no complaints. One hit 2-3 minor icy spots on some uphills, otherwise the rest was quite very nice and well covered with the new snow. John said they planned to groom again tonight. Because of the section meet Wednesday, they may close off some of the trail tonight and other parts might not be groomed yet.
  Photos:  
  (Bruce Adelsman)
• Feb 2 - Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Township):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Trail groomed today. Great skiing.
  (Shannon Stewart)
• Feb 2 - Hyland Lake Park Reserve (Bloomington):
  Conditions: On a scale of one to ten, it is a twelve.
  Awesome! New snow had only been groomed by one pass for both skating and classic this afternoon, and only in a few places. It didn't matter - the skiing was fast and safe. Little fluff on the steep uphills and edges of trails but nothing that slows you down or gets in your way. Can't remember when the skating track was better. Classic track looked soft but should only get better as the week goes on.
  Stop reading and go ski!
  (Britt Moore)
• Feb 2 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  The best skate skiing I have had in the Twin Cities this year....sun, temp, trail. I felt like I was back in West Yellowstone. Great Job Green Acres!
  (Michael Nightingale)
• Feb 2 - Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Township):
  Groomed and track set.
  (Ralph Sawyer, Ramsey County Parks)
• Feb 2 - Manitou Ridge Golf Course (White Bear Lake):
  Groomed and track set.
  (Steve Jorgensen, Ramsey County Parks)
• Feb 2 - Battle Creek Regional Park East (Maplewood):
  Groomed and double track set.
  (Ralph Sawyer, Ramsey County Parks)
• Feb 2 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Trails groomed today. Groomer operator says trails look the best they've been all season.
  (Theresa Young, Washington County Parks)
• Feb 2 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Soft, silky, smooth, silent snow.
  The trail's fresh snow was groomed this morning. The skate lane is still quite soft but no indications of any ice or hard-packed base below. Classic tracks are also freshly set. It's nice to glide on quiet snow instead of noisy icy conditions. Most of the climbs are groomed tightly having tips going into the classic track and digging into the berm of snow on the other side.
  (Michael Sweet)
• Feb 1 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Variable.
  No doubt the new snow has improved the trail, however the skate trail needs a grooming ASAP. The trail is uneven and with the new snow covering icy ruts its often unpredictable. Please groom! I have been going across town to Wirth to ski, when I live 10 blocks from Hiawatha.
  (Jay Roth)
• Feb 1 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Quite good.
  Como is generally very good. There are a couple icy sections, most notably at the bottom of the second downhill on the east side, but the new snow is generally binding well to the existing base. The snowboard hill was in decent shape for some tele turns, but would have been better with a bit more powdah.
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Feb 1 - Chomonix Golf Course (Lino Lakes):
  Conditions: Good.
  Fresh powder around 4pm made it a little slow. But there is a nice wide skate lane for most of the 3.15K loop. Just watch the crossing at the road by the club house; no easy way to get through this area, so B skis might be warranted. For those in the Lino Lakes area, it's an excellent local option. Double tracks for the classic, too.
  (Stephen Ruble)
• Feb 1 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Snowing, blowing.
  Skied the Front 9, JD Gardens, Wirth Lake, Butler and Bog trails late this afternoon. The new snow is really helping to cover icy spots, although it was slowing down the trails a little. Also, the groomers are out putting snow on the icy and thin spots. The only problem area is skiing on Wirth Lake where there is just a skiff of snow over the ice.
  (Christine Lehman)
• Feb 1 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Very good skating: new, falling snow over firm pack, 15 F, clean trail.
  4:45-5:45 PM -- skated outer loop several times, which was idyllic, clean, deserted, and headlamp-ready at the end. Tracks were fading under 1/2"+ of new snow. Never broke through to any "ice". One rabbit sighting, no coyotes this year.
  (Rich Swenson)
• Feb 1 - Manitou Ridge Golf Course (White Bear Lake):
  Conditions: Snowing-looks like about 1 inch as of 3 PM.
  The new snow makes the skate lane quite good. Good edge, solid base. Classical tracks are now mostly invisible, but maybe could be re-skied in.
  (John Strand)
• Feb 1 - Hiawatha Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: As of 3:00 pm the trail was newly covered in snow and nicely skiable. On a scale of 1 - 10, I will give it a 7.
  Although the trail has not been groomed recently, the newly fallen snow has smoothed over the skating portion of the trail and filled in over the icy patches in the classic tracks. Classic tracks are a little shallow in places. The new snow is a little thin in places but for an easy 5K classic trail, it is fine.
  (Bob Bergad)
• Feb 1 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  Conditions: Very good for skating.
  Skied French this morning while the snow was just starting to come down. The groomer was out and the skating lanes were very good throughout.
  (Curt Hillstrom)
• Feb 1 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Groomed crusty snow/ice mix. Solid tracks except on Wirth Lake.
  I skied the first 15k of the Loppet classic race and had great kick with Rex grip tape still on from last years Birkie. There are a few icy or bare spots on the course, but those will be easily fixed. The classic track in the snowmaking loop has been moved a bit closer to center so poling is no longer hazardous.
  There is enough snow on Wirth lake to create a groomed ribbon. As it is snowing right now, it looks like we should have great conditions.
  (Steve Casey, WAMXC)
• Feb 1 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Mostly excellent, some places poor.
  Excellent on the North Side, the grooming was perfect and there was almost always an edge...nice and level and great for V2. The smaller loop by the parking lot has some icy spots, but it appears someone is working to cover them and it's not too bad for having had all that rain a week ago.
  (Heather Norton-Bower)
• Feb 1 - Tamarack Nature Center (White Bear Township):
  Conditions: Fair, very shallow tracks. Ice under thin snow. Did not do the Fish Lake loop. Red oak leaves on trail in wooded areas.
  Construction in the area South of the buildings/parking lot so short loops are gone. Fun outing with family, great place for that.
  (Carrie Kostroski)
• Jan 31 - Pine Point Park (Stillwater):
  Conditions: Quite good.
  Tracks not as good as yesterday but still a good ski late in the day.
  Photos:  
  (Phil Williams)
• Jan 31 - Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Fast hard pack. Overall very good.
  Could really use a grooming, which it will probably get after Monday snow. Replacement of missing trail sign would be cool, too. Three loops on the Razorback can get to your head and sense of direction. No place like Murphy if you want to break down your legs.
  (Dale Vaillancourt)
• Jan 31 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Much improved, overall very good for skate on the north side, moderate to poor on the south side.
  Three cheers to the groomers at Como! No, make that a 21 gun salute! The transformation is close to miraculous! Thanks are also due to the man with the shovel and sled who was hauling snow to the worst icy spots.
  I skied Sunday afternoon. On the north side overall the course was very good. The groomers had rerouted the course around the biggest problem spots at the bottoms of long downhills. (Go slowly on the first downhill by Lexington, or you may miss the reroute.) On the uphills there were a few places where skis slipped, but these were avoidable. On the southside, the worst part was the section that loops towards the parking lot right after coming under the bridge. The narrows on the side-hill by the zoo was also bad.
  (Lois Braun)
• Jan 31 - Cleary Lake Regional Park (Prior Lake):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Skied with friends Sunday. All loops were lightning fast for skating with a hardpack covered by a half inch of snow for great edging. Friends reported great tracks on the 2k loop which was filled with families enjoying the day. This park continues to do an excellent job of providing skiing fun for everyone. And the best kept secret is their hot cocoa - worth an extra 30 minutes to enjoy after skiing.
  (Jim Lair)
• Jan 31 - Baker Park Reserve (Maple Plain):
  Multi-use trail excellent for skijoring. Great job groomers, thanks, Penny the dog.
  (Larry Myers)
• Jan 31 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: Decent.
  Like most areas around the metro, Lebanon Hills was a bit icy and hard. Some new snow would be wonderful. However, the tracks are still in decent shape, and the snow coverage total and clean, with the exception of one little spot between posts 32 and 36 where it looks like some heavy machinery rolled across the trail.
  (Brian Wray)
• Jan 31 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Non-skiing report: Saw the groomer out in the dark this evening. Hats off to them!
  (Heather Norton-Bower)
• Jan 31 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Bright in the moon light.
  Needing to unwind, I went and strided around Wirth for an hour this evening. The classic track was solid and I was able to kick on some mid-temperature wax, although had I gone more than four kilometers it would have scratched right off. Still, with the full moon rising over the skyline on the Front 9, it was a gorgeous night.
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Jan 31 - Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Good but getting icy in spots. Trail was generally hard pack but didn't have trouble getting bite for skating. I can't tell you what shape the classic track was in. Low teens, no wind. I used Fast Wax Blue LF. Saw a couple doing classic & one skater, both coming off the A loop as I started at dusk.
  Hurried out to Lake Elmo to find about a half dozen cars in the trailhead lot at 5:00. We definitely need some snow because I can't see how the groomers can eke out much more granular "snow" from the ice just below the surface.
  (Keith Carlson)
• Jan 31 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Fast and icy!
  Skated for about an hour today. Icy and hard packed most of the time. Great gliding, edging was generally difficult, but manageable with some persistence. Classic tracks looked nice and firm. Some waves and bumps, especially where the trail has been rerouted. Trail base looks to be in excellent condition overall.
  (Connor Donahue)
• Jan 31 - Lake Minnewashta Regional Park (Chanhassen):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Groomers set a great track Friday, but by today, the walkers and dogs had chewed up large sections of the trail - skate and track. Unfortunately this is an ongoing problem here.
  (John Jurgensen)
• Jan 31 - Battle Creek Regional Park West (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Surprisingly good. One icy downhill along the treeline back to the meadow.
  Generally packed pretty hard, with a few icy patches, but enough snow to provide adequate edge in most cases. The back hills along Battle Creek Rd. had seen little use since the last grooming and were in great shape. Relatively little debris on the trail. Today's nature bonus: Great Horned Owl.
  (Tom Kunau)
• Jan 31 - Bunker Hills Regional Park (Coon Rapids):
  Conditions: Fantastic.
  We skijored on the skijor loop. The trail was in great shape. It looked freshly groomed and classic tracks set. There were a couple of small patches where the gravel poked through the snow but the rest of the trail was great.
  (Sue Logan)
• Jan 31 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Gorgeous.
  I'd never skied William O'Brien before and was impressed. It is rather far away from the Cities, which is a shame, but it is just a splendid course. Lots of hills, up and down, great views across the Saint Croix to Wisconsin, a sweet bridge under the railroad, beautiful hardwood stands and prairie and the like. And the snow was in very good shape considering the weather recently—it was easily to edge and pretty fast, with maybe two uphill icy spots by the second lap and a couple squirrely downhills (especially as they got scraped off) but overall very good skiing. The striding track looked variable.
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Jan 31 - Columbia Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Icy and fast, but fun.
  Brought only classic skis, but longed for skate skis once I got there. Skied the west side (on the other side of the RR tracks from the clubhouse). Classic tracks were shallow, but the skate lane was all there. It was a bit chewed up from walkers and dogs, but it would have been a great, fast day for skating! Nice sunshine!
  (Diana Jankovich)
• Jan 31 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Excellent. Fast for skaters. No oak leaves.
  I can only comment on the skate portion. The trails were in great shape. They were quite fast due the compactness of the snow pack, but the snow coverage is excellent. Only in one spot did I nearly veer off course due to a heavy rut in the snow. This was minor and avoidable.
  (Joe Ferrer)
• Jan 31 - Chomonix Golf Course (Lino Lakes):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Really nice freshly groomed double track and wide skate lane, and very few skiers have used it. We were disappointed that only the south loop and a very small loop north of the clubhouse are open - probably about 3k in all, so we went around a few times. No ski trails cross the creek to points north - apparently they will be replacing the golf course bridges so there are plowed areas where the ski trails were last year. With the hard conditions, it was also easy to bushwack around a bit.
  (Linda Johnson)
• Jan 30 - Terrace Oaks Park (Burnsville):
  The course was fast on Saturday, but not at all icy like the parking lots and streets are in many locations across the Twin Cities. The classic tracks were very solid as well. It was a pleasant ski.
  (Lisa Marquardt)
• Jan 30 - Irondale Trails (New Brighton):
  Conditions: Very good for skate, poor for classic.
  What fun! I'd never been to Irondale before, and was amazed at how many hills could be packed into such a tight package. For those who have never been there, the uphills are neither steep nor long, and the downhills are not scary, but the curves, which are all on either flats or hilltops, are tight.
  On Saturday the skate lane was packed and fast, not icy. The classic track existed only in a few places, and was marred by oak leaves.
  (Lois Braun)
• Jan 30 - Francis Gross Golf Course (Minneapolis):
  Classic poor track is icy, thin, frozen ruts on northside. Skate, hard but clear. No bare spots but watch for big icy patch on east fence. Appears groomed on Thursday, Jan 28th.
  (Gavin Watt)
• Jan 30 - Pine Point Park (Stillwater):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Skied late in the day and was surprised how firm and good the tracks were. A bit icy and some needles of course, but the downhills were manageable.
  (Phil Williams)
• Jan 30 - Vadnais/Sucker Lakes (Vadnais Heights):
  Conditions: 15 degrees, sunny.
  Skied the Vadnais Lake side only. Groomed within past two days. Good classic track; only a few places were shallow tracked because of the ice pack underneath. The skate track was a bit narrow but skiable, 5'-6' wide (it had previously been groomed 8'-10' wide).
  (Eric Snider)
• Jan 30 - Carver Park Reserve (Excelsior):
  Conditions: Grimm Trail: very good.
  I classical skied the Grimm trail and found it to be excellent.
  (Sue Bradley)
• Jan 30 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Back 9 & Front 9: Perfection. Connector Trail & JD Gardens: Great! Wirth Lake: Pretty much glare ice. Eloise Butler: On-again/off-again classic tracks, good skate lane. Quaking Bog: No classic tracks, good skate lane. 394 Connector: Good for both. Brownie Lake: Very thin snow. Cedar Lake Trail: No classic tracks, lots of footprints from Bigfoot or Paul Bunyan. Cedar Lake & Lake of the Isles: Pretty much glare ice, no grooming remaining.
  Classic skied the whole Loppet course (except Wirth Lake/Jar Hill section) to Uptown. Fun time except for the lakes, which are pretty much glare ice at this point.
  (Bill Oyler)
• Jan 30 - Eagle Lake Regional Park (Plymouth):
  Conditions: Good on Eagle Lake Trail.
  Trail was not too bad considering the rain and ice recently. Classic trail was fine and skating looked good. Some icy spots and snowed over spots but only for a few yards at a time.
  (Wayne Nelson)
• Jan 30 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Very good, much better than expected.
  The grooming crews at Wirth have done a great job recovering from last week's meltdown. The classic track was the best it has been all year long. Hard wax still worked well.
  (Mark Schulte)
• Jan 30 - Phalen Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Still good.
  Phalen is still great for skating, although today it seemed harder to keep an edge in some places. There are also a few areas where somehow waves have appeared. And those ruts are still there ...
  (Jenneke Oosterhoff)
• Jan 30 - Baker Park Reserve (Maple Plain):
  Conditions: Good skating at 1 PM but getting icy by 3:30 PM. Very fast.
  I was pleasantly surprised at how good the skating was, as there was just enough loose stuff for grip versus slip--excepting the big hill. Trail was very clean, starting with the Island. Later afternoon it seemed to get more icy, especially in the shade.
  (Rich Swenson)
• Jan 30 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  After last night's lovely trip around Minneapolis, I went back today for more. I rated the trails last night—by moonlight—"very good" and today saw that this was an underestimation. There are a couple icy spots and a couple dirty spots and, otherwise, 20+ kilometers of immaculately groomed ski trail. The lakes are icy (although Brownie is fine). If the Loppet were tomorrow, it would be a great race—although the lakes would be interesting (they are plowing). Let's hope for a couple inches of non-windblown snow this week.
  Photos:  
  (Ari Ofsevit)
• Jan 30 - Baker Park Reserve (Maple Plain):
  Conditions: High of 22 deg @3: 18, mild wind out of the SW. firm skate lane with rocket fast deep well formed tracks.
  The Baker groomers have done it again with consistently excellent grooming under difficult conditions they are nothing less than true artists! Winter days don't get much better than this. Judging by how full the parking lot was, I would guess others felt the same way. As the afternoon warmed up, the skate lane got slippery and fast, with the tracks becoming roller coaster "scary". Cranked out a brisk 30K+ skate with Scotty and Dave for a truly blissful, exhilarating Winter experience.
  (Barry Pultz)
• Jan 30 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Good, newly set classic trail, and skating wae firm and fast.
  Should set up real nice for the race tomorrow. This park is so worth the drive from the cities. Nice variety of trails and very well maintained. The roaring fireplace was an extra bonus.
  Photos:  
  (Scott Ford)
• Jan 30 - Green Acres Recreation (Lake Elmo):
  Conditions: Nice!
  All in all, a great day to be out skiing! Grooming was great for both skate & classic on the western trails. Gaylen's Gallop is sugary on the hills and a bit rough and/or dirty in spots, but still fun and quite nice considering the lack of snow lately. I probably wouldn't take my best skis on that stretch but you don't need rock skis. Brian's Alley was fine on the flat section but a bit treacherous on the downhill. Green Acres is a really nice addition to the east metro trails--be sure to check it out if you haven't already.
  (Maren Olson)
• Jan 30 - Battle Creek Regional Park East (Maplewood):
  Conditions: Icy.
  Track comes and goes and is icy. I wish that people would pick up after their dogs.
  (Susan Anderson)
• Jan 30 - French Regional Park (Plymouth):
  Conditions: Very good trail conditions for skating.
  Fast, with enough loose snow on all trails to get good edge. Classic track appeared ok, but one skier said it was a little beat up in some places. Very pleasant day, with lots of sunshine.
  (Jon Clark)
• Jan 30 - Hyland Lake Park Reserve (Bloomington):
  Conditions: Good.
  Had not been out for two weeks; expected worse conditions and was pleasantly surprised. Except for a few spots, the classic track was in good shape and the skating was better. Some leaves in places. Tip of the hat to the groomers!
  (Dave Wehrs)
• Jan 30 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Skied at 9:30 AM, temperature 9°, between Jensen Lake and Gerhardt Lake to the west. The tracks were in great shape but crusty from the recent refreeze. The hills were fast! Green V20 hard wax worked well except for the low areas where the cold overnight air remained.
  (Jim Porter)
• Jan 30 - Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Fast.
  Man, greased lightning on the Lutter Trails and that side - grooming fantastic. Would love a little fresh stuff to improve my amateur edging, but all in all a blazing fast ski.
  (Scott Malm)
• Jan 30 - Bunker Hills Regional Park (Coon Rapids):
  Conditions: Golf course, great. North park, fair to good.
  Classic skied the golf course this afternoon. The tracks were recently groomed and in nice shape (just a little ice, usual oak leaves and very few bare spots). Skate track looked to be in nice shape too.
  I then went up to the NE area of the park by the Activities Center. The classic tracks in the NE part of the park were generally in rougher shape with more ice and debris. The portion of the trail to the east of the tracks and west of the park entrance road had no classic tracks and did not appear to be groomed recently. The trail to the north of Bunker Beach was also in rough shape. Considering the the recent weather, the north trails were decent, but not as nice as the golf course.
  (Chris Rauschl)
• Jan 30 - Como Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Fast, groomed, corn kernel sized ice pellets. The hairpin turns are icy and graded from snowplowing. Otherwise very good snow cover and freshly groomed.
  The Como trail had degenerated somewhat from last week's freezing rain. It has recovered well and has been well maintained by the park staff. The tilling/groomer/cat/pisten bully machine they're using has turned over the remains of the hardened snowpack and ice and produced a skateable track. As the sun warmed certain portions, it became apparent that the corn kernels were turning to more negotiable, softened snow. There were icy portions and one or two exposed ground areas. 5 kilometers of skiing await.
  (Michael Mckinney)
• Jan 30 - Highland 9-hole Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Good for skating but bad for classic.
  They groomed for skating but they did not reset the classic tracks. About 50% of the classic trail was in decent shape but the rest was either ice or the tracks were gone altogether.
  (Sue Logan)
• Jan 30 - Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve (Burnsville):
  Conditions: Very nice. Exceptionally fast, but you can still get an edge. The Razorback loop is actually in better shape than the easier loops because it has had less traffic/snowplowing. The Knob loop could use a grooming pass to loosen up the snow, but it's not bad. No debris to speak of, and I didn't notice any exposed rocks.
  Beautiful, crisp, clear January day. If you like to live on the wild side, this is the place to be.
  (Jon Bostrom)
• Jan 30 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: Poor on the lakes.
  If you are planning to ski on the lakes, don't bother. Went out to Isles today, hoping to ski Isles, Cedar and Brownie. Minimal to no snow and no track.
  (Elaine Ito)
• Jan 30 - Elm Creek Park Reserve (Maple Grove):
  Conditions: Skate: very good; Classic: very good.
  Got over to Elm Creek at sunrise this morning. As I expected the classic trails to be horrible (I was wrong) I brought both my skate and classic skis. Ended up doing a pursuit workout! 8k each of skate and classic. The groomers had done an excellent job and Mud Lake was super fast. On my classic lap it was double pole most of the way, but I had kick when I wanted it. Real fun today!
  Photos:  
  (Rich Hoeg)
• Jan 30 - William O'Brien State Park (Marine on St. Croix):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent.
  The park crew has done a fabulous job preparing the trails for tomorrow's Marine/O'Brien Ski Race. Many passes have been made to mix in Monday's new snow fall with the solid base. The trails are pure corduroy of transformed snow and new snow. A ski with minimal structure and a hard durable glide wax will be perfect for skating. Blue klister binder or powergrip binder ironed in and topped with wax of the day will make sure small ice shavings don't tear your much needed kick wax off your skis for the classic race. Sun and temperatures in the teens will make for a great kids race in the afternoon. Come and enjoy the beautiful trails at O'Brien State Park the entire park staff with be there to welcome you.
  (Everett Myers, Marine/O'Brien Ski Race)
• Jan 30 - Woodland Trails (Elk River):
  Conditions: Plenty good for skate. My noon ski was the best since the big meltdown. The Trail Crew is doing a great job turning our hard base back into snow.
  Doc and Evolution will be out this evening slowly dragging Godzilla on the outer loop for our Sunday skiing pleasure. Enjoy!
  (Dave Anderson)
• Jan 30 - Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Eagan):
  Conditions: About 10 degrees with super firm and a little glazed classic tracks.
  Unfortunately some other skiers seemed offended that I brought my whole family (all the way down to the 3 1/2 year old). One in particular (with a dog) said "unreal" when one of us was in the left hand lane. Kind of ruined it.
  (Rich Hauver)
• Jan 30 - City of Lakes Loppet Trail (Minneapolis):
  Conditions: I am very impressed with how good the conditions are!
  This morning at 7:30am I skied (skated) all the trails around the tubing hill, I went over the bridge and skied the other part of the golf course, and we went to the Eloise Bird sanctuary and over to the bog trails. I was very impressed with the conditions. At the Bird Sanctuary and Bog trails there were a lot of sticks and pine cones, but overall the trails are good. They were fast! Now, if you start at the Hap trail, you will not believe how good the conditions are, but then when you leave the snowmaking area it does get icy. But I can't believe how good it is compared to last Wednesday and last Sunday when I skied these trails. Great job groomers! Thanks for all your hard work!
  (Shawn Storkamp)
• Jan 30 - Highland 9-hole Golf Course (Saint Paul):
  Conditions: Good.
  Freshly groomed Saturday morning. Most of the ice was chopped up. Much improved from earlier in the week.
  (Brad Moening)
• Jan 30 - Chomonix Golf Course (Lino Lakes):
  Conditions: The trail is in very good condition. There are a few icy spots and only a couple exposures of dirt.
  Skiing this morning was ideal. The trail has been groomed recently and the groomer made huge improvements since I was last out on Wednesday. I skied classic but the skate portion looks great and is untouched. Even though we have a shortened loop this year it is a pleasant ski.
  (Mike Metzmaker)

• Jan 30 - Gateway State Trail (Pine Springs):
  Conditions: Good.
  I took a side trip today on the Gateway from Pine Point to Manning while I skied Pine Point. The Gateway has been groomed from PP to Jamaca, although not recently. Still, it was good skiing on the new snow that has covered the ice on the old tracks. Much quieter skiing than on the glazed trails elsewhere. Lots of double poling and kick double poling-kind of like the Vassalopet 42 K!
  (John Strand)

Minnesota Northeast

• Feb 8 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: Outstanding in fresh powder.
  It's always special to ski during a snowfall. My timing was perfect as the late afternoon snowfall had freshened the trail while not yet accumulating enough to slow the skiing. My thanks to the groomer for not setting double tracks on the bigger downhills.
  (Duane Forbort)
• Feb 8 - Lester River Golf Course (Duluth):
  Non-skiing report: The city ski hotline said they'd groomed the skijor trail on Lester Golf Course last week, so I ran over there to try it this afternoon, but after looking at the trailheads I decided not to risk my good skis. The cover looked thin, there was a lot of debris, and the grooming was blown over. Maybe it gets better once you get away from the parking lot, but I didn't want to take a chance and hit a cart path.
  (Catherine Winter)
• Feb 7 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  Conditions: Excellent and fast!
  The trails were not freshly groomed and they were still in amazing shape for both classic and skate without much debris! They are hard packed, not icy at all, with enough snow on top to make for a really fast, fun skijor! We went around all the skate trails twice today and had a blast! All but one of the tons of dogs were on leashes today which made for a safer ski!
  (Eve Stein)
• Feb 7 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  Conditions: Excellent! Firm and fast skate track, classic tracks were clean and well set.
  Mark and I had a fabulous ski today at Boulder, actually some of the best skating we've ever had. What a beautiful place to ski.
  (Kay Wallis)
• Feb 7 - Jay Cooke State Park (Carlton):
  Conditions: Good to excellent on trails off Hwy 23.
  Big hills on Upper Lost Lake are in good shape. Getting an edge for control was not a problem. Some portions of Lower Lost Lake were nearly pristine with many more wolf tracks than pole tracks. Spruce Trail has lots of cone and needle debris in north half (there's a reason it's called the Spruce Trail) but is otherwise in good shape. One person wearing ski boots apparently walked most of the Spruce and Upper Lost but avoided the track. Saw several people taking advantage of the good conditions on these beautiful trails off Hwy 23 which aren't often groomed after mid February.
  (Joel Rosen)
• Feb 6 - Pine Valley (Cloquet):
  Conditions: Great skating.
  Pine Valley is well groomed, and fast. Greeted by freshly groomed trails the last 3 days.
  (Chris Gustafson)
• Feb 6 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: Good conditions, tracks a little soft and shallow.
  The kids and I took on the shorter loop - AKA the chicken loop. The snow was pretty slushy midday and lots of skiers out. But it was super fun and I didn't see a thing to complain about (see picture), my kids on the other hand ....
  Photos:  
  (Kristin Riker-Coleman)
• Feb 6 - Magney-Snively Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: Good once you get past the first 1/2k.
  I skated all the loops twice today and after the initial connector loop which has not been groomed in quite awhile, the trails were in good condition for both skate and classic. The initial loop is hard packed with an edge and a lot of debris. The trails were getting a lot of use and the corduroy was disappearing quickly. Someone walked quite a ways on the trail towards the end of it leaving huge footprints going out and back.
  (Eve Stein)
• Feb 6 - Gooseberry Falls State Park (Two Harbors):
  Conditions: Fair to good. Cloudy 24 with occasional very light snow.
  Snow cover is thin and places along the trail icy. Mostly under the pines and cedars. We We we were able to use our good skis with no regrets. A lot of skiers and snowshoers out exploring the park today. Ski conditions were better the farther we skied inland. Wonderful scenery throughout the park. We hiked down to see the frozen waterfalls before our ski, Wow! A definite must do, and bring the camera.
  (Craig Holgate)
• Feb 6 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  Really nice classic ski at Lester early Saturday morning. The groomers have done wonders with no real new snow there since Christmas. The tracks are shallow in some spots but overall more than adequate. Fast Wax blue paste gave decent glide, Swix blue hard wax was slipping a bit so a thin coat of extra blue did the trick. The chickadees are giving spring calls, and several species of woodpeckers were out, including a very noisy Pilaeated!
  (Tim Holst)
• Feb 5 - Magney-Snively Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: OK Skate.
  Skated Magney-Snively plus the Spirit Connector early (8:30am). Neither had been groomed for a while (The Spirit 11km looked the same). The skate lane was firm and not over used with 1/4 inch of fresh slow snow. No classic tracks.
  (Nic Bacigalupo)
• Feb 4 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  Conditions: Very good skate.
  A little time, a little snow, and a nice grooming have made amends for the last evil onslaught of slush. A really great skate today with little worth criticizing. Bring on more snow!
  (John Ipsen)
• Feb 4 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  Conditions: Skate very good, classic just OK.
  Just groomed Thursday morning. Classic track is shallow and somewhat icy. We need fresh snow. Skating lane nice and flat but with such a shallow base it may get beat up with use. I was lucky to get there shortly after groomer finished and had a great ski.
  (Joe Schneeweis)
• Feb 3 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Skied all the loops, just groomed for both classic and skating. I skated and it was great. Classic skiing looked fabulous, new deep cut tracks. Thanks for the good grooming!
  (Dave Arvold)
• Feb 3 - Fond du Lac State Forest (Cromwell):
  Conditions: Very Good.
  Skied the whole trail Wednesday, the loops on the east end of the trail were challenging but are great. There were moose tracks in a couple of places on the first loops, some were steamin' hot. I think we just missed seeing it.
  (Lonny Gervais)
• Feb 3 - Jay Cooke State Park (Carlton):
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  North side trails are still in good shape. A slight increase in debris since the weekend. The debris situation seems worse this year than usual and is probably due to the weird fall that left lots of leaves, seeds, etc. on the trees. 1/4" of powder on Tuesday still in the tracks in many places and made for a somewhat slower ski with excellent kick provided by blue or blue extra. Downhills to Triangle hut were still fun but easier to maneuver.
  (Joel Rosen)
• Feb 3 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Sorry I did not make it out this morning to field test the new Tidd Tech Ginzu groomer combo. Fabricating these two groomers together I hope to level and remove the corduroy caused by the spring tensioned teeth releasing and chattering on the hard pan of the trail. Enjoy Your Ski.
  Note: On Monday, Feb 8th Bear Paw, Blue Ox, and Warming Shack will be closed 2pm - 4:30pm. Two Harbors High School is hosting a Junior Varsity Race.
  Thank you.
  (Dave Marciniak)
• Feb 3 - Two Harbors Ski Trail (Two Harbors):
  Conditions: Fair to good.
  The trail is holding up better than expected given the amount of snow this trail has received so close to the lake. The trails are in fair to good condition for classic and skating, with a few ice flows over the trail that have been with us since the Xmas storm. The lights appear to be down for the rest of the season due to a buried line that has failed. FYI: We continue to groom some trails on the golf course that are very nice.
  (John Cron)
• Feb 2 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  An inch or so of new snow made the skating a bit slow, but the woods are beautiful with the snow in the trees. Looks like a little bit more snow fell up there than near the lake. The hotline says Boulder will be regroomed Wednesday morning.
  (Catherine Winter )
• Feb 2 - Magney-Snively Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: 1/4 inch of powder on top of packed powder.
  About 6 inches of powder fell on top of the rain two weekends ago. The classic track is absent right now due to the recent Nordic Spirit race, and the trail was groomed a foot or two wider, so skating is spacious. The trail is smooth and in excellent condition.
  (Bruce Bauer)
• Feb 2 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: Good!
  Did the classic loop (with all the difficult trails) and am happy to report that the course is still in good shape. The downhills are getting pretty fast and slick at the bottom, but still skiable. (The right-hand tracks have been lifted for a lot of those trickier downhills sections.) A fun fast ski!
  (Elaine Nelson)
• Feb 2 - Lester Park (Duluth):
  Conditions: Pretty good, though a few ice spots to watch out for.
  The consensus from several people who skied it Monday was that Lester was kind of dicey--but with a little bit of fresh snow this morning, I'd say it was pretty nice. I skated all the way around, with the exception of the L loop. There were a number of areas where groundwater had iced up into little mini-glaciers, but most of the patches could be easily avoided--on one or two, I slowed down and tiptoed through. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to hold an edge--my impression was that it was a little crunchier in the lower trails, but even there it was fine.
  (Erik Riker-Coleman)
• Feb 1 - Mother Bear Ski Trail (Brimson):
  Conditions: Wonderful.
  My friend and I were the only skiers and found this to be a beautiful classic trail. The snow was heavy on the trees and we enjoyed the gentle hills and pristine nature of this trial. Please note that once you find the turn on Cty. 14 with the sign, Hugo's Bar, it is 10 miles to the next turn on Cty. 44.
  (Mary Dawson)
• Feb 1 - Snowflake Nordic Ski Center (Duluth):
  Wonderful skiing - both classic tracks and skate. Cold air but good snow. Thanks, George.
  (Mark Knutson)
• Feb 1 - Chester Bowl (Duluth):
  Conditions: Very good.
  The trails were freshly groomed. The tracks have some ice groomed into them but they are present throughout along with the addition freshly added foot and dog holes provided by the privileged few. Skating would be nice as well.
  (Jonathan Rova)
• Jan 31 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  Conditions: Great!
  What a difference some cold powder and a few degrees warmer can make! Both skate lanes and classic tracks in excellent shape for fun skijoring on dog day! Still too many off leash dogs though.
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 30 - Jay Cooke State Park (Carlton):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent. No-wax skis can be left in the car or at home.
  Recently groomed track on the north side is fast and firm with no ice. The usual debris just east of the dam crossing on the Greeley Creek Trail, but otherwise only minimal debris that can be ignored. The two downhills to the Triangle overlook hut were a blast, about 10mph faster now that conditions are favorable for waxable skis. If you haven't skied the outer trails at Jay Cooke, do it now while conditions are good. (Spruce and Upper Lost Lake are scheduled for grooming mid-week). Only a very few trails in northern MN with comparable scenery.
  (Joel Rosen)
• Jan 30 - Piedmont Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: Super!
  Well groomed and beautiful. The hills are in great shape!
  (Deb Salzer)
• Jan 30 - Hartley Park (Duluth):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Overall the tracks are in very good condition. 18 degrees this afternoon with the sun poking through the still snow covered trees. Very nice!
  Photos:  
  (Bob Myers)
• Jan 30 - Jay Cooke State Park (Carlton):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Skied Silver Creek Trail this morning. Did not go as far as Lost Lake Trail. Perfect freshly groomed classic trails on Silver Creek. No complaints.
  (Curt Pianalto)
• Jan 30 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  Conditions: Super-fantastic excellent!
  The conditions out at Boulder today could not have been better for skate (classic looked great too). It was a tad slow with the temp in the low teens (Start green seemed pretty dialed in) but the grooming was superb. It is always well worth the drive to go out there. The parking lot was overflowing, nice to see so many folks enjoying fun in the winter sun. As with the prior entry, if you're not getting out there you are missing out.
  (Tom Heinitz)
• Jan 30 - Korkki Nordic (Duluth):
  Conditions: Perfect.
  The best ski of the year! Perfect kick and glide, tracks set well, still pockets of the forest with tons of snow hanging on the trees. It was unfathomably beautiful.
  (Adam Sundberg)
• Jan 30 - Magney-Snively Trail (Duluth):
  Conditions: Hard packed and fast.
  I had hoped to catch Magney's pre-race grooming when I headed out around 3 today and I was too early. The trails still had classic tracks and the skate lane was very hard packed like concrete with an edge. I was disappointed and left after a few k.
  The groomers should be there for the race when they are done with Spirit.
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 30 - Boulder Lake Management Area Ski Trails (Duluth):
  Fantastic. The north and south loops are in great condition. The skate lane looks good as well. Great grooming. Great sunshine. Great scenery. If you don't go, you're missing out!
  (Amy Bennett)

• Feb 8 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  We are out with the snowcat today. We will be grooming the west end of Logging Camp, Ridge Run, Moose Pasture, the north side of Beaver Dam, the North South Link from Aspen Lake to Golden Eagle, Wolf Point, Red Pines, Cross Fox, Deer Mouse, Moose Ridge and the Logging Camp along the north side of Flour Lake. The 2 inches of snow we received was perfect; just enough to freshen up the woods and pack in on the trails nicely. The base is firm for skating and tracks good for classic skiing. We have an average base depth of 9 inches.
  (Teresa Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)
• Feb 7 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
  Conditions: Fantastic grooming with about an inch of new powder snow on top.
  North Superior Youth Ski League spent the day skiing at Golden Eagle and found the trails to be in spectacular condition with a good hardpack, deep tracks, solid skate lanes and a bit of powder on top. The kids and the parents had a great time. Snow conditions are near perfect and the scenery was awesome.
  (Mike Crook)
• Feb 7 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  Very good trail conditions. The picnic loop was in great shape for skating. It was snowing with an inch or snow of fresh snow on the trail.
  (John Cron)
• Feb 7 - Northwoods Ski Trail (Silver Bay):
  Conditions: Light snow. Temp 28 degrees F.
  The tracks were in great shape and became fast with some newly fallen snow. First time on this trail and we were awed by the rugged mountain type scenery.
  (Michael Cochran)
• Feb 7 - Tettegouche State Park (Silver Bay):
  Conditions: Very Good.
  Beautiful Scenery. Beautiful Day. What more can you ask for? I did not ski it but it appeared the ski-through to the Northwoods trail system was groomed.
  (Tim Grebner)
• Feb 6 - Central Gunflint Trail System (Grand Marais):
  Skated Campground, Summerhome, and Logging Camp this afternoon. Good, hard corduroy, and temps near thirty made for fast, fun conditions. 14-18 inches of base. Fantastic mid-winter skiing.
  (Bob McCloughan, Bearskin Lodge)
• Feb 6 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  Conditions: Britton Peak Trailhead - Excellent PB power tilled surface and new track set.
  Skated the Picnic Loop this morning and was treated to another great grooming experience. One other skater beat me to the punch on the upper ridge, so I had to settle for the second set of skate tracks. Still the best ski of the season.
  (Joe Stasney, Sugarbush Trail Association)
• Feb 5 - Cascade River/Deer Yard Lake (Lutsen):
  Conditions: Good.
  Skied the Deeryard trails today, and conditions were pretty good. Lots of debris on the trails, but grooming was ongoing at the time, and conditions improved dramatically with the new grooming.
  (Timothy Lederle)
• Feb 4 - Banadad Trail (Grand Marais):
  Trail Alert: Portions of the Banadad are closed due the weight of ice followed by heavy snow accumulating on alder brush and small trees caving them into the trail and making the trail impassable. Boundary Country Trekking staff, members of the Banadad Trail Association and other Gunflint Trail residents have been out daily clearing the trail but the going is slow, wet and cold. It has been taking the crews four to five hours per mile to clear the brush. Thus far the Lace Lake and Tall Pines Trails are open and tracked. Twenty kilometers of the Banadad's thirty kilometers have been cleared. We expect to have the remainder of the Banadad cleared by mid next
  week. Stay tuned folks.
  (Ted Young, Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B, Cabins and Wilderness Yurts)
• Jan 30 - Cascade River State Park (Lutsen):
  Conditions: Not good. Go inland.
  Trail conditions right by Lake Superior are marginal to bad. At Cascade, the lakeshore trail is brown and the trails from the park campground are either bare ground or patches of icy snow. The trails on the west side of the park, from the snowmobile parking area at milepost 98, are a bit better (note pics). The folks at Cascade Lodge are recommending driving up to the Deeryard trails, which they say are in great shape.
  Photos:  
  (Andrew Slade, Skiing the North Shore)
• Jan 30 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  Conditions: Best skiing on Sugarbush this season. Skate lane is firm but with nice corduroy producing a silky ski. Not too fast, not too slow, good edging.
  Skied the picnic, oberg, homestead, and hogback loops from Britton Peak. Did Onion River Road on Friday night in the moonlight. All trails were in great shape and totally fun.
  (Timothy Nelson)
• Jan 30 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent.
  We classic skied from Oberg to Homestead Loop and back. Conditions were fabulous with silky snow over a hard packed base. Kicking and gliding were great. We found deep set classic tracks with a firm skating lane. The snow on the trees at the top of Homestead Loop was incredible, creating a surreal experience. Thanks to the groomers for working the trail to these conditions.
  Photos:  
  (Greg Fangel)
• Jan 30 - Sugarbush Trail System (Tofte):
  Conditions: Perfect mid-winter conditions atop a 5-10" base.
  Skied the Homestead Loop (okay...walked with skis attached to my feet) and found an excellent track in a trail system that was aesthetically perfect, what with the snow and ice and sunshine. It truly doesn't get any better than this.
  (Bill Lane)
• Jan 30 - Pincushion Mountain Trail (Grand Marais):
  Conditions: Packed powder snow base. Skating lanes and classical tracks re-set by Pisten Bully and Snowmobile on Friday evening making for excellent classic tracks and skating lanes this weekend.
  Excellent Skiing Conditions: All trails have been re-groomed for classic and skate skiing following last weekends storm. Packed powder snow surface conditions over a firm snow base. Temp's are warming up for this weekend! Compacted Base: 6-8” Snow Depth in Woods: 10-14"New Snow Last 24 Hours: 0" New Snow Last 7 Days: 7” Groomed for Skating: 25 of 25 km open with skating lanes. Groomed with Classic Tracks: 25 of 25 km with tracks set. Trail Conditions Rated: Excellent for Classic skiing and Excellent for Skate skiing. Last Grooming Day: Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 Total Snow for Season since October 10th, 2009: 36".
  (Dave Bartol, Devils Track Nordic Ski Shop)

• Feb 6 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  Conditions: Friday and Saturday Great snow and great grooming.
  I skied Silver, Gold, Cedar and Bronze/Summit repeatedly. Freshly groomed and great tracks. When there's snow and grooming like this, this place really is one of the best places in the US. With these conditions the State Meet should be great.
  (Tony Pellegrini)
• Feb 5 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Bronze, Gold, Biwabik Spur and Summit are all in top shape for skate and classical. The Oslo is now open too! :).
  (Cheri Johnson)
• Feb 2 - Carey Lake (Hibbing):
  Conditions: Quite good.
  Conditions have improved dramatically since I was up here in December. The fallen trees have been cleared, there is good snow, and the lights were on. I only skied the lighted loop, but that was in good shape everywhere except the log pole pine section where the tracks were gone and the snow was very uneven.
  (Nate Porath)
• Feb 2 - Stoney Ridge Trails (Nashwauk):
  Conditions: Excellent, groomed last week.
  Only skied first short loop with the puppy, great shape, thanks Del. This system of approx 10 km at 15 miles north of Nashwauk on east side of Hwy 65 is groomed with six foot wide machine and immaculately maintained.
  (Neil Gardner)
• Feb 2 - Sturgeon River Trails (Chisholm):
  Conditions: Excellent, fresh tracking in progress.
  South loops groomed Tuesday, lots of ice laden bent brush removed, slow going. North loop should be completed by Thursday. Still gorgeous marshmallow on balsams by river.
  (Neil Gardner)
• Feb 1 - Big Aspen Recreation Area (Virginia):
  Conditions: Mid-winter prime.
  The track is awesome. This is the best condition I've skied on this trail in in a long time. The ungroomed section from 7 to 8 is skied in solid. I was kicking on fish scales, as usual, but I'm sure picking a kick wax in these conditions, whatever that may be, would be very easy.
  (Matt Zak)
• Jan 30 - Big Aspen Recreation Area (Virginia):
  Conditions: Very good tracks set. The groomers had lots to clean up and did a great job. Trees on east side are arching over the trail way down to chest level in some spots. Once the snow comes off them they should spring back up.
  Most of the trail from 1, 2 5, 6 is top notch. Solid tracks and pole plants. Snow was scrunchy under skis with the cold conditions.
  Only other spot I saw besides what was mentioned by other poster. Is from 7 upto 8 that wasn't groomed. Continued on to 13, 11, 10, 9, 8. Where it was very good!
  Nice to see a track set on some of the smaller hills now.
  The brilliant blue sky and sun highlighting the snow covered trees and brush made it an eager adventure to find out what was around the next corner for beauty.
  Photos:  
  (Ron Kutsi)
• Jan 30 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  Conditions: Sunny and wonderful.
  Several of the trails are in excellent shape. Gold, Northern Lights, Cedar, and Silver are all top notch. Laurentian was soft, but has some great scenery. Nice to back out on these trails again. And the weather was perfect.
  (Craig Holgate)
• Jan 30 - Giants Ridge (Biwabik):
  Conditions: Grooming 10+ inches over 60Km along with trimming back all the snow laden branches is taking longer than expected. Presently 30Km is completed, and we are working on the outer trails. The MN state HS courses are perfect, come out and get ready for the section and the state HS races.
  Base is 6-8 inches with beautiful hard wax conditions, FINALLY.
  (John Filander)

• Feb 3 - North Arm Trails (Ely):
  Conditions: Excellent- plentiful snow.
  Nearly all the trails are broken and tracked, generally firm and fast though the lesser traveled trails are soft. Some slush on the lakes. Photos from Feb 2nd.
  Photos:  
  (Jonathan Benson)
• Jan 30 - Howard Wagoner Trail (Tower):
  Conditions: It was about 13 degrees. Sunny and nice!
  The trail was not yet tracked. There were other people out skiing and breaking trail since it seemed no one had been out there since the previous snowstorm. There were numerous trees in the way of the trails- bent down from the last snowstorm. When I was leaving, the snowmobile was out starting to do some work on the trails. Hopefully they are in better shape now. It was quite beautiful with all the snow and a great day to ski- sunshine was nice.
  (Ida Rukavina)

• Feb 6 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  Conditions: Low 20's and bright sunshine. Snow hanging in the trees. Beautiful!
  The brush leaning into the trail from the ice storm has been cleared. Thank you Burge and Teresa! Skied the Blue and Red Loops. Both were very fast. The Red is the best its been in a long time. Lots of skiers out enjoying near perfect winter conditions!
  (Jeff Eibler)
• Feb 1 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  Conditions: Sunny, +2 degrees.
  Great day for a ski! Skated the entire circuit (Blue, Orange, Yellow, Red Loops). Blue trail/Voyageurs NP connector trail is probably the best trail of all, despite its infrequent use--made first tracks on that one! All trails are in good shape, despite a few pretty deep ski ruts on the yellow and orange return loops--oh, well, can't blame folks for wanting to get out and ski! Excellent glide, despite the cold, with Fastwax White.
  (Teresa Stone)
• Jan 31 - Tilson Creek Ski Trail (International Falls):
  Conditions: 3 above, sunny. Snow has compacted, trail is good.
  Second day of volunteer trail work cleared the final section today, the VNP connector or "Blue" trail. Packed and tracked. Tilson is completely groomed. Skating should be good (if slow now with cold temp's) on fully settled trail - not much cutting visible today. Classic tracks are firm.
  Photos:  
  (Burgess Eberhardt)
• Jan 31 - Ash River State Forest (Orr):
  Conditions: Lots of snow.
  Doesn't appear to have been groomed this year.
  (Mike Gerard)

Minnesota Northwest

• Feb 8 - Buena Vista Ski Trail (Bemidji):
  Conditions: West Side: Excellent Skating. East Side: Backcountry Classic for now.
  The west side was rolled this evening (Monday) and should set up nicely by daybreak. Caan's Loop will be a little softer as it had not been fully rolled since the last snow, but it should be great with the predicted temps. There is no track at present. Black Lake trails have 8.5k of track set today. Nice track, but some soft pole sets, especially on the north side.
  (David Harrington)
• Feb 8 - Lake Bemidji State Park (Bemidji):
  The park received 3" of soft powder over the weekend. All trails are groomed and excellent for another week of skiing.
  (John Fylpaa)
• Feb 3 - Lake Bemidji State Park (Bemidji):
  Excellent. Park trails were groomed Tuesday.
  (John Fylpaa)
• Jan 31 - Movil Maze Trail (Bemidji):
  Conditions: Grooming was excellent.
  Trail conditions were great with good base and well defined classical track. A little slow because of cold weather. Beautiful trail.
  (Don Hoppe)
• Jan 31 - Three Island Park (Bemidji):
  Conditions: Excellent! Skate lane and track.
  The north loop had some mowing issues, but it only affects a small portion, mainly right near the river crossing. The north loop was great despite the aforementioned raspberry stalks near the river.
  The rest of the trail is excellent. The issue of the logging crossing was taken care of by the last snowfall.
  (Jim Harrington)
• Jan 31 - Buena Vista Ski Trail (Bemidji):
  Excellent skating and classical track on the west side of BV. Best conditions of the season! The course was groomed Friday and set up great for the BV below zero time trial yesterday. The course was even better for skating today (did not ski Cann's Loop).
  (Ryan Aylesworth)
• Jan 30 - Buena Vista Ski Trail (Bemidji):
  Conditions: West side: excellent near side. Other: unknown.
  West side to the feed station was tight with a great track.
  (David Harrington)

• Feb 7 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  Conditions: Winter wonderland. 5-6" fresh snow past 24 hours as of 10pm, light snow still falling. Mid 20's. SE wind 10-12 mph. Compacted base 7-12", snow depth 18-30". 10" fresh snow past 7 days. Grooming this morning on about 15km of trail and grooming this afternoon on additional 25km of trail.
  Hard to top the skiing this weekend. Very nice. We plan on grooming the entire trail system throughout the week for the Midweek skiers leading in to the big Presidents weekend. Had a fun ski with Kris and Kyia on the skate trails Saturday afternoon.
  Photos:  
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Feb 6 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  Conditions: Buttersilkysugarlike. 22 degrees, overcast, light winds. Dusting of new snow since yesterday's groom. Excellent skiing.
  We groomed 60 of 64km of the trail system by 8:30 this morning in effort to firm up the tracks and skate passage. Trails that were Pisten Bully groomed were front end renovated at full depth in effort to bring up some of the sugar snow underneath. Still a bit soft but very nice skiing and faster than yesterday being reported.
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Feb 5 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  Conditions: Couple inches of humid new snow groomed in really well.
  Great classical skiing this afternoon in the woods with "picture perfect" views of the woods/trees laden with snow! Mr. Anderson skied on his Atomic RC 11 Multi Cork ski's and they worked super well! I got kick with Swix VR 60 over Rex Blue Power Grip.
  Photos:  
  (Kyia Malenkovich)
• Feb 5 - Five Lakes Nordic (Frazee):
  Conditions: Temperatures near 32 degrees and 2 inches new heavy snow.
  Fairy Cruiser is fast and beautiful! The trees are laden with snow, all trails are open and looking great. Many trees fell in the ice storm but all trails are open and looking good.
  Photos:  
  (Lisa Kaldahl)
• Feb 5 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  Conditions: 1-2" of fresh snow the past 24 hours. Light winds and 31 degrees for high so far on Friday. Excellent skiing conditions. Compacted base on the trail is 6-11" and snow depth in the woods is 15-26".
  We groomed 58km of trail today except for one trail (Roy’s Run which has been recently groomed with fresh snow on top but skier packed). The woods are still flocked with some of the snow from the storm a few weeks ago. We plan on grooming the entire trail system again early Saturday morning and Sunday morning if more than 1" of new snow. All the trails are tracked for classic except for Skaters Waltz and Skaters Extension which are groomed for skating (7km). The skiing is a bit soft with the fresh snow, warmer temps and high humidity but overall some fantastic conditions.
  Photos:  
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Feb 4 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  Conditions: Excellent trail conditions for classic and skate skiing. Everything groomed with 1/2 inch new snow cover.
  Beautiful area with rolling terrain and trees covered with snow.
  (Tom Rowe)
• Feb 4 - Rainbow Resort Trails (Waubun):
  Conditions: 26*F; above; cloudy skis; 1 to 2 inch fluff snow covering on trails from current week snow showers; 20k skate lanes renovated and combed; tracks on 20k system have light snow fill; 3k classic trail reset tracks; average 7” packed powder base; conditions rated as excellent.
  We are going on two weeks and the forest canopy is still a sight to behold. With milder temps and snow showers forecast for the upcoming weekend I do not know if it could get any better. I just had to send the photo in from last Saturday of the two Glamour Girls (as they put it) who were following me up while setting track.
  Photos:  
  (Doug Schumann, Rainbow Resort)
• Feb 3 - Mountain View Recreation Area (Detroit Lakes):
  Conditions: Excellent, fresh 1 - 2 inches of snow.
  Skied this for the first time, classic ski. Trail was groomed to near perfection. Looks like a lot of work was done clearing trail of fallen branches from the ice storm.
  (Earl Stabenow)
• Feb 3 - Dunton Locks Ski Trails (Detroit Lakes):
  Conditions: Poor.
  Went to classic ski, no trails groomed.
  (Earl Stabenow)
• Feb 2 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  Conditions: Light snow early, then sunshine, then light snow then clearing again. Total 24hr accumulation an inch or two. Gentle winds, 12 degrees. Compacted base 6-10" snow depth 15-25".
  Skaters Waltz groomed this morning and new tracks set on Mother Hen. Jonell and I skied North Loup and parts of Roy's Run in the afternoon and was hard to keep from stopping, taking in the beautiful conditions. The trees continued to be flocked nicely with snow. It's incredible in the woods right now.
  Photos:  
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)
• Jan 31 - Maplelag Resort (Callaway):
  Conditions: Winter Fantasyland. Plenty of snow, fantastic skiing.
  Beautiful moonlight skiing with the family last night and a afternoon ski with Jake confirmed reports from the trail that conditions were some of the best ever experienced. Sure there is some forest matter....no but skiing for us, just ski! Even got a local HS hockey player lycra'd up for first time on skis.
  Photos:  
  (Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

• Feb 7 - Itasca State Park (Park Rapids):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent for classic; slow for skate due to deep fresh snow.
  Conditions at Itasca were the best I've seen them in years (granted I only visit once a year). When we arrived on Friday the 5th, most classic trails had been freshly groomed and tracks set. The bike trail from the Visitor's Center to the Headwaters was in excellent condition. Skate skiing on Saturday, however, was a workout, as only the Nicolett, DeSoto, and Wilderness Drive appeared to have been packed for skating since the last few inches of new snow. But the winter wonderland scenery more than made up for the slow conditions. Sunday we returned to the bike trail, which was still very good, but slower due to falling snow.
  On Saturday we skated the perimeter loop and found that major sections of it had not been packed since the most recent 1 or 2 inches of snow, and thus were a very good workout. Unpacked portions included the South Entrance Road, the Ozawindib, and Eagle Scout trails. The Nicolett trail was better, as was the Wilderness Drive.
  On Sunday we returned to the bike trail to the Headwaters, which was still very good, but a bit slower due to new snow.
  (Lois Braun)
• Feb 5 - Cut Lake Ski Trail (Pine River):
  Conditions: Good to very good. Two inches fresh snow on trail.
  The trail has not been groomed for a while. Yet I could follow the tracks, even with 2 inches of fresh snow. All in all, it was an excellent experience, with the pines, aspen and birch trees.
  (Earl Stabenow)
• Feb 4 - Hiram Ski Trail (Hackensack):
  Conditions: Pretty good.
  It has been awhile since the track was set but the current track is ok. This is a nice little trail system. It is well mapped and those wishing to avoid hills can do so easily. I wish I had seen the trail forest before they did all the logging.
  (David Harrington)
• Feb 2 - Soaring Eagle Trail (Park Rapids):
  Conditions: Excellent classic and skating track, 1" new snow on 4" base.
  Trails were groomed today and are all in top shape.
  (Deane Johnson)
• Jan 31 - Goose Lake Trail (Longville):
  Conditions: Poor to Fair.
  I don't believe this has been groomed since December 29th and we've had several inches of fresh snow. Only the beginning 3 loops had track broken by previous skiers. Some of that wasn't even very good because someone had "skated" over "classic" tracking. I broke trail back to and around old pine tree plantation. Only part not done now is past that, into the hardwood loop. Very disappointed as I live locally and ski this often.
  (Diane Hasser)
• Jan 31 - Shingobee Recreation Area Trails (Walker):
  Conditions: Packed Powder - Skate with classic track set. Hard and Fast.
  First time skiing here, very hilly terrain. Skated on the classics in most sections and felt like I should have purchase a lift ticket for the downhills. Might head back this weekend with the skate skis and sleds for the kids! Only did a small loop, look forward to checking out the whole system.
  (Tony Schmitz)
• Jan 31 - Soaring Eagle Trail (Park Rapids):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Great snow composition, trails very well groomed, not much leaf or pine needle litter.
  (Dan Persons)

• Feb 8 - Zippel Bay State Park (Williams):
  Conditions: Trails are currently covered with about 3" of very nice snow.
  The classic tracks are skied in, so classic is ok, but skating is going to be a little tough until the trail is groomed.
  (Tom Heinrich)
• Feb 4 - Zippel Bay State Park (Williams):
  Conditions: Trails are nice and firm. There is about 1/2 inch of fresh snow on the trails.
  I skied this evening, and it was super. Glide was great, and the new snow made everything very quiet.
  (Tom Heinrich)

Minnesota Central

• Feb 8 - Grand View Lodge - The Pines (Nisswa):
  Conditions: Very Good.
  Skied all three trails (ungroomed at the moment), fun variety of terrain, ups and downs, etc. Had the whole trail to myself. Enjoy!
  (Steve Black)
• Feb 7 - French Rapids X-C Area (Brainerd):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Whole system recently groomed and tracked with a fresh coating of new snow that arrived early this morning. Highly recommended.
  (Ron Palm)
• Feb 6 - Mille Lacs Kathio State Park (Onamia):
  Excellent conditions. Trails are freshly groomed. Kathio is worth the drive for classic skiers and hill lovers.
  (Jim Johnson)
• Feb 3 - Northland Arboretum (Brainerd):
  Conditions: Excellent for skating. Some debris still on classic tracks.
  Skied the past two nights and trails were in great shape. The new snow we received earlier in the week was worked into the old. Haven't been up on North Star but my wife and friends were night before last and said it was fine.
  (Mark Stadem)
• Feb 1 - Northland Arboretum (Brainerd):
  Conditions: Excellent, freshly groomed.
  Very well groomed -- just done today. Great glide despite cold weather. Classic tracks still have quite a bit of debris -- need new snow. Skating excellent.
  (David Taylor)
• Jan 30 - Grand View Lodge - The Pines (Nisswa):
  Conditions: Base 2-5", Ground Cover 8-10". Classic trails are in good shape, Skating trails in very good shape.
  In the past 2 days about 15K of classic trails have been groomed, 6 of which were groomed this evening. Reports from guests is that classic trails are very good for skiing, even though they look a little rough. I skied the system right before this report and it was fun. There has only been 2" of snow in the past 6 weeks with moderate rain about 10 days ago. We will continue to work the trails with the Pisten Bully to keep the system skiable until it snows.
  Photos:  
  (John Taylor, Grand View Lodge)

• Feb 6 - Sand Dunes State Forest (Zimmerman):
  Conditions: Freshly groomed! (and in excellent condition.).
  We were able to get Sand Dunes groomed today, and the trails are in the best condition they've been in years. For now, very good to excellent skiing. Base 5-6 inches, snow depth 15 inches.
  Grooming plans: As of right now, if we get as much snow as predicted, we will roll and pack on Thursday, and set track on Friday.
  (Hans Erdman, Backcountry Trail Patrol)
• Feb 6 - Lake Maria State Park (Monticello):
  Conditions: Trails are freshly groomed and in excellent condition,.
  3 inches of new snow on Friday. All ski trails have been regroomed on Friday and Saturday and are in excellent condition. Base 6 inches, Snow Depth off-track 15 inches.
  (Hans Erdman, Backcountry Trail Patrol)
• Feb 4 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  Conditions: Variable.
  The Hilltop and Warmup Loops are newly groomed. Both are excellent except where the troops in their combat boots hiked on the trail! The Dog Loop is not as good, but ski very skiable. The Orchard Loop is OK, but not newly groomed.
  (James White)
• Feb 3 - Graystone Trails (Saint Cloud):
  Conditions: Freshly groomed corduroy, classic skied in tracks sporadic.
  Kyia and Mike did excellent work to groom up the freestyle on Tuesday night and it set up well. Good base with no dirt poking through. Only problem was a "platoon" of walkers on about 1/2 km of hilltop. It looked like the army had come through to do boot camp training with an emphasis on the boots. The classic is tracks that are older on north loop and orchard. Baltos is a bit drifted in parts.
  (Kris Anderson)
• Feb 2 - Riverside Park (Saint Cloud):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Newly groomed for skating Tuesday. Fresh snow. No classic track. No hiking tracks yet.
  (James White)
• Feb 2 - Lake Maria State Park (Monticello):
  Conditions: New snow and a concerted grooming effort produce great skiing!
  Three inches of new snow. The base and track are still hard, but the new snow has restored great ski conditions. Groomer worked most of the day. Base 5-6 inches, off-track 12-14 inches.
  (Hans Erdman, Backcountry Trail Patrol)
• Feb 2 - Sand Dunes State Forest (Zimmerman):
  Conditions: Skiers setting tracks in the new snow.
  We are still dealing with equipment problems, which is unfortunate because we got 3-4 inches of new powder at the Dunes. User set tracks on northern loops. Hope to groom by the weekend.
  (Hans Erdman, Backcountry Trail Patrol)
• Jan 31 - Sand Dunes State Forest (Zimmerman):
  Conditions: Better for snowshoeing than skiing, but skiable on user-set tracks.
  Thawing weather and rain have left the ski trails very icy and a heavy crust off trail. Grooming equipment is currently down for repair. We hope to regroom sometime this week. Some skiers have cut in tracks in the old groomed tracks and they are skiing at the Dunes. Base 4-5 inches, snow depth 12 inches w/crust.
  (Hans Erdman, Backcountry Trail Patrol)
• Jan 31 - Lake Maria State Park (Monticello):
  Conditions: In fairly good condition, all things considered.
  Trails have been regroomed as of Friday, Jan 29. The grooming has broken up some of the icy conditions and softened the trails. Track is hard and fast. Overall ski conditions range from fair to good. Base 4-6 inches. Snow depth 10 inches.
  (Hans Erdman, Backcountry Trail Patrol)
• Jan 30 - Kraemer Lake-Wildwood County Park (Saint Joseph):
  Conditions: Excellent conditions. Hard and firm very nicely groomed single track.
  Was out to Wildwood's. It was pretty good.
  (Patrick McDowall)
• Jan 30 - Quarry Park and Nature Preserve (Waite Park):
  Conditions: Classic tracks in very good shape.
  Tracks are firm and clean. Area adjacent to the tracks are very crusty. Nice job of grooming despite not have any new snow to work with.
  (Pam Carlin)

• Feb 6 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  Conditions: Fair to good?
  Groomed recently, but we had some additional snow since. Skating lane was soft, and has about 1-2” of new snow on top. Classical tracks pretty nice, but also filled-in in some places. The first couple kms on the main trail up to and just beyond the warming hut have seen snowmobile traffic and the skating lane is terrible! Beyond that the sweeping 180 at the bottom of the hill is horrible – soft, deep, rutted. I would avoid this section even if classical skiing.
  (Keith Brugger)
• Feb 4 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  Same as Tuesday. 2" of ungroomed snow. Still very skiable.
  (Kayo Aslagson)
• Feb 2 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  2" of new snow made the skating slow. The skied in classic track was good.
  (Kayo Aslagson)
• Feb 1 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  Conditions: All the trails were open and groomed for both skate and classic. The trails were nice today.
  The trails were starting to cover with the new falling and drifting snow.
  (Kayo Aslagson)
• Jan 30 - Spidahl Ski Gaard (Fergus Falls):
  Conditions: Excellent for both skate and classic - firm base, fresh snow on top - groomed to perfection.
  Skied at Spidahl's today for the first time in four years. A great time, I skied Speedy's and Skidalen Trails several times in both directions. The recent snow event combined with wind left snow stuck to one side of all the trees, winter wonderland! Wonderful hosts David and Cindy made for a great day. Treats from the City Cafe Bakery topped it off! Super ski experience today.
  Photos:  
  (James Wellbrock)
• Jan 30 - Andes Tower Hill Ski Area (Kensington):
  Conditions: As per yesterday, but firmer.
  Trails have firmed-up a bit since yesterday, and with slightly warmer temperature the skating was relatively fast. Still limited kms of trail to ski on, but what's groomed is pretty good.
  (Keith Brugger)

• Feb 7 - Springvale County Park (Cambridge):
  Conditions: Fresh set tracks, yesterday mid day. Skiff of new snow from this morning, excellent!
  I just reset double tracks in entire trail system yesterday. Were skied in almost immediately. Set up nicely last night. Just a skiff of new snow in them now. Get out and enjoy!
  (Roger McNear)
• Feb 6 - Springvale County Park (Cambridge):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Snow in the tracks, but great weather conditions. Nice snow, great glide. Retracking of course would only make it nicer.
  (Sherri Jones)
• Feb 3 - Springvale County Park (Cambridge):
  Conditions: Very good.
  The new fluffy snow made for great skiing today. We listened to a great horned owl hooting as we skied.
  (Mary Dawson)
• Feb 2 - Spirit River Nature Area (Cambridge):
  Conditions: We have 2" of new, fluffy snow & the trails are excellent. Classical and skate-skiing are in great shape.
  We saw a herd of 7 deer while skiing the trail by the Rum River today!
  (David Johnson)
• Feb 1 - Vasaloppet Nordic Center Trails (Mora):
  The light snowfall tonight is welcomed at the Nordic Center where heavy use has resulted very hard packed trails and icy spots. The northern loops are in good to excellent condition. The Beaver Dam Trail is very good as the Memorial Trail and Point Trail is excellent.
  (Paul Weber)
• Jan 30 - Vasaloppet Public Ski Area (Warman):
  Conditions: Couldn't have been better.
  All loops were freshly groomed and in fantastic shape. Skied (skate) all 4 loops Saturday and had a fantastic time. Thank you to the grooming team!
  (Jeff Jannicke)

• Feb 7 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: Very Good.
  Skied Sunday afternoon. Classic tracks were excellent to a little shallow and the Deer Yard trail, especially, has quite a bit of debris on the tracks. Sunrise didn't seem groomed, though much of the trails north of the Trail Center were recently groomed.
  (Seth Lindenfelser)
• Feb 7 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  Beautiful. A few more inches of fresh snow. No new grooming, only skier set tracks. Perfect day to have the grandkids plopping into all that fluff!
  Photos:  
  (Margie Rock)
• Feb 6 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: Good (classic).
  Sstarted at the Trail Center and went north on the western-most trail up to the Sunrise Trail. Went out to the Sunrise Loop and Back; the Sunrise Trail is very scenic and a very enjoyable ski. It wasn't clear to me whether the classic tracks on the Sunrise Trail simply aren't groomed, or just haven't been groomed in a long time. At any rate, the track was decent, but definitely a bit slow in places.
  (Geoffrie Kramer)
• Feb 6 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  Good. Only skier set tracks today. There has been 2+ inches of snow since the last grooming. Hopefully they'll roll all the classic trails wide, like they were earlier this winter, before they re-track them since the edges are really getting soft. Lots of people out enjoying the weather and trails.
  (Margie Rock)
• Feb 6 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: Pretty Nice!
  Maybe 1/3 of the trails have been re-groomed since the new little snowfall. Did classic on Old Logging, then turned around as Old Nevers Dam was not groomed. Did Mitigwaki and part of Pioneer, neither newly groomed, but Deer Creek was and it looked like River has also been newly packed and tracked. The new tracks were great!
  For skate, I did all the hilly stuff (Breezy Valley, etc.) and it had been packed, but not tracked in for the classic people. The Amador Prairie Loops (combi trails) were freshly done, but as I started to head up Sunrise, the fluff had not been worked it. It was certainly skatable and actually pretty nice--not too slow; however, I decided to only do a couple miles of it, then turn around and do repeats of the Amador loops, as I was flying solo today (gotta think about that puma on the prowl...).
  (Andrea Potyondy-Smith)
• Feb 6 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Started at noon and skated on 2" of fresh snow from Sunrise Landing all the way until I hit groomed surface at the Trillium Trail, then groomed surface all the way to the trail center. Lots of deer tracks, saw 2 deer near the railroad grade.
  (Bryan Lueth)
• Feb 5 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  Very good. Everything was groomed earlier today, although it has been gently snowing right along, so there is a little snow to pack down in the classic tracks, and the poling is a little soft.
  (Margie Rock)
• Feb 5 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: Fresh snow and ungroomed.
  I thought that the fresh snow, ungroomed trails and lack of many skiers made for a phenomenal ski. I am so glad to have gotten out there before they'd gotten much use! If you don't like forging through ungroomed tracks though, then you might want to wait until they've been groomed again.
  (Kate Hanke)
• Feb 4 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: Overall excellent.
  Amador Prairie and Deer Creek loops were a little soft in spots. Even though recently groomed the tracks were widened in places. However, once along the river and all the way around the campground conditions were wonderful. Very fast with great kick and glide. Also, the leaf problem was as good as it's been this year--hardly any.
  (Mike Chrun)
• Feb 3 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  Very good. The skate skiers only did a number on the eastern classical trails, the ones on the west side of the park are in great shape. We skied in a nice track over the skater-mess, so those are pretty good too. The groomer was out combing the skate trails that had all been rolled earlier. The skate trail seemed a little soft, but looked beautiful.
  (Margie Rock)
• Feb 2 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: New snow, being groomed this morning.
  I got out this morning before trails were groomed. I was surprised at the amount of snow. Classic trails were barely visible in spots so I made my own trail. 2-3 inches fresh, light snow. Flushed a bald eagle from MN side to WI side of river.
  Photos:  
  (Wayne Nelson)
• Feb 2 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  Conditions: 18F sunny.
  The good news -- a couple of inches of fresh snow combined with new tracks being set made for very good skiing. The bad news -- a group skated over the newly set classic trails and really did a number on them.
  (Tom Rapp)
• Jan 31 - Wild River State Park (Center City):
  Conditions: South of trail center and along the river: very good to excellent. North of trail center: some thin spots.
  One of the best skis of the year. Tracks are a little shallow but very fast. The leaves seem to have been mostly chopped up and weren't a problem. Just enough snow to cover any icy spots and it wasn't too abrasive. Great view of swans flying down the river in the sunlight.
  (Mike Chrun)
• Jan 30 - Sibley State Park (New London):
  Conditions: Fast. The ice has been ground into the little bit of fresh fluff, and the classic tracks are glazed, hard and icy. The skate trails seem to be in good shape.
  My green kick wax lasted about 15 minutes this morning(temp was 6ş). Talked to Leo, and he was using klister, but said even with that when you hit the ice in the tracks, there was no kick. There is still good coverage on the trails, some debris in places.
  (Margie Rock)

Minnesota Southern

• Feb 3 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  Conditions: Three inches new snow over very firm base.
  All trails have been groomed over the past 2 days. The skate lanes are firm with a freshly groomed new snow cover. Tonight after 6 PM new tracks have been set on all classic trails. Overall the conditions with the new snow are excellent. Tracks should be perfect tomorrow...enjoy!
  (Bruce Johnson)
• Jan 30 - Saint Mary's University (Winona):
  Conditions: Groomed Saturday; very good.
  All trails were groomed Saturday morning. Very good conditions.
  Tracks will be set this evening for the SMU classic race Sunday. Skaters are requested to please stay off the classic tracks until the race is over.
  (Tom Stoa)

• Feb 8 - F.A. Buscher Park (Mankato):
  Conditions: Just groomed both classic and skate 8:30pm.
  Its a bit soft, I hope to pack it Tuesday.
  (Mark Skarpohl)
• Feb 3 - Kaplan's Woods Parkway (Owatonna):
  Conditions: Good.
  The trail was groomed this afternoon and a new track was cut.
  (Wayne Pommier)
• Feb 2 - F.A. Buscher Park (Mankato):
  Conditions: Perfect (for mankato).
  1.5 k skate and classic short but very good.
  (Mark Skarpohl)
• Jan 30 - Kaplan's Woods Parkway (Owatonna):
  Conditions: Good. Several grooming passes on Friday effectively broke the crust. New classic track set; most of which is full depth.
  Best conditions are along the Parkway where the crust has been broken as fine as sugar. It is much coarser in the Woods, but still quite skiable for both classic and skate. Blue klister for positive grip and excellent glide.
  (Tom Raetz)

Wisconsin Northwest

• Feb 7 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  Conditions: Excellent tracks.
  Skied the Birkie Classic Trail from the North End. Lots of cars, but didn't see a lot of people. Trail conditions/tracks were fantastic.
  There was a little debris in the track, but that should be covered up now with the new snow (only about an inch). I haven't posted a trail report for 13 months.....yikes.
  (Scott Chapin)
• Feb 6 - Flambeau Hills Ski Trail (Winter):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Kudos to DNR, Dave & his staff for making an awesome candlelight ski! Skated the trail system right before sunset, awesome fast. Want fun skiing, try out squirrel/ridge loop. The candlelite loop is something to see with nice hills and great people, great turnout, check it out next year.
  (Mark Sproul)
• Feb 6 - Rock Lake (Cable):
  Excellent! Great conditions and weather today. Plenty of snow, just a little bit of woodland debris, nothing serious. Great classic trail. The best intermediate and advanced classic trails around. Skiied the 16 KM loop plus the Rock Lake Loop.
  Photos:  
  (Eric Christensen)
• Feb 5 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  Conditions: Excellent skiing!
  The weather has moderated over the last couple of days and the skiing is absolutely perfect. The Skate Trail South of "OO" to Hwy 77 and the lighted loops at "OO" were groomed this morning in the early hours and are just awesome. The Skate Trail North of "OO" to the Powerline and the Classic Trail to the Powerline Food Station will be groomed Saturday night. The trail was groomed on Wednesday this past week all the way to Hayward across the Lake starting at McNaught Road at 2.5k. The Trail crews are now starting race prep including tree and branch trimming and grooming edge to edge pulling snow into the trail. You may find the track in different places as the days get closer to race and we groom more and more and compact and till from edge to edge.
  The ice thickness is 16"-20" and the snow base on the lake has been plowed into a trail ribbon 30' wide and 15" thick. The comb grooming goes right to the back of Marketplace Foods. 5 more blocks and we will be at the Finish Line! 21 days and counting!!!
  (Bill Pierce, American Birkebeiner)
• Feb 5 - Mukwonago Trail (Hayward):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Trail was a little soft with the temps today but the trail should set up well overnight.
  (Lora Tucek)
• Feb 4 - Drummond Ski Trails (Drummond):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  All the Drummond Ski Trails were renovated and tracks reset. The 2-3" of new snow was mixed with the renovated base to clean everything up after the past ten days of use. Some tracks are deeper than others. The base is firm and about 12". In the woods there is still about 24" of snow. Thanks Hans.
  (Jim Crandall)
• Feb 3 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  Conditions: Awesome.
  Skied the Birkie Classic trail today. Kick great, glide great, a wonderful ski in a winter wonderland.
  Photos:  
  (Craig Johnson, Balsam Vinter Fest)
• Feb 2 - Rock Lake (Cable):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  We would like to thank all those skiers who have helped by clearing the debris off the trail. It is a great help to the groomers! We would also like to apologize for not setting track on the back portion of the 11km loop last week. We had a dangerous, near fallen tree on a portion of the trail and were unable to go back and set track in that section. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your cooperation!
  (Lora Tucek)
• Feb 2 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  New snow fell overnight and during the day today, accumulating to about an inch. Nothing newly groomed from OO north to the 5K mark. This really slowed the downhills. Pole plants were surprisingly soft on each side of the trail near the classic tracks, leading to most everyone staying in the middle of the trail. Still, the trail is in great shape.
  (Kirby Schuller)
• Feb 2 - Flambeau Hills Ski Trail (Winter):
  Conditions: Trail last groomed Jan 26th. Trail remains in very good to excellent condition. 100% of trail groomed for classic and skate.
  Received 2" of new snow today, next anticipated grooming scheduled for Thursday. Trail is very lightly used. More skiers urged to give it a try.
  (David Schultz)
• Feb 2 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  Conditions: Excellent. The conditions remain the best! We received a dusting to 1" of new snow last night and will groom the Classic Trail North to the start tonight. The lighted loops at "OO" were groomed yesterday and will be touched up today also. The Skate Trail will be done full length tomorrow.
  If want to ski on the Trail on the 27th, you have 24 hours to sign up and then you'll have to wait till next year!! Don't miss out!
  (Bill Pierce, American Birkebeiner)
• Feb 1 - Drummond Ski Trails (Drummond):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Skied a "Grand Tour" of Racetrack, North Country Loop, Jackrabbit. I figure 12 or so km. Good tracks with some pine needles here and there. They were polished and fast. I used blue klister binder and Toko blue with great results.
  (Jim Crandall)
• Jan 31 - Heartwood Ski Trails (Trego):
  Good conditions on most trails, plenty of packed snow. Cottage Trail a bit icy.
  (Becky Lien)
• Jan 30 - Heartwood Ski Trails (Trego):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent.
  Oak leaves and a bit of drifting in open areas prevent me from giving the elusive perfect rating. Both skating and classic conditions provide great fun. Get out to this little used gem!
  (Dave McAlpine)
• Jan 30 - Birkie Trail (Hayward):
  Conditions: Cost of Gas $30, Cost of Motel for one night $45, Skiing on the Birkie Trail for Two Days priceless.
  Skied Classic on Friday and Skate today. Conditions are great. The classic track was set earlier in the week, and is a little abrasive, because of the High moisture content. Had on a green binder with toko white. Kick was good for the first 18k, by that time, I had lost a good portion of my wax, and had to finish last 10k with little kick. Today's Skate tour took me on the the classic trail to the high point and then down to gravel pit back to OO. As the day warmed up my skis started to glide much better. As the way the trail was today it would make for great race conditions.
  (Bruce Fiedler)

• Feb 7 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  Conditions: Very Good.
  First time ever on the Classic Trail at ABR. Foolish me for passing up that little gem so many times. A little bit of debris in the trail but not to bad. The oak leaves provided some some (and sometimes unexpected) grip.
  (Ben Fornear)
• Feb 7 - Pattison State Park (Superior):
  Conditions: Good.
  A fair amount of debris in the track - especially under the pines. Overall a very enjoyable ski. I skied all of the loops found them all in good condition. Lots of snow hanging from the pine trees made for some good eye candy as well.
  (Ben Fornear)
• Feb 7 - Superior Municipal Forest (Superior):
  Conditions: Varied but overall good.
  Skated the red, green, and blue trails today multiple times. Conditions remain quite good. The constant grooming helps. There is more debris in the usual areas each time I go there. As with most places not over the hill, they are in need of some new snow.
  (Tom Heinitz)
• Feb 6 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  Conditions: Skate: very good; classic: very good.
  I headed over to the Brule River today planning to only ski 10 to 15 km due to my racing in the tomorrow's City of the Lake's Loppet. Well, my tune soon changed. Between the sun, snow on the pine trees and super fast classic trails, I ended up skiing 25km. I just did not want to quit! The only reason I did not rate the trails fantastic is some pine needles over on River Trail, otherwise a perfect ski. Molly, my wife, skated 30km and said the skate conditions were equally good.
  Photos:  
  (Rich Hoeg)
• Feb 5 - Pattison State Park (Superior):
  Conditions: Excellent. About an inch of fresh snow on already excellent snow conditions.
  They have tons of snow there and didn't get much of that rain/freezing stuff a few weeks back. They also received alot of snow since then. Even though some of the trails in Superior and Duluth are not reporting such great conditions, this is the place to go for good snow. This is a classic only trail. If you do the whole outer loop it takes about 45-min to 1 hour, so you can do it twice (which is well worth it because it's so gorgeous there), to get in 2 hours of great skiing, or you can do the shorter loop to add miles. This is a winter wonderland with snow covering the trees and nice narrow trails.
  (Libby Stupak)
• Feb 4 - Pattison State Park (Superior):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Trail was groomed today and is in excellent condition with an 11 inch base and 24 inches in the woods.
  (Dan Kephart)
• Feb 4 - Pattison State Park (Superior):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  My timing could not have been better. The groomer was setting a new set of tracks just as I was starting to ski. Get out and enjoy this trail, it really is a gem.
  Photos:  
  (Don Aro)
• Feb 3 - Superior Municipal Forest (Superior):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Did a late afternoon classic ski of the Blue, Green, and Red trails. The trails are fast and smooth with generally nice tracks except for the Blue where there are no new classic tracks set. Also tried skating part of each trail and that was excellent as well. Minor debris in some areas.
  (Duane Forbort)
• Feb 3 - Superior Municipal Forest (Superior):
  Conditions: Good.
  Conditions were quite good today. There is about a 1/2" of new snow that has been groomed into the skate lane over a firm and smooth base. There are still the usual icier and thinner spots on the blue and back of the red with a little more debris on the blue than this past w/e. I did not skate the yellow. Once again, they were busy newly grooming the trail as I was there. As per prior entry though, the ancient equipment does not break up the firmer base well.
  (Tom Heinitz)
• Feb 2 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  I skied Classic, Loop, and Aspen. Trails were newly groomed on Monday. A light snow was falling and it was beautiful out. Conditions were the best of the year! 185 people came to the candlelight ski last Saturday night and had a great time.
  (Kevin Feind)
• Feb 2 - After Hours Ski Trail (Brule):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Classic skied all the loops and found nothing but pristine conditions. You will not be disappointed if you make the drive to this trail system.
  (Don Aro)
• Feb 1 - Superior Municipal Forest (Superior):
  Conditions: Varied.
  I skated the yellow trail today a couple of times starting around 4 or so. The road in is well used by vehicles other than skiers and was ok, not treacherous, not great -- it's still icy under the tree. It was hard to tell how recently it had been groomed. Parts of the trail were great and parts under some trees and others spots were kinda almost icy. The trail in general was uneven most likely due to the inadequate grooming equipment the city provides the dedicated groomers with. The classic tracks looked ok, there was not a ton of debris as there sometimes can be. Corduroy was visible and it looked like what may have happened is the grooming equipment was unable to break up the icier stuff so it just scratched it up. They work hard, just need better equipment to go with the fabulous trails!
  (Eve Stein)
• Jan 31 - Superior Municipal Forest (Superior):
  Conditions: Very good.
  I wasn't sure what to expect there today with the mixed bag of precip they got last weekend but was pleasantly surprised. Kudos to the groomers, who have done wonders with what the have had to work with this year. I had fresh cord (couple inches of newer snow on top of a solid crust base) which was both smooth and fairly fast. I skated all of it except the yellow. The blue is thin on some of the steep uphills but all in all the whole system was great. You can use your good skis. Superior is always one of my favorites to ski and its nice to see the frequent grooming is keeping it in good shape.
  (Tom Heinitz)

• Feb 8 - Mt. Ashwabay Ski Trails (Bayfield):
  Conditions: Very good.
  I went ahead and regroomed the Mt. Ashwabay skate trails tonight. There was about 3 inches of new snow, and it was still snowing. It may need to be regroomed tomorrow, depending on how much more snow we get. I just figured it would help keep the base solid.
  (Scott Nesvold)
• Feb 8 - Penokee Mountain Trail (Mellen):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Perfectly groomed today to the consistency of wedding cake icing - and just as sweet. Snow dust in the air.
  (Linda Calhan)
• Feb 5 - Ashland Ski Trail (Ashland):
  Both skate lanes and classic tracks in excellent condition. Excellent glide today.
  Photos:  
  (Bill Burke)
• Feb 3 - Montreal Trails (Montreal):
  Conditions are reported to be excellent, trails will be groomed again mid-week.
  (Jessica Bolich)
• Feb 2 - Mt. Ashwabay Ski Trails (Bayfield):
  Conditions: Very good.
  On Sunday or Monday, almost all the trails at Ashwabay and Jerry Jolly were regroomed. I skied a lot of it Tueday afternoon, there was an inch of fresh snow (came down on Tuesday) on the trail, but otherwise the trails skied really well.
  (Scott Nesvold)
• Feb 1 - Mt. Valhalla Ski Trails (Washburn):
  Trails were groomed and tracked today. Watch for low branches on the sunbowl loop.
  (Jay Cablk)
• Feb 1 - Chequamegon Bay Golf Club (Ashland):
  Conditions: Very good.
  I had a great ski tonight on the golf course. It is in very good shape with no icy spots. It has been getting groomed pretty regularly. There is probably 4-5k of trail groomed with classic tracks on much of it with a few gradual hills both up and down. Another nice option in Ashland.
  (Paul Belknap)
• Jan 31 - Montreal Trails (Montreal):
  Conditions: Nice.
  Nicely groomed classic tracks with 1-2” new snow skied in.
  (Michael Howe)

• Feb 8 - Spooner City Trails (Spooner):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent; new snow 1-2 inches.
  The City Park Trails were groomed for skating this past weekend, some light snow has settled in on the trails since the last grooming. A new stride track was not set as the tracks appear to be in good shape.
  (David Martin)
• Feb 8 - Beaver Brook Ski Trail (Spooner):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent 1-2 inches of new snow.
  The Beaver Brook Ski Trails were tracked this weekend, the trails are in great shape with some light additional snow cover.
  (David Martin)
• Feb 8 - Red Barn Ski Trail (Shell Lake):
  Conditions: Well packed and tracked, firm base.
  Nice rolling trail on County B east of Shell Lake.
  (Dale Cardwell)
• Feb 7 - Balsam Branch Trails (Amery):
  Conditions: Very good. 22 degrees, sunny with brisk south wind in open. Snow was dry and slow in the shade. Hint of moisture and faster in the sun. No ice. I used Swix pink LF.
  Most people I've ever seen at Balsam when I was there between noon and 1 p.m. At least dozen cars in lot when I left. While I ran into several parties on the trail still found plenty of solitude. Took me an hour to do 8.8k.
  (Keith Carlson)
• Feb 7 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Skated the west side with brother Jeff & Sully his dog! They allow dogs on the west side. Great fun, fast skiing. Check out the lollipop loop, its neat. Classic skied it, great trail for classic skiing with it's rolling terrain.
  (Mark Sproul)
• Feb 7 - Balsam Branch Trails (Amery):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Excellent snow conditions. Tracks were getting a little worn in some places and a couple of the trickier hills were getting snowplowed to the hard base. Overall, a great day of skiing.
  (Mike Chrun)
• Feb 6 - Timberland Hills (Cumberland):
  Conditions: Very good.
  There was a couple inches of fresh snow so the classic skiing was very good. Hadn't been groomed in a couple of days, but had been skied in. Skate lane was somewhat slow and soft and had not been groomed since the new snow. On the hills you could tell there was hardpack under the snow as you plowed around the corners. But, all in all it was a very good ski and good conditions. It was 25 degrees when we started at 12:30. Blue/green kick wax was used and worked great.
  (Libby Stupak)
• Feb 6 - Barron Area Nordic Trail Association (Barron):
  Conditions: Freshly groomed.
  Groomed the skate lane this evening and with the cold temps overnight it should be a magic carpet ride on Sunday. Early Bird gets the fresh corduroy! Classic tracks were set in Jerome's field, otherwise they were ok.
  (Tyler Gruetzmacher)
• Feb 6 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  Skating started soft and was a bit of a workout today thanks to Friday's moisture-rich snowfall that was groomed Saturday morning. As the grooming began to set up, skating conditions improved. Great edge control, good pole plants, lots of fresh packed powder to explore. 30 km of classic track was set Wednesday and is in fairly good shape with Friday's 1-inch snowfall worked in by skiers.
  Photos:  
  (Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)
• Feb 5 - Timberland Hills (Cumberland):
  Conditions: Excellent - 2 inches of fresh snow.
  The trail is wide enough in most places for a full skate lane and a double classic track. Wooded, rolling terrain with some monster hills on the most difficult loop. Saw 5 people in 3 hours of skiing. This trail is one of the jewels of NW WI.
  (Bill Breitzman)
• Feb 5 - Balsam Branch Trails (Amery):
  Conditions: Good.
  A few inches of fresh snow and the groomer was out regrooming as I left around 5:30 this afternoon. Should be great skiing this weekend. The trees are coated with fresh snow. Very pretty!
  (Matthew Stone)
• Feb 3 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  Excellent, it is worth the drive. The grooming was excellent, warming house, outhouses and a great trail system and freshly groomed.
  (Henry Thomas)
• Feb 3 - Barron Area Nordic Trail Association (Barron):
  Conditions: Awesome.
  3+ inches of fresh snow was rolled and groomed Tuesday. All classic tracks were reset. Skate lane is soft snow but very fast. Tracks are firm and fast. Perfect! Come out and enjoy.
  (Scott Queiser)
• Feb 3 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  2 inches of fluffy snow Tuesday morning was groomed the same afternoon. With temps in the low 20s and bright sunshine, this made for excellent skating & striding midday today. Then fresh corduroy appeared out of nowhere - making for just amazing skating conditions. Wow!
  (Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)
• Feb 2 - Spooner City Trails (Spooner):
  Conditions: 1-2 inches of new snow, great conditions.
  Spooner City Park trails were groomed and tracked on Monday and again Tuesday. The base is solid and the skiing is great.
  (David Martin)
• Feb 2 - Beaver Brook Ski Trail (Spooner):
  Conditions: 1-2 inches of new snow, great conditions.
  Beaver Brook ski trails were tracked Tuesday night after snowfall. The trails are in great shape with solid tracks.
  (David Martin)
• Feb 2 - Timberland Hills (Cumberland):
  Conditions: A few inches of new snow! Grooming is in progress, conditions are very good.
  About half the trail system was groomed for skating and classic Tuesday night, and the rest is scheduled to be groomed Wednesday.
  (Louis Muench)
• Jan 31 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  Conditions: Most excellent!
  Classic tracks were in excellent shape. Looks like they had received at least 4 inches of fresh snow. No ice anywhere! The skating lane was very workable, but solid. A fantastic day of skiing.
  (Libby Stupak)
• Jan 31 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Both classic and skating trails were in excellent condition. Beautiful day of skiing.
  (Diane Harp)
• Jan 31 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  Plenty of snow to work with (no ice) - temps in the mid teens, bright sunshine, skating & striding conditions were excellent. Packed powder snow with plenty of fresh or seldom used corduroy. Great edge control, good pole plants, a deep and firm classic track - all highlighted by the beauty of ice/snow encrusted trees.
  Photos:  
  (Tom Paulsen, Blue Hills Trail Association)
• Jan 31 - Blue Hills Trail (Bruce):
  Conditions: Noon, 15 degrees, sunny, slight breeze, groomed that morning.
  Excellent classic track, skate was soft, but I have no grounds for complaint. It was some of the best skate grooming I've been on all season. Went counter-clockwise around outside loop on east side with a classic skier. I went up and back several hills as the classic skier took her time. Skied for 1:45. Well worth the two hour drive from St. Paul; well worth the $5 per person. Like I said last year this weekend: wished I lived within ten miles of this place.
  (Eric Snider)
• Jan 30 - Balsam Branch Trails (Amery):
  Conditions: Excellent, well groomed, good coverage.
  Just enough snow on top of hardpack to allow a skating edge. It was some of the best skiing of the year!
  (Chuck Norgard)

• Feb 6 - Hoffman Hills (Menomonie):
  Conditions: Close to perfect.
  Groomers worked a little magic and took care of a lot of trail debris and cleaned things up nice! The hills are as hard up and fast down as ever. Scolded a couple of walkers at the Tower for ignoring the signs and walking on the trails. Otherwise...a perfect ski!
  (Dan Gainey )
• Feb 6 - Hickory Ridge Trail (Bloomer):
  Conditions: Excellent+.
  Hickory Ridge ranks among my favorite trails with its rolling layout through scenic, lake-studded glacial moraine. Conditions today were superb.
  (Craig Bell)
• Feb 6 - Red Cedar River Trail (Menomonie):
  Conditions: Beautifully groomed corduroy from Downsville to Menomenie. Slight soft for the skaters but overall excellent. Classic tracks perfectly defined, pristine snow with no debris.
  Congratulations to the groomers: beautiful job. I skied Downsville to Menomenie and back at around noon. Chased two turkeys for about a mile along the trail before they flew across the river. They must have liked the grooming too. Also saw pileated woodpeckers and an eagle. One of the best easily accessible trails to ski with nature.
  (Richard James)
• Feb 6 - Hoffman Hills (Menomonie):
  Conditions: 1" new snow, 2 new beginner trails.
  1" of new snow yesterday, the core 60% of the system was groomed this morning. The volunteer groomers have received the OK to re-open the Ponds and Prairie trails as classical-only beginner trails. These trails were Tidd Tech'ed and tracked this morning. The main system trails are in great condtion. Birkie Skiers, we have your training hills.
  (Paul Peltier)
• Feb 5 - Red Cedar River Trail (Menomonie):
  Conditions: Slow and soft, with about 3" new snow.
  My wife and I skied the Red Ceder River Trail going north from Downsville. Beautiful woods and river, and great aerobics. It would be an excellent time to groom, given the new snow
  and slowly falling temperatures...not to mention that we are enjoying a weekend getaway in Downsville!
  (Richard James)
• Feb 5 - Hoffman Hills (Menomonie):
  Conditions: Complete clean up of the trails and new classical track set this morning. Great conditions. Light snow.
  The best snow we had all year for grooming.
  (Peter May)
• Feb 4 - Red Cedar River Trail (Menomonie):
  Conditions: 28 degrees and great skiing.
  Skated about 8 o'clock tonight and the trail is in very good shape.
  A nice cushion of loose fast quiet snow on top of a great base.
  The classic tracks, though not Pisten bully deep, are in good shape and so far free of debris. This is a great scenic trail for families, training, teaching and night skiing.
  (Bruce Jordan)
• Feb 4 - Hoffman Hills (Menomonie):
  Conditions: 80% of trails groomed for skating tonight. Classic tracks still in place on easy and medium trails. Thanks to the volunteers doing a great job.
  Skied tonight and it was the best skiing conditions this year.
  (Jerry Porter)
• Feb 4 - Red Cedar River Trail (Menomonie):
  Conditions: Soft and slow.
  The trail is currently very soft and slow. Lots of great new snow though, so once the temp drops for a few days get out and ski here because its going to be great. Also tracks are set but shallow and soft as well.
  (Hawkin Zukowski)
• Feb 3 - Hickory Ridge Trail (Bloomer):
  Conditions: Magical, 2+" new snow, fresh groom, new track set.
  Holy cow. The grooming is perfect. The terrain is challenging. The scenery is so very peaceful. You can really get in that zen-like place at Hickory Ridge.
  (Noah Michaelsen)
• Feb 2 - Tower Ridge Ski Area (Eau Claire):
  Conditions: Great.
  It looks like the entire system was groomed and tracked today. 2-3 inches of new snow groomed over a bulletproof base with another inch of fresh "sawdust on the dance floor" snow on top.
  Happy Ground Hog Day---six more weeks of winter.
  (Michael Howe)
• Feb 2 - Red Cedar River Trail (Menomonie):
  The trail was cleaned up before the snow then again on Tuesday evening. Entire length from Menomonie to Downsville groomed. Should set up nicely.
  (Bruce Jordan)
• Feb 2 - Hoffman Hills (Menomonie):
  Conditions: 2" New snow over groomed base.
  90% of system was deep groomed on Feb 1, then 2" of fluffy snow fell today. Grooming was attempted tonight, but snow was too warm. 40% of skate lane was rolled with mesh roller before time ran out. Classic track was quite deep, now has fluff snow in it.
  (Paul Peltier)
• Jan 30 - Red Cedar River Trail (Menomonie):
  Conditions: Cold, 4F above but sunny, firm fast skate and decent classic track considering lack of snow. Groomers deserve major kudos!
  I frankly was amazed at how good the skiing was! The volunteer groomers have worked wonders! Scared up three big wild turkeys that ran across the trail and then flew across the river.
  (Dan Gainey )

• Feb 7 - Timms Hill Trail (Phillips):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Well gromed and in great shape.
  (Jack Hanley)
• Feb 5 - Rib Lake Ski Trails (Rib Lake):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Great snow for skate, classic tracks looked very good. Beautiful system. Appears to have been groomed yestereday with an inch of new snow.
  (Judy Archibald)
• Feb 4 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Scott is doing fantastic job on the trails there!! An added bonus was the Rib Lake system (which connects to Camp Forest springs) had been groomed the day before so it also was excellent!
  (Jim Stevens)
• Feb 3 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  Conditions: Outstanding! The 1.5" of new snow is beautiful; not particularly fast but very skier-friendly.
  I groomed the trails in the morning and got to ski them in the afternoon - that's an excellent day!
  (Scott Everson)
• Feb 2 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  Conditions: Excellent--low 20's with fluffy snow falling. The Groundhog says 6 more weeks of skiing!
  1-2 inches new snow on recently groomed trail--great for snowplowing the many hills. Not as great for skating. This is a wonderful trail system with outstanding wooded scenery, interesting Ice Age terrain, and meticulous grooming.
  (David Henning)
• Jan 31 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  Trails were re-groomed Sunday night and are in excellent shape!
  (Scott Everson)
• Jan 30 - Camp Forest Springs (Westboro):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  I skated most of the 20km late afternoon and it was great, but striding the trails tonight was even better; kick and glide were both terrific.
  (Scott Everson)

• Feb 7 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  Conditions: Outstanding conditions for classic skiing.
  Perfect kick and glide with extra blue on recently groomed/seemingly minimally used tracks. Downhills not too fast and great fun for those of us scared of them. Could not ask for a better day to be at the park!
  (Amy Lewis)
• Feb 6 - Kinnickinnic State Park (River Falls):
  Conditions: All Natural (not groomed).
  A great place to enjoy the natural beauty of a quiet, peaceful and scenic skiing experience. Kinni is a nice combination of blaze your own trail in some pristine powder, or cruise through the track that has already been established. Easy access to the St. Croix river and an abundance of wildlife.
  (Tim Scharfenberg)
• Feb 6 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  Conditions: Primo.
  Great snow. All trails groomed and tracked this evening. Tomorrow's skiing should be glorious.
  (Rita Thofern)
• Feb 6 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  None of the groomers is available until later this afternoon. It was too warm to groom overnight so conditions will be less than ideal today.
  (David Thofern)
• Feb 4 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  Conditions: Excellent to Perfect?
  One word... Perfect! The trails are prime and the weather is great. Get out and ski!
  (Eric Weidman)
• Feb 3 - Kinnickinnic State Park (River Falls):
  Conditions: Ungroomed.
  Entrance gate are locked up due to budget cuts, but you can ski or snowshoe in and enjoy the beauty of ungroomed trails.
  (Suzette Lenzen)
• Feb 3 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  Conditions: As good as it gets!
  I skied this afternoon and the trails are in the best condition I've seen in several years. The classic track set up well overnight. The leaves and twigs have yet to make their arrival! The skate lanes are firm with good edging. Now, if we could just do something about those pesky deer...
  (David Thofern)
• Feb 2 - Marshfield School Forest (Marshfield):
  Trail system received 3" new snow Feb 1-2. All trails groomed and classic tracks re-set Tuesday evening. Trail conditions excellent.
  (Randy Lueth)
• Feb 2 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  All of the trails were groomed and tracked. The park received around 3" of new snow. Doesn't seem like much but it gave us enough to set very good classic track. The skate track is soft but should set up overnight and with further skiing.
  (David Thofern)
• Feb 2 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  Conditions: Early afternoon, about 3" ungroomed light powder on top of well-packed trail, 20-22 degF.
  Slow but sure footing for skating, a real joy!
  (Wayne Federer)
• Feb 1 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  Campground loop was great for skating. Just enough new snow to give a bit of grip.
  (Ginny Ballantine)
• Jan 31 - Willow River State Park (Hudson):
  Conditions: Good to fair.
  Skate lane is fast, if you can get bite. Skating lane is rock hard but is slippery and beat up. Classic lanes are holding up well, some leaves and sticks down.
  (Eric Weidman)

Wisconsin Northeast

• Feb 8 - Raven Trails (Woodruff):
  All loops cut and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 8 - Madeline Lake Trail (Arbor Vitae):
  All loops cut and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 8 - Escanaba Trail (Boulder Junction):
  All loops cut and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 7 - Washburn Lake Ski Trails (Woodboro):
  Conditions: Great conditions. Nice skate lane, firm and fast. Diagonal track looked great as well.
  Skied both Saturday and Sunday. We had these lovely trails nearly to ourselves!
  (Carol Aggen)
• Feb 6 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  Conditions: As good as it gets.
  It was smooth sailing at the Afterglow Lake Resort. No icy conditions or debris on Pete's ski trails. Pete puts his whole heart into his grooming. I just wish the trails were a little closer to where I live. Pete will also take the time to talk and answer questions about anything. Thank you for a pleasant day at your resort.
  (John Hemphill)
• Feb 5 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Trails groomed up perfect tonight. For about 2 weeks I have found that the nights that I see flying squirrels, I do not see bobcat tracks on the trail. When I see bobcat tracks, no flying squirrels. The squirrels were almost unaware that I was even there tonight. They only moved when I tried to pick them up. Trails have been groomed 46 times this season.
  Photos:  
  (Pete Moline, Afterglow Lake Resort)
• Feb 5 - Raven Trails (Woodruff):
  All loops tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 5 - McNaughton Lake Trail (Lake Tomahawk):
  Skaters loop groomed. All other loops tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 4 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  Conditions: Really nice.
  A fresh snowfall improved the top coat of the trails and as I classic skied with softish tracks. High moisture content, so the skating was silky.
  (Ken Schoville)
• Feb 4 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  Conditions: Skating: primo, striding: primo.
  What can I say, one word says it all - Primo! Thanks for another glorious day in the neighborhood Pete!
  (Greg Dahl)
• Feb 4 - Madeline Lake Trail (Arbor Vitae):
  All loops tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 4 - Escanaba Trail (Boulder Junction):
  All loops leveled and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 4 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  Conditions: Excellent skate and classic.
  Things were a bit on the soft side but otherwise all trails I skied were in wonderful shape.
  (Kirby Schuller)
• Feb 4 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  2" of new snow has re-invigorated the trails and covered any debris in the tracks.
  (Bryn Meyer)
• Feb 3 - Razorback Ridges Trail (Sayner):
  Conditions: Excellent conditions on classical.
  Freshly groomed, couple inches fresh snow and old crust, deep tracks, controllable hills.
  Photos:  
  (Shane Mooney)
• Feb 3 - Nordmarka Ski Trails (Eagle River):
  Conditions: Groomed entire system... skate lane + double track. Didn't ski it, but I'd expect very good to excellent conditions.
  There are still a few uneven spots and shallow track sets in places, but the new 1"+ of snow really helped! Enjoy a quick ski after work!
  (Troy Walters)
• Feb 3 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  Conditions: Excellent! 2" new.
  All skate lanes and all classic tracks reset. Snowshoers liked the feel of chickadees eating out of their hand. Trails have been groomed 44 times this season.
  Photos:  
  (Pete Moline, Afterglow Lake Resort)
• Feb 2 - Escanaba Trail (Boulder Junction):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  2 inches fresh snow over deep crusty track. A little slow (not a bad thing at Escanaba), very controllable.
  Photos:  
  (Shane Mooney)
• Feb 2 - McNaughton Lake Trail (Lake Tomahawk):
  Skaters loop groomed. All other loops cut and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 1 - Nordmarka Ski Trails (Eagle River):
  Conditions: Very good skating, fair to very good for classic.
  I smoothed out the skating surface last night and set track on one side (there are now double tracks). The track set is thin in places, but great in others. Not too much debris on trail.
  (Troy Walters)
• Feb 1 - Madeline Lake Trail (Arbor Vitae):
  All loops cut and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 1 - Raven Trails (Woodruff):
  All loops tracked. Thin snow in spots along Red loop under the conifers. Overall very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 31 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  Conditions: Excellent. 3/4" new today.
  All skate lanes raked and all classic track reset tonight. Ultra flat skate deck and full depth classic tracks exist. Seamless bowling lanes. Trails have been groomed 42 times this season.
  Photos:  
  (Pete Moline, Afterglow Lake Resort)
• Jan 31 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  Conditions: Excellent to very good.
  A little "crunchy" under the conifers but otherwise excellent conditions. Tracks were well set and fast. Some of the nicest conditions I've ever seen at MWP.
  Photos:  
  (George Cleveland)
• Jan 31 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  Conditions: Excellent skate, excellent to very good classic.
  Beautiful day at Winter Park, sunshine, mid teens, and with the snow pack not quite so frigid and squeaky, fast. Went out to Lake Marie and back in under an hour. A record. All other trails just as nice.
  (Kirby Schuller)
• Jan 31 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  A fantastic post Noque ski at Afterglow, enjoyed outstanding grooming, some light snow falling, sun peeking through the trees, chickadees feeding from our hands and a chance to work out the lactic acid from our tired ski muscles.
  Photos:  
  (Leslie Taylor)
• Jan 31 - Afterglow Lake Resort (Phelps):
  Conditions: Excellent, light snow, low teens. Full depth classic track and smooth skate lane.
  The skating surface was just great - no icy spots to contend with and very smooth! Classic tracks were reset after the thaw, and with new snow skied in, it is a solid track with no ice + excellent pole plants! Pete used the rakes last night, so there was no debris on the trail. Just marvelous... and the dedication to a top notch ski trail shows! Thanks Pete :-).
  (Troy Walters)
• Jan 31 - Escanaba Trail (Boulder Junction):
  All loops cut and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 30 - McNaughton Lake Trail (Lake Tomahawk):
  Skaters loop groomed. All other loops cut and tracked. Very good conditions.
  (Tony Martinez, Wisconsin DNR)
• Jan 30 - Minocqua Winter Park Nordic Center (Minocqua):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  What a difference a few degrees makes. +16F today when I started vs. +9F yesterday. Skis ran so much better. Tornado Alley-Survivor out to Lake Marie and back. All in superior shape.
  (Kirby Schuller)

• Feb 7 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: 22 F, Cloudy.
  Strided on the Blue Trail today. Very good tracks as the trail was just groomed this AM. A few washed out areas but overall deep tracks that should firm up good in the next few days. VR40 did a nice job on kick. No tracks on the red pine loop due to snow but it was easy going without it. Minimal debris and only a few dirty spots in the skate lane that could be worked around.
  (Dave Bartol)
• Feb 7 - Nine Mile Forest (Wausau):
  Conditions: Excellent, skate and classic.
  Nine Mile was in fine shape for the Badger State Games. Track was very firm, a bit icy in a some spots, but not many and not a problem. Held up very nicely for the entire 43K of my skate race. With a firm track and great weather it was the best BSG in some time.
  (Kirby Schuller)
• Feb 7 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: Good.
  Not as good as yesterday but still good. Some areas of dirty snow and debris.
  (Diane Gustin)
• Feb 6 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  Conditions: Excellent skate and tracks.
  Trail system was all freshly Pisten Bully groomed and in wonderful condition. The tracks were deep and firm throughout. Skating lane was also in excellent condition.
  (Larry Michael)
• Feb 6 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: Skied the red classic loop twice and thoroughly enjoyed the rolling terrain. The trails were freshly groomed Saturday morning, soft but deep enough to hold your ski well. The trail layout offers a challenge of rolling hills but with sweet gentle curves.
  We haven't skied Standing Rocks since we lived in Stevens Point in the late 70's. Then it was rugged and extremely risky to ski. Now 30 years later, the trail system and grooming have evolved into one of the best in the state. We had such a great ski that we plan to make the 2 hour drive back tomorrow to enjoy another great ski outing.
  (John Schultz)
• Feb 6 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Excellent conditions, amazing what a couple of inches of new snow will do.
  (Diane Gustin)
• Feb 6 - Sylvan Hill/American Legion (Wausau):
  Conditions: Good, tracked for classic.
  In generally good condition and not too busy.
  (Kevin Keyes)
• Feb 3 - Nine Mile Forest (Wausau):
  Conditions: 2" of new snow yesterday. Light and flaked. The skate late was fresh groomed today with perfect rills. The classic lane is not fresh tracked yet but was ski in and in good condition. Cover is excellent. This is good/best ski snow.
  VR-30/40 in alternate layers kicked light.
  (Mark Nienstaedt)
• Feb 3 - Nine Mile Forest (Wausau):
  Conditions: Very good to excellent.
  The groomers are starting work today to bring the Nine Mile trails up to excellent conditions for the BSG events this Saturday. We received 2.5 inches of snow yesterday and this will be worked into the base to create a firm consistent surface for the skate events. The classic track will be reset with binder/hard wax as a viable option. There will be a single track in the relatively fresh area between the old tracks to avoid the hardpack.
  (Gary Zimbric)
• Feb 2 - Nine Mile Forest (Wausau):
  Conditions: Very good.
  About 2" of powder over hard packed trail. Slow yesterday but should groom up well for the rest of the week and for the Badger State Games, Saturday.
  Photos:  
  (George Cleveland)
• Feb 2 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Arrived mid-afternoon to freshly groomed trails. Good coverage throughout the trail system. Deer here, deer there, deer everywhere!
  (Sue Freundl)
• Feb 2 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: Very nice skiing on 3" of new snow.
  I was out between 5 and 6 PM. Trails had been groomed earlier in the day and were in great shape. The new snow made for a wonderfully quiet ski for a change. I was skating but the tracks also looked good. I did all but the Red Pine loop. Snow was still a bit thin under the pines by the main entrance.
  (Tim Corcoran)
• Jan 31 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  Conditions: Excellent skate and classic.
  Typical top-notch Iola conditions. Firm skate lane, deep solid tracks on some of the best trails in the Midwest. Granular renovated snow was super-fast. Klister and Powergrip both worked. This is maybe the best ski terrain I've ever seen.
  (Pete Anderson)
• Jan 31 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  Conditions: Race conditions were very good, firm corduroy, 14 degrees noon start for freestyle. Even at the back of the pack (of less than 50, this is no Birkie, thankfully!) the snow was only a little sugary.
  Beautiful rollers, my first time here.
  (Dave Minden)
• Jan 31 - Nine Mile Forest (Wausau):
  Conditions: Hard packed transformed snow. Icy in a few spots. Skating is very good. Classic skiing ok.
  Trail work will begin Monday to prepare for the Badger State Games. The tracks will be broken up and snow will be brought in to cover any exposed ice base. We expect very good conditions even without more snow.
  (Gary Zimbric)
• Jan 31 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Trails were groomed and in good condition. I agree with the previous posting, they are better now than before the rain. There are some thin spots but overall very good condition. Thank you groomers for making the trails so nice.
  (Diane Gustin)
• Jan 30 - Standing Rocks Park (Stevens Point):
  Conditions: Very good, groomed Saturday morning.
  No dirtier than it was before the rain, just the same avoidable bare spots on Red Pine run. Used my good skis without fear. Tracks hard and fast, with a few leaves. Unfortunately the downhills have not been groomed, since the snow there is too thin for downhill skiers, but it would have been nice if they'd made a couple of passes for the skinny skiers.
  (Mindy Borchardt)
• Jan 30 - Nine Mile Forest (Wausau):
  Conditions: Icy.
  Trails are a comb of snow and ground ice. Full coverage. Icy in spots. They were better in the afternoon once they loosened up.
  (Dane Gustin)
• Jan 30 - Iola Winter Sports Club Trails (Iola):
  Conditions: Skate lanes were hard and fast this morning - 8F and beautiful sunny skies.
  Recent grooming (nearly fresh cord throughout) made for enjoyable skating with decent edge control. It's bullet fast with only a few isolated icy patches. BBID (Beer-Belly Induced Drag) index is 5-6, although this is strictly a personal observation.
  (Rick Bie)

• Feb 8 - Peninsula State Park (Fish Creek):
  Conditions: Poor - no skiing here.
  Not enough snow - the candlelight ski was turned into a candlelight hike.
  (Casey St. Henry)
• Feb 8 - Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve (Green Bay):
  Conditions: 22F Light 1 cm new snow falling + over hard smooth tracks.
  Last week the county trailered the PB to Neshota and Barkhausen for a freshening and it worked wonders. The snow is smooth and tracks hard.
  Photos:  
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)
• Feb 7 - Potawatomi State Park (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Still skiable. All trails snow covered. Skate lanes and classical tracks have seen a lot of use.
  Pot Park is holding its own with the limited snow we have in Sturgeon Bay. Not icy as I had feared, but debris was a factor. Local skaters training for upcoming races blew by me. Lots of cars at the trailhead on Sunday. If you ski out West, you'll be used to skiing in all conditions. Pot Park is a great alternative for those looking for public ski trails close to home.
  (Margaret Carroll)
• Feb 7 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Skied 9:30 to 11:20, classic and skate.
  Tracks on Oaks Good, skied in from the last snowfall. Track were clean packed powder and hard wax was good for good kick and wax durability. Skate lane also in nice shape, flat pretty clean. Tracks on maples a little funny with new and old tracks intermingled in places.
  (Scott Putman)
• Feb 7 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Fair.
  Classic tracks were getting worn out but still very skiable. Hardly any debris anywhere.
  (Paul Jaffe)
• Feb 7 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Excellent ski conditions.
  Trails are always well groomed -- Thanks Tom! Today the skiing was great and weather conditions were perfect.
  (Tammy Lutze)
• Feb 7 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Good.
  Nice to get out and ski at the camp again. Some debris in the trails, but not the worst there ever was. As with many trails in the area, new snow is needed.
  (Kevin Hillegas)
• Feb 7 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: 24F Groomed skate lane very firm yet soft on edge and fast. Classic tracks hard with some skied out sections but good. Trails 90% clean.
  Great day to skate, fast and forgiving with lots of skiers. Skate lane was skied in well but still fresh cord on edges. Fast or slow this was the place to go.
  Photos:  
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)
• Feb 6 - Neshota Park (Green Bay):
  Conditions: 22F Sunset ski. Hard old snow dusting on top. Very hard tracks with icy sections. LID 0-7 depending on section. Hill loop in great shape.
  A nice evening ski. Unusual snow. New snow over dry icy snow, hard as rock. Some icy sections from earlier flooding. Very solid tracks, some clean, some liberally seeded with (2.7 million at least) Acer Sarara or Maple whirligigs. A nice ski on a pretty trail.
  Photos:  
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)
• Feb 6 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: 1/2 inch of fluff over a well groomed skate lane. Classic track good. No track in orchard.
  Nice day to be out. The Ashwaubenon Nordic Team arrived in the morning for a few hours of training. Half of a ski club (the other half took in the fish creek winter games) from Madison also enjoyed the area as well as a few parents with kids. Dreaming of PWP's (precious white particles) in the forecast.
  Photos:  
  (Tom Parsons)
• Feb 5 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Cloudy, 30 F.
  Classic skied the entire system today with Special Blue holding up the whole time very well. Downhills were a bit slow with the new dusting of snow. Good tracks on the Maples and very good on the Oaks and Birches. Minimal debris, LID 1.0 - Enjoy the fresh snow!
  (Dave Bartol, Devils Track Nordic Ski Shop)
• Feb 5 - Whitefish Dunes State Park (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Poor - despite approx 2" of new snow Feb 2.
  Skiers have been reporting that there is not enough new snow to cover the icy base and occasional bare spots to make for an enjoyable skiing experience.
  (Rich Dirks)
• Feb 5 - Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve (Green Bay):
  Conditions: 28F Light 1cm of moist snow. Double tracked. Smooth.
  These light snowfalls are helping a lot. Tracks were quiet and smoother, the snow takes the edge off things. Trails take on a different look with the InComp Sky Cam.
  Photos:  
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)
• Feb 4 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Skate skied, 3:45 to 5:20p. 32F. Skate deck nice and flat. Some hard pack but overall very good skating last night. Only one spot where the ice is showing on the start trail. The rest of the trail is firm powder type skiing, what we like.
  Skied in tracks for a while on maples loop and they were certainly good but somewhat ice bottomed. Better than on Oaks.
  (Scott Putman)
• Feb 4 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Excellent as usual! Skate skied the orchard and woods. Woods is still tracked for classic too.
  Another wonderful evening of night skiing. The trails are so nice with the little bit of new snow this week it was hard to know when to stop. Does this mean I have Birkie fever?
  (Janelle Peotter)
• Feb 4 - Neshota Park (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Not bad.
  I skated Neshota Thursday night with a headlamp and was pleasantly surprised to find fairly fresh cord. The trail has been groomed after the light snowfall earlier this week. It is groomed for skate only. There are spots of ice and debris here and there, especially on the back loop, so you may want to bring rock skis until we get more snow.
  (Kevin Hultman)
• Feb 4 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  Skate skied maple trail. Skied late-morning 10-11am, snow was soft but not mushy, generally good conditions. Classic tracks looked fair to good.
  (Andy Maracini)
• Feb 4 - Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve (Green Bay):
  Conditions: 21F Tidd Tech twin tracked groomed (except back loop).
  Tracks good but right to the hard deck. Tracks washed out on corners as the Tidd track molds hit the old track. Straight sections nice. A little more snow and we be sitting pretty.
  Photos:  
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)
• Feb 3 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Classic skied 4 to 5:20 pm, 25F. Tracks had been set but were ice bottomed in places and very soft and were breaking down immediately. Old tracks were noticeable in places under the soft snow. Last nights old tracks were quite a bit better than the new tracks today. Looked like the G2 also combed the new snow off the old ice in at least one spot.
  (Scott Putman)
• Feb 3 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: 24F, Sunny, Groomed as usual.
  Excellent. Approx 2" of new snow mixed with meticulous grooming made for great conditions.
  (Aaron Messenger)
• Feb 3 - Potawatomi State Park (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: 1.5 inches of new snow in Sturgeon Bay. Sunny and 28F this afternoon. Trails groomed twice today.
  Skate lanes groomed throughout the park and classical track set on Blue and Red Trail and most of Black Trail. I saw the Park Manger who reported that groomers were out today. 100% snow covered but thin and icy in spots. Snow is pretty granulated; still it's great to be out skiing on such a gorgeous day!
  (Margaret Carroll)
• Feb 3 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Nice.
  Classic tracks had been retracked with the 2-3" of new snow. Oak and Pine trails were in good shape along with the main trails. Maple had been retracked but it was soft in some places and icy in others. More snow needed on that trail to put down a really good track. Kudos to the groomers who did a real nice job with the new snow. Skate lanes were groomed nicely. Downhills were soft and very maneuverable.
  (Paul Jaffe)
• Feb 3 - Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve (Green Bay):
  Conditions: 15F 2" light snow over twin icy tracks.
  Clean and quiet at last. The new snow was not groomed yet but the hard tracks skied in easy. It felt good not to sound like and F-18 out there. First snow of substance in about 25 days.
  Photos:  
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)
• Feb 2 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Skate skied from 3:50 to 6:50. 27F. Snow fell the entire time. Approx 2" new had fallen and was still falling as I left the lot.
  Skating was very good on 100% of the trails, even in the pine plantations, the snow was moist and warm enough it was reasonably fast and knit well to the chopped ice base. Stride tracks were good, clean and pretty flat bottomed when used to DP and on the downhills. Snow was falling hard enough we had the visual dagger effect skiing with a headlamp after dark.
  (Scott Putman)
• Feb 2 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: A little loose snow over hardpack - excellent ski-handling conditions.
  Skated during this evening's snowfall, and the conditions were great. The little bit (1/2" or so) of powder made the trails a little slower, but the handling on the downhills and through the turns was fantastic.
  (Casey St. Henry)
• Feb 1 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Fair.
  Skate lanes hard and haven't been regroomed since Friday or Saturday.
  Classic trails: Oak and Pine in fair shape with decent tracks. Be careful on the corners. It is icy and fast! More debris than on Saturday. Birch trail was tracked up until the point were it goes from 2 tracks to 1. Then it's poor after that with a lot of debris. Maple track is old and in poor shape with a lot of debris. Snow is very hard and fast.
  (Paul Jaffe)
• Jan 31 - Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve (Green Bay):
  Conditions: 15F Sun. Dry dessicated snow with ice and considerable debris. LID 7-9 in places. Twin tracks hard to icy.
  Icy hard and dirty. The first kilo is really rough and dirty. Without a tiller to renovate the trails, conditions have deteriorated a lot this week. (Camp was re-tilled today). We limp on here but until new snow it will be just skiable.
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)
• Jan 30 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  This is the first time that I skied at Cherry Hills Nordic Center. I drove from Peshtigo with the hope of finding stable skate skiing conditions. The conditions throughout most of the system were very well groomed -- in some areas it felt like I was skiing on fresh snow. Hats off to the people who maintain this trail system -- you've done an excellent job.
  (John Hemphill)
• Jan 30 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Good.
  Skate skied in the afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to find conditions good/very fast on the Maples and the main trail to/from the lodge. Just a few small patches of ice here and there. Birches not so good - hard/icy/debris.
  (Sue Freundl)
• Jan 30 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Fair to Good.
  Classic skied the Oak and Maple trails. The good folks of Brown County did a heck of job to put down some new tracks on the trails. Considering the rock hard snow they had to work with, they did a nice job. Tracks are not real deep in some spots, but very skiable. No new track on the Maple trail. What is there is worn out and icy in many spots. The Birch trail has also been retracked.
  (Paul Jaffe)
• Jan 30 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Incredibly good skate skiing. It appeared that the striding was pretty good. People were getting a good kick.
  First time I skied here since they added the new section of trail. Real nice addition. Tom is doing a magnificent job with the grooming. I live about an hour away from Cherry Hills, it's well worth the drive.
  (Gary Machlett)
• Jan 30 - Crossroads at Big Creek (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Skiable but not great.
  Skate skied here this afternoon but mostly doubled poled in the classic track. Classic track is pretty good but be careful - there are now some bare spots. Skate lanes are so frozen that it is pretty tough to get an edge. Some debris on the trails but not too bad.
  (Janelle Peotter)
• Jan 30 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Very good for both skate and classic.
  Skate skied both the woods and orchard this morning. The cold temperatures have made trails in other locations tough because the base is so frozen but here at Cherry Hills, daily grooming allows you to get enough bite to do some decent skate skiing! The "expert" section of the orchard will have to wait for more snow but I miss doing it! Classic tracks in the woods look fine.
  (Janelle Peotter)
• Jan 30 - Cherry Hills Nordic Center (Sturgeon Bay):
  Conditions: Excellent! Temp 13F around 9:30am. Trails were either ginzued last night or early this morning. Trails in the woods are tracked and deep. Skate lanes all throughout the woods, orchard as well as the bluff are firm and fast - so fast I had to drop anchor to keep from rocketing off the trail.
  It's hard to believe we are skiing on snow that is a month old (not to mention we received rain last Sunday) and is this good.
  Photos:  
  (Chesla Seely-Anschutz)
• Jan 30 - Reforestation Camp (Green Bay):
  Conditions: Single digits F. Tilled granular snow. Hard tracks with modest debris.
  The PB is getting a workout this week. Continually tilling the snow has kept it skiable and fast. Tracks are on fire and the skating lane makes sub 3 minute K's an everyday event. There is debris but not enough for rock skis. Stiff skis really help in this snow, wheeee.
  Photos:  
  (Mark Ernst, In Competition Sports)

• Feb 6 - Lauterman National Recreation Trail (Florence):
  Conditions: Some crust but great grooming.
  My first Chili Ski In and it was great. Good food, good company, great skiing.
  (Dan Hinch)
• Feb 5 - Lakewood XC Ski Trails (Lakewood):
  Conditions: Overcast, 24-29 degrees.
  Small amount of new snow not yet groomed but "skied in" on skate lane. Classic track covered by 1/2" of powder. Coverage very good with almost no debris. Good glide but relatively slow speed.
  (Erick Wikum)
• Feb 5 - Lakewood XC Ski Trails (Lakewood):
  Conditions: Moderate to good classic tracks. Good to very good skating.
  The entire trail system will be groomed tonight with the PB. The trail is in very good condition. Just a few thin spots where a little dirt is mixed with snow. Well worth the drive northward.
  (Dale Keller )
• Feb 4 - Spring Rapids Trail (Crivitz):
  Conditions: Good.
  Trails were regroomed and tracked after a fresh inch or so of snow.
  (Sara Pearson, Wisconsin DNR)
• Feb 4 - Governor Thompson State Park (Crivitz):
  Conditions: Very nice!
  We received a few inches of new snow and we re-groomed and tracked the entire system yesterday and this morning. Skate lanes are fabulous! Classic tracks on 90% of the system are excellent. We still have some ice in the picnic area by the parking lot, but the rest of the trails are in great condition. Photos from Feb 3-4.
  Photos:  
  (Maggie Kailhofer)
• Feb 4 - Lakewood XC Ski Trails (Lakewood):
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  The trail was groomed from the golf course to Old 32. We had half inch of snow on Tuesday. The groomers are planning on completing the trail today or tomorrow morning.
  (Dale Keller )
• Feb 2 - Lauterman National Recreation Trail (Florence):
  Conditions: Good to very good.
  Skied entire system out to Chipmunk Rapids and back. Track had not been groom recently, but was in very good shape. Little ice in conifers, but mostly 3/4" of new snow in old track that was very firm. Downhills were good for the most part not rutted and controllable.
  (Alfred Sauld)
• Feb 2 - Newport State Park (Ellison Bay):
  Conditions: Poor - pockets of snow, but no continuous coverage.
  No snow = no skiing. Like the rest of the northern 1/3 of Door County, snow is scarce. Conditions are more conducive to hiking than skiing.
  (Casey St. Henry)
• Jan 31 - Lakewood XC Ski Trails (Lakewood):
  Conditions: 15F, a bit of wind and sunny.
  Strided from old 32 to Smythe and back. Blue klister was perfect on the re-frozen snow. The day before I rubbed some blue kick on top and it wore off after 3-4 km. Tracks are very good with minimal wash out and LID (leaf induced drag) factor 1.5. Skate lane is rock hard but controllable. Thanks to Fred and the excellent grooming staff for managing the existing snow to perfection.
  (Dave Bartol)

Wisconsin Southwest

• Feb 7 - Bice County Forest (La Crosse):
  Conditions: Groomed Friday, 1" fresh powder on set tracks.
  A good day to take out the old wooden skis. There was enough powder to do the middle ridge and descend safely.
  (Scott Cooper)
• Feb 6 - Justin Trails Resort (Sparta):
  Conditions: Trails are freshly groomed this morning with tracks set on all except Big Buck Run.
  John Bolstad said snow is in surprisingly good condition considering the warmth earlier this week.
  (Donna Justin)
• Feb 5 - Justin Trails Resort (Sparta):
  Excellent conditions with grooming completed Wednesday evening. Three inches on top of solid base. Received a dusting of snow overnight Thursday.
  (Donna Justin)
• Feb 4 - Snowflake Ski Club (Westby):
  Conditions: Excellent conditions with 3" on top of a firm base, the entire south end of the trail is open.
  Snowflake Ski Club is hosting the International Ski Jumping event this weekend, event starts Friday night (under the lights) at 7:00 pm, followed by fireworks and music! Watch jumpers fly over 120 meters off the 90 meter jump....under lights!
  (Chris Jackson)
• Feb 4 - Hixon Forest (La Crosse):
  Good to very good. Beware of the trees which were dropped on the trail in spots by the city tree trimming crews. The groomers made some changes to salvage the trails and they are groomed into excellent condition. One inch of snow on top of a solid base. Classic tracks are disappearing due to lack of snow.
  (Jack Zabrowski)
• Feb 3 - Justin Trails Resort (Sparta):
  3 inches of new snow fell on Tuesday on solid 4 inch base. Warm daytime temperatures make grooming difficult. Trails will be ready for the weekend. Dog trail is ready for skiing.
  (Donna Justin)
• Feb 3 - Coulee Experimental State Forest (Bangor):
  Conditions: Three inches of new snow on Monday. A base of about 5 inches on the trail. 10 inches in the woods. Skating is excellent, classic trails are fair to good.
  The Skate Trail and West Trail were packed and combed, tracks set on both sides of the trails. The South and North Loops (classic only) were tricky to re-groom, due to the icy, rock hard, consistency of the base. In some areas the tracks are reset, other areas were left alone.
  (Steve Beezley)

• Jan 30 - Black River Falls State Forest (Millston):
  Conditions: Good/very good/excellent.
  It was all of those, only south trail had track (pretty good though). Skate deck was hard packed & fun fast close to scary fast. Their was a lot of ground clutter but easy too avoid. Wild Cat was a blast. Kudos to the DNR groomers, they've widen out the loop and it's great. Marty and I were the only ones out at the time.
  (Mark Sproul)

• Feb 6 - Levis/Trow Mound Trail (Neillsville):
  Conditions: 3" fresh snow groomed in the morning.
  Awesome skating, about the best I've seen the trails. The classic was a bit icy.
  (Scott Cooper)
• Feb 5 - Levis/Trow Mound Trail (Neillsville):
  Conditions: 21, new snow, excellent.
  New snow! 3" of powder made for excellent conditions-beautiful tracks and corduroy! Best of the year! Lots of wildlife milling around in the new snow.
  (Steve Meurett)
• Feb 3 - Levis/Trow Mound Trail (Neillsville):
  Conditions: Excellent Skate/Classic.
  Best this year. After 4+ hours of grooming (thanks Steve/Dean) the trail was almost perfect, just a little soft. Skated the hills first, great. Classic skied in a full depth, clean, fast track with great kick, awesome! The most cars I've seen in the lot on a week night, treated with great skiing.
  (Mark Sproul)
• Jan 31 - Levis/Trow Mound Trail (Neillsville):
  Skied the trail system for the first time Sunday. Great trails and freshly groomed on Sunday. Skate skiing was fast. Some nice sized hills for training. Must see if you have never been there. Warming shed is d-1.
  (Jeff Sproul)

Wisconsin Southeast

• Feb 7 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Skated all trails, good coverage but still a little debris in the pines. Red & Yellow are in great shape but a little slow from the new snow. Brown has some thin spots in the first pine section but the rest was very good. classic tracks looked good.
  (Jimi Gee)
• Feb 7 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  Conditions: Not groomed since yesterday morning's snow but very nice.
  Skated the purple loop about noon. It was in very good condition but did not appear to have been groomed for a couple days. However, lots of ski traffic had packed it down. A couple classic skiers confirmed what I observed -- that the striding tracks were decent.
  (Mike O'Brien)
• Feb 6 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  Two inches of light, fluffy snow was on the trail this morning, with more falling as I was skiing. The sun was out to the south but it was snowing over Greenbush making the conditions gorgeous. With the new snow the trails were slower than last week but there was almost no debris on the trail.
  (Jim Van Akkeren)
• Feb 4 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  Conditions: Good.
  Get out and ski now because all the new snow we just got is being worn away very quick like! Trails are still good.
  (Nanette Rose)
• Feb 3 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  Conditions: Good.
  Well groomed but a little soft. First time here; did all loops-- got to enjoy this nice system on a beautiful sunny day.
  Photos:  
  (John Pehoski)
• Feb 3 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  Conditions: Good.
  Well packed snow was a little soft this afternoon, so not very fast. Nice grooming job; good classic tracks. First time here; did yellow loop.
  Photos:  
  (John Pehoski)
• Feb 3 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  Conditions: Good.
  The purple loop was groomed and better than yesterday, but still a little slow.
  (Mike O'Brien)
• Feb 2 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  Conditions: Slow and ungroomed, but nice.
  Skated the purple loop about 1 PM on about 3 inches of new snow. It hadn't been groomed yet and was thus somewhat slow, but still decent. The striding tracks looked skiable.
  Photos:  
  (Mike O'Brien)
• Jan 31 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  Conditions: Fast!
  I was worried about conditions after reading some of these reports so I took my first red loop with old stride skis. It was fast with good kick and no ice in the tracks. The skate lane looked just as good so I got out the skates for some red & yellow loops. Other than debris in a handful of spots it was perfect, very fast with good control. Why did I waste my Saturday doing chores around the house? My thanks to the groomer, great job!
  (Jimi Gee)
• Jan 31 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  My wife and I skied the purple and the brown trail. She used classic skis and I skated. She reported good skiing until her wax wore down about 3/4 of the way through the purple trail. The skate track was nice. No problems with control on the downhills.
  (Jim Van Akkeren)
• Jan 30 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  Conditions: Hard but not too icy.
  The groomer rocks! They have kept it very skiable give the conditions. Yellow was great, red/green very skiable but a little tracked up with frozen ruts. Probably rock skis because the pines are thin and some debris in the hardwoods. Classic track look pretty good as well, especially on yellow.
  (Ken Quant)
• Jan 30 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  Conditions: Sunny and 24 degrees.
  Skied Saturday afternoon on recently groomed trails. The trails are in very good shape considering the prior warm up. There is a fair amount of debris on the yellow trail in the woods. Only the 3 mile red trail was tracked but the tracks were in excellent shape. There is only minimal ice on the red, green and yellow trails.
  (Gerry Schmitz)
• Jan 30 - Greenbush Ski Trails (Greenbush):
  Conditions: Very nice skating on green, red and brown this morning. The groomer was out this morning creating just enough soft snow for good purchase. A bit dirty in the pines but nothing to keep you away. The classic track has been recently groomed on most trails but not the green. They are not in grat shape but skiable.
  Nordic Heaven comes through again. As I was driving up the hill to the trails a few flakes of snow were falling; a greeting from the snow gods.
  (Jim Van Akkeren)
• Jan 30 - Zillmer Ski Trails (Campbellsport):
  Conditions: Fair to Good.
  Red and Green Trails were in good to very good condition this morning. Skated Yellow before the groomer arrived and it was in fair condition in most places, poor in the woods. Brown has some nasty ice at that the beginning of the trail. Groomer was out when I left at about 10:30. I think he was going to groom the Yellow loop. Happy Skiing!
  (Jeff Grotenhuis)

• Feb 8 - Monona Golf Course (Madison):
  Conditions: Excellent skate and classic.
  Recently re-groomed trail in terrific condition. Skate lane firm, level, not icy, tracks deep and solid. Half-inch new snow this morning made hard wax work fine.
  (Pete Anderson)
• Feb 7 - Mirror Lake State Park (Baraboo):
  Conditions: Very Good. Skate and classic.
  Skating was super fast and fun. Trails were in great shape. Classic tracks looked fine and quite a few skiers out. They said they had 700 people for the candlelight ski on Saturday night.
  (Laurie Fabrizius)
• Feb 7 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Very good!
  It was naturally a little better yesterday before the heavy use this weekend but it was still really good skating late this afternoon. Classic tracks looked mostly good yet too. If you are able, please be sure to throw what you can into the Park's trail donation jar. Thanks!
  (Jim Bolton)
• Feb 7 - Mirror Lake State Park (Baraboo):
  Conditions: 32 degrees light flurries.
  Great conditions, perfect weather for fast skiing. Some light debris on trails however easy to avoid. Well groomed. Good job guys!
  Photos:  
  (Rich Nagle)
• Feb 7 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Great.
  Conditions have been the best in years. Skate lanes great. Track, a few hard areas on the Morningside trail but still very good. Great job with the equipment you have. Too bad it can't be updated as so close to Madison and nice trails. Still fine job. Keep it up if you can.
  (Greg Hillman)
• Feb 6 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Great conditions.
  Our whole family enjoyed the conditions today. Skate lanes tops and the track was very nice. Ranger assisted my son with equipment problem, we all had a great time. Thanks for a great job. We have always enjoyed ourselves here. Best conditions in years.
  (Andrew Preston)
• Feb 6 - Mirror Lake State Park (Baraboo):
  Conditions: Excellent for both skate and classic.
  Sunshine, 20's, fresh snow groomed beautifully, lots of smiles. Carol's hard wax worked well - no icy or glazed tracks. Ishnala was groomed for both skate and classic so we all got to ski this extra loop.
  (Carolyn Senty)
• Feb 6 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Skate lanes in very good shape, holding up well. Good number of skiers using the trails when I was skiing. Tracked looked nice but did not ski them. Morningside trail looked liked groomed today. Very nice job.
  (Brent Hollman)
• Feb 6 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: very Good.
  Just returned home from skiing. Met groomer on the Morningside trail as he was grooming the skate lane before 7 am. Tracks nice with some wind blown areas but still very nice. Great time. Thanks staff.
  (Kent Wipperfurth)
• Feb 4 - Pleasant View Golf Course (Middleton):
  Skating lanes packed nicely, groomed well. Even skied upon, there is mostly soft snow. Classic skiers told me the tracks were well set and had some grip.
  (Dave Minden)
• Feb 4 - Cam-Rock Park (Cambridge):
  Conditions: Fair to good classic and good skating.
  Several inches of new snow were freshly packed and tracked on the flat trail between Cambridge and Rockdale (Cam-Rock, get it). Full depth tracks went down to the icy base or debris in about 40% of the track. The skate zone was much better though not always completely smooth.
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Feb 4 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Excellent for skating; mostly very good for classic.
  Skating was wonderful early today here; recently groomed. DNR groomer was hard at it when I arrived a little after 7 a.m. and putting down new classic track at that point. Tracks were deep set but thin base so there are occasional spots where twigs or grass can protrude. A little more snow in the tracks will help a lot. Right now, tracks are generally very good too though.
  (Jim Bolton)
• Feb 3 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  Conditions: Very good classical conditions.
  New best line track set tonight. 100% coverage, no ice, fresh snow. Candlelight ski, hike, and snowshoe event this Saturday, Feb 6th, 6-9 p.m.
  (Karl Heil)
• Feb 3 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Good conditions.
  I watched the groomer while skiing yesterday and today. What a lot of laps with the snowmobile packing the snow and then grooming and setting track. They could really use some funds to upgrade their equipment.
  (Josh Krantz)
• Feb 3 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Very good conditions.
  Track nice and soft. Great job grooming getting the trails in good shape again. Many skiers out mid-afternoon. Best grooming this year in years. Thanks Staff.
  (Andrew Fullton)
• Feb 3 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Very good.
  All trails were packed yesterday and midday today while skiing, groomer was grooming all trails. Great skiing. Groomer new track will be set tomorrow. Savanna oak trail in good shape. Groomer did great job to give us very good skiing again.
  (Jon Harrison)
• Feb 2 - Elver Park (Madison):
  Conditions: Very good skating.
  Fresh snow and freshly groomed. How nice it is to hear skis cutting though soft powder instead of scraping on ice! The east side was not groomed at all but still fun.
  (Robert Abendroth)
• Feb 2 - Mirror Lake State Park (Baraboo):
  Conditions: 2 inch of ungroomed new snow.
  No grooming was done today because the relatively wet snow was balling up in front of the groomer. Hopefully, after the snow dries up overnight, grooming will resume in the morning. Otherwise it was a relatively slow skating. However, the bright new snow made it a very beautiful day to ski!
  (Ron Fabrizius)
• Jan 31 - Blue Mound State Park (Blue Mounds):
  Conditions: Very good.
  The classic only trails at Blue Mound were in very good condition this afternoon. The track was deep and firm. The snow was renovated icy crust. I used Toko violet klister and it worked well. Some of the steep down hills were very fast and fun. It was certainly worth the trip to Blue Mounds for some classic skiing.
  (Matt Valley)
• Jan 30 - Mirror Lake State Park (Baraboo):
  Very good skating as long as you stay off the NW loop. This was icy and full of debris, not a place to take new skis or any skis in my opinion. Ishnala and it's loop, Pioneer, Hastings, Fern Dell and Turtleville were like being in another park. Nice base and enough loose snow for an edge made for great skiing. Even the classical track looked good. Another superb grooming job.
  (Robert Abendroth)
• Jan 30 - Governor Nelson State Park (Waunakee):
  Conditions: Good.
  Redtail trail skate lanes in very good condition. Track firm but nice. Oak Savanna trail closed as hills hard and icy. Morningside trail tack just set. Skate lanes with spots of ice patches. Cones by the bad areas. Most of the lanes good. Woodland trail track just groomed today. Skied and staff offering free hot chocolate and sat by the fire. Nice time.
  (Kent Wipperfurth)

• Feb 8 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  Conditions: Great.
  Skated Sunday afternoon and the trails were in great shape with minimal debris.
  (Jeff Grotenhuis)
• Feb 7 - McMiller (Eagle):
  Conditions: Good for skating and classic.
  Snow is getting dirty and a couple of the more technical corners and downhills are getting plenty icy. Probably half depth classic tracks showing plenty of wear. That said, the skiing at McMiller is still plenty good particularly considering how little snow we've had. A testament to the skill and dedication of the grooming staff.
  (Andy Schwartz)
• Feb 7 - Nordic Ski Trail (La Grange):
  Conditions: Very good skating. Classic track looked good too.
  Skated about noon. Trails are packed and well skied but not icy. Able to get a good edge. Some debris but it didn't slow it done at all.
  (Steve Kelley)
• Feb 7 - Nordic Ski Trail (La Grange):
  Conditions: Good for skating.
  Skated almost all of the freshly groomed trails with Joanie early this morning. Good conditions overall, but a bit thin with some debris in the pines. Very fast and fun!
  (Darren Blankenship)
• Feb 6 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Conditions: About perfect.
  Went to McMiller on Saturday and it was hurting due to the races there that morning. NO FEAR - there's always scuppy! Perfect conditions, deep track, amazing amounts of glide, good control on the downhills too! They should rename this trail - Snowkeepslong! The groomers in the southern Kettle are magicians - thanks for your ongoing efforts!
  (Tim Willard)
• Feb 6 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Conditions: No bare spots but a moderate amount of debris in the track although it didn't really interfere much. Overall skiing was very good.
  Worth the drive from Chicago.
  (Al Slo)
• Feb 6 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Conditions: Mostly very good.
  Deep, firm tracks with some debris. Some of the hills were tricky with no soft snow to plow particularly the last run on Green, built up quite a bit of speed. The beginning of Red was very icy and dirty but improved considerably after the first turn.
  (Robert Abendroth)
• Feb 6 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Conditions: Good.
  Nice tracks, but some debris, especially in the pines. Took a spill that ranked a "10" after hitting a pine branch on a downhill. Hope nobody saw!
  (Mike Joranger)
• Feb 6 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  Conditions: Very good for skating.
  Good skating conditions at Lapham Peak early on Saturday morning-fast and fun. Thanks to the trail groomers for grooming at the right time (late last night and early this morning) and not yesterday when it was too warm with high humidity.
  (Darren Blankenship)
• Feb 6 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Jerry was out this morning. Colder temps made this week's soft snow set up for fast condition. Everything is in great shape.
  (Russ Sobotta)
• Feb 4 - McMiller (Eagle):
  Conditions: Very Good.
  The ski trails at Southern Unit remain in very good condition. McMiller and Nordic skate lanes were groomed on Thursday. All three trail systems will be groomed Friday afternoon and evening for the weekend.
  It is a Quiet Weekend at McMiller this weekend February 6 & 7, 2010. All ranges will be closed (except the biathlon range) so that skiers can enjoy the trails without the background sounds of the shooting ranges. The warming building will be open both Saturday and Sunday.
  On Saturday Feb 6, The Wisconsin Biathlon Association invites you a day of fun and biathlon, the Olympic winter sport combining cross country skiing and rifle marksmanship. No experience is needed and all abilities welcome!
  (Paul Sandgren)
• Feb 3 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Conditions: Good to excellent double-track classic skiing.
  New snow well tracked. Down to the icy base in some spots. High 20s and good kick on Start tape. The debris is completely covered. Good control on all downhills.
  Photos:  
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Feb 3 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  Conditions: Very good skating and striding on the Meadow Trail.
  New snow got worked over by lots of skiers today. The ice is still down there and gets pushed through to in some steep uphills. Mostly the fresh snow is bonded and perfect. Talked to some skiers who had been up top. They said it's good up there, but some rutting on the downhills from snowplowing.
  Photos:  
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Feb 3 - Fox Hill Nordic (West Bend):
  Conditions: 20 degrees, 2 inches new snow.
  Nordic heaven, no ice or bare areas felt through the new snow. lots of tracks from people out the previous night. The whole system is in great shape.
  (Mike Hennig)
• Feb 3 - UW-Parkside Ski Trail (Kenosha):
  Conditions: Okay for classic. Two inches new snow over ice.
  Talked to a skater who said that ice caused sliding. Not a problem on classic track. Had the privilege of breaking a trail on the east loop.
  (Tom Babicky)
• Feb 2 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  Conditions: Good, soft skate skiing on lighted loop.
  Several inches of dense new snow were being rolled when I skied. It seemed slow after our weeks of icy snow, but very velvety. Good news for the weekend.
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Feb 2 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  3 inches of soft, ungroomed snow. Not groomed as of Tuesday afternoon. Good idea as skating was ok, with no ice on long trail.
  (Brian Ciske)
• Feb 2 - Nordic Ski Trail (La Grange):
  Conditions: Almost 2" of soft, dense new snow was very slow, but groomer was working to pack it down.
  Slow skating, but first part of blue loop through pines was finally well covered. McMiller was a little better, with not quite as much snow. Scuppernong had new tracks set but downhills were slow there too. No groundhogs in sight.
  Photos:  
  (John Pehoski)
• Feb 1 - Lapham Peak (Delafield):
  Conditions: Snowmaking Loop -- Frictionless - but with good grip in the tracks.
  Skiing on the snowmaking loop is like being the puck on an air hockey table -- you can just float along with virtually no effort. Firm, flat surface, with transformed snow on top - it doesn't get any better. The Peak nordic kids were having the time of their lives out there Monday night, and learning great skiing technique in the bargain. Many skiers ventured out on the balance of the lighted loop, which was still a bit icy.
  (John McCarthy)
• Feb 1 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Conditions: Fair to very good double-track classic skiing.
  Fair on maybe 20 percent of the trails. Very good on perhaps 40 percent. Fair is due to lots of debris or ice. The ice is on the flat except for the last downhill on the Green/Orange black diamond where there is a 4'x4' patch in the middle at the bottom turn. Stay left. Good control on downhills, but use caution. Klister or aggressive no-wax.
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Jan 31 - Nordic Ski Trail (La Grange):
  Conditions: Mostly excellent skating.
  A little fresh snow works wonders. A few small icy patchs on Blue, Orange and Red. Blue had the most debris in the pines and portions of the classical on it were not very good. Overall the classical tracks looked very good, little icing and skating was very good.
  (Robert Abendroth)
• Jan 31 - McMiller (Eagle):
  Conditions: Terrific fast skate skiing and pretty good classical.
  Hard to believe conditions could continue to improve since mid-week with no significant new snow. But the the groomers have sugared up the icy snow. Good control on the downhills, but in such tough terrain caution is always advised. Classic tracks get better the further out you go. Klister is called for.
  Photos:  
  (Phil Van Valkenberg)
• Jan 31 - Nashotah Park (Nashotah):
  Conditions: Sunny 19F.
  Well groomed for skating especially considering the lack of snow. Most of the trail is very nice except for the usual areas of wood chips in the trees. There is one 10 yard section of grass on the field. Tracks are icy and poor but most of the trail is great for skating. It was groomed this morning.
  Photos:  
  (John Hallett)
• Jan 31 - McMiller (Eagle):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  A little new snow and grooming this morning covered the few icy patches. All loops are in great condition (didn't check the biathlon).
  Photos:  
  (John Pehoski)
• Jan 30 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Conditions: Hard packed, solid classic tracks with less ice and debris than expected. Great skiing.
  Dedicate grooming produced excellent classic skiing. It pays to have friends who know their wax. Mark Parman's advice was rock solid - one layer of green klister, one layer of blue, and just a bit of blue hard wax over the top made for great kick and a beautiful ski. Another outstanding day in the Southern Kettle.
  Photos:  
  (Tom Held)
• Jan 30 - Nordic Ski Trail (La Grange):
  Conditions: Very nice.
  Skated Saturday morning. The dusting of new snow provided a nice layer for some enjoyable skating. The pines had some debris but nothing to stop the skis. A light snow fell all morning.
  (Bob Garner)
• Jan 30 - McMiller (Eagle):
  Conditions: Good for skating.
  Much better than expected! There are a few icy spots, but there was enough snow for good control on all the downhills on the blue loop. There is also a fair amount of debris on several stretches of the trail, so don't use your best skis.
  (Jake Groethe)
• Jan 30 - McMiller (Eagle):
  Conditions: Good for skating. Classic was tracked but a bit shallow in places.
  Skated the green loop in the afternoon. Enough loose snow to get a good edge. Saw lots of others skating but didn't see anyone skiing classic. Thanks to the groomers. I am amazed it is even skiable let alone good after so long with no new snow and last weekends rain.
  (Steve Kelley)
• Jan 30 - McMiller (Eagle):
  Conditions: Good for skate.
  After reading the recent reports from Lapham Peak, Nordic and McMiller we decided to try McMiller. We weren't disappointed. As we neared Eagle it started to snow. Big fluffy flakes were coming down, enough to put about three quarters of an inch on the trails. Much of the debris was covered up and we were able to get a good edge skating. The classic tracks looked good too but there may have been glazing underneath. We skied two loops of the blue along with some side trips. There were a few small patches of ice but not on any of the downhills and maybe one or two easily avoidable bare spots. We must have seen the groomer three times while we were out. Thank you very much. Definitely worth the trip.
  (Bob Berg)
• Jan 30 - Scuppernong (Eagle):
  Very good. Hard and fast but not icy. Minimal debris...I mention this because the debris was terrible not that long ago.
  Skiing early in the morning was a bit difficult due to hardness of the tracks. By early afternoon, tracks softened a bit and were a pleasure! Just don't fall! Nothing to cushion the blow.
  (Craig Fischberg)

• Feb 6 - Bridgewood Resort (Neenah):
  Conditions: Temp 16 at 7:00 AM. Hard pack base, freshly groomed. Ice and new snow have bonded and no more slippery areas.
  I skied early Saturday. Wrong wax, blue was the color I should have used. Windy and cold, but no icy areas.
  (Greg Hollub)
• Feb 5 - Combined Locks (Combined Locks):
  Conditions: Just rolled and dragged all trail around 7:00 pm. This weeks snow really allowed the trail to set up nice.
  Saturday morning ski could be the best of the year.
  (Steve Verboomen)
• Feb 4 - Reid Golf Course (Appleton):
  Very good! Few small icy patches but very good skiing for the most part!
  (Leah Rebne)
• Feb 4 - Combined Locks Trail (Combined Locks):
  Conditions: Rough in some spots.
  The trail is tracked for classic only, but you can get a good work out skating. The trees have protected the snow from melting.
  (Tom Meyer)
• Feb 4 - Bridgewood Resort (Neenah):
  Conditions: Night time skiing, temp 28 degrees. Base is firming up after the 1.5" of fresh snow Tuesday.
  Skiing at night, base is firming up. A few areas where snow is not bonding with ice yet and a little slippery.
  (Greg Hollub)
• Feb 3 - Reid Golf Course (Appleton):
  Conditions: 1.5 inchs of new snow. Groomed and tracked this morning.
  Skate ski very good with a few thin spots and a couple of ice patches. Tracks good, not deep in some areas with a few thin spots.
  (JIm Pedersen)
• Feb 2 - Kimberly High School (Kimberly):
  Conditions: Decent - ice below the new snow but the trail is very skiable.
  Just south of the high school 2Km - 2 climbs.
  (Steve Verboomen)
• Feb 2 - Bridgewood Resort (Neenah):
  Conditions: New 1.5" on snow this morning. Trails groomed. Rerouted in several spots. Spots where ice is underneath not stable yet.
  Skiing is open, just be careful where ice formed during rain 2 weeks ago. Freshly groomed.
  (Greg Hollub)

Michigan Upper Peninsula

• Feb 6 - ABR (Ironwood):
  Conditions: "Died and went to Heaven Conditions" today! Skiers reported today as a top day for skiing; snow surface, temperature, and sun.
  Amber and Steve practicing the "Estonian Wife Carry" with a group from Madison.
  Photos:  
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Lodging)
• Feb 4 - ABR (Ironwood):
  What a mix of skiers today; recreational and racers. Conditions were reported as best of the season. Just coming in from grooming with the Pisten Bully, the trails are in tip top shape!
  (Eric Anderson, ABR Lodging)
• Feb 2 - ABR (Ironwood):
  Conditions: 20 degrees - light snow falling - flat hard pack covered by an inch of powder.
  Incredible day of skiing - much faster than expected and such a joy!
  (David Harkness)
• Feb 1 - ABR (Ironwood):
  Conditions: Superb! Several inches or more of new snow the day before freshly groomed in the morning.
  Grooming fantastic as usual.
  Photos:  
  (Ken Kuznia)
• Feb 1 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  Conditions: After 6" of fresh light snow on Sunday the trails were meticulously groomed today for striding and skating.
  Tuesday night ski at 6pm. Meet at the chalet.
  (Deborah Leonard-Polich)
• Jan 31 - Wolverine Ski Trail (Ironwood):
  Conditions: Very snowy, 3-5 inches of fresh snow!
  We had a workout at Wolverine this morning with the new snow. It was slow going, but beautiful! Ironwood really has two super X country trails close by--ABR and Wolverine.
  Throw in a little snowshoeing at Rainbow Falls on the Black River and it's quite a winter weekend!
  Photos:  
  (Bill Lundberg)
• Jan 30 - ABR (Ironwood):
  Conditions: Pristine conditions for classic and skating.
  We really had a good time at ABR on the hills of Peltonen Pass Out, Rudy's Shoot, Rascal's Revenge, and Spanky's Hill! The grooming was unbelievably great!
  Man, I had a wild fall at a curve in Rudy's -- landed right on the ol' forehead, luckily I've got a big head! I didn't get hurt, just my pride. It was not the fault of the grooming, just me wanting to go too fast. ABR is the best!
  Photos:  
  (Bill Lundberg)
• Jan 30 - ABR (Ironwood):
  Conditions: Great as always.
  ABR got snow most of the week and Eric's crew did an excellent job of grooming (again!). The new snow was heavy on the trees, making it a winter wonderland. I classic skied about 35 k's and it was very nice indeed.
  (Kevin Hillegas)

• Feb 6 - Noquemanon Trail (Marquette):
  Conditions: Excellent-great classic track.
  Finally, some new snow. A couple inches off the lake can make all the difference. The solid icy conditions are becoming a thing of the past slowly but surely. The upper part of the course at 510 easily had 3" of snow in the track. The classic track has a nice firm level bottom, coupled with the layer of new snow this made for excellent kick and glide with some layers of blue hard wax.
  (Rob Fox)
• Feb 6 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  Conditions: 22F; full sun; +25" base.
  Excellent. Lake effect snow over the last two weeks has kept trails in great shape.
  (John Gierke)
• Feb 5 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Conditions have been great all week. Solid classic tracks and firm skate lane. No ice.
  (John Gierke)
• Jan 31 - Valley Spur (Munising):
  Conditions: 18F; strong lake effect snow all day.
  Parking lot full of Noque skiers returning to Lower Peninsula and WI. Groomer ran non-stop from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. to keep up with the snow. Excellent conditions.
  (John Gierke)

• Feb 6 - Maasto Hiihto Ski Trails (Hancock):
  Conditions: Excellent. Same goes for Churning Rapids. Wow! What a day to be out skiing the trails.
  We did a wonderful 25K ski this morning and took these photos. There are from both Maasto Hiihto and the Churning trails. Bridge photo shows the snow being shallower than it really it. Creek warmth melts it some!
  Photos:  
  (Arly Aronson)
• Feb 3 - Maasto Hiihto Ski Trails (Hancock):
  Conditions: Excellent, see photos for better description. As usual same goes for Churning Rapids.
  After receiving a dusting of snow this week. Myself and our crew groomed things and they looked like this. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do skiing here.
  Photos:  
  (Arly Aronson)
• Feb 2 - Michigan Tech University Ski Trails (Houghton):
  Conditions: Excellent!
  Classic skied today on the Tech Trails. First time I have skied on the new trails, which were used for Nationals a few years ago. These trails are great! Nice downhills, with good flow, and quite a few uphills as well. Of course the grooming is excellent, with a nice warm up and wax building at the trail head.
  (Timothy Lederle)
• Feb 1 - Swedetown Trails (Calumet):
  Conditions: Fantastic!
  Skate skied for 3 hours at Swedetown trails, and covered most of the trails. All trails were freshly groomed, with a firm skate lane, and classic tracks looked great also. Temps in the mid teens made for decent glide, and of course there is no problem with snow coverage here!
  (Timothy Lederle)
• Jan 30 - Maasto Hiihto Ski Trails (Hancock):
  Conditions: Excellent again. Same goes for Churning Rapids.
  We took these photos Saturday afternoon, just hours after it had been groomed. Snow obviously continues to fall here. These are mostly of Back Country skiing all while in Churning Rapids. Hope you enjoy them.
  Photos:  
  (Arly Aronson)

• Feb 7 - Zak Nordic Center (Kenton):
  Trails set up very well overnight, and were quite fast today. Several K of snowshoe trails are also packed.
  Photos:  
  (Matt Zak)

Michigan Lower Peninsula

• Jan 31 - Love Creek County Park (Berrien Springs):
  Conditions: Good grooming of limited but much welcome mid-week lake effect snow made for great skating and striding this far south.
  Temps 23-29 F between 10am-3 pm, overcast early, full sun later. Yellow loop (2.5mi/open terrain) skate lane & tracks held up well with weather and multiple training laps by many skiers; no bare spots, debris, glaze or ice. Did not ski classic-only Red loop (2.5mi/woods).
  (George Sawicki)

Iowa

• Feb 6 - Big Creek State Park (Polk City):
  Conditions: The trail was groomed this morning after about an inch and one-half new sticky snow on Friday. The skating lane was firm and fast. New classic tracks were set. By the end of the day they were showing wear and tear in high traffic areas, but were reasonably good throughout the trail system.
  With no wind and a high temp. in the upper 20's, today was a wonderful skiing day. Good to see a lot of skiers including youngsters enjoying the skiing and comfortable conditions.
  (Tom Wilton)
• Feb 1 - East River Valley Park/Carr's Woods (Ames):
  Conditions: Good (skating).
  A fat inch of new snow did wonders for the well-packed and occasionally icy trail. Skated this Monday night, just floated on that new snow, quiet and great glide, really nice.
  (Jeri Neal)
• Jan 31 - Big Creek State Park (Polk City):
  The trail was groomed and classic tracks were reset this morning. Conditions were much improved from yesterday's slightly crusty hardpack. There are a few spots on the lake loop that are icy and stick and leaf littered, but overall the trail is in very good shape. Many skiers said they had about given up hope after the rain and warm temps last weekend, but were amazed how the trail had recovered.
  (Kevin Moss)

• Feb 6 - Matsell Bridge Natural Area (Springville):
  Conditions: 27F, overcast, light wind. Trail was in fair to excellent condition depending on location.
  The early section of the trail is narrow and not ideal for skating. Track is in very good shape. However on the Wapsi River Loops the skate lane widens and conditions are still ideal. Watch for a couple areas where winter excavating work is being done by County Conservation workers. Those areas are tricky and lack enough snow. We skied for 80 minutes and had a fun time. Saw three bald eagles flying along the river--magestic!
  (John Morris)
• Feb 6 - Squaw Creek Park (Marion):
  Conditions: 27F, sunny, light wind, trail very firm, skate lane a bit icy but we could get an edge, track was great--thin in places.
  The trail is holding up, but it is fragile. We need more snow. Campground Loop continues to be in excellent shape. Everything was fast.
  (John Morris)
• Feb 6 - Macbride Nature Recreation Area (Iowa City):
  Conditions: The classic track was firm and fast this afternoon.
  The coverage on all the trails is good; no dirt peeking through the snow. The great skiing we enjoyed today is a tribute to the groomers who have maintained the trails beautifully despite wet snow and temps in the mid-30's yesterday.
  (Mike Klug)
• Feb 3 - Squaw Creek Park (Marion):
  Conditions: 22 F, calm wind, firm conditions, freshly groomed, track good to excellent, skate lane wide and perfect. Double tracked in many sections.
  This may be the best grooming ever for this trail. The Campground Loop was fantastic--like the best up north in MN, WI, or MI. A new section along the north side of the creek was opened. It took us an hour to ski the entire system. Grass poking thru the track in just a few spots. Hard ice in just one location. The weekend looks great! Come out and try Squaw Creek.
  (John Morris)
• Feb 2 - Morgan Creek Park (Cedar Rapids):
  Conditions: 19 F, all trails had been beautifully re-groomed, no ice, track was gorgeous, skate lane was smooth with perfect corduroy.
  I had a great time thanks to the Linn Co. Conservation grooming team! A photographer from the Gazette was on hand taking winter pictures. He was from Milwaukee, WI. Hope he got some good shots of the smiles all around on the skiers' faces.
  (Nancy Morris)
• Feb 2 - Wickiup Hill Trails (Toddville):
  Conditions: 19 F, light wind, 2" of new snow, trails have not yet been re-groomed, very good glide for skating, track was in very good condition too.
  I worried when I saw that the groomer had not made it to Wickiup yet--but a quick test of the Prairie Loop put me at ease in no time. All the trail system is in great shape. No ice problems. We had a wonderful time as the blazing red sun dipped below the horizon. Skied all loops until darkness set in at 5:50 pm.
  (John Morris)
• Jan 31 - Matsell Bridge Natural Area (Springville):
  Conditions: 18 F, little wind, no new grooming, 1.5" dry fresh snow.
  We skated for 10-12K and had a splendid time! Great glide with blue wax. The conditions could not have been better. Lovely views along the Wapsipinicon River.
  (John Morris)

• Feb 3 - Waverly Golf Course (Waverly):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Skied north side of course. Some melting from the sun(?) made some icy patches.
  (Tony Lutz)
• Feb 2 - Waverly Golf Course (Waverly):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Late afternoon ski. Normal course route. 3" new powder last night. Great to ski after a couple of weeks since fresh snow.
  (Tony Lutz)

• Feb 2 - Lime Creek Nature Center (Mason City):
  Conditions: 3 Inchs fresh snow. Skating trail was fast and firm.
  Great skiing on the 5k skate. They also groomed the vast trail system in the woods, come and enjoy.
  (Dwight Beavers)
• Jan 31 - Lime Creek Nature Center (Mason City):
  Conditions: Very good.
  Lime Creek skate trails are in good to excellent condition. Classic tracks on skate trails good to fair. (Update: They got 2" of new snow on Feb 1 and report new grooming).
  (Jeri Neal)
• Jan 31 - Lime Creek Nature Center (Mason City):
  Conditions: Good to very good!
  Skating was good and very fast - its little rough there at the start but the rest of the loops are in good shape - super grooming! Classic tracks in good to very good shape. Smiling, another most excellent ski adventure!
  (Jeri Neal)
• Jan 31 - Pilot Knob State Park (Forest City):
  Conditions: 2 mile road was groomed Sunday for both skate and classic was in wonderful shape.
  It is a public road closed to traffic but snowmobles are allowed so the expert grooming sometimes doesn't hold up very long, so you take your chance on how it will be. But it has plenty of climbs, you won't believe your in Iowa!!
  (Dwight Beavers)

Canada

• Jan 31 - Hardwood Hills (Barrie):
  Conditions: Excellent.
  Great conditions; a veritable snow bubble.
  (Ken Hundert)

Illinois

• Jan 31 - Herrick Lake Forest Preserve (Wheaton):
  Conditions: Poor, but still can ski one mile Meadowlark Trail with rock skis.
  Very icy trail on east side of Herrick Lake to start of Meadowlark trail. Meadowlark trail is ice covered by about 1-2" of partially walked snow. No tracks, but was OK for skating. Better stop before trail emerges into meadow at end of trail as gravel starts to show up through ice. Connector trail also OK between Herrick Lake until it emerges into meadow.
  (Ted Hogan)

North Dakota

• Feb 3 - Lindenwood Park Ski Trails (Fargo):
  A couple inches of super-fluff the past couple days. The classical track is skier packed and is fast and firm. The seeds and leaves are covered with the new snow. The skating lane is covered in the fluff and is fast and firm with good edging.
  (Gary Brekke)

United States

• Feb 6 - Happy Jack Trails (Laramie, WY):
  Conditions: Very good.
  A lovely trail system in a pine forest with some good long climbs & twisty downhills (as well as easier trails). I had skied here last year by headlamp, enjoyed coming back in the daytime. Nice to see folks out with their dogs (allowed on certain trails) and little kids skiing. 8,500 feet is challenging for a flatlander, though! Lots of breath-catching.
  (Anne Flueckiger, Duluth XC Ski Club)
• Feb 3 - Northstar at Tahoe (Truckee, CA):
  Conditions: Great snow and grooming!
  Went up to Northstar for some ski orienteering with the Bay Area Orienteering Club. The trails were in great shape and the course was fun and challenging. The Minnesota Skinnyski Series Team Champion Ski Trophy was on hand to check out the "Ski-O" action. I spotted it waiting for the shuttle down the mountain. It's excited to return to MN for the Loppet this weekend. It couldn't wait to climb in the ski bag for the trip home.
  Photos:  
  (Peter Hanson)
• Jan 30 - Happy Jack System (Laramie, WY):
  Conditions: Excellent and fast!
  The snow was fast and the grooming was excellent. Skied the big loop that connects Phils, Summit, Lower UW and Blackjack. Midwinter conditions with no wind in the parking lot. Things are shaping up great at the Happy Jack Trail system this winter. Some of the best skiing in the Southeast Wyoming/ Northern Colorado Region.
  (Sarah Bayer)
• Jan 30 - Howelsen Hill Nordic Trails (Steamboat Springs, CO):
  Conditions: Excellent - Sunny 28 Degrees.
  Great grooming, fun sunny day at Howelsen Nordic. Trails are in great shape: hilly and smooth.
  Photos:  
  (Chris Mau)