The man made loop is open, so get out there before its gone! Amazingly, it was tracked after Winterfest concluded Sunday night, and the skate deck held up overnight. Conditions are deteriorating, and it's a mix of slush, ice, and dirty snow. Still beats running.

Photos:

(Will DeBoer)

Ice Age Challenge organizers are working up a 1K loop for man-made snow for the weekend races.

Photos:

(Bruce Adelsman)

Yuriy Gusev (CXC) groomed the Elver Trails this morning with the Piston Bully. Right now conditions are very good for both skating and classic. Start at the warming shelter and go into the woods past the baseball fields rather than starting at the parking lot. This area is too icy to groom. He also groomed the man-made snow area below the sledding hill. Appx 6-7 K groomed trail.

(Gordy Bartholomew)

As of around sunset, skiing in the woods is not recommended. Much of the trail is icy, and the groomed parts I saw didn't hold up well. Ski those at your own risk. However, there is about a mile of pretty well groomed trails that stretches from the sledding hill past the warming hut over to the softball fields. Watch out for a couple of icy parts by the softball field.

Photos:

(Will DeBoer)

Trails are still all open but East and West hills are pretty bad. East has not been groomed. The Piston Bully set a nice loop below and up the sledding hill, past the shelter and around the West baseball diamond where there are a few icy patches. They were even able to set a classical track there. Not the best but it's all we have.

(Robert Abendroth)

Technically all trails are open but it would not be wise to ski most of the hills. Very icy and hard on the West. Don't bother trying to go up from the parking lot it's mostly ice up to the first hill. Hard pack icy snow from there on with patches of ice. The last part of the loop was the best and the return loop had the most "snow". The loop around the baseball diamonds had some actual snow but also patches of solid ice. Heroic efforts from the groomer couldn't overcome nature. While there is no bare ground given the amount of solid ice you may not want to use your best or faster skis.

(Robert Abendroth)

I got here shortly after 9 expecting a well worn trail. Instead I got a freshly groomed skate deck and freshly set classical tracks. The skate deck is still a little soft but skiing was excellent on the West. I did notice that the grooming was staring to pick up dirt in a few spots and was surprised at how much leaf litter had fallen on the freshly groomed snow.

(Robert Abendroth)

As of Wednesday night, the only issue is the occasional sticks or leaves back in the woods. The rest of the course is in surprisingly good shape. Hasn't been groomed in a few days so it's pretty hard packed but we can't be too choosy down here. No signs of dirt, bare ground, or ice on the lighted loop. Classic track is worn down at intersections but otherwise is in surprisingly good shape given all the use the trails have gotten in the last week.

(Will DeBoer)

Good coverage with a few icy sections. Groomed hardpack corduroy skate deck and firm tracks. Pleasantly surprised at the good conditions considering the previous rain, ice, wet snow. Madnorski groomers did a stellar job! Very enjoyable skiing on both east and west trails.

Photos:

(Carolyn Senty)

New wet snow has been groomed and tracked. The track is bad at the parking lot but improves rapidly as you climb any of the hills. Just beware of occasional dirt or debis and look for thin or wet spots on downhills. With a little care it was great to be skiing locally.

(Alan Bates)