Conditions: Quite good, freshly groomed.
The trail was groomed this morning and in good shape. There were some bare spots that might warrant B skis just in case but still good. Enjoy the natural stuff while you still can. Thanks to the groomers!

(Angie Robinson)

Although the skate deck was crunchy in most places, it was possible to get an edge and rarely scarey. There were even a few magical stretches with pockets of soft quiet snow. Although that course lacks the heart pumping uphills I like, in conditions like today's I'm just as glad it doesn't have the screaming downhills that go along with them. I was surprised to find a groomed path through the tunnel to the section on the south side of Larpenteur. I might ski there more often if they continue grooming that because it will then be feasible for me to ski there from the St. Paul gym. (I tried that once before, a few years ago, but there were too many road crossings.).

(Lois Braun)

Conditions: skate deck groomed Tuesday morning. Classic tracks buried.
The trail was groomed Monday and Tuesday. I showed up Tuesday morning expecting to find mix of hard boilerplate and windblown drifts. I was pleasantly surprised to find new corduroy. Looks like groomer only did single pass on each loop so corduroy is not as wide as usual. But even narrow grooming made big difference in breaking up hard, icy and rutted sections and smoothing out snowdrifts. Trail is thin so watch out for exposed rocks, gravel or ice. Classic tracks not recently groomed and old ones looked icy or buried in windblown snow. The golf course is very exposed to north winds so be prepared for arctic windchills on day like today. Dress warm and enjoy.

(Kermit Pattison)

Conditions: The trail has firmed up nicely.
The classic tracks were solid throughout. Mostly at the hilltops, there were occasional thin spots where the winds took hold. Thanks to the shovelers that filled in those thin spots. The skate lane had a ridge and/or gully through the middle of the lane throughout the trails.

(Michael Sweet)

Conditions: Overall good with some grooming issues.
Skied UofM Golf Course Thursday evening. As you would expect, it is still rather soft in some areas, but overall not as soft as I expected. Biggest issue was the groomer left a curb or hump in the middle of the skate deck in a number of places. Groomer was out working the trail so they are working on it and overall doing a fine job. Trail overall in decent shape and solid coverage on all three loops with just a few hill crests showing some grass due to the wind blowing off the snow. Good skis should be fine - watch for some thin areas and grass clods.

(Jim Carlen)

Conditions: Skate fair; classic limited. Variable soft - thin.
Finished skiing circa 3pm. Ranged from soft to windblown. In soft areas, poles sank to turf as did skate ski tracks. Classic track on West loop in spite of thin cover. Groomer in action when I departed. A groomer told me they were done grooming the West loop. Lots of air in this snowpack.

(Toby Markowitz)

Conditions: Good coverage if soft.
was being rolled for skating while I was out there at 5pm, didn't see classic tracks but they might have put them in after I left.

(Brett Arenz)

Conditions: A few thin spots but overall pretty great.
It was a beautiful night and the cord was fresh and even. It made me wonder where all the other skiers were -- I had the whole place to myself at 7 pm, with evidence of only two skaters having skied before me. Great job groomers, you are doing a lot with a little!

(Cathy Perrone)

Conditions: Good. Freshly groomed skate deck and tracks looked good. Some exposed grass on crests of hills.
Great after-work ski at the U of MN golf course. Kudos to the groomers for the great job. Nice to have this convenient ski option.

(Sue Schroeder)

Conditions: I'd say good. Soft snow, groomed since last snowfall. Nice soft surface. A bit of grass and sticks poking through, particularly over the crests of hills, but nothing I couldn't avoid. I used B skis. Obviously could use some more snow. Classic track is generally well defined. I skated but looked like it would be pretty good classic skiing.
Skied around 5 pm. I'm very impressed with what a great job the groomers have done with what is a relatively thin snow pack. I skied B skis but it's basically fine. A little bit of grass, and a couple very thin spots over the crest of some hills but if you adhere to the old adage, "if it aint white don't ski on it" you'll be fine. If I wanted to be super picky I guess I could point out that it's a little bit uneven -- but really a remarkably nice surface for the few inches we have. And the snow is quite soft so view the irregularity as an opportunity to work on your balance.. Even just a couple more inches would really make it amazing. Come on Ullr! Do us right.

(Luke Smith)