I figured today was maybe my only day to get up to William O'Brien State Park and ski. This was a lost season as far as skinny skiing goes, but never say never, and when it snowed really wet snow Sunday into Monday, and then a little lighter dose most of the day Tuesday, I figured Wednesday was the best day, but with temps still not way into upper 30's and 40's I could squeeze some skiing in today. Did not make it Wednesday, but made it to William O'Brien around 11am this morning, checked in with the DNR folks at the office and they said with the amount of snow on the ground, grooming was not feasible, so they told me to ski for free. Met a few other hardy souls out skiing, the tracks were pretty messy in some spots, ice changing to softer snow then back to ice. 97% of the trail was snow covered with some bare spots in a few places. The Woodland Edge trail was pretty nice and less tracked than trails closer to the Interpretive Center, also up on the Wedge Hill Savanna Trail, only one set of tracks most of the way. Even though conditions were not pristine by any stretch, it was truly wonderful to be skiing on some snow with a brilliant blue ski above and the beauty of William O'Brien all around. Cheers to all the folks who managed to get out and ski yesterday and today! I took way too many photos, but it was my only shot.

Photos:

(Harlan Jones)

We greatly appreciated the few days of skiing and want to thank the groomer for his masterful efforts to make the trails skiable with 4 inches of snow. We did all the trails again Sunday morning but had to either walk in spots or take odd our skis off due to melting. I was a small reprieve to the dry winter so we made the most of it! Some good runs and a lot of open dirt and rock.

Photos:

(Kristina Vaughan)

Any time spent in such a beautiful setting is appreciated, no matter the conditions. And those conditions were...challenging. There's only so much groomers can do with 4" of snow and no base, and they've done a good job for what they had to work with. As it is, the skate deck is undulating, with a number of bare spots and some roots poking through. Without a significant base, the snow was soft, so it's certainly a good workout. Definitely recommend rock skis. There was no track set.

(Jason Goepfert)

We had the good fortune to arrive just after the trails were rolled. What a gift! Decent snow coverage, perfect temperature and beautiful blue skies. After such a long snow drought this day was pure magic. Thanks to groomer. May not last but our happy memories will.

(Kristina Vaughan)