After these last two warm days, the classic tracks are pretty bare and the skate deck is getting thin. Grooming will be suspended until we get more snow to work with. Until then expect icy conditions once temperatures drop.

(Tyler McKean, St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

Skied around 9am. Trail was groomed for skating only. Nice wide lane with very good coverage and almost no dirt or debris. It was a bit lumpy and uneven and windblown in a few areas. The trail is much shorter than in other years, about 4.5K. The section along Arcade and by the ball field is missing. But I was not in shape to do much more, haha! Coming from Arcade, you can use the light show and parking entrance at that time of day, but going out you have to use a detour towards Maryland.

Photos:

(Jenneke Oosterhoff)

No grooming yet, maybe Tuesday. Just skied in track that are pretty good. Nice seeing the Holiday Lights along the park road. There is a problem getting is since the road is blocked for the Holiday Lights. I parked at the Rec. Center and walked across the street. Had to climb over construction pipes. Must be a better way.

(Bill Stuber)

No grooming but some nice skied in classic tracks. Plenty of snow so no danger of damaging your ski base.

(Bill Stuber)

Almost "Good skis"...occasional twig/leaf/grass. No set track. Snowed in skier tracked in some sections. Great skate deck with soft snow on top. The soft Atomic skaters in my quiver worked very well. Beautiful, magical with the falling snow. Few skiers. Missed some of the loops of previous years. Hope to find them groomed in the weeks ahead. Wheelock Parkway west from the entrance is closed due to construction.

(Carrie Kostroski)

Phalen is in real good condition after the 1" if fluff we received overnight. It covered up most of the debris that had been visible on the trail. I didn't see any gravel from the cart paths showing but did feel them with my poles.

(Bill Stuber)

Checked out Phalen late this afternoon and found that the trail was rolled and combed out. No tracks but a very nice skate deck. The layout is a bit different since there seems to be Met Council type work going on. The loop is just about 5K.

(Bill Stuber)

The ski trail is rolled and good for classic. A few areas are dirty but overall has good coverage. There were several skaters out just before dusk. Classical tracks are skied-in only.

(Randee Edmundson)

Not groomed at all yet but several people had been out making classical tracks. Slow, but beautiful. There is plenty of track just following in what others have broken. I didn't see any that went into the sand traps so if you aren't sure, stick to the tracks.

Photos:

(Sara Reller)