Terrific. Still almost 100% coverage this morning. It was fantastic skating until about 11:00, when it got pretty sticky. Hardly a soul on the trails.

(Catherine Winter)

Bear Paw in very good shape, especially the skate track. Rolling Pin and Ridge runner are passable. The tracks are nonexistent in spots. Snow is icy in spots. Other times soft and sticky. Beware a bare, rocky patch on Rolling Pin downhill.

(Nick Lansing)

Another great morning of skiing at Boulder! Yesterday's grooming held up well and skate conditions were excellent. There were only a couple of crusty spots where the afternoon sun must have hit the trail. The rest had good coverage. Classic tracks looked clean and firm.

Photos:

(Molly Hoeg, Duluth XC Ski Club)

Groomed and tracked nicely this morning, I skated 22.2 K (two 11.1 K loops including Blue Ox, Bear Paw, Nine Pine, and the lake crossing to Wolfski's Ski Den) on my "A" skis and found the conditions to be fantastic, and the best of my six or seven skis here this winter, with even flat surfaces. Pole plants were a wee bit soft but firming up nicely by the time the sun was setting. Skating was fast and fun, with hardly any debris on the trails, despite strong winds. Thanks for the Boulder crew for grooming today.

Photos:

(Lane Ellis)

It was a beautiful morning of skiing on soft new silent snow in skier-set tracks. We skied all the trails in the South trail system, except for the campground loop, and coverage was excellent. Without grooming, skate skiing would be hard going. It doesn't get more pleasant than this!

Photos:

(Molly Hoeg, Duluth XC Ski Club)

I skied Blue Ox, Nine Pines, and Bear Paw trails. Groomers hadn't been out yet, but many skiers had already made their own classic tracks in the new snow. I think that they usually groom out there on Mondays and Fridays, so maybe some groomed tracks will be set today? Great place to ski!

Photos:

(Nicole Ottjes)

Rolling Pin and Ridge runner are soft. Tracks are in good shape on much of trail. Lots of pine needles on track in spots.

(Nick Lansing)

Skate skied Nine Pine, Blue Ox and Bear Paw. Not groomed from recent snowfall but trail was firm under two inches of fluff. Wood Pile at first parking lot is still smoldering.

(Matt Whiting)

Great job of tracking and grooming the trails by Dave and Zach. Trails were freshly tracked and groomed. It was a fantastic day of skiing, although a little cold crossing the lake to the warming house. Beautiful with the sunshine.

(David Lundein)

5 degrees F when I got to Boulder at 10 AM and 10 degrees F when I left at 3 PM (retirement is wonderful). NW wind about 20 mph, gusting to 30 mph. But with a few exceptions, most of the trails at Boulder are pretty sheltered, and parking at the East Parking Lot, you go into the wind on the way out and with the wind on the way back (I went around several times). I both skated and strided. Trails were groomed to perfection after Monday's snow, there were not too many tracks on the skate lanes, so it must have been groomed yesterday (Wednesday). Fast Wax teal paste gave decent glide on the skate lane and good glide in the classic tracks. Special green (currently my coldest hard wax) gave plenty of kick. Skate lane was not soft at all, but not real fast with the cold temps. Classic track was drifted over in a few exposed spots, with very dry, cold, slow snow, and a bit of debris here and there but perfect for at least 95% of the system. Picture is of the super-wide access trail from the East Parking Lot. The rest of the trail system is about a third of that, but nice wide skate lane, and a classic track well removed from any "face-slappers".

Photos:

(Tim Holst)