Lester Park groomed. Overall conditions are good, classic tracks are shallow in spots and some dirt showing up on both the skate and classic areas.

(Andy Holak)

Lester was freshly groomed this morning and it's looking beautiful. The snow we got has covered the trail and adhered to the ice below. There are several spots where dirt got churned up but it is mostly to the far edge of the deck and is all avoidable (except for one spot where the leftmost track is full of debris on the last stretch before you get to the main parking lot on Seven Bridges Road). New tracks set as well-- tracks are shallow in spots but totally skiable.

(Annalisa Peterson)

Skate and Classic: Poor to good. Avoid Upper Lester unless you are an expert skier. Yesterday's 45F weather plus today's freeze has made for icy conditions. The bigger hills on the upper section are tough. Skiing classic I was not able to hold the tracks due to speed. Once forced out of the tracks it was impossible to get and edge to turn with classic skis. I fell once on purpose to avoid a fast trip into the woods. Lower Lester is okay because the downhill portion is much more gentle. I enjoyed the luge like classic tracks today and the resulting speed, but this "Wave 3 Birkie" skier will not venture back to Upper Lester till it snows, or the city grooms and chops up the ice.

(Rich Hoeg)

Nice skiing today at Lester in the warmth. Classic track was still quite good, if shallow. I expect it will be very slick by tomorrow once it freezes hard again. Skate deck had been well used, and had some uneven grooming in it, but no deep ruts, despite the warm weather. Both classic track and skate deck have many thin spots, but they are very visible and easy to avoid.

Photos:

(Tjaard Breeuwer)

Upper Lester groomed with a new classic track. Some dirt patches starting to show through. Overall conditions are pretty good.

(Andy Holak)

Lester Groomed and tracked A-C, D and L Loop. Slow going after this last warm up. We will work on grooming the rest of the system as the week progresses.

(Andy Holak)

When I was out right after noon, the groomer was still out there finishing some things up--basically fresh corduroy all over. The little bit of new snow two days ago plus regrooming has Lester in really nice shape. I didn't ski the playground loop, which I suspect is still cruddy. Otherwise, I skied most of the trail up to the top and back, including the J & L hills--it was all good. There are a few areas left where it's thin or where there's dirt mixed in, but those are far fewer than before. I'd have no qualms about using my good skis [except for the fact that it's been so long since conditions were good enough to use them that they still have super-cold glide wax].

(Erik Riker-Coleman)

Skip the playground loop and you can use the good skis. A few dirty snow patches but easy to avoid. Sadly, the tracks are getting really worn. But, far better than nothing. If no snow lands Monday it will probably be B skis very soon. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Photos:

(Ben Fornear)

Pretty much confirming the other report for Lester... the trails were getting soft in the early afternoon but still pretty well packed. A fair amount of minor bare spots, usually in the middle of the skating lane but avoidable. The signage and trail maps at each intersection were great. Also saw a dozen or so fat bikers on adjacent or crossing trails. Very nice and scenic trail system!

(Dave Carlson)

The trails were nice, but the snow was getting soft. The tracks had gotten a lot of use and there were some places on the hills where the tracks were not the best. The sunset was pretty on the trees.

(Ava Schapman)