Manufactured Snow Trails which include Star, Willow Creek, Frog Town, Scenic Foothills, and Boulder Ridge are Packed, Tracked, and in FAIR condition for both skate and classic. Conditions will change throughout the day. Visitor Center is OPEN Friday 9 AM - 9 PM; and Saturday - Sunday 8 AM - 9 PM. Beginning Monday; March 6, Visitor Center will be open Daily 9-5 pm. Rentals are available this weekend. Trail Lights are on from 5 AM - 10 PM. The last Groom will be Sunday night. Forecasts of 65 degrees multiple days, rain, and thin areas results in grooming stopping on Sunday night.

(Sonja Bercich, Three Rivers Park District)

Still fairly good coverage for classic on the man made loop (tracks were looking light on the tracks just before Boulder Ridge but no bare spots). I was out there at 6 AM and it looked as though the groomers had moved snow around to fill in some of the bare spots. The tracks were icy but fast, I used a klister base with Swix VR40 Blue and had good kick for 10K worth of skiing. Thanks Hyland Groomers!

Photos:

(Nils Wahlander)

Skied to man made loop at 7PM. In good shape. Rock hard deck, with minor amounts of debris and dirt about. Most concerning were the scary grooves and ruts on hills, especially the downhills. Not easy skiing, for sure, but I got in a great workout. Hoping they can smooth it all out with some grooming.

(John Ericsson)

Unfortunately the slightly warmer midday temps provided enough moisture that the course froze before evening (I got out around 8:15 pm). The course was either crusty ruts, icy tracks or slow and grabby shaved out sections. Flats and downhills had all three, and uphills were just ruts. Double poling the flats in the tracks was nicer than skiing across the ruts. Unlike most days when I step around the outside of the shaved portions on the downhills, I went in them this time because everything else was hard and crusty ruts. The shaved sections were typically pretty slow though, so it was easy enough. Boulder Ridge didn't seem worth trying. There were only a few people out, and once I started skiing, I could see why. The conditions were maybe the least enjoyable of the season for me, and I almost stopped after 2K. I think the track stripped any remaining wax I had, though it didn't seem to change the glide one way or the other.

(Dan Boody)

Nice to be skiing on fresh snow this morning. Excellent coverage on the entire 5K loop. The new snow was very slow though, at times I felt like I was skiing in slow motion (yes, even more I normally do). Considering that only 3 tenths (0.3) inches of snow fell during a warm February, it's great to be able to ski. Thanks Hyland.

(Geir Johansen)

Still good coverage on machine made snow. Morning is the best time before it starts getting soft. No crowds. Good workout for Pepsi challenge this weekend. Skating and classic set.

Photos:

(Kevin Wendland)

Beautiful morning at Hyland. Nice firm skate deck and fast conditions. Boulder Ridge was fast but easy to manage. Classic track looked a little thin. Thanks groomers!

(Bill McKinney)

Skied Hyland around 6pm on Monday. Even though the car thermometer said 42 the trails were starting to get a little crusty, making downhills interesting. Tonight was the first test of the new Fischer Turnamic binding and the skins vs scales challenge. There wasn't a clear winner on the skins versus scales both offered good grip even on the slick track there might have been a slight edge to the scales for glide speed and both patterns would slip with sloppy technique. The binding, however, is a winner. A quick stop with no tool allowed the binding to be moved on the plate to improve the glide. The flexor is a bit softer than on the current NIS bindings and has a good feel. Watch for them next year! Thanks to Hyland's staff for keeping the ever graying trail open and skiable. Only one small bare spot starting to show on the inside of the Boulder Ridge cut off corner. Classic tracks are mostly intact although the oak leaves are ever present. Get out and ski while it's there.

(Andy Turnbull)

I couldn't get out until this afternoon when it was 44 degrees, but still had an enjoyable ski. The whole 5K loop is still open with no bare spots, and the conditions were really pretty good. The classic tracks were a little slushy in the open areas and on the beginner loop. Otherwise, a little ice here and there in the tracks, but the no wax skis worked fine. It was deserted for Hyland, but there were a few skiers out trying to get all their pent up Birkie K's in.

(Bill Lundberg)

Conditions were fast with a good edge. I couldn't believe how good the whole snowmaking 5K loop was. It feels like the best kept secret. Thanks to the groomers.

(Tom Amundson)