Conditions: Still holding up well, but walkers are finding there way onto the trails.
Used my waxless Grip 9 skis today with some pretty old warm weather skate wax. This made for some slow going. only encountered a couple pairs of skiers.

(Rick Vatsaas)

Conditions: West of Pilot Knob Road - Very good classic conditions with deep track and great grip and glide.
Minimal debris and great coverage. Still using grip tape from last season with a little glide wax and worked very well. Disappointed in myself as only the 4th time out this year mainly due to the poor snow coverage around the metro area. There is definitely more snow in the southeast and this is an easy drive from 35E. Well worth the drive.

Photos:

(Scott Ford)

Conditions: The trail was fair at best. There was debris, (leaves, twigs, branches) in the trail. Also the trail was washed out in many areas making it tough to maintain speed, balance and momentum.
The trail has not been tracked in awhile, there needs to be more snow to improve the conditions and cover the debris.

(Tim Piepho)

Conditions: Good to excellent conditions on the classic trails west of Pilot Knob Rd. Grooves were unspoiled by walkers. occasional leaf litter, and thin spot otherwise great shape throughout.
Swix Blue kick wax did the trick. Best ski I have had this winter.

(Rick Vatsaas)

Conditions: Traditional ski area West of Pilot Knob in very good condition. Only minor leaf debris and no gravel showing thru (except under Pilot Knob bridge) thanks to recent lite snow.
Skied evening just about dusk. Due to recent light snow, tracked trails in very good condition with no dirt/gravel showing thru, only light leaf debris. Very good snow coverage. Tracks in very good condition - left side unused, right side only lightly skied and firm. Tracks relatively fast. Barry said it right, groomer must be a skier, great job laying tracks.

(John Gamlin)

Conditions: Best for this season, so far.
Skied Holland to Visitor Center. Shallow tracks were significantly better than no tracks. Dusting of snow helped with grip. Classic tracks undisturbed by hikers and ski skaters - a first! Some thin snow and minor leaf cover.

(Paul Kraus)

I skied the section West of Pilot Knob Road. This area is in pretty good condition and generally better than the trails East of Pilot Knob especially closer to the visitors center where they get more wear. The snow is well packed and quite slippery so the hills are fast if you like that. I managed to stay upright so it wasn't too bad. I had to do the first steep hill twice because it was so much fun. The tracks are a little shallow in places because of the lack of snow but not too bad. I like the way it isn't tracked in all the places you don't want tracks. It is like the groomer knows how to ski!

(Barry Shillingford)

Conditions: Good to fair. Shallow machine-set track that washes out on curves, intersection, off camber portions of the trail and under some trees. Usual amount of leaf and needle litter. I used Polar Swix for kick and CH4 for glide on my combis. It was around zero degrees. Thankfully the trees and terrain generally blocked the wind and I was ok for warmth with a balaclava and downhill ski gloves with wool liners.
Groomers have done the best they can with shallow base. Don't know why but I struggled to maintain a consistent kick and glide. If I had extended my kick wax a little further forward on my ski and not put on base binder so thick that some leaf residue stuck to my ski, it probably would have helped. Took me 1:50 to do 7.3 miles.

(Keith Carlson)

Conditions: Fair to good, with pretty even snow coverage.
The classic trails on the east side are pretty good in the open areas except most corners are washed out, and it is thin and a good number of pine cones in the east pines. But it was fun to be out today and green kick wax actually held out for the full loop. With the barely adequate snow cover, the grooming is probably as good as it will be until the next snowfall. Thanks to Dakota Parks for having the Visitor Center open and even clean heated bathrooms at the Holland Lake trailhead.

(Dave Carlson)

Conditions: Traditional trails in mostly good with some fair condition. Recently tracked which is in mostly good condition. Trails remain fast and icy.
Tracks recently put down by snowmobile and mostly in good shape but getting worn close to visitor center. Some dirt showing thru and some leaf debris. Trails remain fast due to ice. Still a good ski but we need snow.

Photos:

(John Gamlin)