There was enough of a bed for a skate lane, but no track was set.

(Patrick Donnay)

Fantastic day on the trails! Sunshine and crisp start to the day with morning low checking in at -12F. Grooming crew was on trail from 6am to 6pm working on the entire trail system. All skate lanes roll combed, all double track trails reset and all single track trails tracked. Full depth classic tracks. Lots of smiling faces today. Grooming plans: Track to be reset on Rootin Tootin and skate lanes combed on north skate trails. Bullhead Bootleg is last trail to be packed and groomed, maybe tomorrow.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Thursday's snowfall was good enough to move ski conditions at Maplelag from good to excellent. Bring your good skis and have fun. Jay was out grooming this afternoon, keeping the trails fresh for their guests. Temps were -7F this morning but warmed up to about 10F for the afternoon. Great skiing today!

Photos:

(Glenn Gifford)

6" of new snow as of 7pm. Machine, J-Goat and Birdman spent the morning roll packing on much of the trail system. Over lunch I skied one lap on Skaters with J-Goat. So fun skiing in the fresh powder! Start Green glide was perfect. Afternoon the crew was back out setting tracks on all the double track trail, mixing a little of the old frozen and loose transformed snow from the old base in the process. The skate lanes were also roll combed in the afternoon. Grooming plans: The crew will be back out in the morning doing pretty much the same thing as today as well as packing the single track classic trails and setting track after.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Another enjoyable day on the trails. Mother North Star and Sap Run twice each, then North Loop and Wavy Gravy, total of 22 K. The flurries made conditions even better. The renovated Hygge cabin, as its name suggests, is a pleasant and comfortable place for a sandwich break. Lucky those who live closer to this great resort. Enjoy!

Photos:

(Istvan Gombocz)

Fresh powder on the hard base, ideal combination - fast, but not really dangerous. Caution is in order, though, when going downhills. Sukkerbusk, Sap Run, Twin Lakes, Island Lake, and my favorite: Roy's Run, 22 K. A fun afternoon on the trails. Enjoy!

(Istvan Gombocz)

An inch or so of new snow today. We spent most of the day working on the course for the DL Invite tomorrow. The new snow worked into the rock solid frozen transformed base groomed out nicely. The classic trails have fair to good set tracks with the dusting of new snow to be skied in. Early evening I skied the course and conditions were some of the best of the year.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

We wrapped up our fourth weekend of skiing and grooming of this season with the final day of the St Paul Highland Park Ski team ski camp today. Mild temperatures and fast tracks made for a fun morning on the trails. Skied with the boys on Roy's Run and Rootin Tootin before heading west to Wavy Gravy to check conditions over there. Full depth tracks with scattered thin spots on both Roy's and Wavy but very skiable and great rock skiing conditions. The crossing between Twin Lakes is still needing more snow but I skied through with no issues. Overall the entire trail systems is holding up well, definitely worn and well used in ares but still nice early season skiing. Grooming plans: We will be focusing on Skaters Waltz on Monday, farming snow (watch out for mid to large size equipment) and grooming after. Scheduling: Tuesday we will be hosting one the longest running ski meets in the State, the DL Invite. Trails will be open but will be very busy at the resort.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

It was a good ski day at Maplelag. Two high school ski teams were out today, taking advantage of Maplelag's snow cover and groomed trails. Roy's Run had a fresh classic track and looked as if only 2-3 skiers had been on it, while Sukkerbusk and Jibfly looked like popular choices today for other skiers. Very small and intermittent thin patches remain, making B skis a good choice on the trails I skied today. The base looks solid.

(Glenn Gifford)

A much warmer day today with temperatures in the mid teens and welcomed sunshine. Good to very good early season conditions reported by the day skiers. Grooming this morning we combed out the edges on the skate lanes and cut track on Roy's Run for the first time this year. We are now up to around 35 km of track set on the classic only trails. 15km groomed skate only trails. I skied Roy's Run at dusk and found a fast track on a frozen granulated base. A few thin areas and some grass poking through but considering first tracking of year and time of year nice B ski conditions. 25km fat bike trail groomed with dusting of snow on top. The only ski trail left to groom is Bullhead Lake trail. It is open for adventure skiing. We had the Snow Dog groomer out today packing snow across the lake to access the Bootleg singletrack for fat biking and also a path for the Bullhead ski loop. Grooming plans: We plan to groom the Bullhead loop either Saturday or Monday. Touch up grooming on other trails as needed through the weekend.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Conditions: Sunshine, light winds morning low temperature -22F. Early to mid season conditions on a 1-3" compacted frozen granulated base with dusting of fresh snow mixed in. Snow depth in woods 3-6", Snowfall year to date: 11". 45km of trail open. 15km for skate, 30km for classic skiing with 20.5 km thin to medium machine track set. Remainder of classic trails snowmobile packed with crust layer/fresh snow. Comments: Once the temperature warmed up to -10F we were out grooming combing the skate lanes on 15km of skate trail and setting track on the west side of the trail system. We set a thin/shallow track on Twin Lakes and a full depth track on Wavy Gravy minus the "Mac's Mess" segment. Also the first part and last part of Island Lake trail a track was set to make a nice loop on the west side. A few spots the tracksetter touched the ground otherwise should be very nice early season/rock ski conditions on Wavy Gravy and Island Lake trails. Late afternoon went back on Skaters Waltz smoothing out the deck after Moorhead HS team practice was completed.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Conditions: Dusting of new snow past 24 hours. Early to mid season conditions on a 1-3" compacted frozen granulated base with new snow on top. Snow depth in woods 3-6" Snowfall year to date: 11". 40km of trail open. 15km for skate, 25km for classic skiing with 13.5 km thin to medium machine track set. Remainder of classic trails combed. Comments: The temperature dropped fast overnight and we hovered around -10 all day with frontal passage frost snow and a little wind. We still put in a full day of grooming, rolling and resetting and setting new track on 13.5km of trail. I classic skied at the blue hour as the moon was rising checking out a portion of all the classic trails that had a machine set track. It's a hard base and soft track but considering weather on Sunday pretty darn nice skiing. The wind had settle down and was a beautiful evening in the forest.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Gave Hiram ski trail it's first grooming of the season today. Had just enough snow from the storm yesterday to pack it this morning but not enough base to set a track. Track setter was getting into the leaves and grass when I tried it so I stopped. Will have to wait for more snow before setting a track. There is a lot of stubble and weeds sticking through the snow plus the occasional rock so use your rock skis. Rough conditions right now but it's very skiable if you don't mind skiing without a track.

(Paul Klinger)

We have 2-3" snow on the ground, with no new snowfall this weekend. Trails have been rolled and Lilly's (easy) is marginally skiable, with leaves and grass poking through. They were cleaned and mowed fairly closely in the fall, which is the only reason they are open at all! The hillier trails are not recommended, and full grooming with tracks will require more snow. Lilly's was redesigned to relocate trail off the edge of some private land, and in the process, the hill was widened and other segments moved into a long downhill cruise that should be loads of fun. We're also working on a new groomer, which should be fully operational in a couple weeks. Snowshoe trails have all been cleared and marked, so those are usable for hikers/shoers right now. Hikers should stay off the ski trails at this point, through ski season. MN Ski pass required on ski trails, not needed on snowshoe trails.

Photos:

(Deane Johnson)

All trails are groomed with skating lanes. No classic tracks yet. All trails have very good snow coverage with the exception of Finland. Expect leaf and small branches on trail. Enjoy.

(Marc Lundeen)

Two inches of new snow fell during the day Thursday. Most trails were rolled to compress the snow. Thin and soft base. Need to have a flat ski or it will grab the sand beneath the snow and quickly stop the ski. Ski with caution! Grooming plans: An addition inch of snow fell after initial rolling. Additional rolling will likely be completed on Friday.

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(Bryan Pike)

The trails at Giants Ridge came through the warm temps and light rain just fine. Based on what I saw at trail intersections it looked like Cedar, Summit, and Bronze all received one pass with the ginzugroomer in the last 24 hours. I skied Gold and it also had one pass with the ginzu on everything but the lower loop of south Gold. The tracks were not reset, but still looked to be in good shape with some fresh snow in them. The trails still have some lumps and bumps here and there but ski pretty darn good considering.

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(Tony Norland)

A 3G effect! "Great Ginzu Grooming" on the trails that have been opened up. Solid tracks and fresh corduroy were the best on the Gold and Cedar, while the Summit, Bronze and Northern Lights were well loved. Conditions are early season fantastic - thank you groomers!

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(Cheri Johnson)

Classic skied Gold, Summit up, and Bronze down. All are tracked and groomed for skating. Skate deck was a bit bumpy and soft, but tracks are in pretty good shape. B skis recommended, there is generally good coverage but some twigs and a few rocks poking through -- easy to avoid if you're keeping an eye out for them. All things considered, great conditions for early season. Hoping this bodes well for a good snow year! Swix V40 covered with V30 was dragging a lot in the stadium and golf course but was kicking well in the woods. Also classic skied a few laps of Northern Lights Friday evening and it was in great shape.

Photos:

(Ellen Thompson)

Skied the Onion River Rd in the evening and it was quite good. The groomer had been over it several times. Good track set.

(Dan Disch)

I skate skied the Summit View trail in the afternoon. It had just been groomed and was actually pretty good. The surface was pretty consistent without evidence of prior tracks just "scratched over."

(Dennis Rysdahl)

Skied at Onion River Road trailhead. Snow was thawed and refrozen. Skate deck was unskiable and very icy. There is snow, but I wouldn't bother going until it is groomed.

(Donna Smith)

Oberg loop was groomed this weekend and the soft snow better packed. A few uneven spots on the steep climbs (went counterclockwise) but overall had nice glide and it was beautiful in the mist and fog. B skis probably best as the warm temps may thin some areas. Classic tracks looked great. Wet snow conditions but much better than expected!

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(Christina Fanola)

Took my good skis out to Onion River Road and skied part way towards Homestead loop. Onion River trail was surprisingly wonderful today. Absolutely stunning with the trees covered in plenty of snow and mostly packed down to get good glide. Good skis possible, just dodge a few sections of debris from the pines above. The Oberg and Picnic loops have very deep soft snow. Photos don't do justice to the winter wonderland that is Sugarbush right now.

Photos:

(Christina Fanola)

From the Britton Peak trailhead, I skied out to and around the Homestead and Hogback loops. Definitely early season conditions. Grooming was recent but despite the cold it had not set up yet. I was bothered by constant pole plunging on both sides of the track and track collapse when kicking. It made for slow going. There was occasional stubble, and dirt/ice over water berms, therefore the B ski suggestion. Let's hope for more snow and additional grooming!

(Tim Nelson)

Shockingly great. Wavy skate deck but 100% coverage. A couple twigs here and there that I tried to flick off. Hopped in the classic tracks a few places. They said that they weren't full depth but it was pretty darn close! No ground poking up in the tracks either. There were a couple spots where the tracks were set really far off to the side and my outside pole would punch through. Only skied the 6k but what I could see of the 8k it looked like very similar conditions. Kudos groomers!

Photos:

(Ketzel Levens)

Per Snowflake Instagram account: They are waiting for a few more inches of snow before they groom. Chalet is closed.

(Sarah Schu)

We did some laps on Bear Paw Thursday, so there's a kicked in track now. There was enough snow to roll, maybe not to set tracks, but it hadn't been groomed as of late afternoon. It had been heavily used by walkers (which I think Boulder was allowing given the lack of snow) but was still better than I expected.

(Catherine Winter)

Short jaunt on the mid-lower A-B loop. Fair amount of debris and some scraping on dirt here and there on the very lower portion. We weren't able to get to the upper loop. Definitely less coverage than at Hartley today, glad to have rock skis here. No track yet, obviously.

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(Gabrielle Hester)

Lovely conditions, enough snow for complete coverage. The classic track was firm and fast. Thanks to the groomers for leaving space between the classic track and the edge, so classic skiers don't have to dodge the brush. Skied Bambas and Sommer loops.

(Andrew Slade)

Trail Base: 3-6". Surface Conditions: Re-groomed all skate lanes. Skating conditions are excellent. Classic tracks were not reset, but are well defined and have a half inch of fresh power in them. Classic conditions are very good.

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(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

It looked like all the trails were open. We skied about half of them and coverage was great. I saw only one patch of churned up earth, and that was on an uphill and easily avoidable. Snow conditions were not great today, however. It was over 30F when we started and was 38F when we wrapped up. Snow was wet, heavy and slow. We spent a good bit of effort having to pole on downhills to move. That's weather for you though. Despite the heat, it seemed like the trails were holding up well.

(Adam Schwartz-Lowe)

Very good considering the warm conditions! Was able to do most of the loops without seeing bare spots. Snow was definitely slushy, but was still able to get some solid gliding in.

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(Cassie Pratt)

Off-trail snow depth: 20", Trail Base: 8". Surface Conditions: All trails groomed for classic and skate skiing. Conditions are excellent.

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(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

Skied Pincushion again today, all trails except Snowman loops. Much colder snow and drifted tracks made for better grip than yesterday. Coverage still good, with no bare spots or tree debris or stubble. Definitely a polar wax day, I was able to move fast enough to stay warm without sweating, the key in high winds and sub zero temps. Thanks Pincushion groomers.

(Tim Nelson)

We groomed again this morning starting with all the trails on the north side of Flour. Logging Camp, Cross Fox, Red Pines, Deer Mouse all turned out fantastic. Good skis on these trails. We did bump a few rocks and turned up some debris on Moose Ridge, so if you venture on that one, just ski with caution if using good skis, otherwise B skis. Grooming plans: We will be heading out to groom the south side shortly (West End Logging Camp, upper Beaver Dam, Ridge Run, and Moose Pasture). The BWCA section to access the south side from the east is packed, though ski with B skis to rock skis through there as that is a rocky section. We will take ice measurements this afternoon and assess if we can do lake any crossings.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Bearskin Lodge groomed Summerhome Rd, Campground, Beaver Dam, the Lit Loop, Ox Cart, and Bearcub. The trails are in good to very good shape, with Summerhome and Campground being in perfect condition. The groomer was unable to take many photos, as their dog fell asleep on their lap while grooming, and you know what they say "let sleeping dogs lie". Grooming plans: We're hoping to groom P. Creek tomorrow.

Photos:

(Quinn McCloughan, Bearskin Lodge)

We freshened up the trails on the north side of Flour again today and plan to touch up the south side tomorrow. Things groomed up great. Some stubble is present in a few areas and there are a couple of sections, particularly on sharp corners, where a small amount of dirt was turned into the snow from the groomer cleats. We're recommending B skis as a whole but you could comfortably use good skis on the majority things. We are very happy with how things are looking, especially this early in the season!

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

What a beautiful morning! The head groomer went out this morning and groomed most trails. I hit up Big and Little Pine Loops, Overlook, Rabbit Run, River and Powerlines. I didn't see anyone else out and all trails freshly groomed! Perfect conditions with the drop in temps. Only a few areas of thin cover easily avoidable. I used good skis. Thanks to the amazing groomer for making my day! Worth the trip from the Shore for perfect snow conditions.

Photos:

(Christina Fanola)

Cooler temps and a dusting of snow made for good conditions out to touch up the trails. The base is holding up well. The following trails were groomed this morning with both skate and classic lanes: Little Pine (lighted trail), Big Pine, Overlook, Rabbit Run, Aspen Alley, River Run, Short Cut, Power Line and Lower West End.

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(John Fredrikson)

Rain on the north shore prompted me to travel north to upper Gunflint system where the rain turned to snow. I didn't see anyone else out there are on freshly groomed trails. Big and Little Pine loops were absolutely destroyed by foot traffic so I headed out to Overlook trail and Ham Lake trails, found great conditions! Overlook was packed nicely. Hoping they groom Pine loops soon to make them skiable.

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(Christina Fanola)

We have been out the last couple of days to tune up the trails for the weekend. We have a good base and the trails have set up well. Big Pine, Litle Pine (lighted trail), Overlook, Upper West End, Rabbit Run, Aspen Alley and Highlands were all groomed with classic and a skate deck. We are planning on getting out tomorrow to work the rest of the system tomorrow.

Photos:

(John Fredrikson)

Packed and tracked Amen and south Suomi.
Branches hanging over the trail in places, so wear eyewear and be ready to duck and weave.

(Randy zupan)

Packed all trails and set a track on lower biathlon trails, service road, and upper (Bittersweet) loop. 2" fresh snow and about 8" on the ground now. Conditions are pretty good! Scheduling: CXC races take place this weekend on the biathlon trails, which will be closed for the races, opening back up late afternoon both Saturday and Sunday. Grant-in-Aid trails will be open.

Photos:

(Bob Conzemius)

Snowmaking and Pistenbully grooming has been completed on 1.9 km of trail, and the rest of biathlon trails and at least the upper portion of the Grant-In-Aid has been packed by snowmobile. No tracks set yet — would love to have more snow before attempting that. No tracks set yet on snowmaking loops because there is a biathlon event on Sunday Dec 15th. There's a high school ski meet on Thursday. Dec 19th, and next weekend Dec 21-22, we host CXC races, so trails will be closed for these events but opening later in the afternoon after biathlon. Pay by cash or Venmo is appreciated (see info in front of our HQ building) to help pay for snowmaking and grooming expenses (which are most substantial for snowmaking).

(Bob Conzemius)

Upper GIA trails have been flat packed and are slick fast. No tracks. A skate skier went by and seemed to be enjoying the conditions.
I used G2 skis and still had to herringbone up even the gentle up hills. Spent a lot of time with two little skiers who spent more time horizontal on the ground than vertical on skis. Tough conditions for beginners.

(Catherine McLynn)

Skied loops 2 and 3, all trails have yet to be groomed. Base is frozen wet snow topped with a bit of fluff, feels a bit crusty but the frozen base prevents bottoming out and scraping up ski bottoms. Lots of boot tracks on parts of loop 2. Not great skiing, but better than not skiing.

(Ken Boss)

Surprisingly good conditions. Used skins and wouldn't recommend waxed skis with the amount of debris blown around. Spent an equal amount of time skiing and plucking sticks and branches out of the packed trail. At 25 degrees both activities were enjoyable!

Photos:

(Jeff Pesta)

Trail in good condition, could use a little more snow. Track set and quite fast due to wet snow then froze. Some broken and overhang branches on trail, please help and remove branches from trail.

(Boomer Moritko)

Groomed and set classic tracks this morning on Doan Lake trails. 3" heavy wet snow Sunday and Monday. Solid base. Good but not yet great skiing.

(Carl Nordgren)

Groomed all trails, classic and skate. We received about 3" of new powder yesterday. Classic was skiing pretty good last week and it should be better now. I would still not use good skis as there is still not a lot of snow. Thunder, East loop, Rajala and Sunset have the best conditions. Long lake and Atomic have areas where rocks might bite you.

(Tony Carter)

We received 3-4" of new snow last night so were able to get out for a first grooming. All trails were packed and tracked. Classic track is shallow and bottoms out in areas so I would recommend waxless skis for classic. Skate lane will be uneven and there's little base so rock skis until we get more snow. This is a low bar, but conditions are better than any time last year.

(Tony Carter)

Packed all north Suomi trails. Track set most. not much more than a base pack, but skiable. Lots of fallen branches and tops. I removed the larger ones, but trail is littered with small branches and leaning brush.

(Dale Juntunen)

Packed and tracked amen and south Suomi up to the north Suomi parking lot. Skiable with some sticks and low hanging branches from the wet snow last Sunday. Eyewear recommended and be ready to duck and weave.

(Randy Zupan)

Entire system has been packed to thin base by volunteer groomers. Recommend Prelude loops and avoid steep downhills on Lake Loop and beyond.

(Catherine McLynn)

I skied the yellow, orange and red loops. The groomers did a good job rolling and setting a single track. Temp was 32° but snow was not wet or iced, so I was able to get a good glide and kick with layered wax, red on top. Good snow cover. Only reason of B rating, because of sporadic small rocks, just due to irregular, bumpy terrain.

Photos:

(Steve Langenbrunner)

We packed 8" of new snow on Wednesday, rolled on Thursday, groomed with Ginzus on Friday. I skated with good skis yesterday and today found the snow quite hard, but fine for good skis. The track is ok given the very hard pack we worked with. We got the Green, Orange, Blue Return, and Red with Ginzus but did not groom the mud holes on the Orange and Red trails. The main Blue is yet untouched.

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(Burgess Eberhardt)

31 degrees, snowy granules are coming down, skied 2>1>13>21>20>16>17>3>. Good day for waxless skis but I did fine with red wax. There is a good solid 8-inch base. Trails were nearly complete with setting tracks yesterday until the groomer overheated due to the cooling fan breaking. Hence finishing one side of the double-tracked section and trail sections 1 to 2 to 3 were not able to be tracked. We need more snow in some of the bogs to fill in the dips. The remainder of the trails are in excellent shape for this early-season ski opportunity. Be sure to check out our revised trail map as segments and the trailhead location have changed due to bridges being out of commission due to the mega-storm event.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz)

20 inches off-trail snow depth with 8 inch trail base. Tracks have been set but are shallow. Regardless the ski stays in the track pretty well. Grooming plans: Plan to set deeper track this weekend. Be sure to check out our revised trail map as segments and the trailhead location have changed due to bridges being out of commission due to the mega-storm event.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz)

Skied the Deeryard loop and fire tower from the upper Deeryard trailhead. Grooming was recent. Tracks were firm. Snow in the below zero cold was very slow. Some dirt, stubble and ice spots made me wish I had my B skis but no damage. Very good early season conditions and blue skies and snow covered trees were beautiful.

(Tim Nelson)

Just set track for first time in two years. Wonderful! The six inches (no new snow today from supposed storm) of heavy wet base made for terrific material to groom. Some brushing was done, some ta go. Enjoy!

(Neil Gardner)

I skied from the 50th St. parking lot and a park employee was rolling the trail at the lot as I arrived, behind their tracked 4-wheeler. We got 6" of snow and coverage is pretty good. I was using old metal-edged touring skis and had my dog in a skijor rig. The park has made the smart decision to designate the north-south trail from this entrance as a hike and snowshoe (multi-use) trail, along with the western half of the northern part of the Prairie Loop and the entirety of the Trout Brook loop, to accommodate the large number of neighbors who like to walk the trails year-round. The rest of the Prairie Loop is designated as classic ski only, as in the past. Coverage on the rolled sections was good, and I experienced few scrapes. Where the trail was not yet rolled, hikers had moved enough snow that I scraped fairly frequently. Staying out of their tracks helped.

(Tim Power)

Soft but great scene out there today. Skied 31k and had a blast! Lake loop open but not a lot of coverage. Nice to be in the woods though.

Photos:

(Josh Bloom)

Skate skied all the manmade loops. Lake trail is pretty rough with a lot of debris and mulch in the snow. Rock ski conditions. The nature center trail is pretty good and B skis would be fine. Loose and easy to break through, but great to out in the woods.

(Andre L’Heureux)

All of the natural snow trails (Lake, Hill, Nature Center loops) are in remarkably good shape this morning for the first natural snowfall of the season! Bring skis that you don't mind dinging up, however, because the uphills are a bit chewed up and there is exposed ground and sticks and other forest debris. But 90% of the natural snow trails are in really great shape!

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Slow but fun skate ski after the fresh snow. Lake loop was rolled in the morning. Pretty loose but manageable. Just don't use your best skis on natural trails.

(Sean Tardrew)

First, I tried skating in the new snow on the full snow-making loop including Boulder Ridge. Whew, new snow hadn't been packed/groomed so lotta work! The HS races started so I ventured out onto Lakeview natural snow loop and it actually was skiable with B skis. I was able to avoid any thin or bad spots and it was beautiful and serene out there! It was thinner up in the last stretch thru the picnic area and the last climb up to the chalet. Only a few brave souls had skated or classiced the natural trails, and some had tried the Hill and Oak Knob Trails as well. On the snow-making loop, classic skiing looked a lot better!

(Dave Carlson)

The entire snowmaking loop was open. It was 28 degrees per the Swix thermometer with a light overcast. Up to the top of Scenic there was a fairly consistent 1 1/2 to 2 inches of sugar on the trail that really slowed me on my second time out this season despite newly waxed skis. Thereafter the flats were pretty clean and faster but there was still sugar churned up on the climbs particularly on the 1st portion of the Scenic climb after the Boulder Ridge downhill. Just beat the start of the high school races when I got off the trail at 3:30.

(Keith Carlson)

Fairly good conditions, icy in some spots and slow uphills, but otherwise good! Entire 5k loop is open, but hopefully snowfall will allow the natural trails to open up. Thanks to the groomers!

(Ella Bakken)

Overall decent conditions at Hyland this afternoon. There was some ice in the tracks at times and coarse snow, but still very skiable with a couple stops to rewax. Hopefully we'll get some snow soon!

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)

Tracks were hard and icy. Lots of leaves frozen in on the Southern part of the trail. Snow depth looked great. I used my skin skis that worked pretty well. Now if I could only do something about the motor...

(Rick Vatsaas)

The entire snowmaking loop was open and in good shape other than the approximately 37F temp. After bringing mismatched equipment, I ended up renting skis and boots. So what was certain to be a slow ski was probably even slower on the unwaxed rentals. I did one loop at a blistering 5.2 mph. Only a light layer of wetter snow on top with little sugar churned up on the climbs. The Boulder Ridge downhill was easily negotiable with only light snowplow wake on it. Thank you Three Rivers park admin and groomers and I guess the early season cold temperatures for getting the full snowmaking loop open much earlier this season. Looked at my records for last year and saw that the full snow making loop was not open until Jan. 17.

(Keith Carlson)

Great conditions this morning for a ski. Classic tracks were firm and in pristine shape. Skate deck was nice corduroy. No complaints other than being too warm.

(Scott Greymont)

Excellent conditions on the 5K loop for both classic and skate. Snow was very beginner friendly - no ice! Thanks to Three Rivers for great trail work!

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(Bill Oyler)

There is now a good amount of pack and coverage on all man-made portions, from the Star Loop and WIllow Creek through Scenic Foothills and Boulder Ridge. The skate deck is fairly even but a tad icy on the flats, with many users taking advantage of the quality snow-making. A few small sections were a bit too narrow to comfortably pass, and some of the well-worn uphills are getting a bit sugary, but all in all these are great conditions considering it's almost entirely human generated. The unworn corduroy of the teaching area proved a bit icy, but the main circuit is the best you can find in the area at present. Many thanks to the groomers, as always!

Photos:

(Pieter DeHart)

All 5k of manmade loops are open! Solid skate deck. Boulder downhill was fast and not icy. A few tracks from snowmaking on the trails. Great skiing!

(Taylor Forsyth)

Great conditions this morning with a well set and solid classic track. However, new snow had already blown into the tracks near the visitors center and in a few other spots. Deer post holing was also apparent in a few locations. The skate deck was in nice shape as well.

(Ben Ruhme)

Skied Grimm and King. Some areas were great. Others were a bit thin, soft, etc. It exceeded my expectations for the first snowfall. Thanks to the groomer!

Photos:

(Adam Farm)

Skated this afternoon only on Grimm. Freshly groomed for skate and tracked. Good coverage but soft and breaks away. Slow go. Classic trails shallow with debris. Had been skied.

(Johnny Chisel)

Better than I expected on Lake Elmo East. Snow is pretty good and good glide. Only a few spots to be careful of and a few leaves sticking up here and there, but not really a problem. On and off there are some half decent tracks.

(Lincoln Fetcher)

East side and west side trails were rolled. Condition is fair to poor depending on the trail with some debris in spots.

(Brian Selvik)

Thin packed snow cover with some stones on the Hill loop climb and a number of small branches spread around here and there.

(Gene Kay)

Very nice conditions with only a few small easily avoidable bare spots. Evergreen not open but the rest is open. Nice to ski on natural snow. Well groomed but a few deeper spots. Not real fast.

(Michael Stiegler)

Great skiing at Baker, wonderful to be out there after last season. Trails were in very good condition for a season opening, although in fair condition overall. Good coverage although lots of areas with grass and so forth poking through, and some areas with large sticks and some mild dirt, or where the base wasn't as deep as I might want. Snow was packed well and smooth.

(Kristian Markon)

All natural snow trails were combed Friday night. This was our second time on the trails and considering our first snow fall it is ok skiing. Attempted to set classic tracks but the snow is just to thin. The big machine was out working on the man made snow trail as I left, it will be good skiing Saturday!

(Bill Stuber)

I skied the front side where the snow was made by machine and covered with natural snow yesterday. Conditions were excellent. Snow was fast. Tracks were set and there were no bare spots.

(Greg Filice)

Skied all the man-made loops. Looked like some brave souls took to the natural snow trails, but I did not follow as trying out my new skis. Classic track was in excellent fresh condition, though some sections went down to the ice. As I was going down Cowabunga, a coyote came out of the woods and started running up the hill towards me. He saw me before I got too close and darted back into the woods. I used Swix extra blue which should have provided plenty of kick but ended up a little slick.

(Rick Vatsaas)

Outstanding conditions today. I classic skied and the tracks were awesome. The skaters I talked to said things were slow (due to cold new snow). 100% of the man-made loops are open and in great shape. Looks like the crew did some rolling of the natural snow loops.

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(Richard Hoban)

I skied the Pond, Prairie, South Tree, and North Tree loops. It was my first time on snow this season, so I used today to work on adjusting from rollerskiing to skiing on snow. The trail coverage is very good with a solid skate deck and what appeared to be nicely set classic tracks. Given the general lack of natural snow, the Battle Creek trails are pretty heavily used, and there was very little corduroy left. The snow was generally slow, and I had to work to get much uphill glide. Downhill control was very good, although the snow was starting to get scraped down to hardpack in places. The trail system is well mapped with intersection points numbered, but there are no number signs along the trails to advise skiers as to where they are, making it difficult to get on the trails you want to ski and stay off the ones you want to avoid. I routinely see skiers going the wrong way when they get to a black diamond downhill they can't safely ski. But all-in-all, a very nice ski this morning.

(David Sonnenberg)

Groomers hard at work packing down the fresh snow. No tracks yet, skate deck still very soft. Its soft and its slow, but at least we have snow!

(Bob Cattanach)

A nice ski with the EU Wednesday morning group. Nearly all snowmaking trails were open, with a generally fine skate deck. However, there were various segments of thin sugar over a semi-icy base. Hopefully some new snow can bond with rather than slide off what's there now. The Cowabunga descent is well groomed and skiable, but (as always) not exactly for the faint of heart. The "slipback" is a fine alternative for returning to the start.

(David Moore)

All of the trails with lights and snow making are open now except for A and A2. I classic skied around 9:20 pm and the skate deck was a bit chopped up from people skating on soft snow with like an inch deep ski marks that had turns into crusty snow on top of the groomed surface. The conditions for classic were decent, but the trails were covered in a thin layer of ice. There were a few spots on the home stretch of the pond trail where the right classic track had washed away and also same on a few turns. Otherwise, classic tracks were pretty good and skiing was decently good. There were a few spots where lights were out that left the area a bit dark, but you could still see well enough. I only skied the green trails, so I did not venture into the newly opened back loops. There were a few skate skiers out who seemed to be moving pretty fast still, despite the less than ideal skate conditions. When I glided a few strides skate style in my classic skis, they seemed to move fine even with the trails being a bit chopped up with an inch of snow on the skate deck.

(Megan Evans)

I skied the man-made loops yesterday and today, and conditions were skiable but icy. Classic tracks in the stadium and prairie loops were like luge runs. Snow was better quality on the upper loop. The skate deck was ok. Skiable with decent purchase. The snow is getting really dirty. We need some real snow!

(Richard Hoban)

Icy classic tracks. Classic track appears to be set on top of the previous days hard pack, with walls formed from whatever loose surface snow the pisten bully could gather. The loop up top was better, having been opened more recently. Cowabunga and Winthrop return is now open, but a bit uneven so use some care on the descent. Skate deck looked pretty nice, but a bit soft in places.

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(Spencer Davis)

Overall great conditions considering our weather lately. Cowabunga is open, and it was very fast early this morning. Sugary over some icy spots. In some areas the groomer couldn't quite smooth out some chunks and craters, but it was easily manageable. The groomer came back out when I was leaving at 6:30. Many thanks to the groomers and BC staff!

(John Greene)

Tracks starting to glaze, but still very functional; skate deck seemed very decent. Pray for some snow.

(Bob Cattanach)

Cowabunga and Winthrop ridge are now open for use. Grooming plans: the two A-climbs are next to be worked. Hopefully soon we will be at 100%. Enjoy!

(John Fitzgerald)

Rewarded with another beautiful sunrise at BC after an interval session. Started out icy but the got skied in to be decent. Thanks to the groomers for making it skiable! Groomers came back out to start pushing out cowabunga and the rest.

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(Kevin Ousdigian)

Conditions were great this morning. Classic tracks were very smooth and running fast. Thank you to the groomers for your hard work.

(Shane Meisner)

It's nice to have the top loop at Battle Creek back online: some nice climbing is now possible. Today as temps hovered around freezing, and freezing rain came in, the trails became glazed and lightning fast, sometimes tricky to control.

(David Moore)

The Upper Tree Loops are now open to the Slipback. Grooming plans: We plan to finish snowmaking on the trails this evening and continue to push snow out on Cowabunga and Winthrop Ridge. Hopefully we will be done mid week. Looks like a good weekend to ski. Enjoy.

(Rob Adams)

As we looking forward to the week of December 16th, high school meets will kickoff at Battle Creek starting on Tuesday, December 17th. Here are the meets for upcoming week: 12/17/24: Holiday Relay Race - 2pm-5pm (trails closed during the timeframe); 12/18/24: Twin Cities Nordic - 3pm-5:30pm (trails open); 12/19/24: Metro East Conference - 3pm-5:30pm (trails open).

(Thony Thao)

We were able to get out and set classic tracks this morning. A light dusting of snow on top of the groomed trails so great conditions. If you ski everything that is open there is about 3K open. Grooming plans: We are continuing to make snow on the Upper Loops, Cowabunga and Winthrop Ridge. The cold weather before the weekend should help with snowmaking. I will send an update out Friday. Thanks for your patience and enjoy before it gets real cold.

(Rob Adams)

The Cat Track trail is now open to the Slipback intersection and the Slipback trail is open to the Prarie loop. That's the good news. The bad news is that due to a late night mechanical malfunction of the Pisten Bully there is NO CLASSIC TRACK ANYWHERE on the open trail segments. The skating lanes were all refreshed and are in excellent condition.

(John Fitzgerald)

Nothing groomed today with the snowfall, so it was slow going but still pleasant to be out. With this volume of snow, skate was definitely the preferred technique; makeshift tracks were on and off. Lots of grooming action on La Squadra.

(Alex Leslie)

Overall in decent shape considering the recent weather. Uphills mostly felt like a sheet of ice under a couple inches of sand unfortunately. Classic tracks looked to be in pretty solid condition and saw several people out in them. Snowmaking ongoing on the tubing hill and La Squadra. Nice to be back at Wirth.

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(Chance Davis)

I skied in the afternoon with the skate deck fairly firm with a few spots that have a couple inches of mashed potatoes. Tracks look good as well. 3K is currently open with ample snow on parts of the trail that hopefully will be groomed in the near future. Overall very good conditions.

(Jim Nehl)

Skied classic from 8 - 9:15 am. Tracks were in great condition - fast but not icy. Snow machines were making snow at the bottom of the tubing hill. Some snow drifted into the tracks on the uphill of Jim's Hill making them a bit sticky. The downhill was slow - yippee! It was cold but not windy. Fewer than 20 skiers, both classic and skate. Pictures of tubing hill and Jim's Hill.

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(Meg Brady)

Skied classic from 10 - 11:30 am. Tracks had snow in them in some spots - especially in the lower stadium - and were shallow in some spots. Totally skiable and good practice but may be a challenge for beginners. The downhills were slower which is good in my book! Snow guns were blowing on the tubing hill. It was windy especially near the roundabout but nice in the woods. There were few skiers - maybe 5 classic skiers. Great day to ski! Pictures of Lower Stadium, Green Meadow and Jim's Hill.

Photos:

(Meg Brady)

The Valley 2.5 k loop is in good condition. A few darker patches from the warm days last weekend, but still good firm deck and reasonably fast tracks.

(Brad Johnson)

Got out before lunch - the whole main loop (except the hill bypass) is open, and conditions were good. Tracks were deep, well-set, and pretty clean. Kudos to the crew. At 12:30 the sleet started, made walking to the chalet downright slippery.

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(Laurie Ford)

Skied classic on the man-made snow at Elm at daybreak and it was freshly groomed and conditions were great. Nice to to ski in the track before it starts to get icier later in the day. The best news is that the bagel is now open (southern loop in contrast to the northern donut). The switchback option at the wall is still waiting to open though.

(Steven Law)

Elm had the snow guns running this morning but mostly on the tubing hill so no additional trail length available. They did have one gun on the south donut. However with the windy conditions the snow had deposited over much of the existing trail making for very slow skiing. In a few places the drifting had even cover sections of the classical track.

(Don Callander)

The path to Pike Island is basically footprints, but the Island is much better. It's groomed with one classic set. The NW 1/4 of the island is the best, with the SE having areas with a bunch of shallow tracks, but not real groomed main track. Not the groomer's fault, there were lots of boot prints and thinnish snow. Definitely worth getting out and not many sticks or rocks. Lots of deer!

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(David Glaser)

Phalen was rolled today with 4-6 inches accumulation. Overall good trail. A tree removal project is wrapping up, but trail is not affected. Some debris but not significant.

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(James Bezanson)

No groomer action by 11 AM. Lots of beautiful, cold snow. Managed a perimeter route on most skier set tracks. No bare spots. Very few skiers out yet.

(Bob Julian)

No grooming, but plenty of snow to get out and enjoy the fresh powder! Pretty much everywhere had plenty of coverage.

(Grant Schoen)

Rolled Highland 9 Hole today. Snow depth was 4 to 5 inches after rolling 2 to 3 inches. There are some very thin areas as well. There was also some rerouting due to the new cart trail. Recommend using your old skis. Get it while it last.

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(James Bezanson)

No grooming as of 8:45 AM. Lots of self-made classic tracks, so you can make a go of it on classic B skis. Some grass poking out but not much. You can feel the pavement with your poles under some of the trail area. Nice to be on real, fluffy snow compared to the man-made, but it's just for fun - not for a fast ski.

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(Christina Ewig)

Beautiful morning for a ski! No grooming yet but there are lots of skier-made tracks. I took a risk and used my good skis, though B skis would be wise because of sticks and cart paths. So fun to have real snow again!

(Maren Olson)

Was out around noon today. Not groomed yet, but plenty of snow to make your own classic trail and/or follow the skied in tracks without breaking thru. Watch out for the new cart paths along holes 2-5. The trail crosses tar a few times. It's great to ski on natural snow again and a nice change from the man made trails!

(Jim Olive)

The Ramsey County Parks & Recreation Team came out and rolled the trails this morning. No track was set.

(Kristy Rockford, Ramsey County Parks)

Soft and slow, but all natural snow! A thin deck with the occasional click-clack of ski tips on the cart path, but overall good coverage. Fine work by the groomer making the best with what we have. Get it while you can.

(Ernie Ogot)

Nice fat corduroy loop around the course, with just a few sticks and leaves. Not tracked for classic. Snow is fluffy and fresh. Thank you St Paul for grooming! Fun to be out.

(Karin Roof)

First roll of the year at Como golf course cross country ski. snow accumulation between 4-5". Some areas lightly drifted.  Enjoy!

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(James Bezanson)

5 inches new snow. 5 miles on the lowlands groomed for skate and ski. Grooming plans: The bluff side will be groomed tomorrow.

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(Milt Hovelson)

St Mary's ski trails have all been rolled. Our manmade loop is very good you can use your good skis. The rest of the system is thin but skiable; you may encounter a rock or twigs therefore rock skis are recommended and of course a little caution.

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(Steve Horeck)

The trail groomers worked sim magic today! It was rock solid ice when I got there and Greg Updike and another groomer made some beautiful skating snow. Go check it out.

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(Joe Iverson)

Beautiful trails at St. Mary's today. Amazing how good the snow conditions were after sleet this morning. Mostly skate skiers out today. There was a 1.5 K loop. Very nice! They have definitely done a lot of work on the trails! We are grateful to have ski trails in southeastern Minnesota.

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(Pamela Peterson)

Hats off to the Snowmaking and trail crew! The 1.5k of loops is the best thing to ski on within many miles of Winona. It's just so nice to get off of the roller skis, not that I was on them that much this fall. There's no bare spots, the nice base got topped with slight fresh coat of snow. We could use some real snow, but for the time being, I'm glad we have this.

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(Joe Iverson)

The 1.5 km man-made trail survived the warm-spell but needed some new coverage. Volunteers hammered Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday and covered the entire man-made area with a new coating of snow. Grooming plans: Grooming/leveling planned for Friday. Hopefully your schedule is open for skiing Saturday and Sunday! The lights turn on automatically daily around 4:30PM and off automatically after 9PM. For first timers, access is from Yon's Valley. Make your way to Saint Yon's Hall parking lot.

(Jason Mork)

I skied the 9 mile loop again and it survived another warm period perfectly. The groomer had made one pass so I skied on the ungroomed as much as possible. So nice to be skiing when most of the state is not! Finn Sisu!

(John Salden)

The warm weather and sprinkles are taking their toll. Skied Abby Road out to Jerry Jolly where the skate deck was firm - glad this is skiable - for a few laps. Elsewhere, the trail was soft and I didn't want to damage the trail for the grooming crew to have to clean up. Hoping for a good freeze and fresh snow soon!

(Anthony Pavkovich)

Best early conditions that I have seen at Mt Ashawabay. Temp was 15F degrees when I started at 12:30 with large lake effect snow flurries and hoarfrost in the trees. All trails freshly groomed today with a good base thanks to Lake Superior. Truly a magical day to be on the trails at Mt Ashawabay.

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(Gene Karwoski)

Beautiful snowfall again! All trails have been groomed in the last two days, with the exception of spots on Jolly Long and Beginners Loop.

(Ann Mosey)

New snow, sun, and very cold. This morning all of the classic trails were rolled and tracked. Exceptions are the very bottom of Oppedahl's and the yurt access road section of Deerpath. Also groomed were Abbey Rd to the cabin, and Anchor with all its spurs. The trails look good, if you are brave enough for the cold.

(Ann Mosey)

I am new to the area so I do not know all the trail names yet. I have skated here three times. Twice before the warm weather and again Wednesday. I did a nine mile loop the second time. Ski your best skis. Plenty of coverage. All trails are snow covered and had been groomed before the warm few days. Wednesday I skated on Abbey Road to the cabin and back. If not for the wind, it was awesome. The base set up with the cold and fresh four inches had not yet been rolled or groomed. The snow was fast and fun. Sorry no pics. Finn Sisu!

(John Salden)

All trails were groomed today including the classic trail and fat bike trail. The 2" of fresh snow helped a lot but there are still thin spots. Track was set on 80% of the classic trail and select places on the other trails. Expected a thin base in places and some debris. Be prepared to jump out of the track occasionally.

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(Jon Jurek)

I skated 25k in a fresh 1/2" of snow. Unfortunately Brule didn't get the snow that was predicted. Most of the trail has a 1-3" solid base but the grass is still poking through under the pine trees. The gates are still up to prevent vehicles from entering the trails but the gates are easy to ski under/around. Maple, Oak, Aspen, River, Spruce and Balsam were groomed last Sunday. Expect a firm but wavy deck, thin spots and an occasional rock poking through. No tracks yet.

(Jon Jurek)

When I skied them Saturday morning, I went maple to oak to white pine and red pine and river and out and about everywhere. No issues gliding along with my rock skis. A bit of powder on top of the rolled. Debris out but it was wonderful. Thanks for the early rolling!

(Trisha Evans)

Skied both Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Would have suggested B skis yesterday, but with the 2-3 inches of fresh powder the trails have good coverage. Skied Maple, Balsam, Spruce, River and Aspen. Deck is wavy and uneven but not bad for mid December! Thank you groomers for clearing the trails and getting them rolled.

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(Michael Verdon)

Anvil received about 3 inches of dry fluffy snow last night. The trails were rolled. No tracks were set. There is currently a 3 inch packed base.

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(Valerie Knurr)

Groomers did well for what they had to work with. Trails vary from passable but with open spots to pretty decent and everything in between. Most hills are not open and those open are barely passable. But skiable. Enjoyed most all the trails. Worth going, I think.

(Dave Wood)

Made decent conditions out of scant snow from yesterday. Some leaf streaks here and there but skiable even for this noob. Not groomed for classic at the moment.

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(Pieter Ver Steeg)

Skiers out this morning and trails from the road looked groomed.

(Pieter Ver Steeg)

We skated fresh tracks to Gravel Pit and met the groomer on his way back to OO. Some sticks and debris and grass in spots. Trail was only groomed south to Gravel Pit. We also skied north of OO down the first big hill. It was groomed but I turned around so I don't know how far the grooming went. Slow cold snow, but, sunshine made a fabulous ski.

(Karen Possley)

Skied an hour on the Birkie trail from the Boedecker TH south. It survived the warm up but was hard packed under 1/2" of new snow. Skiable and no bare spots. I would call it fair to good. The downhills were thrilling and there were a lot of wolf tracks on the classic side. Peaceful and beautiful as the sun was setting early. Happy to be skiing.

Photos:

(Tom Detzner)

Skated for almost an hour on the Birkie trail between OO and Boedecker on 1" of fresh snow over 2-3" of crusty snow. I jumped in the skied in tracks a couple times and found them skiable as well. Though it was ungroomed, it was skiable. Hoping it gets packed, could provide an alternative to the Telemark loops which are closed to the public during the daylight hours for the week of the Gitchi Gumi races. Happy to be on the Birkie trail again!

(Tom Detzner)

We rolled all trails yesterday and it is packed but very thin. We had only 3" of snow yesterday but this morning it was fairly firm allowing for some skating on rock skis. Tried to groom tracks--no way, not enough base. At least we have a packed base ready for the next snowfall.

(Jeff Roberts)

All the trails were rolled today but coverage is very thin. We had maybe 3" of new snow. Due to the low level of snow trails are still open to hikers. Campground loop might be an option if you're desperate to try some skiing.

(Bill Callas)

We have rolled all of the trails twice. Coverage is thin, use rock skis. No classic tracks set. Skiing is better on the golf course.

(Scott Cooper)

We received 3-4 inches of snow. Rolled trail from Menomonie to Downsville. Rock skis recommended as very thin base.

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(Bill Kryshak)

MECCA got 2-3" of snow on Thursday and grooming teams were out on Friday morning and afternoon. Tracks were set on 75% of the trails, with a shallow base there's some debris in the tracks. The entire skate lane was combed, is clean, and a little soft.

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(Becca Bartling)

Nice base and all rolled. No track set yet but great skiing on a great course. Skied half of the Mecca 30 K trail. Just a couple of spots that could use a bit more snow.

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(David Deverell)

Groomers were out yesterday and today leveling and combing the 21 K trail system. Early season conditions are rated at fair plus. The skiing surface is firm, has well formed corduroy with 95% coverage. At this time tracks have not been set because of the lack of snow depth. The Homestead Wetland has not completely froze resulting in some soft spots but is skiable. Groomers will attempt to groom this section early next week. Overall, the trail is very skiable, skiers will be surprised at the conditions. Snowshoe trails are open.

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(Mike Shouldice)

The skiing surface is firm, has well formed corduroy with 95% coverage. At this time tracks have not been set because of the lack of snow depth. The Homestead Wetland has not completely froze resulting in some soft spots but is skiable. Overall, the trail is very skiable, skiers will be surprised at the conditions. Snowshoe trails are open.

Photos:

(Becca Bartling)

First time for tracks at Winter Park this year. With a solid ice base there were elements of shallowness and squirrelly squiggles, but overall a satisfying experience.

(Ken Schoville)

With the 3.5" of snow we received yesterday, we can open the ski trails again! Even better, the grooming team set the first classic tracks of the year. All interior trails that have been groomed have tracks. Trail depth is still a little variable and there may still be a rock or two around, but the trails are looking very nice right now!

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(Erin Blow)

Ski trails remain closed due to firm and fast trail conditions. With no new snowfall yet, we have made the tough decision to keep the ski trails closed today. Safety of our guests is our number one priority. Grooming plans: Groomers will plan to be out this evening in the hopes of getting the trails opened up for tomorrow! Thank you for your patience and understanding!

(Erin Blow)

The grooming team had a chance to inspect the trails and have come up with a plan for the next few days. The ski trails will remain temporarily closed today and tomorrow (Dec 18). However, the chalet and snowshoe trails will stay open. Cross your fingers for more snow!

(Erin Blow)

Ski trails will be temporarily closed today due to warm conditions. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is not cooperating with us this week! Yesterday's warm temperatures have impacted the ski trails making things very slippery. We will make a plan for the next few days and update you all as soon as possible.

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(Erin Blow)

Skied this morning into afternoon. Trails are in great condition for intermediate to advanced skiers. Deck is firm and snow was fast. A little bumpy in spots but great snow overall! Skied mostly interior trails so I'm not sure how the outer trails are but from what I heard in the Chalet, they sounded great. I used my B skis and left my brand new (and unused) race skis in the car, but I would have been fine with my good skis.

(James McLaughlin)

We only have a couple of inches of snow, and not enough to attempt any grooming. Skiers may attempt to ski with rock skis, but we aren't recommending skiing at this time. Trails remain open for hiking. Think Snow!

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

The Wausau Area received about 4 inches of snow on Thursday (Wednesday we were at bare ground). At Nine Mile, we have rolled some of the ski trails. Snowshoe and bike trails will not be groomed. Our hope is to preserve the snow we have ahead of any warmer weather. All trails remain closed due to low snow.

(Bradley Mroczenski)

This is the kind of ski/trail report I love to write... All trails groomed and open. The new 3 inches really leveled out the trails and made for new clean classic tracks. Ridge Runner is classic only Saturday, skating Sunday. Puumala is skiing good with a few spots to dodge, it was opened today. Wolf tracks still has a few spots to watch. Grooming plans: Skate lane groomers will be out early morning to make fresh corduroy.

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Just set track on all trails with the grooming team. Most areas are in good ski condition with some small isolated areas rated as B skis.

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(Kyle Pallin)

what a blast today grooming the new snow into the old base. We had 5 of us out there today "bombing around" as we call it (better known as grooming with 2 way radios). We start out with a plan and then change it as needed. Today Crasher groomed the south skate lanes including the new redesigned. Calmed down Ridge Runner, he also headed east on Deer Trail and did the Historic Trail. BullDog, Partner and Snow cross teamed up on a major widening, leveling and renovating of the classic only trails setting new track -- they broke a few eggs to make that omelette (code for they brought up some debris in the process). Pig Heart picked the Candy with the big 108 and groomed skate lanes north then headed out on Jessie's Trail the Tamarack 2 track to level and renovate ahead of the with classic trail groomers (broke a few more eggs down on the south end). Skiing was rated as good today, dodging the egg shells on the classics and very good on the combo trails for skate and classic. An inch of new snow slowed the skating down mid morning. Grooming plans: It is snowing now and we have a groom crew scheduled to groom at 6 AM.

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

A fun morning of grooming, we had 6 of us out in 2 teams of 3. I headed north with Black Smith, And Bull Dog and we renovated and reset tracks on the "candy" River, Popple, Memory, Sulos, Deer, Cherry and Hilltop. Classic tracks turned out pretty good mixing in the old and new snow and skate lanes were mint. Crasher, Snowcross and Wully Bully groomed to the south, they also had a successful result. Skiers were pleased. Grooming plans: It snowed all day and we have a 5 person groom team on schedule for 6 am. We will work on some classic only trails and the combo trails.

Photos:

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Skate skied most of the trails in 2-inches of fresh snow! Firm base under fresh snow. Fantastic ski! Thank you ABR.

(Susan Fisher)

We had a great team today out grooming. The cold turned the trails hard last night. Three of us groomed 18 km today turning the skate lanes into a very skiable surface. Recreational skiers are having difficulty in the classic tracks. Grooming plans: We have a crew of four groomers tomorrow early morning to pull the rabbit out of the hat; they are planning to reset classic tracks.

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

ABR survived the most recent warmup in good shape. They had tilled the skate lane into a very skiable and fast condition. Was a lot of fun.

(Kirby Schuller)

Skate deck regroomed on main trails. Firm, fast, and fun with just enough snow tilled up for an edge. A few dirty spots that were easily avoidable. A few icier areas that I double poled. All trails are open, but classic-only and combi trails further out were not re-groomed so I did not ski them.

(Sue Schroeder)

We groomed the main trails today, the Nordic pulse logged 17 for pig heart and 18k for snow cross. The skate lanes groomed up well and skiers were happy, we only groomed the main trails sometimes called 'Old ABR'. The classic tracks were left only today, they are glazed. The tracks we set yesterday were a bit better on the classic only trail. It is lightly snowing now and the trailhead temp is 32 degrees. Grooming plans: Pig Heart, Crasher and Wully Bully are heading out in the morning to groom. not sure yet what we are grooming and how, but I will report back with the status.

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

We had a great day of skiing today. Skiers were very pleased with the new tracks we set this morning on the classic only trails. I am not sure if you follow Nordic Pulse at 6 AM, but if you watched the red beacon it was me, Pig Heart. It was fun to see the amount of use on the trails. I renovated and pulled new snow in for Partner to tracksetter. Tracks looked pretty darn good. Black Smith groomed the main trails with the 9 footer. Tracks are there but a bit glazed. Crasher groomed the Blueberry out to the Highlands including the new designed and easier to groom and ski Ridge Runner. Grooming plans: We plan to regroom the main trails tomorrow morning, skate lane.

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

I skate skied all the main loops, trails were groomed flat and had fresh corduroy at 9 AM. I classic skied yesterday and it was also wonderful. I encountered one root and a 1/2 eaten snowshoe hare I had to ski around.

(Rob Teske)

Gorgeous late afternoon classic ski with the gals on the River trail and Sunset trail. Sun low in the sky. Good snow and fair tracks. A couple bare spots on some downhills. Avoidable. Great, fun weekend on natural snow.

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(Diane Pattridge)

Great skiing, we groomed up about 30km and set some new tracks. The classic only trails are skiing pretty well but some areas such as wolf tracks and the cedar swamp of hemlock are still thin. Grooming plans: Groomers plan to head out at 6 AM Saturday morning to groom the majority of the wide trails.
Scheduling: Don't miss the Ribbon cutting Saturday at noon at the trailhead by the ABR Trails Foundation, dedicating the Tamarack 2 Track to Jessie Diggins. All of the Foundation Board will be there to chat with.

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

We had 5 groomers out this morning from 6;00-9;30 grooming. The new snow groomed up well, we set new tracks and groomed about 70 km of trails. Cold today but many well dressed skiers and happy with conditions. Grooming plans: Friday morning we plan to retrack sunset, the highlands and more as needed and touch up skate lane grooming as needed.

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(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Very cold at -12F this morning when I arrived at 9:30. Most trails had been regroomed and tracked. Tracks overall very firm. The new snow over the last three days is leveling out the trails. Cloudless sky made for a very pretty day.

Photos:

(Ron Fabrizius)

Conditions are very good to excellent for both classic and skate. The only demerits are some inconsistencies in the tracks, and the skate deck isn't the fastest - a bit soft I'd say. But, that's really nitpicking. There's full coverage, basically zero debris, and overall it's just about as good as you could want, especially in mid-December.

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(Andrew Westley)

All trails have been dragged and tracked this morning except Papabear. Conditions are very good and getting better with every day of snow we continue to get.

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(Tom Alberg, Expedition Inn)

Groomers reset some classic tracks and groomed all the skate lanes this morning. Snow started lightly this afternoon and into the evening.

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

All trails groomed this morning for skating and striding. A couple inches of snow fell overnight and more was coming down this morning. Good conditions.

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

The volunteer groomers were out mid morning. All trails freshly tracked and skate lane ready with 6" of new snow since yesterday morning. Base is getting better every time it snows. Wolverine Ladies Learn to Ski this Saturday morning 9-11:30 plus lunch. All levels skate and classic. Sign up on line.

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(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

Trails are packed and rolled. No tracks set. Soft deck with debris and some rocks poking through the snow. Ironwood and Lake Loop open. Visitor center was also open. Recommend rock or B skis. Conditions much better than expected.

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(Eric Spieler)

Packed down the 2k, 4k, and 7k loops with snowmobiles. Everything else was left untouched. There are still some twigs/leaves coming through the snow, would recommend using rock skis.

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(Jackson Davis)

Rolled the 2K and 4K loop. Still lots of small twigs sticking through the snow, definitely some patchy sections with leaves. Would recommend using rock skis. The 7K and 13K were left untouched, great for some back country skiing though.

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(Jackson Davis)

18* above; snow is a falling; 4" new powder snow ; 3k classic trail now roll packed; packed base average from 2 to 4 inches. Balance of trails covered with minimum of 4" of new snow. WOW! We headed out to pack some fresh snow on the 3k with new snow falling at a good rate. Grooming plans: Grooming will continue on tonight, consisting of roll packing and tidd tech combing and track setting. Stay tuned!

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(Douglas Schumann, Rainbow Resort)

-13*f below starting temp; -5* F below finishing; 6k loop; bucks run; and majority of Rabbits trail roll packed new 2" fluff snow over a frozen granular base with just a few short areas of icy base where south exposure. Average base depth of 1 ½". Balance of trail system has an average 2" fluffy snow covering frozen granular base. B skis option for skating over new pack or skiing in 2" of powder snow on base. No track sets at this time. Blue skies, no wind, below zero temps. Last 5 days has been a wide spread of temps; 40* on Saturday, Light rain showers on Sunday and temps hovering around 34* and cloudy, then a couple of days of snow showers now and then giving us 2" of new snow; then woke up this morning to -23*F. We are still skate skiing over the packed base.

Photos:

(Douglas Schumann, Rainbow Resort)

Trails were groomed but not set for tracks, not enough snow. But all trails were groomed flat today.

(Stephanie Kessler, Cohasset City Parks)

I saw the early grooming report so decided to go check things out. Base is about 1" to 1.5" and soft in a lot of places so I would stick to rock skis. Northern portion of blue loop was closed but I skied everything else. Red loop was fun and scenic, careful on the uphill leaving the ravine because it's soft with gravel underneath. Skied the yellow multi-use loop as well, which probably had best coverage but least interesting terrain.

Photos:

(Spencer Davis)

Groomers were out early this morning and rolled the trails the best they could. The ssnow is light and soft and there is not enough to create a good base. Expect partial closure of the blue trail while forestry work is being done.

(Rebecca Denn, Washington County Parks)

Crews were out after the snowfall yesterday and were able to roll all of the trails. Conditions are similar everywhere else, soft with only about 1 inch of base. Expect some bare spots.

(Rebecca Denn, Washington County Parks)

Began packing trails with snowmobiles today, made good progress on loops but we have not received enough snow to drag the groomer around yet. We will update as we make progress.

(Roxanne Tea)

Conditions were amazing! Groomer was out Thursday and today there was a fresh dusting on top of a hard-packed snow base. Truly a winter wonderland here. The warming hut has friendly staff, and tea kettles for hot drinks. Well worth the drive and trail fees.

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(Amy Schultz)

Light snow coming down overnight and during the day made for great conditions, both classic and skate. After the warm up last Sunday/Monday the base firmed up with still a solid 10". Thursday the groomer mixed in 4-5" of new snow. Today skaters were happy with an inch or two fluff, so good control and great glide. Classic was very good. Kick wax with pine tar prevented any icing with the fresh snow off the lake. Look for great weekend skiing. Lodge open every day from 10a to 4p.

(John Gierke)

All trails were groomed and tracked over the weekend. No new grooming yesterday or today. We had a warmup which prevented grooming. Regardless the trails have been skiable. We have a great snowpack. Some refrozen trail conditions, possibly some icy spots.

(John Carlson)

Great conditions after 18-20" of snow dump Wednesday night, on top of a good base. All trails rolled and then big ginzu groomed Friday. Classic was excellent with Rex Blue glide and Guru Green kick. Lodge is open everyday 10a-4pm.

Photos:

(John Gierke)

About 24" new snow. All trails groomed and tracked. Expect skate platform to be soft after this heavy snow dump.

(John Carlson)

Skated half the system while a light snow fell. Wonderful ski! Excellent coverage, full grooming, slightly soft. All trails are open except for H.

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(Bob Garner )

I almost hate to do this for selfish reasons (we usually have this place to ourselves) the trails are incredible. Miles of hilly trails are maintained and all are directly adjacent to Sylvania Wilderness. The woods is pristine and there are plenty of options for novice or expert. It's weird that these trails are so underutilized. The trails were in perfect condition today, it was hard to leave.

(Paula Hill)

Trail rolling is complete, and the skate deck has been leveled. Neshota currently has about 2.5-inch base so classic tracks have not been set. Trails are soft with some thin spots in windblown areas and light debris. B skis are recommended. Be sure to purchase your ski pass as rangers will be out checking this weekend. Grooming plans: Trails should be groomed again early Sunday morning.

(Josh Schmitt)

We picked up a good 8" last night, All trails were rolled this morning, surface is rough for now but skiable, no tracks are set. Rock or B skis are recommended.

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(Dan Meyer)

Got back to working on the base today. Yesterday's snow was minimal, 2-3" of fluff. Due to the recent meltdown, the original base got pretty icy and hard. The groomers just laid down corduroy today, no tracks. The deck is paper thin, and keep in mind the underlying base is icy. Keep the good skis at home, and use only your B skis. Also, there is a segment of trail the groomers omitted: Due to logging, and resurfacing Herringbone Hill about 1 mile of trail is closed off. We are waiting for more snow before we haul the heavy equipment over it.

(Dennis Zielinski)

Entire system got groomed today, turned out good, could use more fresh snow over the hard packed snow.

(Mark Bender)

Hard deck with great tracks. With deep snow and postcard like views, if your in the area don't miss this trail. The third gem of a ski trail in the Hiawatha National Forest West.

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(Howard Wilson)

Everything got groomed and tracked this morning, mid season conditions, should be great skiing.

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(Mark Bender)

Trails are not groomed as of this week. Hopefully with winter conditions improving grooming could begin next week.

(Howard Wilson)

Roughly 6" of light, fluffy snow on mostly bare, frozen ground. A little more in some areas, especially in the drifts and at the very top. Less under the pines in Pleasure Valley. The park is still digging/plowing itself out, so as of this morning the trails are still ungroomed. I skied Pleasure Valley, John Minix, some of the campground, and the trail up to the top. Coverage was excellent, but since the snow is so light, wider skis are a must until the trails are packed and groomed.

Photos:

(Kyle Richard)

The Piston Bully was out tilling the skate deck. The classic tracks were left in place and are full depth and firm. Snowmaking was in progress to complete the loop and fill in low spots. There will be a few unspread piles to ski on and around tomorrow.

(Mark Janis)

The fresh snow and the recent grooming has the man-made ski trail in excellent condition. The Into the Woods section is two way until the Dark Cutoff is completed. Come on out and enjoy some great skiing.

(Will Edwards)

The piston bully was out early this morning grooming the open portion of the snowmaking loop. Conditions should be really good with this fresh snow mixed in. Grooming plans: There are plans to start making some snow starting late tonight through mid day tomorrow. The plan is to finish off that short stretch into the woods to complete the snowmaking loop. Please be cautious and give room for the snowmaking equipment and the groomers.

(Collin Bergholz)

With the groomers report last night, I arrived at 1pm with it snowing and 2" of fluff snow on top of the groomed man-made skate deck. It was slower but still enjoyable.

(Don Howell)

Thanks again to the groomers as Lapham had a good skate deck and good classic track. New snow falling from mid morning on. The man-made snow loops are nearly complete; awaiting the short segment south of Summerstage Hill for a completion of the snowmaking loops.

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(Charles Brummitt)

Got to Lapham this morning to find the trails freshly groomed with nice deep tracks for classic skiing and the skate deck looked ready to go. Lots of skiers out having fun, especially with the snow beginning to fall. I have been out to Lapham about 3 times a week for the past 3 weeks, and feel incredibly lucky to have been able to ski. Thanks to all the volunteer snowmakers, groomers, and others who work so hard to make this happen!

(Lisa Muxworthy)

Nice skiing today on freshly groomed trails. The new snow that is falling is starting to slow things down. With all but a small section of trail groomed, there is two-way skiing up Magic Carpet ride past 2 tier all the way to the dark cutoff making for a nice long loop.

(Paul Keber)

I had the Pisten Bully out tonight and groomed and reset tracks on all the man-made trails that we have open. It should be a great day of skiing, come on out and enjoy. Grooming plans: Weather permitting the Snow Makers will be back out this weekend and could complete our whole man-made trail system. Happy skiing!

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(Beattle Adelmeyer)

The skate deck was hard packed and icy. I did 50% double poling as it was difficult to skate with little edging to push off. I was disappointed the icy condition were not reported this morning; I would not have driven up 60 miles round trip.

(Don Howell)

Our snow survived the warm temperatures and rain. Because of the warm temperatures, grooming started about 5:30am and finished at 8am. Everything was tilled and new tracks were set around the existing trails. Trails are in very good condition but I'm not expecting skate deck to setup real firm and new tracks may be soft as temps will be back up above freezing. Grooming plans: Today the guys will start leveling the whales that were made late last week and expect lower loop and more woods area to be open soon. Smile and enjoy your skiing!

(Mike Koester)

Only about a mile of trail is open. But that was in very good condition this morning for skate and classic.

(Sandie Pendleton)

The Piston Bully was out at night grooming the man made trails. The skate deck was tilled and is in great condition. New classic tracks were set and should be firm and deep. Grooming plans: The newly made snow will remain in piles until the wea5 improves. I would recommend staying off the piles as they are icy.

(Mark Janis)

With the groomers early report for good skiing today, I made the long drive and enjoyed the nice skiing despite 15F degree cold which made for a little slower skiing. The skate deck was groomed and classic skiers were enjoying the deep tracks.

(Don Howell)

I groomed the skate deck of the open portion of the snowmaking loop with the Ginzu early this morning. Conditions should be decent considering how cold it is. Probably a little hard and icy under the layer of sugary snow on top. Tracks were left as is and are firm and deep, likely also icy. Grooming plans: The snowmakers made lots of snow over the 24 hours, so stay tuned as that will start being spread early next week.

(Collin Bergholz)

We had our new trainee groomer Alex out tonight grooming. He tilled the skate deck and it is in great shape. The classic tracks were left as is. They may be drifted over in a few spots but overall should be in good shape. Grooming plans: Snow making is scheduled to start overnight and will continue into Friday. Please give them and the groomers plenty of room to do their work.

(Mark Janis)

We scratched up the skate deck of the open portions of the man made loop early this morning with the ginzu. Conditions should be pretty good today. We left the tracks as is, and they look pretty deep and firm in most places. Grooming plans: There are plans to make some more snow starting late tonight and through tomorrow. Please remember to be cautions and give some space to the snowmaking equipment and the piston bully if they are out pushing the piles.

(Collin Bergholz)

From the grooming team: We received 2"-3" of new snow. As of this morning, we have an ~2km loop with good snow depth out of the Nordic Center. It was groomed this morning and has classic track set. Scheduling: the Nordic Center trail will be closed to the public on Saturday, Dec 21st from 10:30am-4pm as Mora is hosting a high school XC ski meet during that time.

(Jim Conway)

At present, there is a narrow loop of 300 meters.  Snow is thin and a bit dirty.  It is not tracked for classic. Grooming 6: Additional snowmaking, hauling and grooming will take place this week and early next week with the goal of building out 1k-2k of trail by the weekend of Dec 21-22. 

(James Conway)

Skiing on this trail today brought me much joy - the conditions were ideal for traditional skiing. It was not sticky nor icy, and there was full snow coverage, even in the wooded areas typically susceptible to exposed tree roots or rocks. The trails were fully groomed, although a track had not been set. The trails were absolutely gorgeous!

(Miranda McIlheran)

Groomer was out this morning rolling, no track yet. Good coverage, some uneven bits as expected for the soft conditions.

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(Gabrielle Hester)

Magney was rolled today. That is our backyard and we had 4 to 6 inches that was pretty solid frozen stuff then 3 new inches on top of it.

(Eve Graves)

Piedmont remains ungroomed, bumpy and slick, with more hikers and dogs than skiers. Some thin but serviceable skier-made classic tracks further into the trails. Still a fun early season ski on fishscales.

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(Eric Rhame)

Classic skied a couple of laps on the Teuton side. There's generally good coverage, but still a bit lumpy. Looks like there was about 2" of snow from yesterday that was freshly groomed in, but the classic tracks were still mostly crusty, so I mostly strided out of the tracks. A beautiful day to ski.

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(Paul Belknap)

Groomers Kaelin and Jonathan report a beautiful day out on the Teuton trails. They pulled the groomer around all loops to incorporate the fluffy snow. Still not enough snow to set tracks, but base is coming along. It's still uneven in a few places, but you'll find nicely packed corduroy the width of the trail! The chalet, warning shelter, sled hill, and trails are all open for some winter fun. There is a $5 day use fee at this site. Enjoy!

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(Katie LeMoine)

Valhalla trails got about 4 inches of lake effect snow. All loops were rolled/packed. We set tracks on the Valkryie side-loop A, little A and loop B. The tracks are shallow and looked a little icy. Loop C was packed with the snowmobiles. All loops on the Teuton side were rolled/snowmobile packed. There wasn't enough snow after rolling to set tracks. The trail is still bumpy and uneven in places and early winter conditions. It was pretty windy when we left, so I'd expect some branches and pine needles to come down. There maybe drifting in places too. Stay safe out there if you brave the cold temperatures. Woods sure are pretty with all the snow now!

(Katie LeMoine)

Full coverage, aside from minimal thin areas between the golf course and playground, with a soft skate deck. Rolled but not packed-thus somewhat deep fresh corduroy throughout the golf course and playground. No classic tracks set. Overall very decent conditions and quite skiable.

(Gene Musser)

Hiawatha is rolled. There is some grass poking through, and the snow isn't deep or firm enough yet to avoid cart paths. Lots of good coverage and hopefully the trail firms up.

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(John Saunders)

Groomed the entire 7k course for skate. I wasn't able to set tracks, but I left the skier made tracks intact where it was possible. Coverage is thin but mostly pretty good. The whole course is skiable, but it is definitely rock ski conditions. If you skate you'll probably cut through to a cart path now and then, and there are dirt and grass patches sticking through here and there. Can't wait to ski it tomorrow!

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(Mike Keyes)

I only skated two laps on the driving range loop. Trail was not recently packed, but doable. Glided really nice! Looks like a dozen or so other skate-style people have been there. No grass poking through on the loop, except a couple spots where someone dug a little deep. Fun!

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(Gary Countryman)

Rolled Columbia tonight and established the ski course, and a walking trail. The snow was lovely but thin. We are letting it set up tonight and will see if we can run the groomer. It's definitely rock ski conditions, so please be careful if you head out.
There are over 7k of trails between the east side and the west side of the bridge. Let's hope more snow comes soon. Enjoy!

(Jim Daggett)

We really would like to report great grooming and skiing at the Drummond Ski Trails, but alas.... We have had sporadic snow, all of a fluffy nature and not enough to create a base. We'll let you know when we get going.

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(Jim Crandall)

Looked like all of the trails have been groomed since the last bigger snow -- tracks were firm and the trails were in nice shape. A few spots with brush sticking out of the snow. It was above freezing with fog and drizzle, but the snow still skied nicely.

(Max Trostel)

Trail Base: 5"; Average Depth off the Trail: 15". With the most recent snowfall, grooming of Bally Creek has begun. All loops with the exception of the NE loops and the connector to the Pike Lake Rd have been groomed. Most loops are clear of brush and rocks. Some spots still contain brush sticking out and some surprise rocks. Your most precious skis are not recommended.

(Brett Gerrard)

Started at North End Trailhead. Trail is just rolled but had good coverage. Skated out to Birkie Classic Trail which was combed out but no tracks set. The trail was groomed to the Birkie Start area. Went through the Tormondsen Family Trail, what a blast. (Note that the Birkie snowmaking trails are closed during the day for racing.) There are sticks and bits of leaf and grass sticking through but nothing to worry about.

(William Stuber)

Excellent conditions Noquemanon trails, Forestville trailhead. Great classic skiing, and lots of skaters out there.

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(Rob Fuhr)

Trail was tracked this morning. Thin in spots because we only received about 2" new snow. 8" on the ground.

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(Al Ringer)

Started out at the main trailhead and then skied over to the south trails but turned back after half hour. The wide open groomed sections are good but once you get deeper into the woods there is a lot of bumps and dips so it becomes more of a balancing act than a ski. Nice to just be out in the fresh powder though.

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(Karla Anderson)

Went to check out this trail for the first time. Loved exploring the different loops, felt backcountry-ish at times breaking trail, and was magical with the snow on the trees. I stayed away from the frozen pond/bog between markers 5 and 11 as it was warm and the ice looked melty. Huge thanks to the volunteers who maintain the trail, it was a wonderful ski.

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(Rachelle Walker)

Even though there was some natural wood debris in some of the areas, there were areas that were heavenly with well-groomed powdery snow, and the snow on all the trees made for a winter wonderland experience. It was our first time at Mother Bear, and we will be back!

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(Lisa Nilles)

Skied all the groomed trails, which includes everything on the south side of the road and about 1.5km loop on the trailhead side - total is about 6.5 km so far. It is early season and conditions vary on what kind of tree cover you're under. Denser tree canopy and low spots that are wet in the summer result in bumpy trail with areas of moss and a couple rocks that can grab your skis. However, under thinner forest conditions are great! Full depth tracks, fairly even, and little debris. Gorgeous in the woods right now with flocked trees, and it's hard to beat natural snow skiing.

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(Ketzel Levens)

Got out and groomed the trails, tracks set a lot better than I was thinking. Use rock skis/ B skis because there is a rock sticking out on the downhill by the road(pictured).
Tracks also set in the baseball field so get out there and practice some technique. Glad to finally get Bagley groomed, go have a blast in some snow!

Photos:

(Micah Hanson)

4" of fluffy dry snow. All trails except green rolled but no tracks. Rock ski conditions and caution recommended, but we need to start building a base which will hopefully last the next warm spell.

(Karl Schroeder)

Approximately 3" new snow. Red and yellow loops were packed with the snowmobile. Skiing is not recommended on these loops due to poor snow cover. Blue and green loops were rolled. Poor conditions and rock skis recommended on these loops. No tracks will be set until we get more snow.

(Joe Fieweger, Wisconsin DNR)

Trail 9 and the Prairie Loop were groomed and tracked today. The trail is soft. The classic track is thin in spots. It's gorgeous out there. All other trails are no longer groomed but you are welcome to break trail.

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(Jim Van Akkeren)

Out for light classic ski around 1PM. New soft snow conditions with good coverage throughout. Initial grooming tracks helped to pack trail. Grooming plans: Spoke with groomer Jerry who indicates formal grooming will take place after break-in period for new snow machine. Anticipate snow settling overnight with additional grooming tomorrow. Many thanks to those who contributed to acquiring new grooming machine!

(Dave Miller)

Three inches of powder, packed down. Some areas hit by the sun are bad, but for early season not much to complain about.

(Chad Metzger)

Only 2 inches of new snow and today was the first time out using the roller. Poor results due to lack of snow. Rolled the lower half of the trail system. Grass stubble, leaves and sticks are poking through the very thin base. Ski with caution.

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(Bryan Pike)

With 3.5 inches of new, fluffy snow on top of an inch base the entire trail was rolled, but not dragged and not tracked. The trail is in good condition except the Luge where some rocks are still exposed. I classical skied and did a little skate skiing on the shortest loop and it is skiable.

(Chuck Wetzel)

After the warm weather earlier in the week, the trail has a 1 inch base and is in fair to good condition for classical skiing except the Luge Loop which has rocks exposed in areas. The trail is not tracked. I would not suggest skate skiing until there is more snow.

(Chuck Wetzel)

Got back to working on the base today. Yesterday's snow was minimal, 2-3" of fluff. Due to the recent meltdown, the original base got pretty icy and hard. The groomers just laid down corduroy today, no tracks. The deck is paper thin, and keep in mind the underlying base is icy. Keep the good skis at home, and use only your B skis.

(Dennis Zielinski)

Only 2.3" of new snow and today was the first time grooming. I experimented using the ginzu vs the roller. Poor results due to lack of snow. I did not groom the 4km shelter trail segment. Grass stubble, leaves and sticks are poking through the very thin base. Ski with caution.

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(Bryan Pike)

Trails were groomed prior to the last couple of inches of snow falling, so there's fluffy snow on top of the hint of corduroy. Some small bare spots and twigs, so I'm giving it a B skis rating, though I skied on my good skis and managed to avoid anything significant. No classic tracks set.

(David Sas)

It was great to get out for first tracks on Quarry Hill on actual snow! I set my own classic track and it got better after a few laps. I was breaking through to bare ground at times, so I recommend rock skis. While I was skiing, the groomer came by, so I hope to give freestyle skiing a try tomorrow.

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(James Martenson)

Got back to working on the base today. Yesterday's snow was minimal, 2-3" of fluff. Due to the recent meltdown, the original base got pretty icy and hard. The groomers just laid down corduroy today, no tracks. However, the deck is paper thin, and keep in mind the underlying base is icy. Keep the good skis at home, and use only your B skis.

(Dennis Zielinski)

The trails are groomed and single tracked. They look good although "the pines" area could use a little more snow. Let's get out and hit the trails, it's supposed to be a nice weekend.

(Aaron Kania)

We groomed the North loop of Bird Lake, the track was set but some rough areas yet, some spots are ok. We definitely need more snow to set a good track.

(Dave Coy)

We cleared all downed trees and packed the trail with snowmobiles from Hoyt Lakes trailhead to Bird Lake trailhead including the loop. Grooming plans: We plan to groom and set a track as soon as we get more snow.

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(Roxanne Tea)

1 k trail manufactured snow. Well groomed. A couple of hills, all in good shape. Come out and ski!

(Dave Minden)

Skating was better than the last few days thanks to the snow softening up a bit. The downhill turns were less sketchy and icy than they have been. Classic skiing was not so great. Tracks were set this morning, but by the time I arrived just afternoon, they were mostly shallow or obliterated. There was a section that was pure ice near the snow guns, and another section where grass was poking through.

(Kyle Richard)

Grooming was done at CXC prior to me skiing and the skaters were loving it. But classic skiing was tough as there were no tracks laid down. Better than not skiing though. I was the only guy classic skiing while I was there but there were a half dozen skaters zooming around.

(Christopher Quandt)

That little bit of snow hitting Madison and Middleton this morning dumped about 1/2" of powder on CXC. It was a sweet little bit of natural snow. Loop is pretty good given the weather we have had. I classic skied for an hour late morning today but there was alot of area that had no tracks laid down ... which was fine as the new snow made it softer and slower. It was a nice ski. The winds were pretty strong and created a cold windchill. Dressing appropriately is key. Have fun.

Photos:

(Christopher Quandt)

Essex was rolled and combed this afternoon. No track has been set due to low snow depth. I'd advise B skis or rock skis due to the soft snow and bumps due to gopher mounds. About time we got snow down here!

(Andrew Wood)

From groomer Dale: New snow rolled overnight on the 5k course. Groomed this morning and set tracks on the golf course loops. Field will be groomed for skating only. Recommend B or rock skis in the field, golf course fine for good skis. Course needs to set up, still soft. Skiing open tomorrow!

(Sydney Flick)

Approximately 2" new snow. All loops were packed with the groomer. No tracks set. Trails are skiable, but conditions are poor. Rock skis are recommended. More snow is needed.

(Joe Fieweger, Wisconsin DNR)

Trail received about 3" of new snow. All loops were rolled and all loops are skiable. Expect debris throughout the trail and thin areas on the red by the lake and the blue/green by the lake. Rock skis are recommended. No tracks set as more snow is needed.

(Nikki Kloes)

A few inches of new snow. All loops were rolled/packed and are skiable. Still a thin base and expect early season conditions. The sign is up for skiing only now to preserve the base.

(Lynn Wright)

Trail groomed and tracks set. Just enough snow to "get her done!" Please go check it out a report how it feels!

(Jim Meiers)

Trail was open but very icy. Tracks not set and not rolled. I skied from Hwy 45 to mud creek bridge and back. First mile was icy and difficult. Next 2 miles was actually ok. More snow would really help. Skiable but not great, I did skate only.

(John Gustavson)

First day of grooming. Packed but not tracked. Some rocks possible, especially on Arrowhead. Skiers observed using trails before we groomed; seems reasonable to say it's skiable.

(Randy McMeekin)

We were able to compact the trails today to be ready for future snowfall and protect the snow we have from blowing away in the wind. There are still a number of significant bare spots and it will take several more inches of accumulation before trails will be open. Stay tuned!

(Bryan Karban)

Groomed for classic. Thin in spots, but can ski around those spots beside the track. Received 6" of new snow yesterday. Sunrise loop not open.

(Terry Olson)

Trails have been groomed with tracks set. In spots it would probably be better to ski out of the tracks. It is a bit of an adventure ski, get out and enjoy it.

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(Andy Dombeck)

It snowed! Team was out early this morning running our typical grooming operations for the first time of the season. We have 2-3 inches of new snow on top of a very solid deck that was established yesterday. Tracks are set. Skate deck is level. Good skis all around. Get and enjoy the best skiing of the year so far at WinMan.

(Isaac Cowart)

Skate skied outer red loop and interior trails. Firm groomed base with inch of fresh snow. Three groomers out during our ski. Some areas of narrow sections of trails bit uneven from groomer tracks. Overall great ski!

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(Susan Fisher)

Good snow coverage. Trails were not regroomed today, probably due to warm weather. Some of the tracks looked a little glazed.

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(Eric Koch)

Very good conditions on 90% on the trails. Firm skate deck. Fresh corduroy. One short section was uneven and had a rock or two sticking up but most of the trail was really good.

(Eric Koch)

Skate deck is firm but still not perfectly level due to the rolling terrain underneath. Until we get more snow coverage, the trail will be crowned in areas and slightly rolling in others. Coverage though is very good and A Skis are recommended for skate. The tracks are good, not great. Still shallow overall and thin in select areas. We pulled several rocks this week from the tracks but still anticipate the potential for rocks if classic skiing.

(Isaac Cowart)

Skied the 10k (outer loop). Trails are in excellent condition and well groomed. Classic tracks are firm. Minimal debris.

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(Dan Deetz)

It was nice to get out on a partly sunny day. I classic skied and it was pretty nice. There were no tracks set so it was a bit slippery in places. I had metal edges on which helped. Snow was nicely groomed and the skaters were having fun it looked like. Hopefully we will get some of mother natures snow and tracks can be laid.

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(Christopher Quandt)

Trails are rolled and soft. We classic skied in skier-made tracks only. Definitely rock ski conditions; we hit bottom at times. Slow going but fun to be out on natural snow!

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(Alexis Johnson)

Fresh tracks (and deck) at Miners. Sparkling snow. Almost good skis but probably safer with Bs. Everything groomed including Curry Trail into downtown.

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(Sue Schroeder)

Skied the man-made areas that were open. Unsurprisingly given the freezing rain/sleet we had overnight and into today, the corduroy was icy and hard when I went out this evening. Areas where this had been churned up by others were much more pleasant. No problem areas, just be ready for your skis to clatter and skid when you go off the well traveled line, Very few people out enjoying the trails. The loop is approximately 1.5km, but it looks like they've got plenty of snow higher up the trail.

(Tim Bontrager)

~18F sunny calm-ish. Excellent conditions! For machine made snow the conditions are terrific formatting. All the corners are skiable. The groomed trail hasn't progressed since last weekend so the carnage corner is the furthest you can go. The tracks are super shallow, almost not even there. Hoping more tracks can be set soon!

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(Louise Levy)

Temp ~ 5F. Clear skies, windy. The tracks were variable, from shallow to deep and solid to covered over from the snow guns. Carnage corner and the other downhill corners were in really good shape after a heavy use weekend. The groomers did a good job. Just too bad the tracks were so shallow in places.

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(Louise Levy)

All trails were groomed today but some bare spots do exist. Grooming plans: Drifting today will require another groom in the morning but hoping this will help fill in bare spots. Dogs are welcome. Restaurant open this weekend.

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(Charles Demske)

We received about 2" of very light fluffy snow yesterday and I was able to flat groom some trails today. Prior to the recent snow, we still had an icy base in spots, but also had large stretches of bare ground. Where there was existing base there is now a skiable trail, but expect rock ski conditions. Elsewhere the coverage is generally spotty or too thin to ski. Sugarbush is the only trail that I would recommend skiing at the moment; coverage is pretty good until the downhill east of map point 22. Recommend avoiding other trails until we get more snow. Grooming plans: we most likely will not groom again until after the holidays, but as always will post a report if we are able to groom.

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(Eli Anoszko)

Iron Belle from Bessemer to Country Club Rd still had a solid track as of this afternoon. Icy under the trees, has a little powder blown in in the open. I double poled it, but you could probably kick a lot of it. Take em off for the four road crossings.

(Pete Anderson)

Great tracks between Walmart and Ramsey. I used fishscales with the warmer temps. Great coverage. Good skis could be used if removed by road crossings.

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(Sue Schroeder)

Skate skied the man made loop. The new natural snow wasn't groomed yet as of early afternoon, but the base below it was firm and the glide was pretty fast. This report is just for the small man-made loop for good skis. Observation of the other trails are not yet groomed; no ski tracks on those either.

(Brady Zwiefelhofer)

Skate deck holding up well, got a groom yesterday. Snow was fast, and I noted only 2 small icy spots on the inside of the small hills. Smooth skiing all around on a lovely afternoon.

(Tiff Miller)

The main small loop held its snow through the warmup last weekend and is skiing well. Handful of skiers out already this morning, skate deck was packed and tracked. A few leaves on the trails, but pretty clean other than that. No classic track really set up currently. Trail has been groomed a few times so far, so the snow is in good shape. Get your pass for the only skiable snow in the Chippewa Valley right now; here's to hoping we get a good amount of natural snow so more ski spots in the area can open up, and Silvermine can open up more trail as well.

(Tiffany Miller)

Trail was rolled in the afternoon in the hopes of new snow. Base was a little icy, but firm and fast and some of the best natural snow skiing this season.

(Michael Meehlhause)

Rare areas of pebbles, especially near start line. The uphills are starting to deteriorate, but only slightly. All things considered, the trail is in very good shape with recent grooming. Trail is approximately 1.8 km. Adjacent tracks were good or very good.

(Jules Blank)

Enjoyed an early ski this morning under a mostly cloudy sky in 29 degrees. There was 3/4 depth tracks and well groomed skate deck across the 1.7K network (which rests atop a solid base that averages 24"). Carpe Skiem!

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(Bob Warpinski)

32 degrees and very little wind tonight at Ariens Nordic Center - a beautiful evening for skiing! There are approximately 1.8 km of trails up and running. More will be opening as colder temperatures allow for more snowmaking. NKMN Storm and Bay Nordic Youth Ski Teams were practicing here tonight. There is plenty of base and these trails are in fabulous condition!

(Steve Scharrer)

Currently, the trail is approximately 1.8 km. The skate deck was firm, wide, level and very clean. The adjacent single set of classic tracks was well formed and fast. Snowmaking continues for future use.

(Jules Blank)

The Pipe, Meander, and the .7 km section of machine made snow on Rattler are groomed for freestyle. There are a few thin spots but quite good skiing overall. Hammer and lower Rattler are not groomed, total groomed is about 7 km. If you want to avoid going up and down Storebakken (Norwegian for The Big Hill) use the upper parking lot, not the lower.

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(Jim Bennett)

Freshly groomed this morning, great skiing for the snow we have! Snowmaking was happening in the lower area. Skied the upper area and there are some areas with grass coming through. Not deep enough for classic tracks. Hopefully this snow stays!

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(Jennifer Dens Higano)

The machine-made snow trail was tilled and combed this morning, but there was a couple of inches of new snow on top so it was hard to tell. Currently 0.7Km of the Rattler trail has machine made snow (out and back) though there is another section to the right from the bottom of the sledding hill that makes the total out and back ski almost exactly 1 Km. Watch out for the water hose crossing the trail in that section. Grooming plans: Plan is to groom again tomorrow morning.

(Jim Bennett)

Stopped at GH to see the snowmaking progress. The good news: snow was being spread at the bottom of the big by the piston bully at 8:30 am. The bad news: both snow guns were sitting idle, temp 28F.

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(Stephen Broski)

Snow now covers the Rattler hill by the lot and snowmaking appears to have been moved down to the lower section. Looks to be a while before the trails could be open.

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(Lars Carlson)

Groomed with corduroy only--snow too shallow for machine tracks but the skier made ones that were there were OK. Skaters had been out, which is fine, but please try not to ski over tracks on the right. Overall conditions good. Very good in some places, fair in others. The exposed grass in some places doesn't pose a danger to your skis. Nice to get out.

(Bob Hartzler)

Rolled Highland National today. Rolled fairly well with some thin grassy areas exposure. Please be patient trying to work out some quirks on the big loop. Also groomed, a track inside the driving range.

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(James Bezanson)

Enough snow to ski, which is great, but only skier=made tracks, which is understandable. High ground is windswept, but you can easily go around. Snow is dry. Great day to ski.

(Bob Hartzler)