Red and Blue trails groomed. The blue skate lane, in particular, is fairly nice given the thin base. The classic tracks are so-so with stubble, leaves, and dirt in some sections. We just need more snow.

(Michael Meehlhause)

Skied classic and skate, mostly on blue, green and gold trails. Classic was better. Good grip and glide. The tracks are so so with quite a bit of leaves and sticks in the tracks. Skate was a little rough due to hard uneven surface, slow snow, and debris on the trail. Overall really not bad and pretty good for classic skiing. Having a lodge there made a big difference with the cold for my kids in particular. Lots of fun and only saw one other person skiing.

Photos:

(Isaac Olson)

Movil Maze skate lane was groomed on Thursday. Surprisingly compact given how dry the snow is. Great skating conditions and a classic track set as well.

(Michael Meehlhause)

Delighted to ski after a light "dusting" of snow, which improved the skate lane considerably. The groomer was on the trails on Thursday, a few areas of natural debris,
however skiable, and refreshing to be on skis.

(Lisa Martin)

Very good to excellent mid winter conditions. Morning low -22, mostly sunny, light winds, frost snow mid day temperature -12, clearing completely and calm evening. Comments: It was a brisk day for sure but the trails saw action with skiers and fat biking. In the woods was pretty nice. The trails tracked yesterday set up bomber and skied the best. Complimentary skier traffic keeping the glide relatively snappy. In the afternoon tracked Roy's Run with near perfect results and touched up a few of the inner trails. We are also close to completing our new trail head sign! Grooming plans: Tomorrow afternoon plan to reset track on western trails.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Conditions very good to excellent despite the cooler weather. Off and on sunshine with average day time temperature of -6F. Scattering of frost snow, little bit of wind mid afternoon becoming calm in evening with clear skies. Comments: Despite the cooler temperatures, a great day of grooming and skiing. Started grooming under the moonlight, resetting double track with the 9' Ginzu groomer digging deep into the warmer base and mixing the fresh windblown snow with the transformed snow below. Groomed all the inner trails as well as the outer trails of North Loup and Twin Lakes. Trails were active with skiers and fat biker kicking off with the Moorhead HS team early morning practice. Went out for a ski on Sap Run, Sukkerbusk, Twin Lakes, North Loup and Rootin Tootin late afternoon. The trails skied much faster today thanks to the grooming and skier traffic. Trails not groomed today have solid well set track but skiing a bit slower, better where skied in more. Grooming plans: Will plan to groom Roy's Run, Wavy Gravy and the return of Island Lake trail to make a another loop option on the west trails.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

A blustery day with gradually falling temperatures from early morning high of 30 to 6pm high of 8 degrees. Around an inch of new snow today. Comments: The blizzard like conditions in the open didn't stop quite a few skiers hitting the trail today. Great to see everyone out! At dusk I classic skied the new Lotvola Cup course (Sukkerbusk, Twin Lakes, North Loop and Sap Run). Conditions a bit slower with the fresh windblown snow and a touch of snirt but was actually really nice in the woods and on North Loup hardly noticed the wind. Grooming plans: Will plan to groom the same trails skied above, renovate/comb Skater Waltz and go from there! Will pull up the older transformed snow and glide should be better than this afternoon. The trails will not close because of possible cold weather. Stop in the Hygge to warm up by the cozy fire, snacks and hot beverages and games in the basement!

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Primo! Ski conditions were superb at Maplelag. Bring your best skis and make a day of it. While today's winds were strong and steady, once in the woods the wind was not an issue. The classic tracks were firm and in excellent shape. You won't be disappointed.

Photos:

(Glenn Gifford)

Excellent mid winter conditions. All 90km of groomed trails open. 50km groomed classic, 15km groomed skate, 25km groomed for fat biking. High temperature today under 30. Comments: This morning all skate trails were combed. At sunset, back on Skaters Waltz and Eira Bikwadinaa hill gently renovating and combing and cutting new track on Bullhead Lake. Multiple passes on Eira Hill. At dark, cut new track on Sukkerbusk, Loon Return and Twin Lakes. Setting track at night with temperatures around 30 should allow the tracks to set up as much as possible.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Excellent mid winter conditions. Dusting of "Swedish Sugar" (graupel deposition snow) later morning, high temperature 29 degrees. Comments: No grooming today meant the groom team could get out and enjoy the trails for a few hours, riding fat bikes on the 25km "FatLagChilada" loop that was freshly groomed yesterday and rode very well, just a few soft spots here and there. Late afternoon skated skied on all the inner skate trails and parts of the northern loops. The moderating temps and dusting of the silky graupel snow made for very nice ski skating. Hopped in the classic tracks on a few trails to double pole and check conditions. The track cutting in the sub zero air temps in previous days had set up rock hard and skied very well. (The warm and humid day would have make new track setting difficult to set up today). Grooming plans: We will be out in the morning combing out the graupel snow on the skate lanes and resetting track on Bullhead lake that drifted over today. Track also to be reset on Loon Return and one side of Sukkebusk.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

A beautiful morning in the woods. The trails have been groomed to perfection. Great grip and glide throughout the classic trails I skied!

Photos:

(Tom Dooher)

Excellent mid winter conditions. All 90km of groomed trails open. 50km groomed classic, 15km groomed skate, 25km groomed for fat biking. Morning low checking in at -20F, high temp around 0. Another day with brilliant sunshine, no wind. Comments: We waited until the air temperature was -10 before grooming today. All skate trails were renovated and combed as well as the practice fields, access areas and connectors from the cabins. The snow has transformed from the cold temperatures and the finish was a bit more course on the skate deck but the afternoon groom on Skaters Waltz set more texture. Classic trail grooming today on Rootin Tootin, Roy's Run, Mother Hen finishing with a sunset groom on Bullhead Lake and the Bootleg Extension. All the classic trails groomed out near to perfection. We also completed grooming on the fat bike loop and riding conditions are excellent. Grooming plans: With warming temps, we will let the cold base stay intact and not plan any grooming for Wednesday unless deemed necessary in the evening.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Excellent mid winter conditions. Trace of new snow overnight. High temperature struggled to get near zero but brilliant sunshine and light winds made for a great day of grooming and skiing. Comments: This morning all skate trails were combed. Took a few extra passes to level everything out but the deck is in good shape now. The afternoon back out track setting on remainder of outer trails. Ran the Ginzu teeth low to pull up the transformed frozen and loose granular snow deep in the base. The result was track setting up firm and skiing much faster than the tracks set yesterday that had the fine grained dusting on top. This evening Jonell and I were back out to enjoy the beautiful full moon again, skiing on some of the trails that had a fresh set today. I know it sounds cliche but it was some of the best classic at Maplelag in years. This season is unique in that we had the rain event very early December that turned the November snow to concrete. A 5" snow event after that went through a mini warm up before settling in to more desirable winter weather. Not grooming right after the rain and warm up event and timing the resume of grooming has paid off along with this new snow. Grooming plans: We will be back out in the morning combing the skate decks and cutting new track on the side of North Loup which is the only trail groomed skate and classic. 10km of fat bike trail was groomed today and remainder of 25km of trail will be groomed tomorrow.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Excellent mid winter conditions. All trails open. Grooming on 90km of trail past 24 hours. Storm total past 24 hours checking in at 6". After an early morning high of 17F we slowly dropped to -8F by evening. Comments: Just finished up a classic ski with Jonell under an incredible moon and "moon dogs" after another full day of grooming. The tracks we skied on three different trails were all a bit different but set up bit more firm than expected and grooming pulling up the transformed snow made for better glide than expected. Groomed all the inner classic trails today as well as Twin Lakes to the west. More skiers out today than we expected and the outer trails got skied in after the additional snow last night that fell after grooming. Nice job to the Holy Family Nordic team skiing across Bullhead lake in the wind and navigating the Bullhead Bootleg loop during an adventure ski. Skaters had a tough go today but glide reported better than expected and kudos to those skiers. Grooming plans: We will be back out in the morning rolling and combing all the skate trails and hope to track the remaining classic trails.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

It snowed, and again it was a great day in the woods! Jay had groomed last night. It continued to snow throughout the night which resulted in skiing through a layer of powder on top of a fresh groom. Overall trails were firm and conditions were great.

(Dylan Ramstad Skoyles)

5" new snow by the time we finished grooming. 17 degrees, powder/packed powder on top of rock solid frozen and loose granular base. Comments: Just came in from grooming around 74km of trail while it was snowing the whole time. Pretty neat the moon popped out the last couple of hours grooming but was still snowing. Wanted to work the snow in before the temperature dropped and snow dried out. All the trails were groomed except the far outer west loop of Island Lake trail and the north extension loops of Skaters Waltz. The first few inches of new snow, was able to pull up the old base and mix with new when setting track but continued snowfall ended up just combing and setting track. The new snow has made for top notch mid winter conditions. Grooming plans: Touch up grooming later Sunday morning on trails with the most new snow on top.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Great fresh snow, on groomed trails! We skied Roy's Run, Mother Northstar, Mother Hen and Sap Run. Lots of fun, snow falling, great trails!

Photos:

(Tanya Jensen)

1.3" new snow past 24 hours. All trails open on 90km of ski and fat bike tracks. 50km groomed classic, 15km groomed skate and 25km groomed for fat biking. Powder snow on top of hard transformed frozen and loose granular produced from renovating grooming. Comments: A great week of skiing, fat biking and grooming at Maplelag! Temperatures have been ideal for winter play as we have enjoyed hosting ski camps, ski meets and long time guests back to experience our new lodging arrangements with fully equipped kitchens. We have been grooming daily the past few weeks and have only missed three days of grooming since we started on November 20th. Late afternoon Jonell and I classic skied on trails groomed today and yesterday that had fresh snow on top. The tracks are mostly full form and skiing a bit slower with the new snow but overall really nice skiing. This evening under the moon, reset track on Sap Run, Sukkerbusk and JibFly. This morning all skate trails were renovated and combed and the Twin Lakes singletrack loop was groomed for fat biking. Grooming plans: We plan to groom Saturday evening into the morning for Sunday skiing.

Photos:

(Jay Richards, Maplelag Resort)

Groomed and set track at Hiram ski trail this afternoon after getting around 6" of new snow. Recommend using rock skis since there are numerous areas where the track setter was getting into the grass, leaves and dirt. The groomer was wanting to slip sideways at times so the track has some kinks in it. The parking lot has not been plowed yet.

(Paul Klinger)

I arrived half an hour before sunset on Friday just as the friendly groomers were completing the job. They had regroomed all trails for skating except Troll, which they only groomed up to the base of the hilly portion on both ends. Only Lilly was tracked for classic. Conditions were much better than I expected, given the thin snow. I ended up skating all trails Friday evening, and had a blast, even though the brutal wind was bringing down twigs and cones as I went. On Saturday I returned with three others. Initially I did classic, but I got frustrated with the debris grabbing my kick wax so I switched to skate, which was slow due to the intense cold, but still very enjoyable. The un-regroomed hilly portions of Troll were more challenging, but still doable. Two of my friends were satisfied with classic, even on the untracked trails. I presume they had waxless skis. Thanks groomers! You rescued my weekend, since I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get in any skiing at all on this long-planned trip up north.

(Lois Braun)

Good conditions again this week, and into the weekend if you're quite hardy and love subzero temps. No new snow, but total snow depth about 6" and packed 2-3" base on trails. All trails are groomed for skating, Lily's has a classic track. Some windblown seeds, etc. on the trail and expect more of this, otherwise snow is really nice. Good skis on Lily's, not sure about Lake and Troll.

(Deane Johnson)

Cut lake was rolled today but not enough to lay tracks. A few down trees overall trail is in good shape. Snow was so dry it compacted down to just cover grass. In some areas grass is exposed. A good start to a good deck. Need a few more inches to lay tracks. It is all skiable without tracks I would use rock skis until we get more snow.

(Richard Dubay)

All trails have classic tracks and a skating lanes. Snow is thin on the east side trail system where a school race was held on Tuesday. Think snow and enjoy.

(Marc Lundeen)

Fairly good coverage with just a few thin spots to watch for. The skate deck was hard and fast, especially the sections used by the high school racers this past Tuesday. Deep Woods and Finland were slightly softer, but still fast.

(Chad Bergerson)

Everything has a skating lane and a set of classic tracks. Skating lanes look great some of the classic tracks are shallow but it worked fairly good. Have fun out there!

(Marc Lundeen)

There was a 1 to 2 inch layer of fluffy new snow on top of the icy base. There is fairly good coverage, but watch out for the few existing bare spots that go down to dirt. The groomer was heading out as I was leaving at around 4:15 pm.

(Chad Bergerson)

5 inches of snow over the weekend. Trails rolled Sunday and Monday. The ginzu groomer was used this morning to even the deck out a bit. Only a 2 inch packed base of snow. Not enough snow to set classic tracks. Skating was slow in the cold but decent.

Photos:

(Bryan Pike)

30 degrees F and sunny. There was about 4" of new snow (from last week) on top of icy trail. All was groomed which made for a firm skate surface with an icy deck underneath. Most trails were set for classical as well. There were a few windblown open spots that were thin with a little grass showing but very little. The Fergus Falls High School team was skiing there as well. They were fairly giddy. So was I.

Photos:

(Jeffrey Quam)

All the early season lumps and bumps have been smoothed out. All the boiler plate ice has been covered. The Ridge is skiing great! Skied bronze, summit, and cedar tonight and would have no concerns using good skis. I was skating but saw a fresh track set on everything I skied. The rest of the trails in the network were in varying degrees of groomed from not at all to groomed with 2-3" of snow on top.

Photos:

(Tony Norland)

Beautiful new snow, and still falling! Trails were pretty soft and wind had blown new snow into the tracks. Looking forward to coming back when it has had time to set up a bit. Laurentian was not recently groomed but had a nice set of skied-in classic tracks. Wynne Creek was not groomed yet, I skied it but next time will wait until it is groomed. Summit and Bronze was tracked on one side and was soft but pretty good shape. Great coverage everywhere, no concerns using good skis!

Photos:

(Ellen Thompson)

Good to excellent conditions for skate skiing. B skis to good skis. Mesabi East and Giants Ridge Invite was very organized and many happy skiers. New snow was falling on some of the icy areas.

(Lisa Martin)

Skied classic the first two loops (to E I think) from Britton Peak trailhead. Some debris early on in the tracks. Skate deck had some dirt mixed in in spots.

Photos:

(Laura Ferry)

From the Britton Peak trailhead, I skied out to Hogback, Picnic, East Oberg, Connector, Homestead and back. New grooming overnight on everything but Picnic improved conditions considerably and Picnic really didn't need new grooming. Conditions were great on most trails although the big downhills on East Oberg were bumpy with some ice and water berms and ground up dirt to be avoided. Homestead classic track was dramatically improved with all the old divots corrected. But the track is still soft and breakthroughs were still happening although not as frequently. I again mostly stayed on the skate deck which was firm throughout. Happy to get a long ski in!

(Tim Nelson)

From the Oberg trailhead I skied out west Oberg, around the Picnic Loop and back via Hogback, Homestead, and the connector. Tracks on Oberg and Picnic loop were shallow and drifted in from the last two nights of snow dustings and wind. But they provide support and were firm and after being skied in by me and others that followed are in good condition. Hogback and Homestead were a different story. For some reason those tracks have the same problem they did two days ago when I last skied them. They are soft, of variable depth where they have collapsed, and continued to collapse when I tried to ski them. In my opinion they are only skiable at a walking pace. I stayed on the skate deck which was much firmer. Back on the connector the tracks were back to shallow and firm and skiable. Hope Homestead and Hogback classic tracks can be regroomed soon. Picnic was a delight and I will be back to try it again tomorrow.

(Tim Nelson)

Classic skied Moose Fence trails, Upland and Maple Loops and down to Six mile Creek. Good tracks, no problems with debris. Skate lane looked good too. About a half inch dusting of snow on top.

Photos:

(Wayne Nelson)

Skied from the Sawbill Trail trailhead. Really nice coverage and grooming. Good skis are fine. Best skiing of the season so far.

(Rick Budde)

From the Britton Peak trailhead I classic skied out and around the Homestead and Hogback loops. Snow was cold and glide was minimal. The skate deck is reasonably firm, but the classic tracks were soft and not set up yet in spite of the last 24 hours of sub zero temps, resulting in variable depth and break throughs which grabbed boots and disrupted glide and thru me off balance. For most of the way around, I stayed out of the tracks after several falls. There was a little stubble and ice/dirt spots so I am glad I was on B skis. Great to be on natural snow and the recent snowfall is great but we need more!

(Tim Nelson)

There is good snow coverage throughout the system. About 6 inches of light fresh snow that was just a little soft in a few spots but not bad. Lots of wind lately has blown some snow into the classic tracks but they are in good shape where people have skied. Good skiing on the North Shore.

(Mark Hennessy)

I skated the Picnic Loop from Onion River Rd, including Homestead loop. They were able to make a nice skate deck considering what they were working with. Some tree and rock debris, along with the occasional hole/mini crevasse to hop over but overall, I was impressed. Not enough snow depth to set tracks. Keep doing your dances.

(Barry Buhr)

Variable snow, and trails were mostly well-worn, with what looked like the last grooming multiple days prior. The most variable conditions were closer to the lodge, with greater consistency a few K in on the 6K. Looks like classic tracks were fairly worn or washed out in places, but snow depth was definitely sufficient throughout. Cold and not too fast snow, and a cold ski all around, but happy there was natural snow- not too crowded, with enough hardy souls out there to keep one motivated.

(Pieter DeHart)

A brisk morning for sure but conditions at Snowflake are the best around if you want to ski the natural stuff. It was not as good as the last two days due to being more 'skied in' and, of course, negative temps don't help the glide. Swix Polar seemed to work pretty well though. Coverage is really good. You could use your good skis- only a few dirty areas that are avoidable. I mostly stuck to the 8K, which was a bit softer but also slower. Thanks John and crew for nice conditions in another meager snow year.

(Tom Heinitz)

Due to forecast extreme temperatures, Snowflake hours are as follows: Saturday Jan 18 thru Monday Jan 22, open from 8am-6pm. The trail lights will be off, and we will be closed from 6pm-8am.

(John Graham)

Good old Snowflake! George knew where the most snow was. Less than 5 miles as the crow flies from my house, there is 50% more snow there. I found the classic track to be very skiable on both the 8k and 6k loops. Some places a bit shallow, and some places a few dog prints, but never problematic at all, even for an old guy. The skate lane looked great on both loops, a bit more used on the 6 k, but still not hard or icy at all, and the skaters I talked to were having a blast. Pictures are from both 6k and 8k loops. 29 F when I started and a bit warmer when I finished, the snow still a bit colder so Swix extra blue yielded plenty of kick, waxed pretty short.

Photos:

(Tim Holst)

Really good conditions at Snowflake. The bumps that had plagued my earlier outing are gone and the result is a really fun trail. Pros and speed demons might describe the snow as "soft" but I would prefer "forgiving" and "good to ski on" and "nice to fall down in". Classic tracks didn't seem to exist much.

(Tim Bontrager)

Re-groomed the 6K skate deck today (photos 1,2). Still soft, untransformed snow, but a smoother trail. The 6K classic track set Sunday is well skied-in, but has soft walls. We then groomed the 8K skate deck side-to-side (photo 3). Soft but safe for good skis. Striders are welcome to ski the right side of the trail. Grooming plans: We will set a classic track on the 8K once we get warmer temps so that we get a freeze/thaw cycle to set them up.

Photos:

(John Graham)

We got 5-6" of fluff overnight! Multiple compacting runs on the 6K yielded a smooth, but very soft deck of un-transformed snow. We set a classic track on the 6K which got a lot of traffic this afternoon. We also compacted/groomed a single track skate lane on the 8K. All of the decks are soft. But we're thrilled to have new snow to work with. We also hosted 125 future olympians for KidSki session 1 today. Big Thank You to the high school, college, and parent Coaches who help this program succeed.

Photos:

(John Graham)

Groomers had finished the 5/6k before we got there at noon, and it was beautiful skiing. Skate deck was a bit soft. Tracks were good. We got done before the kid-ski crowd showed up. Lots of future skiers is great to see!

(Jon Swenson Tellekson)

Skied the 6k, conditions are surprisingly good! Good glide on the skate trail, the bumps are better. It looked like the classic tracks didn't exist, but folks were out having fun without them.

(Tim Bontrager)

What a difference a half an inch of snow can make! We went out, one skated, two classic skied today on the 5k and Special K. Tracks on 85% or so, very solid, but not super wide throughout so if you have wider skis beware (my husband got caught on a narrow spot and fell). Skate deck was not re-groomed since the snow, and it was still in great shape with the base underneath. Full coverage, a few bumps in spots but nothing major, no ice, nothing scary at all. I am a chicken on downhills and was able to ski down all without any fear. Best skating with real snow in Duluth for sure! Thanks groomers for keeping up what we had.

(Eve Graves)

Nine Pine was soft, bare, with lots of ruts. It was difficult to get a rhythm (skating). Blue Ox was a little better. There are lots of classic tracks, man made. Lots of debris and weeds especially on Nine Pine. I'll hope for some groomer magic but ultimately we need more snow. Either way, it was lovely to enjoy the snow and sun today.

Photos:

(Tammy Davis)

The south loops have been rolled but not tracked. Coverage is mostly good, with occasional brush poking up. There is a shallow skied-in track which sometimes goes down the middle of the trail. It seemed to me that it would be a bit soft for skating.

(Catherine Winter)

Great day trip from the cities. Started at Spirit trails and went down to do a bit at Magney. Some dirt showing through but overall great conditions. Wasn't expecting good tracks so skate skied, but tracks looked really good as well. Could probably get away with good skis, if you were careful.

Photos:

(Ben Fuller)

Classic track is nearly nonexistent - just not enough snow for deep established track. Leaves and possibly dirt on top of snow at places.

(Elizabeth Toffoli)

Skated skied from A on up. Overall the skate deck was thin and uneven with many spots where the ground, leaves or grass could be seen. It got better as I went up but even still up around P there was exposed ground, leaves or grass. It's great the City of Duluth was out grooming but they can only do so much with the little snow there is right now. Keep you fingers crossed for more snow. Because of the lack of snow I would recommend rock skis.

(Nic Bacigalupo)

Fresh corduroy was nice, despite being soft and very shallow. Much of the time, pole plants were challenging, effectively planting into the ice base below the shallow layer of snow. Some areas of debris and grass poking through, but very good coverage overall. Beware, on the hill up to F, coming from K, there was a large bare spot of sheer ice. I had to take my skis off and walk up the side because I couldn't even get traction to herringbone. They were rolling the trails again while I was skiing at noon, so maybe they'll be able to cover that back up.

(Sean Foley)

Skate deck looked a little loose in places but not bad. Classic track varied between well set and decently skied in. Tracks were decently fast and packed. Some debris on the trail but easily avoidable and visible. Was still good skiing!

(Mikaela Smith)

The lights were not on and groomers had not come, but it was delightful skiing through the quiet woods in the neat tracks that were set by other skiers out earlier in the day. Trails were covered with soft snow, which was perfect for slowing down and enjoying the winter landscape.

(Sarah Schu)

The Bomba and Sommer trails were in great shape. The classic track was generally in good shape, just a little shallow in a few areas.

(Mike Ahern)

I hit it just right today. The snow was a little soft and the classic track was good, not great. On the back end of my loop there were two snowshoers, one happily going right down the classic tracks. There's a great option to make the Trezona into an 8-km adventure. Drive to the Superior National Forest visitor center just east of Ely on Hwy 169. You can park at the far end of the visitors parking lot. Look for a post with dog poop pick-up bags. The Trezona Trail connector is right there. It's about 1 km down a lovely swerving trail through tall pines until you connect with the actual Trezona, about a 5.5 km loop you can do either clockwise or counter clockwise. Then you return the way you came back to the Forest Service visitor center.

(Andrew Slade)

Trail Base: 6". All trails are groomed for skate and classic skiing. Conditions are excellent.

(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

New Snow Last 24Hours: 4", Off-trail snow depth: 12", Trail Base: 3-5". East and West Overlook, Stadium, Lower and Upper Snowman and Pincushion Loop are rolled then groomed for skate and classic skiing. A bit soft, but excellent skiing. Grooming plans: Remaining trails will be groomed later this evening or tomorrow morning.

Photos:

(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

We groomed everything on the north and south side of Flour again this morning. All the trails groomed up very nice. In cold temps, the woods should supply good shelter from any wind. Lake crossings are being groomed every morning but are blowing in by around noon. Trails in the woods have been mostly unaffected by windblown snow. Throw a couple extra layers of clothing on for this weekend and you'll find great trail conditions out there!

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Magnificent XC classic skiing at Golden Eagle Sunday thru Thursday. Every trail in this system is in perfect condition and Golden Eagle (Bearskin too) appears determined to keep them that way. Skate looked as good as classic.

(Tom Dunaway)

More snow last night so we groomed everything fresh again this morning. Trails are looking great! Everything is open, in great shape, and skiable with good skis.

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Snow measurements are in, and on our snowboard we tallied 6.25" of new snow thus far. We were out early this morning and groomed everything again so all trails are fresh and ready to go. Trails groomed up beautifully, and with the cooler temperatures, the skate deck set up nice and solid. Moose Ridge is open again and ready for visitors! The skijoring trail is also back in. This is the kind of winter we've always remembered!

Photos:

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

Amazing day in fresh snow. The skate deck was soft with new snow accumulating as we skied, but a beautiful day out in the woods.

(Andre L’Heureux)

We've received 3 inches of fresh snow already this morning and it is still snowing! So far, the north side of Flour has been groomed: Logging Camp, Red Pines, Cross Fox to start with. We prepped Moose Ridge, mainly the big hill, so we can open it back up later today. We are also grooming everything on the south side of Flour right now: West End Logging Camp, Ridge Run, Upper Beaver Dam, and Moose Pasture along with North-South Link and lake crossings. The trails have been grooming up fantastic! As the snow continues to fall, Grooming plans: Our plan is to go back out this afternoon and do Logging Camp again, then Moose Ridge and Deer Mouse. we'll be back out doing everything again tomorrow!

(Zach Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge)

With a fresh 1.5 inches of fluffy snow on top of a base of squeaky cold hard pack, the Bearskin grooming team put in effort and skill that was nothing short of showing off! We skied the classic tracks on Poplar Creek and Ox Cart trails and they were in great shape. Also the Campground loop and Summer Home Road. Bear Cub was not freshly groomed. Skiing on my best skis I lifted a foot 3 or 4 times for an exposed area. The skate trails appeared to be in equally fantastic shape. I trust that the groomers will continue to be show offs as nature provides the raw material!

Photos:

(Bobbie Gostout)

Bearskin groomed the south side of the system today. The inch or so of snow we received went a long ways, and everything groomed up nicely. We skied Poplar Creek in the afternoon and it was great. You can use your best skis on Summerhome and Campground. I you have B skis, I would choose them for most of the other trails. If I only had one pair of skis I would be comfortable using them as well and just keeping an eye for the few spots with rocks poking through. We continue to have great skiing.

Photos:

(Quinn McCloughan, Bearskin Lodge)

We were out early touching up the trails for the weekend. With the dusting of new snow the trails are grooming up well. This morning so far, we have done - Overlook, Highlands, Ham Lake, Northstar and West End. All trails are groomed with a classic track and a skate deck. The snow is setting up well and the skate deck has a nice solid base.

Photos:

(John Fredrikson)

Between last night and this morning we groomed most of the trail system. We ended up with about 8 or so inches of snow overall. The wind wasn't as bad as we had worried it would be. All of the trails were groomed with a skate deck and a classic track. Big Pine and Little Pine (our lighted trail) were groomed last night. This morning we groomed Overlook, Overlook, Rabbit Run, Aspen Alley, Warrens Road, Cut Across, Power Line, Short Cut, Upper and Lower West End, Ham Lake and North Star. Grooming plans: We are planning to get back out this afternoon to groom the two remaining trails that have not yet been done after this last snow event.

Photos:

(John Fredrikson)

We were back out grooming this morning. We finished out the A-loop. Trails groomed this morning were - Overlook, Highlands, Northstar and Upper West End. All of the trails were groomed with a skate deck and a classic track. The swamp on Northstar by the Loon Lake public landing needs more snow, but it is easy to avoid that stretch by following the public landing road. We are planning on wrapping up the B-loop later today.

Photos:

(John Fredrikson)

With the fresh 3" to 4" of fresh snow we got out this evening to groom some of the trails. The new snow mixed nicely with the solid base we have been enjoying. We groomed Big Pine, Little Pine (our lighted trail), Lonely Lake and Amperage. All of these trails were groomed with a classic track and a skate deck. As you can see on the photos, they turned out very good. The swamps on amperage have frozen so it is getting better. We need more snow to fill in low spots still on that trail. It is skiable, but not in as good of shape as the rest of the system. Grooming plans: We are planning on gett my an early start tomorrow to groom the rest of the system tomorrow. We hope you can come up to enjoy the trails this weekend!

Photos:

(John Fredrikson)

We groomed the first 10k of the Banadad Trail again this morning. Glad were getting snow and have got such good grooming help.

Photos:

(Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)

Today we got the first 10km of the Banadad Trail tracked. We have been packing for sometime but got a few inches of snow and were able to set a track. Both our parking lots (East and West) are plowed but we can only keep the first 10km of the East end of the Trail groomed. Come ski! Note: We have cleared several miles of the West End but it is not packed or tracked. We have had a tough year getting our operation going but are making progress with great local support on the Gunflint Trail. We don't expect to have more of the middle of our trail system open this year due to serious downfall; of what we did, some sections had to be cleared and re-cleared over 5 times. We had great trail clearing help but will need next summer to clear/open the middle section.

(Andy Jenks, Banadad Trail Association)

Really nice base with another inch of fresh snow. Skate deck was fairly firm. Shallow set tracks washed out by many skiers. Great glide with mild temps in 30's.

(Catherine McLynn)

Rolled the trail this morning. Snow seemed to set quite well. There is a layer on ice under the snow from our warm up a while back, so hopefully this fluffy snow bonds to it.

(Jeff Love)

Groomed Amen and south Suomi. About 5" of light snow on top of a solid base. Track is squirrelly in places due to the groomer sliding, but plenty skiable.

(Randy Zupan)

Groomed and tracked all lower trails, service road, bitter sweet and mag view. All other trails were groomed last Thursday and are good to go. Mt Itasca will be hosting a high school race on Friday Jan 24th all day all of the lower trails will be closed to the public but upper service road and the upper trails will be open.

(Derek Youngren)

Scheduling: the races scheduled for this weekend (Jan 18-19) have been cancelled due to cold temperatures. The venue will be groomed and open to public skiing through the weekend. Enjoy if you are hardy!

(Jonathan Arntson)

Conditions are excellent on machine snow, good on natural snow. Track set on all trails. Come ski over the next several beautiful days! Scheduling: Saturday, January 18: Mt Itasca is the site of a large HS race; the venue will be closed for public skiing all day. Sunday, January 19: biathlon race from 10:30-12:30; otherwise open. Race may be cancelled due to cold.

(Jonathan Arntson)

Made another pass with the Pistenbully this evening to further firm up the skate deck and reset tracks after the new snow. We had a total of about 6.5" this past week. Conditions are getting really nice with the new snow! We were able to groom the Service Road and Bittersweet Loop/Magview with the Pistenbully for the first time this season, so those trails should be just as good as the machine made snow loops. Conditions should be awesome!

Photos:

(Bob Conzemius)

Packed everything as much as possible before MyXC and set tracks on top (Bittersweet) on the Grant-in-Aid system. Packed as much of the upper biathlon trails as I could, but it will need more work. Enjoy the 5" new snow!

Photos:

(Bob Conzemius)

The trail was packed this morning, groomed right after, tracks went next. Be mindful of sticks and trees down with heavy winds coming in.

(Spring Higley)

Post on DNR website indicates trails were groomed today and conditions reported as fair. 2" base.

(Catherine McLynn)

Wonderful fresh powder and soft tracks in good shape. Blue wax covering polar provided excellent kick. These conditions are very forgiving and a great time for novice skiers to try some of the rolling trails of Itasca County.

Photos:

(Jeff Pesta)

Rolled and tracked all Trout Lake system trails. Light fluffy new snow so tracks are a little soft. Best skiing we've had for quite awhile.

(Carl Nordgren)

We groomed all trails, both skate and classic before the temps dropped. There were lots of folks out taking advantage of the warmer temperatures. We will groom again as soon as the temps get better.

(Tony Carter)

Most of the trail system had a very soft skating deck and tracks. Only the portions closest to the chalet had recent grooming. Regardless, today was what you dream about in the middle of summer. 29 degrees and deep powder on Sugar Hills. All trails were skiable, just a lot more work in the deep snow. Kudos to the groomer for adding scenic loops on Long Lake. I'd never noticed them before, so maybe it's a new and awesome touch!

(Jeff Pesta)

We received 5" of new snow last night and started grooming before sunup. Set classic track and packed and leveled skate lane on all trails except Atomic Drop which we will hit tomorrow. Conditions are pretty soft right now but not complaining at all. Grooming plans: We will plan to groom again later this week before the weekend.

(Tony Carter)

We received about an inch of new snow yesterday. The grooming crew discussed going out and scratching up the skate lane but we decided that it was probably best left as is. The classic track is still decent from the last grooming. The skate deck doesn't have enough depth to renovate the snow, we'd just bring up dirt. Let's cross our fingers for more snow.

(Tony Carter)

Groomed north Suomi all trails open. Hard ice base with settled 3" of sugar snow on top made for a terrible track setting. Recommend only skiing the loops close to the parking lot and maybe the Balloon Lake loop. I only track set 1/2 of the Balloon Lake loop. Spruce Island Lake loop has a terrible track set, as the groomer slid sideways on all the side sloped areas. Worst ever grooming attempt.

(Dale Juntunen)

Groomed Amen and south Suomi up to the north Suomi parking lot. About 5" of light snow on top of a solid base. Track is squirrelly in places due to the groomer sliding, but plenty skiable.

(Randy Zupan)

All trails groomed. They are in good shape. Tracks set on almost all trails. Still some areas too thin to set tracks. But skate lanes are nice.

(David Parrish)

An inch of snow over ice made for nice skiing in the hard set track except for the downhills with curves where the track was damaged during soft conditions. Skate deck had been roughed up by groomer a few days ago and was really rough with chunks of ice balls! Extra blue wax worked fine in the new snow. Regardless of challenges, we happily did ski up Baker's Road to Red Pine Junction and back down safely. We did not do Lake Loop.

(Catherine McLynn)

All trails rolled, groomed and tracked. All are in good condition. Base is a little thin but is at 100 percent coverage.

(Kraig Stolhammer)

Today we ran both Ginzus on all sections of Tilson Creek with the exception of the "improved Split Rock" hill on the main Blue - that's has enough saplings sticking up that we felt it would be too dangerous to open. The track looked fine almost everywhere, and corduroy was super. It's soft now but should eventually set up.

Photos:

(Burgess Eberhardt)

With a couple of inches of snow over the past few days, we used both Ginzus today to refresh the skate lane. We did not re-track. We covered everything but the east Blue and the Red Renegade. The skate corduroy looked great!

Photos:

(Burgess Eberhardt)

We had a fantastic group of hearty souls come out in -1F degree for our grand trailhead opening. Skied from 1-18-17-16-20-21-14-15-16-17-18-1. This is all the center loops and the marsh. If you haven't skied in the bog area it is absolutely beautiful! One person even picked Labrador leaves and we all chewed on them and learned how to make tea. Even with the cold temps the grooming and tracks were perfect! Not hard, crusty or icy but rather still fluffy and soft. Nice glide!

Photos:

(Karla Anderson)

I skied a short loop to see how the trails were doing in the slight warmup of temps today. Glad I went because it was a rare situation when tracks were fast, groomed well and the air temperature extremely comfortable. Corn snow was falling. To have all the trails groomed using an actuator to lift the setting of the tracks wherever there are hills was a treasure. Hats off to our groomer for elevating us to a new standard of better grooming. Tomorrow's ribbon-cutting celebration will be held at the new Jensen Trailhead at 12:30 PM. Due to the cold, it will be a quick ceremonial grand opening cutting of the ribbon (using a lopper), followed by a short program at 9905 National Forest Lodge with hotdogs, beans, chips, cookies and a few warm drinks. Ski activities will occur after 1:30 PM for those hardy enough.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

The trails are in perfect condition. There was an inch of new snow over yesterday's nicely groomed trails, making it ideal for safely doing the steeper downhill runs. Four of us skied from Jensen Trailhead to 19>23>22>21>14>17>2>1, through both wetland bog areas and high ground with steeper terrain. It is so nice to have the trails ready for our Jensen Trailhead, ribbon-cutting celebration this Saturday, Jan 18th at 12:30 pm. Join us if you can (visit our website for details).

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

The trails were groomed today and are in perfect condition. In preparation for our new Trailhead, ribbon-cutting celebration this Saturday, Jan 18th at 12:30 pm, join us if you can (visit our website for details).

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Skied over fresh snow on previously groom trails, it was easy moving through the snow covered tracks.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

The one-inch of new snow made for an amazing kick and glide and freshened up the forest. I imagine the wetlands will still have a slightly uneven glide due to the bog undulations.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Skied the Deeryard Lake loop CCW from Murmur Creek Rd. The tracks were mostly filled in with wind blown snow so it was slow going. Short Loop has not been groomed yet. Good snow coverage with minimal debris though. Beautiful sunny day in the woods.

Photos:

(Barry Buhr)

I classic skied starting from the Cascade Lodge trailhead up West Pioneer, over to and around Deeryard loop, then back to Pioneer and down East Pioneer. Snow on Pioneer is thinner with some dirt and stubble. B skis needed here. Tracks were well formed and firm. Deeryard coverage levels were much better and good skis could be used. Tracks were solid and very skiable. The connector between Deeryard and Pioneer was softer with some drifting and a soft and undulating deck. Caution needed here, but overall skiing was great and fun in more moderate temperatures.

(Tim Nelson)

Norpine East trails groomed this evening. This includes: Deeryard Main Loop, Fire Tower, Pioneer Loop, Lookout Mountain, Ridge Run, and the connecting trail between Pioneer and Deeryard. Short Loop (at Deeryard) hasn't been opened up for the season yet, however. Conditions are great!

(Adam Dettman)

Skied the south trails for about an hour and 45 minutes. It was 0 degrees, but little wind in the trees, and a bright sun. Some leaves and twigs in the track, but overall a very decent skiing experience. It is better than not skiing, so don't let the less than pristine conditions keep you home.

Photos:

(Paul VanderWaal)

After about 6-8" of dry, fluffy snow, the trails are groomed. Some track is in good condition, but some is quite leafy close to grass. I decided not to roll first because who knows when we will get more snow, and with it tracked we can at least get some skiing in before the season is over. Note: The south trail's East Loop is closed for logging. Our plan will be to groom from the west up to intersections G and H, but the East Loop and Cut-thru East will not be groomed this season unless logging is completed. Be prepared that East Access and South Loop will be out-and-back from intersections F and J.

(Paul VanderWaal)

Just groomed Campground Loops into excellent shape. Could've used couple of inches more snow atop two inches old, ungroomed stuff. Will wait for more snow to groom Big Hole and Red Top Loops from Ski Trail Rd parking lot. Enjoy!

(Neil Gardner)

Trails have been packed but no tracks. Some areas have skier set tracks off to the side. The dry snow has blown away on some open areas and hills leaving bare spot though all section on the 3K loop are passable.

Photos:

(Brad Anderson)

We packed the trail today. I would not suggest skiing on it unless maybe shuffling along with beat up pair of classics. Very bumpy and lots of grass sticking up. The good news is it should set up and provide a hard packed base for additional snowfall.

(Mark Gordon)

Excellent classic conditions at Hyland. My skins got good grip in the tracks on all climbs, and the swix polar wax (7 or below) had great glide. Very uncrowded for a Sunday! Cold of course, but it felt great once one warmed up.

(Mike Schowalter)

Tracks in excellent condition. Had excellent glide and grip with green glide wax and Oslo green kick with temps in single digits. Very fun ski! Lots of skiers out enjoying the trails despite the wind chill in the negative digits.

Photos:

(Ken Kuznia)

At noon, the snowmaking loop was in excellent condition. However, I found the snow slower than early evening yesterday with my pace being off 3/4 mph. But it was still fairly fast. I naively expected similar conditions but I guess because of overnight grooming and it being earlier in the day, today's snow cover on the skate deck was cold and dry while yesterday early evening's snow was warmer with some moisture in it even though it was about 5 degrees warmer today. Thanks again to groomers for great conditions.

(Keith Carlson)

The temperature was 30° when I began skiing and the conditions were fantastic. Zero sugar or icy spots, the uphills and downhills were in mint condition. Bravo to the groomers!

(Matt Frantzen)

Skated all the lit trails this morning, and snow conditions were holding up well. The grooming was immaculate as usual, and hills and turns were still firm. Either the snow was a little slow (weird temp swings recently) or my glide wax was off (more likely), but things seemed a bit slower than normal...as I expected. The warmer temps also meant that some of the more used portions closer to parking were already starting to get a little worn/sugary on the corners, but this also meant that I found no boilerplate throughout the course. Enjoy the warm day while we have it! Big thanks to the groomers, as always.

(Pieter DeHart)

At 5:20 pm start, the snowmaking loop was in excellent condition. Despite earlier events, there was no sugar build whatsoever. Temperature was right around freezing, the snow was fast - it was my fastest pace of the season, no trouble getting bite and no boilerplate on the Boulder Ridge downhill. Just a few burnt-out lights on Boulder Ridge flat leading to the downhill and at the top of Scenic Foothills. Thanks for great conditions groomers.

(Keith Carlson)

Very good conditions on the snow-making loops despite the slightly above freezing temperatures. Pretty fast but not icy and the uphills were not very sugary. Left just in time as buses and lines of cars were coming in after 3pm!

(Dave Carlson)

All man-made trails (5K loop) were open. Conditions were excellent this morning. Skate deck was firm at 6AM and fast. The classic tracks looked to be in great shape as well. As always, kudos to the groomers and all the workers who keep us on the trails during a barren winter, we are so fortunate to have you!

(John Nealon)

Tracks were filled in and slow this morning. About an inch of fresh snow on the skate deck. Good morning for some slow skiing. Made the hills easier to climb and much more control going down.

(Scott Greymont)

The snowmaking loop was in very good condiion at my 5:00 start. It was about 28 degrees and the moon was out briefly at my start, otherwise it was overcast. I was dumbfounded given the likely daytime weekend traffic but the sugar was light except at the top of the steeper climbs. Otherwise the snow was thankfully fast. There was brief boilerplate before the curve on the Boulder Ridge downhill which had two "lanes" separated by modest snowplow wake. Skier traffic was really light except for a bunch kids with bibs on Star and the start/end of Willow Creek who I had to dodge a few times as they skied across the trail in front of me. Thanks for a great job groomers.

(Keith Carlson)

Around noon it was as busy as I've ever seen here - lots of families out grooving on the snow. Conditions were good for classic - tracks were clean and not glazed, although the heavy use meant a few sections were getting sloppy. I mostly skied on the deck, due to crowding, and it was excellent, though probably a bit soft for skate skiers. A really nice day.

Photos:

(Laurie Ford)

Snow conditions on all the man-made portions of the skate deck are about as good as they get! Started before dawn and the recently groomed course was in great shape all the way through, and not even too sugary on the steeper climbs. Fast and smooth skiing was to be had on a level deck, with only a pinch of deeper snow building up on a few tight corners close to the parking by about 8 am. The classic tracks were deep and fast, and alternated between pretty icy where there was the most traffic and snowy enough to get a grip on the uphills in the further reaches. Folks really started to roll in shortly after 8 am, so no photos today. Huge kudos to the groomers!

(Pieter DeHart)

With the warmer snow and air (28 degrees) temperatures, the snowmaking loop was in very good condition. There was a modest amount of sugar on most of the trail with somewhat heavier accumulations on the Star, Willow Creek, outbound Scenic Foothills and the 1st part of the inbound Scenic Foothills cilmbs and just a brief bit of boilerplate before the curve on Boulder Ridge's downhill. The warmer, faster snow was a really welcome change, It was only the second time this season that I was able to skate all the climbs except Boulder Ridge and the transition between the 1st and 2nd parts of the Scenic Foothills inbound climbs.

(Keith Carlson)

Perfect conditions on entire 5K loop this morning for both classic and skate - the fresh snow was groomed in to make for some of the best conditions in a while.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

The trail was in immaculate condition this morning with the light dusting of snow. Skate deck was nice corduroy. Classic tracks were well set.

Photos:

(Scott Greymont)

All trails rolled, lights were on, and very skiable surface! True rock skiing -- you will find the occasional rock and spots where the groomer found dirt. Use caution on the downhills accordingly. My take: nice to have some natties available as an alternative to man-made loops, but you will definitely cause at least light damage to your bases. Thanks groomers for packing it down!

(Jay Woodbeck)

Nordic trails are rolled and conditions are fair to poor with no tracks. Patchy and bare spots are showing through the entire Nordic side of the trails. Snow is only 2-3" inches deep. The snow is fine granules and loosely packed with no substantial base and drier making for decent glide.

Photos:

(Brian Selvik)

Mint conditions at BC this morning on all of the man-made loops! No ice, solid classic tracks, and awesome skate deck. Get the warm temp skiing in while you can!!

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Skating at BC this morning I would rate "as good as it gets on manufactured snow". Freshly groomed, not icy but not too soft, 30 degrees. Pretty much perfect. Pining for natural snow but so grateful for the manufactured.

(Jay Lyons)

I skied the manufactured snow on the Pond and Prairie loops this morning. The temperature was about 10 when we got there, and the snow was "squeaky" cold. The skate deck was hardpack with a topping of very thin snow making it hard to get a good push in many instances. Going uphill, it was hard work getting any glide. Adjusting expectations for the slow snow and thin snow on the hardpack, i.e. more time on course for fewer kilometers, made it a nice ski at Battle Creek.

(David Sonnenberg)

Meets for the week: Tuesday, 1/14, South Suburban Conference 3pm-5:30pm, Wednesday, 1/15, Suburban East Conference 3:30pm-5:30pm, and Thursday, 1/16, Metro East Conference 3:45pm-5:15pm. The trails will remain open to the public during all races, but please be mindful of the high volume of skiers expected during these times.

(Thony Thao)

Started off about 8:30 PM and 6 deg F and windy, and ended an hour later with super wind and 3 degrees. Only one other car in the lot. Big change from the day before with all the myXCers. Classic tracks were getting pretty worn out in the stadium area and the tops and bottoms of climbs. Corners were either sugar or ice. Thankfully, the number of leaves in the tracks have not increased. Groomer was heading out as I left.

(Rick Vatsaas)

Good conditions today in areas with artificial snow. Good coverage. There were hundreds of future skiers and little skiers (MYSL) and the parking lot was jammed. Hopeful for the future if we are to get natural snow again.

(Greg Filice)

The fresh snow and grooming provided very nice skiing this morning at Battle Creek. I skied several laps on the Pond, Prairie, South Tree, and North Tree loops, and it was the most fun I've had yet this season. Skate deck was solid with enough "edgeable" snow to make for an efficient skate, good glide on the ascents, and good control on the descents. My brother was classic skiing and said the tracks were well set and fast, but his blue extra kick wax was slipping on the ascents. I noticed the addition of directional signage along the trails last week, but forgot to mention it until now. The signage is well placed and provides clear directional information - nicely done, Battle Creek. And as always, Kudos to the groomers!

(David Sonnenberg)

Trails aren't officially open (skier-groomed), but they are skiable! We did the Hiking Club loop and while there were some thin spots, we had an enjoyable ski - and even enjoyed a few nice downhill glides. If you're itching to get out, the snow is there!

(Heather Logelin)

All machine made trails are open. The snow was in fantastic shape and felt quite fast after a double layer of swix polar (for temps 7 and below). The tracks looked good and classic skiers appeared to get good grip. Judging from the parking, Wirth was still busy, but with the 7km they have open it didn't feel like it.

(Mike Schowalter)

Man made loop is in great shape today and is almost completely open. They are pushing out the machine shed loop, but everything else is groomed. About 6k open. The inner meadow loop is groomed with two classic tracks today, and no skate lane. The north finger+la squadra is still a cardiac dream. I may have blacked out a few times near the top of la squadra, memories are unclear.

(Mike Keyes)

Arrived just before a high school meet, so I only did one lap (the finger and the loop above the Trailhead did not appear to be open. Conditions were fantastic! The track was deep and hard. Guru green kicked like a dream. The skate deck was great as well, some loosened snow for edging on the downhill turns. Did not feel really cold and had lots of youthful excitement!

(Stan Hokanson)

I hit the trails about 8 am and it was cold and quiet. So fun to ski fresh and hard corduroy. Low temps meant slow snow, but with the sun shining and the tremendous conditions, my speed was irrelevant. And so nice to have more trail open in the woods by the lake. I did notice a little bit of dirt coming through still where the utility vehicles cross the trail, but conditions are much improved over last week. Thanks Loppet crew for great work.

(Glenn Hansen)

Tracks were fast, uphills firm, downhills not overly fast. There weren't many skiers probably due to cold temps. I kept my face covered and was fine. Lower stadium and Ridgeline were windy but the rest of the trails were protected. Some debris on Twin Lakes and bottom of Jim's hill. The few inches of snow we got have made the conditions near perfect!

(Meg Brady)

5k open and the trails were in great condition this morning. No icy patches, and minimal debris. Fun to ski through the forest on Twin Lake. Theo has managed to have the snow bridge ready for the races this weekend - well done to the staff! Hope folks have a great time with the Loppet activities scheduled this weekend.

(Allie Quinn)

I skied classic this morning starting about 9:30. The first two laps were a bit slow but each lap got a bit faster, the last lap I stepped out of the tracks on the donut downhill. It looked like some one had done several classic laps before I got there also three laps skate, I never saw another skier for an hour and a half. The wind wasn't bad, I had to flip my glasses up due to frost and still didn't have to worry about my face. The classic skiing was good with lots of kick and fairly good glide. It looked like the skate was rather slow with ski tracks being at most one and a half ski lengths long.

(Thomas Harris)

Glorious conditions on the snowmaking trails, kudos to the groomers and park staff. The tracks looked perfect, and the skate deck was firm yet pliable given the 35 degree temps, with excellent glide. There was a bit of sugar on a few uphills, but not bad at all. A wonderful day and place to ski.

(Jason Goepfert)

Skiing (classic) was the best - fast but not icy. The skate deck looked firm (no slush). Snow was colder (harder) than I expected. FYI - ski teams arrived around 2 pm. Thank you groomers for a great job!

(Karen Peters)

Skied the snowmaking classic track today and was great! Trails were in good condition with a fast glide. Didn't stay too long as all the high school teams showed up to practice along with little kids team.

(Laura McBroom)

No grooming, but just enough coverage to be able to get some kick and glide without sinking all the way down to the grass. Best coverage is on the sections of lower fairways where a little bit more snow has accumulated.

(Grant Schoen)

Good warmer day to ski. Snow is still holding up but was getting packed down with the warmer temps. Good mix of people out. A few hills around the main bowl good for quick hill training. The longer loop is a steady minimal climb and a gradual downhill good for getting distance laps in. Some leaves and twigs on the trail but generally easy to avoid. Thankful to be skiing on snow.

(Jack Burns)

Glad to get out for my first ski of the season. Thankful for the dedication of the snowmaking and grooming crews to make skiing possible with the lack of natural snow. Conditions are good for the areas that have been covered and groomed. About 10 people out with a mix of classic and skate. With the cold temps the trails are holding up well. The longest loop is good enough for an enjoyable ski and good distance.

Photos:

(Jack Burns)

Groomed entire trail without track. Bare minimum snow but will be ok for rock skis. Sooo nice to have a little snow. It's been a long wait. As we finished, skiers and snowshoe hikers were enjoying the trails.

(Greg Hoelscher)

Ashland trails were rolled today after 5+ inches of snow. Not enough to run the groomer or set a track. Base is thin with some grass and leaves poking through. Skiable as long as you keep your expectations low.

Photos:

(Andy Goyke)

Skied most of the system. 1-2" of fresh powder over the top of the skate deck. Slow going, but fantastic coverage and beautiful scenery. Safely good ski conditions on all trails.

(John Leaf)

Classic skied 21.3 miles of Ashwabay hill climbs this afternoon. Phenomenal doesn't even describe these conditions! Glide was epic with swix green and hill climbs hill ample kick. Tracks were medium depth, firm. Skate deck is firm with a little give. Just a Birkie trainer I needed. Thank you groomers!

(Kevin Grand)

Skate trails re-groomed on Abbey, Anchor, Seagull, Northern Lights, Buzz and Telford. Classic Only trails were groomed Friday - watch for oak leaves and twigs. Chalet closed Sunday and Monday.

(Ann Mosey)

Good fast tracks and a firm skate deck, a little leaf litter in the tracks but the trails weathered the warm weather today and were in good condition heading into the weekend.

Photos:

(Aaron Patterson)

Skied 30k today on a multitude of the Mt Ashwabay trails and they were all very well groomed. Very nice.

(Geary Searfoss)

Beautiful day of skiing today at Mt Ashwabay with temps hovering around 32 F. With the recent snow there is a good base but some leaf debris in the track from the winds. All of the trails appeared freshly groomed. The classic tracks were deep and firm. The skate deck was a little soft. These trails keep getting better every year and I appreciate the great job they do grooming them.

Photos:

(Gene Karwoski)

Morning groom Deerpath and Blackbear tracked. Telford regroomed and tracked. Left the Classic Only as is, which was skiing pretty well yesterday. Grooming plans: Groomers out this afternoon working on skate trails. Temperatures warming up.

(Ann Mosey)

Epic fun times again at Ashwabay with Amy! We had two sessions there today, morning and afternoon (interrupted by "work" meetings, as I have not [yet] freed myself from the bonds of revenue generation :) The morning session was just out on Abbey to the cabin and back, snow was fast, control was perfect. Afternoon session went past the cabin and around the back of the mountain and my skis (old Rex Blue) could tell the snow was getting colder. Still excellently groomed, just a joy to be on, especially mid-week. Anchor and Seagull were in great shape as well.

Photos:

(Rick Cochrane)

The skate tracks have a beautiful comb. Still a little soft on lower Anchor (groomed yesterday and today) and on upper Anchor (groomed only today). Power line in classic tracks were good. There was also a beautiful trail heading down Telford and heading over to Seagull.

(Ann Mosey)

Rolled, dragged, and tracked Jolly Long and Skid Road. Reset classic track and skate on Abbey and Telford. Re-groomed skate on lower Anchor, and classic on Beginners' Loop. The trails look great with the exception of thin spots on Jolly.

(Ann Mosey)

New snow and very cold. Skate trails on Anchor, Abbey, Beginners Loop, Skid Row, Northern Lights and Seagull have all been fully groomed and in excellent condition. Classic trails have been rolled and dragged but waiting for an equipment repair to track them.

(Ann Mosey)

As usual, the conditions at Mt. Ashwabay were amazing - thank you to the groomers! There were many smiling faces out on the trails today, it feels like "real" winters of yore. Snow was coming down fairly fast for the entire ski, grooming staff was out pretty much constantly working to compact and refine the skate deck and classic tracks. We went through some of the classic-only that wasn't groomed too recently, but it was wonderful. I found the skating glide to be amazing (Rex Blue), but since the deck was a little soft and I'm a little "girthy" :), the push phase of the skate was pretty difficult. Amy and I switched to classic after about 5K or so skating. Abbey Road obviously gets the most use, but past the cabin the back of the mountain was sublime. Thank you again, what a treasure.

Photos:

(Rick Cochrane)

After 4+ inches of new snow, the groomer were out at 7:30 AM to groom the whole trail system! Yesterday was fantastic and today should be even better. Thanks to all of the skiers near and far who came out yesterday, it was so fun to see the parking lot full of nordic skiers.

(Kate Ullman)

Skied the outer loop - Abbey Road, Northern Lights, Seagull, and The Buzz. Most were in excellent condition. As noted elsewhere, The Buzz has some leaves in a couple spots, and a few places with dirt spots. These are up on the hilltop. All can be carefully skied around. Be careful about rocks, though, as you approach the parking area at the end of The Buzz. That's why I'm suggesting B skis.

Photos:

(Peter Nordgren)

All fresh corduroy and I only saw the occasional tree debris. Seriously some of the best skiing in a long while. The downhill run on seagull to the anchor intersection is phenomenally fun! I'm rating it a cautious good skis. I had my B skis because I didn't think it would be as good as it was. I would have switched to my good skis but I didn't want to go back to the car.

Photos:

(Peter Aggen)

A dusting of fresh snow! Groomed skate on Abbey, Anchor, Beginners Loop, Skid, Northern Lights, and Seagull. Classic on Abbey also tracked.

(Ann Mosey)

The WDNR groomed all the trails yesterday except the further out trails of Red Pine and Nebagamon. The deck set up very well with the temperature drop but expect some ruts from yesterday's skiing when the trail was soft.

(Jon Jurek)

The BRSF (Brule River State Forest) had rolled the classic trail as of noon today. No tracks yet but it's looking optimistic. I skied a soft deck in most areas. The immediate trails from the chalet are best since they have been groomed more.

(Jon Jurek)

I measured 7 inches of fresh snow on the picnic table at the chalet. I skated about 5k. Unfortunately the snow was very light and only added an inch or two to the thin base after rolling and grooming was completed. Expect a soft deck and watch for rocks. No tracks were set.

Photos:

(Jon Jurek)

My wife and I were excited to get out and ski after finally getting some snow. Unfortunately, the groomers had not been out yet, so we were breaking trail most of the way. Snow was a little thin under heavy stands of conifers. Despite the slow conditions, it was great to get out. Looking forward to skiing here again after the trails get groomed.

(Frank Kaszuba)

We received 4 inches of dry fluffy snow on Sunday. All trails at Anvil were rolled and combed. The packed base is 2 inches. Hopefully cold temperatures will set the deck well.

Photos:

(Valerie Knurr)

Nicolet North received 3-4 inches of dry fluffy snow on Sunday. The trail was rolled and combed today. We need more snow to set tracks. There is about a 2 inch base with some bare spots in the thicker hemlock groves. The Eastern half of the Pat Shay loop and Narrow Gauge have better snow cover.

Photos:

(Valerie Knurr)

The last snowfall dropped 4" of fluffier snow on our trails. I tried to roll the trails but because large portions of our trail are on asphalt cart paths and gravel service roads, we simply did not have enough snow to cover these trail sections well enough, or allow our snowmobile to work well on these surfaces, so unfortunately our trails remain closed. We will keep hoping for more snow!

(Joe Panci)

Most of the lighted trails are open. They did a great job grooming with the amount of snow that we have! There are some bare spots, but it's covered fairly well for now.

(Nick Urban)

I skied the section from Mosquito Brook to Gravel Pit. I see some people are saying to use your good skis, but my experience was quite a bit of exposed grass/leaves and roots and sticks. The sections with no overhead coverage did have good snow though. Its definitely worth getting out to ski, just don't bring your best skis.

(Micah Hanson)

Skated from OO to Gravel Pit. Snow was good, almost good ski worthy, near OO. Got thinner farther south. Was pretty much rock ski conditions by Gravel Pit. No tracks on this section at the moment.

(Mike Keyes)

Skied from mosquito brook to hatchery and back. Snow is thin, but fine for rock skis. A few patches of dirt and plenty of leaves. No tracks. Skate deck was surprisingly smooth. Do not regret driving up from the cities to ski it!

Photos:

(Mike Keyes)

Skied north and south of Boedecker Road. The groomers have done a good job but there is quite a bit of leaves showing through the snow that is quite avoidable. When you go down a hill you pick the whitest path to avoid the leaves / debris showing through. We used our best skis and it was no problem. We really need more snow. I can see why the Saturday Ski de She races are held on the artificial snow at Telemark Village 5 km loop.

(David Gorringe)

Skied every trail from the village segments to the wooded trails to the power lines. No need for B skis. Trails are firm, fast and ready for all comers! Skated, but nice tracks set for classic also. Treat yourself.

(Dave Swanson)

Skate skied from OO to Fire Tower this morning. Skied out on the classic and back on the skate trail. Snow is still soft and slow but with the minimal snow cover so far, it skied very well with most debris easily avoided. No classic tracks on the classic trail but one was set on the skate trail. As expected, it is shallow but looks very skiable. Thanks to all the effort this summer to clean the trails to allow skiing on such thin base. I also notice very few oak leaves in the canopy and a lot of evidence of selective harvesting of oaks. (I love trees but the oaks can make a mess of the trail). Groomer was sighted leaving OO heading south. Thanks groomers!

(Keith Holmquist)

The Birkie Trailhead trails were in great condition today, although a little hard packed in places. For the first time this season we broke past the bounds of the human-assisted snow loops and got back to the larger Birkie Trail! Amy classic skied and the tracks were great until leaving the loop. After that they were here and there, but still very skiable. We headed up the Birkie classic by taking a left at the bell and made it to the intersection with our beloved North End trails at NE42 (they looked pretty good too!) I was skating with good skis, but with old and too-warm of wax for how cold the snow was (Rex Blue). I am only rating this as "B skis" and "most trails open" because of our choice to go past the loops. I've skied on far worse, and wouldn't be too afraid to take the good skis a lot further if only my body would cooperate. Many thanks to the groomers, we appreciate what you do! Lots of friendly faces there today, nice to run into you, Charlie and Jeanine :).

Photos:

(Rick Cochrane)

Classic skied from Gravel Pit north to OO and back classic with no tracks. Several skaters had gone before me. Groomers tilled a full 2 passes yesterday and the new 5-6" of cold fluffy snow was well compacted and quite firm. Surprisingly good skiing. Mostly could have skied with best skis but there were some small areas where leaves were tilled up to the surface. There was no dirt showing. The further north on the trail the better the conditions. Tracks set north of OO to Fire tower. I was impressed with the groomer's soft touch. Great to ski on the trail closer to home.

(Scott Wilson, Cresthill Resort)

It's been a dry winter up in the Northland of Wisconsin. I got a little free time to come classic ski the snow loop hills today. Phenomenal conditions! Skied 13.22 miles in 1 hour 43 minutes. Just breaking myself into the birkie hill climbs again. And it felt great. 100% perfection for what the weather's giving us. My only complaint, and it's not a complaint, but there were a lot of people and they are sometimes standing in the middle of the trail or skiing the wrong way. I'll be back. Thank you Birkie Team for keeping the dream alive.

Photos:

(Kevin Grand)

A couple of inches new snow but not enough to roll or groom. Some adventurous types might try rock skis but not recommended.

(David Gorman)

With the light snow that MECCA has received, conditions continue to improve. Tracks were set today on Wolf, Moose and Osprey. The skate deck was also groomed and is good to very good with some easily avoidable thin spots. Most of which are on the trail that crosses the flowage.

Photos:

(Becca Bartling)

Wonderful ski! Trails were freshly groomed on the skate lanes. Thank you for the excellent grooming. I skied the marked loop of the Winterfest 30 kilometers / 15 kilometers 1 lap. Not in shape to go around twice. First ski of the season. So glad I drove to Mercer from Wausau. Well worth the travel.

Photos:

(Mark Timken)

All skate lanes were groomed today, with the exception of the Birch Loop. The skate deck is firming up nicely and is in good condition. Classic tracks are in fair to good condition and have improved throughout the last week or so.

Photos:

(Becca Bartling)

Groomers were out today. Skate deck is firm and fast and tracks are fair. Conditions have improved, even with the thin base.

(Becca Bartling)

Four to five inches of snow last night with a few flakes still coming down. Groomers were out leveling, packing, renovating, and setting track. Trails have reverted back to early season conditions, low snow base, and not completely level skiing platforms. Trails are soft. Enjoy!

(Becca Bartling)

The skate deck was firm and fast! Most trails are in really good condition. There are a few spots on the hilly trails that you need to take care. The tracks looked really good in most places but had a few really bad spots.

(Eric Koch)

I skied Base to Tornado Alley to Survivor to Yukon to C and D, to Island Hop to Nepco's Cruise for a total of 17 kilometers. I would rate overall conditions as good to very good. There were a few spots with oak leaves in the track and a few more places where the track was shallow with stubble showing through but they were easy to ski around. There was only one spot on C and D where the downhill had uneven grooming with some shallow areas. Otherwise, great conditions considering how little snow the groomers have to work with.

Photos:

(Jim Gantz)

Groomers were out at night touching up skate decks on many of the interior trails. There are some soft spots around, but cold temps should help firm things up. For you classic skiers, Side Kick is now groomed and tracked! Fresh classic tracks were also set on Creek Trail, Red Pine, Lynx, Mellow Meadow, and Steeple Chase! Any thin spots in the classic tracks are easily avoidable. While groomers did go out on River Run Friday night, we are not recommending it at this time due to thin spots in the beginning and end of the trail. We need just a bit more snow for the three long trails. But it's getting close!

Photos:

(Erin Blow)

The skate deck was really good in most places. Some of the expert trails had some rough spots where most of the snow was blown off of the ridges. Overall most of the trails were really good! Beaver pond was awesome! Yukon had some rough spots. VO2 max and Squirrels tail were skiable - just not with good skis. The tracks looked really good in most places.

Photos:

(Eric Koch)

Skied inner trails of MWP and found them to be in excellent condition. Skate deck firm with full coverage. Classic trails appeared to be in great condition also. Perfect day of skiing.

(Gloria Gudmundson)

We picked up another 2" or so of snow last night! Groomers are back out on the trails setting new classic tracks on Tornado Alley, Survivor, Nose Dive, Base Loop, Silver Strider, Nepco's Cruise, and XC Express. Skate decks are also re-groomed on the majority of the interior trails.
This little refresher snow has really helped to fill in some of those thin spots and conditions are looking great! Come out and enjoy the warmer temperatures!

Photos:

(Erin Blow)

Overall I'd rate the conditions as OK or better. I skied classic, and there are several areas that have little or no snow coverage in the track, but they are easily avoidable. The groomers have done a good job with what they have to work with snow-wise.

Photos:

(Pete Wurl)

After a 4-5" snowfall we got a chance to ski the newly revised and improved Wilderness Trail: Cedar Creek. A very nice rolling 7k that leans into the green category. While set for classic, the trails are open to dogs, snowshoes, and fat bikes as well. At +3 degrees or so we only met one other couple; one skiing the other on a fat bike. Mostly the tracks were deep and solid, considering the newness. Having said that, the ice base has some intermittent thin portions, necessitating a step out here and there. Overall a really pleasant ski and worthy of more traffic.

(Ken Schoville)

The trail crew has been busy rolling and grooming up a grand total of about 4-5" of snow. More than was forecast! So...ski trails are back open! Most of the interior trails have been groomed with classic tracks set. Expect conditions to be a bit soft with all this fresh snow. The best conditions are around Base Loop, Tornado Alley, Survivor, and Nose Dive with full depth tracks. The Cookie Loop area is a little more variable with some thin spots in the classic tracks that are easy to avoid. The Chalet will be fully open, but the ice skating pond and tubing hills remain closed. Be sure to bundle up out there!

Photos:

(Erin Blow)

About 3" of fresh powder yesterday, the ground was bare before this new snow. Grooming attempts didn't go well as this snow has little moisture. For now we are leaving the trails ungroomed. You can ski in your own track which others can follow, like we did last winter. Conditions are thin with no base under the new snow, use caution.

Photos:

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

About 3" of fresh powder yesterday, the ground was bare before this new snow. Grooming attempts didn't go well as this snow has little moisture. For now we are leaving the trails ungroomed. You can ski in your own track which others can follow, like we did last winter. Conditions are thin with no base under the new snow, use caution. We are working on getting the lights on for night use.

Photos:

(Louis Muench, CASTA)

I arrived around noon with the temperature around 34 degrees. I skied Long Rider and Bruce's Roundabout. The skate deck was not particularly firm but not soft either. Control on the steep downhills with sharp turns at the bottom was poor. I crashed on four of them. The deck slowed down considerably about an hour into ski. There was a lot of stubble showing through the deck. The skate deck was shallow with turf showing through in a number of spots but it was easy to navigate around them. All things considered, I would rate conditions as fair. It ended up being more of a workout than normal on a course that is a workout in even the best conditions.

Photos:

(Jim Gantz)

With about four inches of fresh powder on the trails this morning I was able to roll all loops with the panning bar down behind the roller. Rock hard ice underneath but decent coverage of snow. Not enough to set track but mostly fair to good skiing for both skate and classic. There are patches here and there with stubble sticking up due to not being able to mow until early December when extensive logging operations were completed. Until I can set tracks, classic and skate skiers are welcome to ski all loops even though the system is normally split with skate loops to the west and classic groomed loops to the east.

(Will Maines)

Trail was rolled today. I skied with waxless classic and made my own tracks. Good amount of coverage of snow with some grass still showing through on all of the lighted portions of the red and green loops. It was great to finally have snow!

(Lori Mattson)

We've received a small amount of snow over the week. About 2 inches on Sunday and another inch Wednesday. Currently, there is a base of about an inch. All trails have been rolled, though not enough snow to groom. Trails remain closed to skiing and snowshoeing. Fat Tire Biking is open. The chalet is open on a limited schedule: Saturday's and Sunday's from 8am-4pm. Pass envelopes are available at the kiosk off the main parking lot for outside chalet hours.

(Bradley Mroczenski)

We have a dusting over the ground to make it pretty, but not even as deep as the sole of my shoes. We are closed to skiing, but we are open to fat tire biking. Chalet will be open 8-4 Saturdays and Sundays for fat tire biking. Pay at chalet when open, or in parking lot when chalet is closed.

(Barb Maguire)

Skiable snow! Some drifting has left thin patches and where the trail passes over pavement or wood bridges there are places where skis or poles hit ground. But it's snow. No classic track laid.

(Madsen Zimbric)

I am so impressed by the dedication of our staff, both grooming and working the ski shop, shoveling and plowing etc... and our skiers. They are so loyal and dedicated to our ABR family. We groomed up 78 km of trails today at -18 F, set tracks on 61 km. Skiers were pleased. I am so impressed with the turn out of skiers on a cold day. The wooded trails were used mostly and the trailside warming cabins were heated by skiers to help extend the distance they could venture out to. Grooming plans: Monday we plan to touch up skate lanes, re-track the Highlands, re-track Puumala... maybe more.

Photos:

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

We groomed up 72 km of trail today, most with resetting tracks. The wind last night was not kind to our grooming yesterday. Skiing was highly rated today. I was working the ski shop, chalet, rental shop and wax barn/restroom buildings and skiers were very pleased. Very fun to hear of the positive response to our transitioning the ski trail business we built for 30 years to a non-profit foundation. Saturday lunchbox sponsored by the local Northwinds Coop was a hit today with 31 lunches delivered. Grooming plans: Three groomers heading out again in the morning, the two remote warming cabins were warmed today. Dress warm, plan a wooded route and have fun tomorrow!

Photos:

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Trails groomed up well this morning, the tracks are great - full depth and well formed, very few areas to step out of to avoid debris. All trails are open. It is really fun to see the recreational skiers out enjoying the trails. We have 92 km groomed and open for skiing. Don't forget to order your Lunch Box Saturday order, this Saturday sponsor is our local coop deli, Northwinds Cooperative. Grooming plans: We plan to groom all or most of the combi trails early morning

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Skating at temps just above freezing. Good coverage on the flatter stuff I was skiing today. A very few dirty spots on the deck and some grassy places in the tracks on Memory Lane. Thin spots at top of descent from Pit Point that could be avoided to skiers left... Didn't ski the other hilly loops.

Photos:

(Sue Schroeder)

First time skiing ABR for me and my wife. Conditions were great, received 2 additional inches of snow night before. Adequate snow cover but two places under the spruce canopy we had to go around the track due to exposed dirt. They need more snow to cover some isolated thin spots. Grooming was great. We were impressed and will return.

Photos:

(Earl Stabenow)

Enjoyed some of the classic-only trails today, including the wonderful Puumala Trails. Very good most places. Tamarack 2-track excellent. Puumala also great except vegetation exposed in open area heading out to Jasper and Cliff House loops. Wolf Tracks has serious undulations and a few bare spots so needs more snow. I used good skis and was able to skirt problem areas.

Photos:

(Sue Schroeder)

We received another 2-3 inches of snow since yesterday morning's grooming. It was welcome -- we groomed all the combi trails and reset tracks, except historic trail. The classic only trails were groomed yesterday and skiers enjoyed a bit of powder in the tracks today. We packed the Puumala trails today and they will be ready for grooming in the late morning tommorow. Grooming plans: We plan to regroom classic only trails in the morning and touch up skate lanes, and if it snows more than an inch or so we will do more grooming on the combi trails.

Photos:

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Temp at my start at 10am was -4F under blue skies. All the combination trails were groomed and track set. Classic only trails were not groomed and a couple of inches of snow on them. Ended up classic skiing River Trail, Sulos loop and most of Blueberry. Tracks were solid and level. Rare brown spot which was easily seen and avoided. Very good conditions made for a great day despite the cold temperatures!

Photos:

(Ron Fabrizius)

A busy weekend, topped of with 4 inches of new snow Sunday! Saturday there were 285 SISU racers that stopped by to pick up racer packs and most skied afterwards. Sunday we woke up to new snow and took one of the Pisten Bullies out on "old ABR" main trails, all the classics were regroomed and are open except Puumala. Ridge Runner is open and groomed but there are five areas with exposed bedrock or thinly covered in snow, The Anderson Bluffs and River Trails Foundation had a campfire with s'mores as part of "Project Connect". The 4-H had a youth ski outing with 28 youth. 83 km are open for skiing. Grooming plans: Tomorrow we have three groomers heading out and we will check out opening the Puumala Trails.

Photos:

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Piston bully was out setting tracks this morning. Tracks on combi-trails are very good, mostly good skis skiing but some dirt here and there, so would still recommend B skis. Skate deck looked good too.

Photos:

(Will Andresen)

This report is only on Ridge Runner. Woke up to about 4 inches of snow and saw Ridge Runner was groomed, headed out to check some things out. Found soft conditions with a couple of thin spots and some rock showing. It is open but I recommend caution and rock skis until we get more snow.

(Ken Hazel)

Popple Flats and Popple Climb, Blueberry Bluffs, Memory Lane, Jack Pine and Cherry Derry skied well. Tamarack Two Track and White Pine were groomed for skate and skied the best - really enjoyed skating both those trails. Hautanen Highlands had treacherous sections where the deck was scraped to ice on some downhill turns and was uneven in low wetland spots. River Run was good overall but looked like it had a lot of traffic and some spots were thin. I recommend rock skis because the ice made it hard to avoid debris and it was more enjoyable to ski without planning out every maneuver. Photos are of White Pine and River Run. Hope to be back for the Sisu in 2026.

Photos:

(Karen Katz)

The new snow groomed up well this morning; we groomed up 64k. We had a busy day today and many happy skiers. Grooming plans: We plan to set some or many of the classic tracks in the morning and I am planning on taking out my Pisten Bully to groom the closer combi trails with the powertiller and set tracks. Highlands and tamarack and ridge runner are not quite ready for Crasher with his smaller Pisten Bully.

Photos:

(Eric Anderson, ABR Trails)

Brrrr! Cold day today! Apologies to early bird skiers - we had a few issues this morning with the grooming machine and were not able to get going until 9:30. All trails have been freshly groomed with the Husky Grooming machine, other than the Bear loops and Birch. Those should still have some intact tracks under the about 2 inches of fresh snow we got last night, with the exception of the windblown areas on those trails.

Photos:

(Tom Alberg, Expedition Inn)

So much snow! Two inches of very dry powder over a deep base made for excellent to extremely excellent skating conditions.

(Charlie Dee)

So much snow! Two inches of very dry powder over a deep base made for excellent to extremely excellent skating conditions.

(Charlie Dee)

Skied before they could finish grooming whole system - but skate deck under the new snow was fine. Friends classic skiing also had good fun/conditions. Not quite back to pre-Christmas but getting there.

(Chris Merkel)

We classic skied 15 K this afternoon and the classic tracks were wonderful. All trails very well marked so it's easy to go from trail to trail. Tracks were in great shape, firm with new snow compressed in the tracks. Mama bear seemed to be freshly groomed when we went on it.

Photos:

(Laurie Fabrizius)

Great skiing at Swedetown today. The skate deck was in good shape on Valley and Greenstone but with the fresh snow, it was a little slower going on the other loops. It could use a little more rolling. Ed, Birch, and Tamarack were pretty good, but Mama and Papa bear had so little traffic, it was quite deep and slow. Was able to glide above most of the powder going downhill, but it was a slow climb going back up the other side. Given the conditions everywhere else in the Midwest, it's hard to complain about too much snow.

Photos:

(Will Young)

A couple inches of overnight snow were groomed resulting in a magic carpet ride in the skate lane. A lot of the tracks were freshly reset, and classic skiers were pleased.

(Larry Zurawski)

Our dedicated volunteer groomers reported in that all skate lanes and tracks freshly groomed this morning. Excellent conditions.

(Deborah Leonaed Greiter)

All trails regroomed and tracks reset early morning. Lake effect was coming down while grooming. The sun was peaking thru at noon. Looks like some nice skiing today. Excellent mid winter conditions. Come out and enjoy it. Chalet is toasty warm.

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

Wonderful at Wolverine. Freshly groomed after several more inches of snow last night and this morning. Full-depth classic tracks with good skis kicking well with v45. Got in some hills here to work the lungs, then scooted to work the quads with some powder Telemark turns at Black River Basin when they opened at 1 pm. There is now good snow in Ironwood.

(Sue Schroeder)

After another 5" of fresh fallen snow, all skate lanes and tracks groomed this morning. Looking great out there. Excellent conditions and warm chalet! Sun peaking out brightly. Enjoy!

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

Winter is Back! Deep classic tracks, the best of the season. Skied all the trails. All trails were groomed Monday morning after approximately 8" over the weekend. The classic tracks were firm and deep. Despite temps around 0 F, sunny skies and little wind it made for a remarkable afternoon of skiing. Cliffhanger and Cliffs were just perfect and spectacular. I also did some skating in the morning but the skate deck was still soft from all the fresh snow.

Photos:

(Johann Geyer)

All trails groomed and tracked this morning. There's a few hearty souls out there enjoying the crisp, sunny blue sky! The toasty chalet is there to warm up.

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

The groomers went out during the wee early morning hours to groom and setting tracks after 5" of new fallen snow. Tracks were great. Skating was a workout with snow falling all day and into the evening. We welcomed the Rochester Nordic Club and their awesome coaches getting to ski on nature's real snow. Grooming plans: Volunteer groomers will be out in the morning working with the new fallen snow from this afternoon.

Photos:

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

Appeared the trails were groomed this morning. Falling snow was accumulating so it wasn't easy to skate through but it was slippery enough. Overall a good powder day on the skinny skis. Plenty of base for good skis.

Photos:

(Karen Katz)

Great snow! Went classic because I had forgotten how long these uphills were! Tons of other skiers there today, but it didn't feel crowded, except at TH. It was like magic how the snow got thicker even on the drive in about 10 miles from here. Tracks were fast, but had pretty good grip (Toko Red). Glide was amazing (Rex Blue, the One True Glide).

Photos:

(Rick Cochrane)

All trails groomed and tracks set. Very good to excellent conditions. The snow we received last night helped! Light snow falling again this morning. Keep up the Heikki Lunta dance!

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

What a difference 5 miles can make. There appears to be more snow here but that's lake effect for you. Skate lanes were groomed and smooth with plenty of snow. Haven't skied here in a few years so I've forgotten how scenic the area is and how long some of the climbs are. Did not ski the novice loop or cliff hanger so I can't report on them. There was a thin area with some grass showing on pond loop maybe 30 yards it was mostly grass so I doubt I scratched my skis but you can bypass that short loop if you don't want to ski though it. There was some thin and icy patches coming out of Sulo's field but that wasn't for very long. Used the tracks on a lot of the downhills and did a fair amount of double poling, I found them to be firm, fast and plenty deep, wasn't classic skiing so can't speak to the whole system. Gave a B ski rating because I had to choose one, personally I don't take out my good skis out till we are at mid winter conditions so keep that in mind. Had a blast skiing in a pack of 5, sure was nice being able to cruise around again without having to dodge bare spots or rocks! If you're coming to Ironwood to ski this appears to be the place to be. Thanks to the all volunteer grooming crew for a job well done.

(Ken Hazel)

All trails groomed again today. Skate lanes look good. Classic skiers advised to step out of tracks at times, some ice could not be ground up. Light snow falling this morning. Do the snow dance! Grooming plans: Will be groomed again Saturday morning.

(Deborah Leonard Greiter)

Several inches of new snow! Trail was groomed yesterday and set with a classic track, but the new snow is very cold and dry so it is a soft trail as a result.

(Michael Meehlhause)

Rock Lake received approximately 5 inches of fluffy, low-moisture snow over the weekend. Forest Service staff used snowmobiles to pull the groomer with the comb down, making two passes this morning/afternoon. Once compressed, there was about 1 inch of new snow on the base of the trail. No track was set. There are some small twigs and leaves on the trail. It was approximately 6F degrees when the trail was groomed. Rock Lake Loop was not groomed.

Photos:

(Natalie Osowski)

Mukwonago received approximately 4 inches of fluffy, low moisture content snow over the weekend. Forest Service staff used snowmobiles to pull the roller with the comb, making two passes this morning. No track was set. There are some small twigs and leaves on the trail. It was approximately -8F degrees when the trail was rolled.

Photos:

(Natalie Osowski)

One of the best classic ski condition so far in this ski season, on natural snow! Classic skied the 6k loops, started at 1:30pm at -4F and finished at 4pm with temp dropping to -10F. Windchill cut through thick woods. Trails are well groomed for classic and skate skiing! Some classic tracks are covered with drifted loose snow. Great workout for a chilly day!

Photos:

(Amy Xu)

All trails open and roll packed but part of 10k not track set. Snow has transformed to a dry sugary soft snow - not fast skate conditions but classic was pretty great.

Photos:

(Jill Troutner)

Fresh roll pack on 10k so conditions were faster and clean. Other section that were windblown were slower but classic track provided a great double workout. Dry powdery cold squeaky snow. Green/ polar wax, snow temp was -8F but air temp was 11.

Photos:

(Jill Troutner)

Eagles Run, Rabbits Trail, Cougars Run, Hawks Run, and Ridge Run now roll packed. Average base depth 3 to 4 inches; rolled packed 4" new snow from early morning snowfall. Balance of trail system is Tidd Tec groomed and track set. Lost Bobcat only trail not groomed. Started out mid morning and -9*F with very light snow showers falling then the sun came out and brighten things up. Went out to roll pack to help set up base on Eagles Run Loop. Base on other trails groomed yesterday is very firm. Snow is slow with cold temps but really setting things up.

Photos:

(Douglas Schumann, Rainbow Resort)

Over 50 percent tracks reset-deep and solid track. Snow temp is dropping. I measure 5 inches new at trailhead that is getting colder but has mixed in well with base. Snow was just getting "squeaky" and my skis were slowing way down. Snow feels dry and powdery.

Photos:

(Jill Troutner)

7" new powder accumulated yesterday and overnight; average base depth 3 to 4 inches; 3K Classic, 6K Loop, Wolf Run, and Bucks Run now roll packed last night and combed, renovated, and track set this morning. Eagles Run, Rabbits Trail, Cougars Run, and Ridge run roll packed last night. Bring your good skis. Base is punchy now but should firm up. Started last night roll packing in light snow showers and 17F; then finished the last hour in a snow dump where it was hard to even make out the trail. Started this morning grooming with tidd tec at 5F above and completed early this afternoon at -2*f. Great to see all the new white powder on the trails and trees.

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(Douglas Schumann, Rainbow Resort)

Trails were groomed and tracks were set this morning. There is so little snow that you may poke through to bare ground on the tracks, but all trails are ready!

(Stephanie Kessler, Cohasset City Parks)

Trails groomed up poorly as to low snow conditions and rutting damage. I would recommend using older skis due to some exposed rocks. Hoping for for snow soon. Still, beautiful scenery.

(Dave Coy)

Dr. Zhivago scenery with single digit temps and strong NW wind. JC groomed in 4" early in the morning, but more was falling during the day. Classic was great, with a short kick zone and thin layer of Guru Green. Lodge is open all week 10a-4p.

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(John Gierke)

JC groomed in several inches of overnight LES early this am. Temps in high teens, skate deck solid, classic excellent. LES bands throughout the day added several inches more. More frosting on the cake.

(John Gierke)

Arrived 32 degrees and sleet. Sleet turned to sunshine. Then 1 1/2 inch snowflakes coming straight down. The wind picked up and normal snow the rest of my ski. 27 degrees when I left. Grooming was great and so was my 4 1/2 hour ski. Will be back after the weekend for the snow and great grooming.

(Tom Lane)

JC rolled in another 4" of LES this morning with several more inches falling throughout the day. Excellent classic conditions and skate deck firmed up after yesterday's groom with the heavier tractor. Temps never got above 32F at the trails.

(John Gierke)

Cold, sunny day at Valley Spur with the best trail conditions around! Great tracks with fast glide. I used the skate lane on some downhills and found it to be firm. The system had been groomed earlier in the day. Sorry I did not stop to take any photos today. You would be hard pressed to find better conditions than VS.

(Dea Danly)

Gorgeous winter day and terrific skiing at VS today! The compacted snow base is 18" throughout the network with 18-24" banks. A striders Heaven. The tracks on the western trails set up better than those on east, but every meter is skiable. Really a special place with a super friendly volunteer base, and a ton of snow! Carpe Skiem!

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(Bob Warpinski)

Warm conditions yesterday, Sunday with fresh snow falling all day. More snow overnight and temps finally down into the 20's continuing to drop all day long into the teens. John C was out early and groomed in 5" fresh snow with big roller and deep trac setter. Classic was excellent. More Birkie skiers adding quality K's to their training log.

(John Gierke)

Tons of snow. All trails were groomed and good conditions all around. A bit soft with the new snow. Classic was better. The tractor just arrived as we were heading out.

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(Adam Kox)

Incredible conditions. Grooming was perfect. This place is a gem. All trails well marked. Couldn't ask for a better location to ski.

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(Tim Rafalski)

Mother Nature dropped about 4" of LES last night, so John C was out early and groomed the whole system. Classic tracks were very good. Scenery was fantastic. A great group of skiers out today enjoying classic and skating. Skiers training for the Birkie were adding some quality kilometers on our G and Z trails(challenging hills). Our non-profit ski club appreciates all who showed up as out of area skiers allow us to operate, this system could not operate without you.

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(John Gierke)

We received about 1" of additional last night. No additional grooming was done today. Grooming plans: We will be closing the trails tomorrow at 1pm due to the warm weather so we can groom and patch the Green Loop so it will set up for the weekend and cold days ahead! Please be respectful and patient while the trails are closed tomorrow afternoon and evening and get your skiing in tomorrow morning!

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(Morgan Pease)

Good coverage of snow but deck had not been rolled in a while and no tracks set. Seemed like only one other skier had been here in days, which is not the norm for this gem.

(Dave Grace)

Groomed entire system this morning, should be good classic skiing this weekend out there besides all the Beech leaves and other debris the wind has kicked up and thrown in the tracks.

(Mark Bender)

A skiers delight! Diagonal doesn't get any better. This is the kind of skiing that hooked me in the 70's. Through the hemlocks and rolling hills that wind along ridges around the lakes. Just a dusting of fresh snow since the last grooming. Did all 3 loops. Glorious!

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(Karen Early)

Checked out McKeever Hills today. The first indication that the trails were good was the full parking lot. Striders were kicking in well formed, but snowed-in machine made tracks. Lots of snow. Looks like a beauty of a single track meandering thru the woods. Pics are from the trailhead. Carpe Skiem!

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(Bob Warpinski)

It will not disappoint out there, with the additional 5 inches we picked up this last weekend. The entire system was groomed and nice deep track was set on loops A, B and C. Conditions are just about perfect out there. Classic skiing does not get better than this.

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(Mark Bender)

Way fun ski with very good classic conditions. Catch these tracks before they are gone. We skied a and b twice.

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(Howard Wilson)

Just finished up grooming loop A and B, C didn't need it. Overall conditions are about as good as they can get. With some powder out there on loop C, things should be somewhat slower on the big hills. Grooming plans: Grooming operations will continue next week.

(Mark Bender)

Tonight the skate deck was groomed on all manmade trails. The tracks were not reset as they are still in great shape. The south section of playground area was also groomed. All trails are in great shape!

(Mike Koester)

Entire manmade trails and playground was tilled and new tracks set all around. Everything is in great shape. Reminder the Lapham Loppet race is today so expect heavy traffic till early afternoon. Please be courteous while out on trails.

(Mike Koester)

The skate deck of the entire snowmaking loop was groomed this morning with the Ginzu. Tracks were left as is, and looked to be in good condition and had a fresh dusting of snow in them form last night. Just a reminder that the Lapham Loppet is on Saturday, so the trail will be very busy Saturday morning.

(Collin Bergholz, Wisconsin DNR)

Very good conditions for skate and stride. A cold, firm skate deck with a bit of loose snow on top. Solid tracks, set for tonights races. Some icy-chunky spots up on the Woods Loop where new snow was made and spread yesterday. Good control down Magic Carpet.

(John McCarthy)

The full man made loop is open again. The snow that was made has been leveled and groomed. The trail is now full width through out. The new areas range from great to a little chunky. It should improve as the day goes on with skier traffic. The rest of the man made loop was groomed and is in great condition for skating and classic skiing. The snow makers did an awesome job in spite of the frigid temperatures. The lapham loppet is this Saturday and the park will be very busy. So plan your ski accordingly.

(Mark Janis)

Snowmaking ran overnight into the morning to widen and eliminate some sugar snow on the woods loop. Closure starts at the dark cutoff between south field entrance/exit to just past high point. There is also new snow on the top right side of magic carpet so ski with caution on left side. We hope to have everything leveled and groomed by Wednesday morning. Watch for next grooming report to verify when everything will be open.

(Mike Koester)

The Piston Bully was out at night grooming the lower man made trails. The skate deck was tilled and new classic tracks were set. None of the in the woods trails were groomed as snow making had started. Expect those trails to be closed until Wednesday to allow us to widen and freshen up the trail from the bottom of two tier to about halfway down magic carpet.

(Mark Janis)

Hard packed base with a bit of loose snow on the surface where the ginzu had been. Best on the Start hill and uphill Woods segments. Worst on the downhills. West-northwest wind not really much of a problem. Tracks are frozen solid ice.

(John McCarthy)

The skate deck of the snowmaking loop was scratched up with the ginzu early this morning. The tracks were left as is and are full depth and looked in good condition. grooming plans: There are plans to make some additional snow in the woods starting tonight and going into tomorrow. There will likely be a section of the trail closed tomorrow to allow us to make that snow and get it spread out for Wednesday. Please use caution and give room to the snowmaking and grooming equipment.

(Collin Bergholz, Wisconsin DNR)

Great coverage throughout the man-made loops. Fast and firm conditions with good control - surprisingly fast even with intermittent mist. Lots of skiers of all ages out this morning. Hats off to the groomers for some truly enjoyable skiing!

(Dave Miller)

The Piston Bully was out grooming at night. The skate deck was tilled and is in excellent condition. The little bit of new snow we have had has improved the trail. The classic tracks were left as is and are in great shape. Mark's park , Beattle's loop and Jerry's half acre were groomed as well.

(Mark Janis)

Manmade trails all open around the outside. Playground area partly open. Short summer stage hill, and the short steep up hill near there, closed today, storing snow whales, Skate deck in very good shape. Classic tracks all in good shape.

(Sandie Pendleton)

Mark spread and groomed the playground area Friday and is ready for fun! I groom and set new tracks over the entire manmade trails. Skate deck is excellent and tracks are full depth all around. Trailend still needs new snow spread so that short segment is still closed. Enjoy a great weekend of skiing.

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(Mike Koester)

Natural snow mixed with the fresh groomed snow made for a soft, easy skiing surface for skating. Newly set tracks received a thin layer of new snow, providing good kick. Great skiing for all abilities, as evidenced by the large number of skiers on the trails.

(John McCarthy)

New snow was leveled and tilled everywhere except tailend segment. Skate deck has been tilled and new full depth tracks have been set everywhere. Might have a few patches of corn type snow where new snow was leveled. Enjoy!

(Mike Koester)

The Snow Farmers are doing a great job and there is a big pile of snow ready to expand the trails. Skate deck was good with some leaves and tree debris from the strong winds.

(Bob Maki)

There is now nearly 7km of groomed trail from the Nordic Center. Snow coverage is excellent and classic tracks are set. Get out and enjoy! The Snow Farmers continue to haul, spread, and groom snow to expand the trail length. Note: the Nordic Center trails will close at 6pm on Friday, January 17th to prepare the trails for the major high school ABC relays meet on Saturday. Trails will be closed from 10am to 2pm Saturday, January 18th during the meet.

(James Conway)

Excellent work by the snow farmers out in Mora. Snow was in excellent shape, and the 3-4 inches of new stuff certainly helped. About 5.5k was open.

(Mike Schowalter)

There is 5.5km of groomed trail from the Nordic Center. Trail was groomed Friday night. Snow coverage is excellent and classic tracks are set on 4km.

(James Conway)

What a wonderful ski this morning! Like being in a snowglobe! There is about 3.5 K of trail with a really good, thick base of manmade snow with about 2-3" of fresh real snow that was freshly groomed - skate and classic- this morning. There is still light snow falling so expect a layer of fluff.

(Phoebe Miron Kroll)

There is currently a total of 5km of trail from the Nordic Center. We received about 2" of light snow last night which was groomed this morning on 3km of the total 5km. Snow coverage is very good to excellent and classic tracks are set. The Snow Farmers continue to make, haul, and spread snow.

(James Conway)

Lauterman was rolled and combed today. The trail received about 4 inches of dry fluffy snow over the weekend. The packed depth is 2 inches in most places. A few areas have bare ground and some debris in the trail.

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(Valerie Knurr)

Beautiful sunny day at Hartley. Wish I would have taken out my rock skis as there were lots of sticks and debris from the trees in the tracks. The tracks weren't in great shape but were pretty fast.

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(Rachelle Walker)

Glad I left the skins in the car - my classic skis with Multigrade Violet worked great at the crack of dawn in the tracks that were mostly still untransformed snow. And I could capitalize on the snow was surprisingly fast, nice double poling. Yes, the track was not terrible rigid, but that just meant much more forgiving cornering due to the snow softness. Some bare spots to avoid, not very many oak leaves yet.

(Sara Zimmer)

Hartley was fabulous! Before new snow, there was a very hard icy ~0.25-0.5" base, and now there is I would estimate 98% coverage. Tracks were in great shape, but suffering with a couple areas of washouts due to trail usage. I was pleasantly surprised that the tracks were firmer than I had expected, though still on the soft side. There are some thin spots under the pines where grass or the icy base comes through. A couple areas where people had walked on the trail, but they mostly stayed out of the tracks. Thank you city groomers!

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(Ketzel Levens)

Tracks were set some time before sunrise. Descent coverage with good tracks. Pole strikes were soft but was fully groomed.

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(Logan Tillman)

No grooming but tracks have been created by skiers. All the trails had good coverage with a solid layer of ice underneath it all but the tracks are thin once the snow was compacted. B skis for almost all the of trail except for the few thin spots under the trees where roots/grass/ice were showing through.

(Matt Carlson)

Excellent conditions, fantastic snow, great grooming, trails for miles. We skied here for two days and covered only about a third of the trails. The long distance touring loops were great, well marked with warming cabins dispersed at remote locations. The skate deck was a little soft on far flung trails because even daily grooming cannot tightly compact all of the snow they have. It snowed every day we were there and they regroomed it.

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(Aaron Patterson)

White Pine and Triangle trails were rolled but not tracked. White pine was thin in areas with bare ground or exposed rocks that could be easily avoided. There were several sets of human and dog footprints down the center of the trail. Trail next to the reservoir was wind blown and required ski removal. Triangle trail had better coverage and no footprints.

(Adam Van Straten)

Full coverage, though there are a few sections with lotsa leaves and some dirt/rocks poking through. If you're paying attention and not in the tracks, you could get away with not rock skis. Connector from Upper Spirit is groomed, and Upper/Lower connector is rolled (although gravel-y) to link up the full system!

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(Karl Holub)

I knew Magney would have great coverage because we still had at least a 3 inch hard base when the new 6 inches fell. The trail was hardly used by skiers, the skate lane was firm and narrow in stretches, the classic tracks were solid with good pole plants. There was tree debris on about 15% of the trail, nothing was ski stopping though. Unfortunately two different people decided to hike the trail. We saw one of them going between the woods and the trail leaving deep footprints. The other went down the middle of the trail. There are also good sized ski ruts on most of the hills and skate marks going all the way across quite bit of the classic track. Magney probably has the best coverage and least usage of all the trails in the area.

(Eve Graves)

The bad news is the vehicle damage - enough to bring one's faith in humanity down several notches. The tires trashed both tracks for a good part of the course. The good news is that the loop with the big hill is unscathed, as is the return from F (junction with Evil Knievel) back to B (skate loop/two-way). The tracks in those sections remain solid and without much debris, and there's decent coverage on the big downhill.

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(Betsy Tabor)

I did ski the whole outer loop. Someone drove a vehicle on the outer loops, digging deep ruts into what would have otherwise been perfect trail conditions. The classic tracks were perfect on all sections that were not driven over. The tire ruts are deepest on the long downhill sections right after the bench by the St. Louis River overlook and at the end of the skate loop. The skate loop was almost unskiable.

(Avesa Rockwell)

Well, Piedmont Thursday afternoon was very fast! Just a beautiful day and grateful to be out on our trails with the snow we still have! Track is getting washed out in many areas. Lots of spots where people have fallen. Be careful for uneven downhills out of track, fast speeds! Just a beautiful warm day to ski one of our favorite Duluth trails. Thanks to groomers. Parking Lot full but ski trails not that busy from 1:30-4. Probably good skis are fine, very little leaves and sticks. Snow cover dwindling.

(Cathy Danielson)

14F. Overcast. Holy cow. It's beautiful out there! The tracks are in stellar shape, except some people divots and a handful of spots with ground /grass. The parking lot was full at 2 pm.

(Louise Levy)

Tracks were nice and fast, cords were soft/slower. A few sticks and grass patches in the tracks to watch out for but overall wonderful conditions.

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(Rachelle Walker)

Groomed just before sun rise. Two classic tracks set, Should be perfect night for a moonlight ski.

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(Dan Bremel)

Plenty of new snow and lots of skiers out. The trails aren't groomed yet but there are skied in tracks that are pleasantly fast. A bit of ice at the very beginning of the trail. Happy skiing!

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(Rachelle Walker)

Had to get out in the fresh snow this evening! Trails are not groomed and the base is solid ice. However with a couple inches of fresh powder on top it was an enjoyable ski. There were skied in tracks for most of the classic loop. The skate loop was not in great shape due to some frozen tire tracks and I would not do it again until we get more snow or it is groomed.

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(Rachelle Walker)

Brisk morning skate ski at Chester this morning. Found it narrow and B ski conditions, very soft in parts. Overall pretty decent conditions. Piston Bully groomer pulled up as I was headed out.

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(Matt Nistler)

Freshened up the skate deck on all Teuton trails. It's a good day to get out before temps warm up and things get slushy!

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(Kaelin Hall)

All loops at Valhalla are groomed and tracks set. There was about 7 inches of dry, fully snow from over the weekend that groomed up nicely. The Teuton side has an inch of new snow on it since it was groomed, but the tracks were already skied in and looking good. The Valkeryie side was tracked today, and tracks should set up nicely. The sunbowl loop was groomed and tracks set on the flat areas. There is a 5$ day use fee for the site. The site has a warming shelter, chalet and sled hill also to enjoy. Should be a great weekend to get out and enjoy the trails. Hope to see you out there.

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(Katie LeMoine)

Huge thanks to volunteer, Greg, for getting all of the Teuton trails dragged this morning. We were able to groom and set tracks on all loops on the Teuton side and plan to groom the Valkyrie trails as soon as possible. The snow is pretty dry, but hopefully cold temps will help the tracks set up nicely. Happy skiing and stay warm!

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(Kaelin Hall)

Just enough snow to shuffle around. A little glide. Worth doing on rock skis. Watch out for the gravel paths (covered but felt the first one!).

(Janet Folina)

We have not groomed the Drummond Trails at this time. The snow depth is about 5 1/2", which will not compact to anything decent. The unevenness of the ground on the trails requires a couple of snowfalls in the 6" range to work up into something we can set tracks into. Sorry, but we need real snow to make the Drummond Trails presentable. We have tried grooming with this minimal amount of snow in the past and just beat up our equipment without improving conditions.

(Jim Crandall)

Skied most of the system today including the more remote ones north of Bally Creek. Coverage is ok, stubble made me glad I was using B skies. Deck was firm as were the classic tracks. An undulating trail from low snow made some portions of the trail slow going but grooming was good although it was a few days old and new snow has drifted in the tracks somewhat. Skier traffic has packed it down. Nice old style single track system and the new signs at trail junctions are a huge improvement.

(Tim Nelson)

All loops at Bally Creek have been groomed, except for the Cascade connector trail. This also includes the Northeast loops that have not been groomed in many years. 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. If you are looking for a rugged experience, check out the Northeast loops. They are finally opening and tracked in most spots.

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(Brett Gerrard)

Skied Forestville up to 510. Not groomed recently from about the 12K to 24K sign. All the Forestville trails were groomed and tracked for classic today. There is enough snow for good skiing in the Forestville system, there was less snow up at 510.

(Mike Dix)

6" of new fluffy snow on Saturday evening. South loop was groomed today. Still a little rough in some of the swampy areas, but overall, pretty good. Grooming plans: plan to groom the remainder on Monday.

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(Al Ringer)

We have rolled the ski trails and A,B,D loops are usable. The first part of B loop there is a lot of debris from the red pines. There is not enough snow to put down track. If you are interested in being a trail volunteer please let us know. Have a great day!

(David Grawvunder)

The new snow received on Sunday was groomed and tracked. The track set well but there is a very thin base with grass and debris at the bottom of the track in many places. Skiers can expect very early season conditions with many rough areas and thin spots. Skiing is fair at best. More snow is needed for conditions to improve. The out and back trail section from the Hicks Landing Trail Head to the county park is closed for the season due to logging operations.

(Ron Kendziera)

The 4-5" of new snow was groomed and tracked. The track set well but there is a very thin base with grass and debris at the bottom of the track in many places. Skiers can expect very early season conditions with many rough areas and thin spots. Skiing is fair at best.

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(Ron Kendziera)

Rolled everything and put in tracks this evening, entire loop is open and skiable. Base isn't very thick and a couple rocks are poking out so be careful.

(Walker Niebergall)

Approximately 4" new snow. Red and yellow loops were packed with the snowmobile and flat groomed. Skiing is not recommended on these loops due to poor snow cover and protruding rocks and roots. Blue and green loops were rolled and track was set on all of these loops except for the segment from the trailhead to where the red loop splits off. Some fair, some poor condition. Expect some thin spots and shallow track. Need more snow!

(Joe Fieweger, Wisconsin DNR)

Trails are in need of more snow but still worth a ski, some spots of heavy duff on the way in, and most trails have places where the tracks have been wiped out. Overall slower than expected for the cold, could've used a fresh coat of glide wax. Skier set tracks on Bean trail are pretty decent, rougher in low area along the pond, lots of little humps. The payoff is ideal conditions on Bean and Bear Lakes with a stiff crust about an inch deep, good coverage on the west end of Bean and enough to get by the rinks along the south. Full coverage on Bear too, just remember the wind will likely be at your face on the way back!

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(Elizabeth Hesser)

Another amazing day in the northwoods! Skied the outer loop towards Tettegouche and then out to the Bean Lake intersection. Trails were just fantastic in the 38 degree temps. Nice to ski in the woods away from the wind.

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(Karla Anderson)

Amazing! Groomed with a nice set of tracks. Just past the start there is a good deal of woodpecker debris on the trail but it gets better past that into the woods. Warm, sunny, and would have been peaceful without the military jets constantly flying back and forth all afternoon.

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(Karla Anderson)

Northwoods is classic only with narrow single track like Korkki, but less challenging and more scenic with the Beaver River, Bean Lake, cliffs and hills. The trail is in very good condition, except for occasional washed out tracks. The Tettegouche connector wasn't groomed, but that is maintained by Tettegouche State Park and likely needs a bit more snow. The groomer here always impresses me with what they can do with the snow they have.

(Tom Peterson)

Trails are not groomed, but there is enough snow to ski around the golf course breaking your own trail. If you're careful you could use B skis, but it is pavement under part of it.

(Colleen Duffy)

I skied the outer perimeter loop, then the loop around Schlecht Lake, and finally the loop on Schlecht Lake. Overall conditions I would rate as fair. There are a few spots where snow cover is thin but they are easy to navigate around. The temperature was around minus seven but there was no wind.

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(Jim Gantz)

Dusting of snow overnight with some wind blown also on the trail. Track is set on trails. Also a lake Loop with skating and classic track is set. Still a few bare spots to watch out for.

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(Chad Metzger)

Another 2 to 3 inches of snow packed down. Was able to set the track on the trail trails. Also there is a lake loop for classic and skating. Lights are on until 8 PM.

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(Chad Metzger)

5 to 6 inches of new snow was packed down. Track set on the lake Loop. Lights are on till 8 PM. Couple of spots need to watch for bareground otherwise enough snow to level the surface.

(Chad Metzger)

No new snow since trails were roled on Sunday. Pulled the ginzu groomer today to smooth the deck out a bit. Cut stubble still showing through in areas. A few exposed rocks here and there so keep any eye out for them (even though I shoveled extra snow here snow there).

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(Bryan Pike)

5 inches of fluffy snow. I experimented setting track but plenty of leaves/grass at base of track so I rolled the trails only. Packed snow down to 2 inch base. 4 inch cut grass stubble poking through in many areas. Other areas have less grass showing. Skate lanes are 10-11 feet wide.

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(Bryan Pike)

Still rock ski conditions, but better than earlier this week. Rhinelander picked up an additional 1" of snow and Northwoods was regroomed. It's still lumpy in spots and a few areas of dirt and debris to dodge. While the base is getting firmer, a strong skate push in the wrong spot might mean hitting a cart path. Hopefully things will firm up even more with cold temps; doesn't appear that the warm temps on Friday did anything to the snow, still very crystalline and new snow like.

(Eli Anoszko)