Another fantastic grooming by the St Paul Parks Crew! Skate deck obviously had loads of use, but showed no signs of rutting or anything. The only concerns were a few spots that got icy in the warm weather: under the trees on the hill coming off the back (groomers covered it in snow and groomed it, better but be careful there's a ski around), and the low spot in between fairways on the north east. No issues, I skied my good skis and wasn't concerned. The conditions were so good that I stayed out for an extra hour just to enjoy the trails more. You couldn't ask for better conditions at a park. I don't know if the new St Paul/Ramsey County Park passes are making a difference in grooming but mine's worth every penny (and more) with the excellent work the crew has done this year. Get out there and enjoy the trails, you won't be disappointed.

(Peter Johnson)

Excellent conditions at Como today. Hats off to the groomers, the course is excellent. No bare spots the classic tracks looked clean. A groomer was working at the top near the rope row to insure coverage under some trees -- that's some dedication. Best conditions this year.

(David King)

Skied Como golf course around noon. Classic groomed trails were in excellent condition. There was a sheet of ice right before going down the big hill, but could be easily avoided. Overall, very fun.

(Marc Katz)

Como cross country ski trail was groomed today and has a fresh skate deck and classic track. Conditions are great. Get out there and enjoy!

Photos:

(James Bezanson)

Pretty good conditions at Como for my night ski! There were a few icy places near the ponds but pretty avoidable. There is some ice on the big hill when you come back down from the glacier so be careful there. The tracks were is good condition on about 95% of the course. I used skins and had good kick and glide.

(Hannah Weissman)

My best ski of the season so far at Como tonight. The grooming for skating could not have been better, with two notable exceptions. 1) There is a large icy patch just before the pond north of the chalet, that is easy enough to ski around. 2) There is another large icy patch at the crest of the big downhill coming out of the back bowl. Experienced skiers should have no trouble going around it to the left of a pine tree and hooking back onto the trail near the crest of the hill, but beginners might find this intimidating. After I finished my ski, out of gratitude for the excellent grooming, I went back there with a shovel to cover up the icy patch at the top of the hill. But I'm not sure if it did any good because the new snow wasn't adhering to the ice. Only time will tell. The shoveled snow was also really chunky, so I wouldn't advise going through it until the groomers have passed over it, though one skier did while I was still shoveling, and had no trouble.

(Lois Braun)

The Como cross country ski trail groomed up amazing today. The snow was wet but packed in nice. A new classic track was set as well. It should be a great weekend to enjoy the trails.

(James Bezanson)

Looked like the entire course had been groomed and the fresh snow was exactly what we needed. I don't know if it was the wet snow or the wrong wax but I had a tough time gliding. Otherwise, trails were in great shape considering it was pouring rain three days ago. Another good day to be skiing. This weekend should be phenomenal!

(Peter Johnson)

I was passed by the groomer during my ski. Trail has been groomed by the PB for both skate and classic. There are a couple of easily avoided wet spots, but the reason I put "B skis" is because of the thin ice at the top of the downhill coming from the back bowl. The snow is thin to the right also (between the trail and tee off). Otherwise the trail is in great shape.

(Jay Wenner)

I stayed on the glacier this afternoon -- I didn't trust myself to handle the icy hills, but I saw a number of skate skiers who seemed to be enjoying themselves as they joined the glacier loop. The track was not ice; it was more of a compacted slush. I had no kick, so I double poled for an hour, which is still better than a day off of the skis. More snow will definitely help matters.

(Michael Kuhne)