Still a winter wonderland in Brule, although trees have lost some of their snowy cloak. Grooming on all trails was excellent. There a very few spots where freeze-up has left some ice, including right at the start, but don't let that put you off, the icy spots are virtually no problem. Skating is excellent almost everywhere. There are a number of spots where oak leaves and pine needles are annoying in the classic tracks, and very rarely in the skate lane, where they are much easier to avoid. The "oak leaf" issue is larger on parts of the classic only trail, yet much, perhaps most, of that trail is perfect, with no debris.

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(Tim Holst)

Conditions: Being regroomed as I skied at 1pm. Perfect where groomed!
December 1st is the first day of "true" winter, and at Brule you will find mid winter conditions. Used Special Green and had nice kick and glide even though the temperature was 4F. Pines and bushes are snow crusted ... truly a winter wonderland. The groomers were doing two passes everywhere ... one to break up the snow, and then reset the skating deck and classic tracks. Thanks Wisconsin DNR!

(Rich Hoeg)

Trail was groomed and tracked on Monday, and is in good condition. Skiers can expect to find a few icy spots, but most of the trail is in good to very good shape with a packed base of about 4 inches and 11-12 inches of snow cover.

(Dan Kephart, Wisconsin DNR)

Conditions: Good classic and skate.
We enjoyed a nice tour on classic skis this afternoon. The snow was warm and soft, getting a little icy occasionally in places. The trees were laden with snow from the last fall. Most were classic skiing; the skating looked good though slow - should be faster tomorrow with the cooler temps.

Photos:

(John Ipsen)

Conditions: 2-3 inches of loose snow on top of firm base.
Trails nearer the trailhead have seen good use and are better packed for skating, but the entire system is very skiable. Thanks to the Brule Valley Ski Club for providing blaze orange vests for safety.

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(Peter Nordgren)

Classic tracks were set on about half of the trails, and the trails without set tracks were fine for classic too (a couple of inches of fresh powdery snow over a firm base). All the skiers we saw were also from Duluth, but we didn't recognize any of the hunters.

Photos:

(Anne Flueckiger)

Conditions: Good to very good. Packed and tracked with about 2" fresh on top.
Beautiful day at After Hours. Trails had received a couple inches since the last grooming... Most trails groomed for both skate and classic. Severals trails had not been groomed as recently. Few places where slush, now frozen, could be seen under fresh snow. I was on rocks skis, but good skis could have been used. Maybe a dozen skiers and two hunters on trails. Deer hunting is still open through Sunday... After hours has a few blaze orange vests available in the warming house.

(Sue Schroeder)

Conditions: Very good with 2" to 3" of new snow on top of some the best snow in memory for this early in the season.
Even with the new snow the trails were in great shape!

(Rick Agar)

All trails were rolled and packed today; all trails are groomed and tracked except Classic, White Pine, and Little Joe. There are still spots of water seepage on some trails. Trails will not be groomed further until Monday, December 1st. Please remember the firearms deer season is still open, and the After Hours system is open for hunting; wear blaze orange or borrow a blaze vest from the ski hut while sking. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

(Matt Miranda, Wisconsin DNR)

Soft but skating is good. Excellent coverage. No track set, maybe soon.

(Jeff Adams)