Yesterday we were packing and rolling the ski trails. Today we were able to groom the inner and outer red and green trails. With the continued snowfall we are doing our best to keep up. Grooming plans: By 3:00 p.m. Wednesday the 26th we hope to have all trails groomed.

(Kara Czapinski, Superior City Parks)

Not recommended until more snow falls. Tried skiing late Monday afternoon. In between patches of exposed dirt, stretches of trail are still skiable on rock skis, but it's rough going. Billings Road below the 42nd Street parking area is better, but even there some muddy strips and puddles have appeared.

(Tim Larson)

Time for spring skiing! :( I skied the outer and inner red loops this evening to see how the trails were. They are rough. I would not recommend the outer red loop, as there is a few sections you have to walk because there is no snow. The inner loop has bare spots poking through.

Photos:

(Richard Kaufman)

Skied from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from the 28th Street parking lot to the 42nd Street lot and to the Yellow Trail. The Inner Red Loop, the Green Trail between points C and O, and the Purple trail from point O to the 42nd Street parking area are still skiable with a couple of icy patches and stretches with grass poking through the snow. I still found it well worth my while. Skiers who prefer their snow to be just-so might not enjoy it as much. I only had to ski around one short patch of bare ground on the Green trail. Otherwise the skiing was not bad IMO. The sun is out as I write, and conditions could deteriorate. The Yellow Trail, which was skiable last week, has seen its snow cover diminish, with many patches of bare ground now. But the shared trail for skiers and snowmobiles which leads to the Yellow Trail, following Billings Road and passing bays of the St. Louis River estuary, is still snow-covered and good for skiing. I did not encounter any snowmobiles, only several dogs walking their humans; and they were all well behaved.

(Tim Larson)

Skied under the lights on the Red and Green Trails from 7 to 8 p. m. Some of the lights were either fading or off completely (perhaps the solar panels that run the lights must not have been fully charged in today's gloomy weather). My headlamp helped. It was fun, like spring skiing. Some trails still have good coverage. The Red Trail running from point A at the dog park to point B, and the Inner Red Loop between points B and D are still very enjoyable. So is the Green trail running from the the Red trail at point C and continuing towards point O and the 42nd Street parking lot. There are some stretches with grass poking through, occasional little dirt spots, and a couple of slushy patches. but nothing that slowed me down on these segments. Other routes in the north part of the trail system (north of 42nd Street) are a mixed bag. The Green and Blue loops are partly in fair-to-good condition and partly in poor condition. Parts of the Outer Red Loop between points C and B require picking your way through.

(Tim Larson)

Overall pretty good. I skied from Dog Park lot to the far side (yellow trails). No track set but a decent deck. I could feel my pole touch the ground sometimes, but I didn't see any bare ground (some roots sticking out and tree debris).

(Greg Sumner)

Skated most trails. The yellow had been groomed for skating this morning, excellent though thin skate deck. Other trails marginal. No tracks set. Suggest parking at far lot for access to the yellow peninsula loop. Thanks groomers!

(John Thomas)

Skied the Red and parts of the Green and Blue trails early this afternoon. The Red loops had some debris and a few stretches of thin snow coverage where the trail runs beneath tall White Pines. The Green Trails had some debris, especially on hills, where I recommend proceeding carefully and controlling speed. I used not just my rock skis, but my Flintstone skis that come from a previous century so I had no worries about damaging them. A few long stretches of trail were in very good to excellent condition. The southern half of the Blue Loop--the part that uses the paved Millennium Trail--had complete coverage, no debris, and offered the best skiing I experienced today, perhaps because the paved trail has no debris beneath the snow to churn up. One could use good skis there. Pole plants were shallow though; and sometimes my pole tips struck the paved surface beneath the snow on this multi-use trail. Also very good was a several hundred yard stretch of the Red trail--going straight ahead (instead of veering right) past the warming shack and dog park from the 28th Street parking lot. Those who ski at the Superior Municipal Forest appreciate how these trails truly are cared for by a Superior parks maintenance crew who do the best they can. Skiing there today was as enjoyable as I had a right to expect given the amount of snow. Also note, classic tracks have not been set.

(Tim Larson)

I skied the whole yellow loop today. The snow is uneven, and I fell twice on the hills because the consistency is hard to anticipate. If I do it again, I'll be taking it slow. There's some dirt and branches poking through the snow in a handful of spots. There's no track for classic yet, which isn't surprising, as there's not even enough snow to cover the trail. It's been a pretty depressing ski season, but once again... kudos the the Superior Parks and Recreation department for making it work. It might be rough, but it's better than spring skiing, and I'll be out there all week pulling laps.

(Richard Kaufman)

We classic skied part of the yellow, the flat side today at the Superior Municipal Forest. It was in quite a bit better shape than anticipated! No fresh groom today, no tracks but a nice even place to double pole and kick. Some debris but easily avoided.

Photos:

(Eve Graves)