First ski of the year on the Lester River system. Completed the A-H and then back to A this afternoon. City of Duluth must of groomed yesterday as classic track was used but in good shape. Good snow coverage throughout the trail system. Enjoy!

(Brandon Kime)

At 2:30 the trail was being groomed. C and D loops completed. Otherwise, wait til later this afternoon and the whole system should be done. Excellent conditions and a great day to ski.

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(John Bankson)

Groomer came around as I struggled through deep snow. Grateful to continue on groomed trails but still very soft! Only skied bottom segments.

(Linda Magni)

Trail is groomed but not packed. Good for classic, loose and pillowy for skate. This was at 10am.

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(Clay Kevlar)

Trails are in poor condition so we didn’t ski. Some are ok for rock skis, thin base, others are melted down and skis may not work well at all.

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(Anna DeMers)

I skate skied Lester this afternoon, and it was great. Sure, it’s not freshly groomed, but there was plenty of snow to skate ski. It definitely helped that skiers over the last couple of days have packed down the snow. I parked on Seven Bridges Road and started from there. It wasn’t the fastest snow, but it was more than adequate. Over the years, I think we have all become spoiled with nice grooming conditions, especially in Superior, where they groom daily! There weren’t any machine-made classic tracks set yet, but you can make your own tracks, like skiers were doing today. The temperature was perfect! Just get out there and ski!

(Randy Johnson)

Two of two skiers voted “I would rather ski at GANC”. Trails open and rolled. Some bare rocks exposed. Lumpy, what snow there is did not compact well when they rolled it.

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(Kristin Riker-Coleman)

Definitely a rock ski situation at Lower Lester as of this morning. Frequent bare spots, and no classic track yet.

(Emily Nagel)

Ice covered by 1-2 inches of fluff. I was double poling with ferrules on, and it felt like regular classic skiing. Skating would probably be tough, as the snow on top is not well bonded to the ice. I would recommend only skiing the farthest north loop H-I-J-K-H where the snow is deepest. To get there, I would recommend walking up the road or skiing up from the chalet on the west side of the trails (backwards); the east side between B and E is much thinner. I skied in from Hawk Ridge on Skyline/Snivley Trail and would not recommend unless you like an adventure and scratched skis. Hopefully the snow comes soon to make this all moot!

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(Karl Holub)

I skied the main loop and loop D this afternoon. Trails are quickly deteriorating with lots of exposed sticks, classic tracks have several areas of grass patches and there were a few rocks sticking out. Borderline B skis, might want to use rock skis at this point until we get new snow, especially for classic skiers.

(Nikki Norland)