Sweetness and perfection. Skied all the trails at Pincushion today. Grooming was recent after a 4 to 5 inches of new snow on Wednesday. Classic tracks were firm with a little dusting of new snow at the bottom. Temps were just above 0 and polar wax provided all the kick needed. Deck was firm. No issues with outside pole plants plunging. Only complaint was the tracks were too curvy sometimes to stay in them. But great day, thanks to mother nature and the grooming crew.

(Tim Nelson)

Four inches of fresh powder over an already great base of trail! I skied behind the groomer as they rolled the trails first and then piston bully beautiful tracks at the end! I'm excited to bring my women's Endurance Adventures ski trip group here in the coming days!

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(Kim Rudd, Endurance Adventures)

Classic skied the Pincushion Mt loop, along with all the green trails and Canyon Curves. Conditions are excellent, and all trails are being Piston Bully groomed as I was out there. I used B skis, but you could use good skis with a little care.

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(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

-20° at the start didn't stop us. Great coverage and excellent grooming. This was well worth a trip from the Cities. Thank you to the groomers for providing excellent conditions given this low snow year.

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(Scott Cummings)

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.

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(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

Skated most of the trail system this afternoon after reading some reports that it's icy. Classic tracks looked hard and fast with debris most of the way, but the skate deck was a lot of fun. It was also hard and fast but just enough corduroy to get some bite, IMO. Thank you groomers for doing what you can! One of my favorite systems I've skied, even with the sparse snow this year.

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(Mike Snell)

Trail Base: 3-5". Skate lanes restored to powder corduroy on West Overlook, Pincushion Loop, South and North Snowman, North Advanced Loop, B&B Loop and Canton Curves. The classic tracks are well formed, but hard and fast. Did not groom Oly Hyvaa or Hilfiker Hill because they have been skied very little since last grooming. More dirt is showing every day, so ski with caution.

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(Timothy Lederle, Pincushion Ski and Run Club)

We drove from Brainerd to ski on real snow. Trails were hard packed and icy. Very fast conditions. A few bare and frozen water spots in low areas. We stuck to the Pincushion Mtn Loop, Upper and Lower Snowman, and West Overlook trails. One set of footprints throughout the trail, but did not interfere with our ski. Just annoying. Overall, so happy to ski and enjoyed the day. Definitely use B skis.

(Janet Hennies)

With the current snow drought, if you want to ski an entire trail system or actually cover some territory during your ski this is a decent option. Specifically for skate skiing. Everything was skiable, but it was icy and if you are not familiar with the trail, you will need to check your speed in areas that it would not otherwise be necessary. Do not assume that all brown spots in the snow are churned up dirt/wood, bark, or leaves, some of these most certainly are rocks and stones. That said, it is possible to avoid these spots and I was comfortable on B skis. In the current conditions, the North Advanced trail and others designated "black" definitely held up best. They had the nicest corduroy and their downhills had the least ruts where you could catch a ski. It was possible to ride skis much longer on these "black" trails. Overall, the entire trail system had enough coverage to be flat and not at all bumpy from the contours of the ground below the snow.

(Sara Zimmer)