Surprised how crunchy/icy the skate deck was with temps being above freezing for so long. Downhill on the donut was wicked fast and I found getting an edge challenging at times.

(Don Callander)

The snow was more snow like and less icy then on Monday. The tracks were well set with very few leaves. I had no problems with the tracks sticking in any way. There were about two dozen skiers out when we started at 6pm. Most of them were skate skiing.

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(Elizabeth Loper)

Skied at Elm around 5:30/6, and the snow was super fast! Only about 1k open (the donut), but it was still fun to get out and ski! There's more open here than at Theodore Wirth. Temp around the lower 40s felt very nice. Not crowded when I was there. Only man-made snow. Great place/time for my first ski of the season!

(Modesty Manion)

Skied around 9 am, found conditions to be surprisingly hardpacked and icy given the temps in the upper 30s. Trail was loosening up some as I finished. Loop is typical early season: donut down to practice area. No snowmaking yet on the other sections of the trail.

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(Bruce Adelsman)

Nice track and skate lane. Thanks for opening up. A couple lights in a row out at bottom of doughnut make a tunnel affect each lap. Plenty of parking and space to ski your pace.

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(Todd White)

Kudos to the team at Elm Creek for get the skiing going! The doughnut to the ski school area was open with ample manufactured snow and a small amount of leaf and stick debris. You could probably use your good skis but there were a few sticks. Tracks and deck were hard and fast that made for challenging conditions - especially for the first time on skis this year.

(Greg Loper)

Nice snow - tracks were well set (a few leaves, but not sticking). The whole home loop was open, so a couple of little hills, not just flat training ground. Not crowded at 1pm. Lovely day.

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(Laurie Ford)

Elm Creek will temporarily be opening approximately 1K of ski trail from Monday, November 29th thru the afternoon of Friday, December 3rd. We will be unable to make snow during this period based on the current forecast. The closure time could adjust based on weather conditions. We still have a lot of snow to be open long-term for the season and need to utilize opportunities as they arise. A reopening date has not been determined at this time. Chalet will be open from 9am - 7pm while the trails are open.

(Bruce Bolduan, Three Rivers Park District)

Snow is piling up! We took a drive today after Thanksgiving dinner to Elm Creek to check out the progress. It won’t be long. Start getting those skis prepped.

Photos:

(John Crellin)

At 8:00a the snow guns were blazing from the north loop to the lesson area.

(Mark Erickson)