Manufactured trails at Elm were understandably a little rutted after the day's warmth and refreeze, but screamin fast and fun. Main reason for posting is to report that Northern Lights (natural snow) was surprisingly good, holding up really well, didn't see anything poking through or even a dirty spot.

(Jay Lyons)

The cooler temps and cloud coverage this morning have done well for the trails at Elm Creek. I went and skied the man-made loop (including the cut out and wall) and Northern lights. The parts of the lake/creek loop that I could see looked good but I don't know about once you leave the man-made loop. The phrase word I would use to describe today's trails would be ghost town. I ended up seeing more deer than people. I saw five deer and one person skiing. There was snow coverage everywhere that I skied. There were some soft snow patches where the snow/hills were in the sun (going up the backside doughnut and the top of the wall). There was icy underneath the snow on Northern Lights. There were some ruts to be mindful of and the snow has seen a lot of love (no fresh corduroy here). I would also be careful under the bridge. Overall it was very fast skiing. These were much better condition than I was expecting with the warm weather we have been having. I would recommend getting out and enjoying the skiing before it's all gone.

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(Elizabeth Loper)

Skied all lighted this morning. Man-made good as usual, getting a bit sugary on some uphills. Northern Lights loop, while still has good coverage, has turned into icy boilerplate conditions with the warm-up and re-freeze, has not been groomed recently. Looks like groomer made a pass on outer loop (did not ski, just saw tracks).

(Grant Schoen)

Wife and I skied Eastman trails and a bit of Creek north. Tracks were adequate with some wash outs on corners. Areas in the open were turning to soft, but not icy. My skin techs worked great in the soft, sometimes slushy tracks. Many boot prints from walkers who don't know any better.

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(Earl Stabenow)

Skied Multiuse, Creek , Northern Lights, Valley, all in good conditions. Multiuse has a lot of footmark but does not slow you down too much. Fastest snow of the season, no debris, great weather and temperature make a very enjoyable morning. Hope it last for another few days!

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(Bernard Cerles)

Gorgeous day at Elm Creek! I stuck mainly to the natural snow trails: Lake, Eagle, and Northern Lights. This was my first time skiing at Elm Creek and was impressed by the beauty and variety of scenery on the trails (woods and prairie). Classic tracks were in great shape and consistent on most trails (only a few spots where they'd been washed out around turns or in high traffic intersections). Saw four downy woodpeckers up close, which was a special treat. My boyfriend saw some white-tailed deer, too. Park was crowded, but natural snow trails were not. Was on the trail for about three hours and saw a dozen or so other skiers. Highly recommend!

(Emily Hietpas)

Trails were in great shape. Not a lot of people out when we were there. Much thanks to the groomers.

(Dave Dyrh)

Beautiful day on great snow. I could hear the chatter of my skis hush to a mild schuss as I got onto the natural snow trails. Good tracks, no debris. Be careful on the boardwalk bridge at the start - the snow is thin and my pole got stuck between boards. Beyond that, the Lake trail was great. Northern Lights was also clean and good - a huge change from the ice before the recent snow.

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(Laurie Ford)

Skied lake, eagle, northern lights and finished up on valley. Natural snow trails finally have enough snow to be adequately tracked. The fresh snow last night slowed my glide, but had great kick. Blue sky, no wind and 15 degrees made for an excellent skiing experience.

(Earl Stabenow)

I went and did the lake loop after school and it was beautiful. The new snow did wonders to this trail. There were no leaves or sticks to be seen and the tracks looked super nice. The skate deck was super fresh and needed some time to set up so it was a little slow, but I didn't mind as it was so great to be out in the woods again. There was some drifting on the left side of the trail so I stayed on the right side to avoid deeper snow. The trail has seen some traffic but it was truly minimal. Northern lights was more beat up as normal but still easily skiable. The man made loop was a little icy and I personally preferred skiing the lake loop. I saw a total of 3 skiers out at 3:30pm.

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(Elizabeth Loper)