Glorious conditions at Elm Creek this morning! I was the second set of skate tracks on the deck, and it was surprisingly fast despite the cold snow. The "man-made" loop (which has been since covered in natural snow) is in perfect shape of course, and the Northern Lights loop is also in excellent shape -- safe for good skis! It's been a long time since we've had such good natural snow, so get out there and enjoy it!

(Bill Oyler)

Started with classic at Elm at around 11:00 am. Classic tracks on the man-made loop were in excellent condition except for getting filled in with some blowing snow in places and some giant prints from some very large hoofed animal through the keyhole (does Minnesota have moose? Maybe just a big deer...). Tried the Valley/Northern Lights loop and found classic tracks there to be highly variable. Soft, uneven, washed out and thin in spots, etc. So, after a lap of that I switched to skate to explore the outer trails. I ran across groomers twice and correspondingly spent much of the outer loop on fresh, soft corduroy. Those trails were also somewhat variable with pole plants going in several inches in some places but being able to see signs of the bike path underneath in others. The thinnest spot was that long uphill on the multi-use path heading north towards the nature. I suspect that area suffers from wind blown issues thinning the snowfall, but even that was still quite skiable with some less-than-forceful pole plants. All in all, conditions were very good for skate, albeit a bit slow. The only spot that spooked me was the steep downhill into that sweeping right-hand turn on the Lake Trail. A lot of grass was showing coming out of the exit of the turn. Seems a groomer hit bottom through there. I saw intermittent classic tracks set on the outer ski trails with the classic only trails looking like they had been groomed yesterday afternoon before the second round of snow last night.

(Leif Irgens)

Classic skied the outer loop. Valley, Eagle, Nature Center, Creek, Northern Lights. There was an old, shallow track most places. I was the first person to ski in about 20% of the track since the recent snow. There were several bare spots as I approached the summer swimming pond on the way back. Overall it was slow going but worth it to get off the Valley trail man-made snow loop. Wish we could get a little more snow!

(Mark Skinner)

Arrived at Elm at 11:00 am to ski the man-made loop. Skate deck was well worn in, indicating a lot of traffic earlier in the morning. Signs and barricades blocked the access to the Northern Lights and Meadow trails stating those trails were closed. The man-made loop was in good shape in spite of (or perhaps because of) the earlier traffic. There was a familiar crunching sound indicating there was an icy surface present down there somewhere but there was enough sugar scraped loose to provide good purchase to hold an edge and ride a gliding ski. Snow was pretty fast, I skied some of my fastest loops of the year while skiing at only moderate effort.

(Leif Irgens)

Elm Creek man made snow trails were good today. A bit icy as expected after the thaw/freeze, but definitely skiable with good skis. Thanks to the groomers who were out doing multiple passes on the natural snow trails. Those sections ranged from icy to sublime, but there is still good snow coverage for skate deck. I didn't try anything over the bridges as that was pretty bare. Worth the trip for sure.

(Kate Karshna)

Skied all the natural trails this morning. Trails were good for the most part but really started to deteriorate by the end of my ski at about 11am. Snow was slow and a bit mushy, as expected. The warm temps and sun this afternoon were likely unkind for the snow on the bridges and on the sunny portions of the trail. B skis were fine while I was out this morning (some sections of dirty snow or dirt, but easily avoidable), but rock skis may be more appropriate now after a full day of warmth and sun.

Photos:

(Melissa Berman)

Great to be on the natural snow trails. Good coverage throughout Creek trail with only a few brown areas from groomer. Snow not the fastest. Tracks faster and double poling technique in many places. Groomers were out in afternoon, just great to ski this again.

Photos:

(Dean Kleinhans)

Awesome classic skiing on very nice trails (including natural snow). I skied almost all the classic trails out there; the classic-only trails were in really good shape - slightly soft but almost pristine. There was almost no dirt; one spot near the nature center, and a couple places along the swamp. The Northern Lights tracks were fairly decimated, however. Toko violet was The Bomb at 28 degrees in late afternoon. Thanks, Elm Creek groomers, for a very enjoyable ski!

(Pete Thurmes)

The manmade was great. I went on to the Northern Lights on the natural snow and that was very good. The classic track was a little shallower and softer but kick and glide were good. The classic track is now on the left side of the skate lane which was good going up to Cowabunga as it is not the off kilter side slope now. There was a small bump in the classic tracks almost at the bottom of Cowabunga and I think I got a wee bit of air but stayed upright. Nice to be on real snow (7 inches at my place in Maple Grove). I talked to another skier who had ventured out to the Dark Side and he said it was good echoing the previous Elm Creek trail report.

(Mark Lahtinen)

I skated the outer loop (Creek, Lake and Northern Lights). The man made section was buttery soft, the natural snow had a few soft spots but they were still working on packing it. The classic tracks were missing from where you leave the whale tail, cross the bridge, up and down the hill until you leave the multi use trail and enter the woods again. The tracks looked good except above Mud Lake and near the beach, there they were thin with grass or gravel showing through. Overall I would rate the trails as good and they should get better as they set up. I talked to someone who was on the Eagle trail and he said it was a little soft. Thanks to the groomers who got them all open so quickly and in such good condition. I would skate with good skis but classic with B.

(Tom Harris)