Trail Detail
Notes
Some of the best ski trails in the metro area. Fantastic night skiing on their lighted trails! New in 2003, a 2.5K man-made snow loop.Trail Reports
2022-2023 season
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Morning
posted: 2023-02-09 10:26:16
Firsthand: Freestyle Observation [ Trails Open: All, ]
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I skated the Valley and Northern Lights trails this morning from 8:30-9:30. Valley was in fine condition for skating, but I found N. Lights to be even better. The groomers had sufficiently scratched the firm base on N. Lights so that one could get a reliable edge but had not overgroomed it to the point of being soft. It was the Goldilocks surface for my intermediate skating abilities. However, the classic tracks had not been regroomed and looked pretty icy. From the swimming beach end of N. Lights, I could see that the end of the Lake trail had not been groomed since yesterday's melt, and it was hardpacked and ski-rutted.
(Ron Refsnider)
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Thursday, February 9, 2023
Morning
posted: 2023-02-09 09:32:40
Firsthand: Freestyle [ Trails Open: All, ]
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The man-made snow loop and Northern Light were recently groomed and in excellent condition. Very fast glide yet easy to get an edge. Most of the Creek trail had not been groomed and had quite a few deep ruts from yesterday's warm temps. The outer, multiuse trails were in as fine condition as I have ever seen. Recently groomed and almost no debris.
(Don Callander)
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Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Evening
posted: 2023-02-08 22:52:39
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
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Skied the Northern Lights and Valley loops around 7PM. It was 35 degrees and incredibly slick. Some areas of the Northern Lights tracks were blown out pretty bad; Valley was (as expected) fantastic. Fell spectacularly once heading back down into the Northern Lights section. The warmer weather has made snowplowing and turning downhill a challenge.
(Shane Snyder)
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Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Morning
posted: 2023-02-08 11:35:16
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
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The skiing at EC continues to be really great! Classic skied all the trails this morning and the tracks are fast and in generally good shape. Just slightly washed out in a few sections of Northern Lights loop.
(Mark Skinner)
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Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Morning
posted: 2023-02-07 11:56:02
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
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Today's transient and special conditions are worth sharing. The particular treat was the classic tracks on the natural snow trails. It was all crust skiing - fast but not out of control, and you could kick up anything. The sun and warming temperatures later in the day are likely to turn the tracks slick, but for a few magical hours this morning, classic skiing at EC was a special treat. Note that the skate deck on the natural snow trails was scratched up by the groomers, and looked fast and controlable. The snow making loop was, as expected, in excellent shape.
(Ken Tobacman)
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Monday, February 6, 2023
Morning
posted: 2023-02-06 12:36:09
Firsthand: Freestyle [ Trails Open: All, ]
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I skated Valley, Lake, Creek, and Northern Lights Trails between 8:30 and 9:30 this morning. Lake and Creek--but not N. Lights--had-freshly set classic tracks, mostly nice looking, but shallow in some areas. I was wishing I had my classic skis instead! N. Lights tracks are looking worn from weekend use. The skate deck was freshly groomed everywhere, but it looked like it was done by two different pieces of equipment. The result was a variably soft deck with a frequent ridge (sometimes with a groove, too) running down the middle or a bit off to one side. It was just big enough to require me to watch the trail surface more that I'd like. At one point it was hidden in the shadows and nearly brought me down as my edge was caught in it. But all in all, it was a very nice ski, and I appreciate the grooming that is being done almost daily to the skate trails.
(Ron Refsnider)
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Saturday, February 4, 2023
Afternoon
posted: 2023-02-04 15:59:29
Firsthand: Freestyle [ Trails Open: All, ]
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Skated all the trails including the multiuse trail. The trails were all in great condition, including the multiuse trail. A fair amount of tree debris, especially on the multiuse trail, but not so much that it caused problems. A lot of people out having fun.
(Kristian Markon)
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Saturday, February 4, 2023
Morning
posted: 2023-02-04 15:03:13
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
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Northern Lights: Few skiers (mobs on the downhill/terrain areas). Leaf litter and tracks are shallow in many sections. Green kick with blue under the foot worked fine. Valley Trail was wonderful, as usual. Sure a lot quieter during the week.
(Steve Paladie)
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Thursday, February 2, 2023
Morning
posted: 2023-02-02 16:37:07
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
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Skied man-made and northern lights at 6AM this morning (classic). Man-made snow was in great shape, deep tracks throughout and little to no debris. The tracks on the northern lights loop had not been reset - in fact had been wiped out by the groomer in many places. Skate lane was nicely laid with corduroy.
(Charlie Anderson)
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Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Afternoon
posted: 2023-02-01 14:46:38
Firsthand: Classic [ Trails Open: All, ]
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Beginning about 12:30 I did several classic laps around Valley (man made snow) and a single lap around Northern Lights (natural snow). Valley tracks were excellent--solid and fast, showing minimal damage from morning use. Northern Lights tracks were disappointing, fair at best and poor is some areas, so I only did a single lap, then headed back to Valley. Northern Lights tracks were shallow and often washed out on one side, with a fair amount of debris in places, and they drifted into the brush by the picnic grounds. They apparently hadn't been retracked for several days. I keep hoping the track-setting frequency will increase to make better use of this unusually nice snowpack. In contrast, the skate deck on Northern Lights looked like it had been dragged earlier today.
(Ron Refsnider)
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