Great skiing today. Kick wax worked and there is hope for the body coming around. There's a pile of snow...ready to go...for the lower dough(nut) - see photo.

Photos:

(Mark Lahtinen)

Conditions at Elm today were perfect. Couldn't tell it was man-made snow. Skied classic. Tracks were in great shape. The skating deck was in good shape also. Lots of skiers, but not too crowded. The tubing hill isn't open yet, so parking was plentiful.

(Mark Waldoch)

Elm Creek wa a popular choice today! Still plenty of room for everyone. Snow was soft and slow and quite fun for skating. Didn't try the track but it looked like it was holding up well. New expanded 2k felt Birkie-like after burning my lungs on La Squadra on Friday. Can't wait for more to open everywhere!

(Joe Dolan)

Stopped in for the Nordic Opener on Saturday. Wow, huge crowds! Even the beach parking lot was 3/4 full. The trail has been expanded to 2K -- just missing the final loop down by the bridge. Skiing was still quite good as of 11:30 am, amazing given all the traffic. And great to see so many vendors and demos.

Photos:

(Bruce Adelsman)

Approximately 2K of trails is open and in good condition. Celebrate cross-country skiing at the Minnesota Nordic Ski Opener on Saturday, December 9th from 9am - 4pm.

(Bruce Bolduan, Three Rivers Park District)

Photos of Elm Creek before it reopens tomorrow for the Nordic Opener. Thanks TRPD!

Photos:

(Mark Lahtinen)

A section of the Valley trail will open for skiers at 5am on Saturday, December 9th. The distance opening is yet to be determined.

(Bruce Bolduan, Three Rivers Park District)

They're making lots of snow and it looks like when they reopen it will be groomed down to the lower doughnut and back for about a 2K loop.

(Mark Lahtinen)

Skied half a loop before calling it. Technically still open until tonight, but wanted to save others the time. No bare spots still, but the track was 100% covered by dirt and debris to the point where glide was extremely difficult. The gooey glaze on the base of my skis after half a K indicates there was plenty of traffic while it lasted. Looking forward to snow making weather.

(Joel LaFrance)

Due to deteriorated conditions, the Elm Creek cross-country trails will be closed as of 9:00pm on Monday, December 4th. The trails will remain closed for a few days as we make snow, with a portion of the trails being reopened by Saturday, December 9th. Closing the trails allows us to rebuild the base that has been lost during the warm period to help ensure trail availability for the remainder of the season.

(Bruce Bolduan, Three Rivers Park District)