Went to French at 9 am hoping for a great classic ski on this cold day and was disappointed. The classic tracks were thin, washed out or non-existent, appearing to not have been reset since perhaps yesterday morning. I struggled around Lagoon, Lake, and Meadow, and after taking a look up Skyline, I gave up and went back to the car for skate skis. Some sections of the skate deck did show signs of having been groomed this morning but not the entire trail system. If I were to compare the Piston Bully groomed man-made loops to cycling on freshly paved perfect asphalt, I would compare the grooming I'm seeing on the natural snow trails this year to trying to ride that same road bike on a gravel road. It can be done but the battles over uneven surfaces, partial traction and bumps take some of the fun away. Still, any day that ends like this is still a good day.

Photos:

(Leif Irgens)

Beautiful day at French with snow crystals on tree branches. The skate deck had been groomed early morning (I started at 9:00 am). There were a few wavelets on Lagoon but all very good and not fast yet.

Photos:

(Bernard Cerles)

Started out skiing classic on the Lagoon trail. The classic tracks were shallow and washed out in many places by the time I got out there at 7 pm. The skate deck looked more appealing so I switched to skate and did some laps on the lit trails. The skate deck had seen a lot of traffic, resulting in it having been packed down fairly well. It was still a bit soft, slow and somewhat uneven from all the traffic but soft and slow conditions are my happy place, allowing me to maintain control through the unevenness. After 13" of new snow in the area, I was actually quite surprised at how solid the skate deck was. Solid pole plants and no crashing through the skate deck; very skiable.

(Leif Irgens)

Timed a trip to French perfectly this morning. The groomer was just finishing up the skate deck, leaving me with fresh corduroy all the way around and the snow was just starting to fall. The classic tracks were not reset today but were present until the fresh snow started filing them in. Today had by far the best conditions I have seen all season on the natural snow trails. Skate deck still had some mild uneven nature to it but overall, I had excellent control on today's softer, freshly groomed and mostly smooth surface. It started snowing in earnest on my third lap slowing ski speed a little and covering the fresh corduroy but no sign of freezing rain in this area. What a beautiful day to be outside!

(Leif Irgens)

Tough classic conditions - It might be a better day for skating. Looks like the classic tracks haven't been groomed in a while. On the heavily used trails (Lagoon, Lakeside, Meadow) there was an icy glaze in the classic tracks. Skyline had some glazed tracks along the wetlands area, but the hill was in good shape with nice grippy snow. The skate deck looked good and on the Medicine trail there was a fresh corduroy but they also groomed over the 1/2 classic track! And it looked like a lot of people were trying to keep their new year's resolutions - lots of walkers and snow-shoers out and about on Lagoon and Lakeside.

(Steve Hum)

Set out around 9 am on a skate deck that had been recently groomed. It was a little firm for my skills (or lack thereof) but good skiers would probably rate it good and fast. The minor undulations, imperfections and "rumble strips" continue to give me trouble, as they have more input over where my skis go that I do, but better skiers probably won't notice. l stepped into the classic tracks here and there. They are present all around but a little thin, I came out of them inadvertently a few times when coasting downhill.

(Leif Irgens)

The classic tracks had fresh snow in the bottom of previously set tracks which made for good skiing. We did all the hill loops a couple times west of the visitor center. Our daughter, who visits from Manhattan, always enjoys skiing French because of the solitude. Only saw a few skiers out on the trails today!

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)

Skied Lagoon and the conditions were decent. There's evidently been a lot of traffic, so many of the hills and intersections have no/partial tracks. Saw a few folks going the wrong way, but it is the beginner loop.

(Joseph Mueller)

Skied mid-afternoon, found the trails holding up well even with a fair amount of use. Skate deck was firm but not hard packed, and still glad good glide as the temps were above freezing. Classic looked good, though a little slow when I tried it. A lot of skiers out! Surprised by how many groups of skiers I ran into going the wrong direction on the lower Lakeview trail, haven't seen that before at French.

Photos:

(Bruce Adelsman)

The skate deck was nicely groomed with about an inch of softer snow on top of a hard base. The causeway, the section of Meadow along Northwest Boulevard, and the section of Skyline along the wetlands area was starting to get windblown by the time I was finishing. Quite a bit of leaf litter and seeds on the trails but nothing of concern.

(Steve Hum)