Tired of all those photos of snow covered trees? I'm not either, so a couple more for this report. Skiing at French Park was pretty good. No classic track. A fair number of stead where water was saturating the snow park. No big deal at 30F deg with it still soft. Will report back on Saturday.

Photos:

(Rick Budde)

Based on the snow levels in my own back yard, I decided to make a lunch trip to French. Seeing tracks from another skater, I gave it a try. I went part way down the Lagoon trail, turned around and went part way up the Chalet hill. The trails are a mix of white snow cover and grey slush. I didn't see any bare spots but the ground is barely covered. I decided skiing on slush over standing water wasn't for me and packed it in after 7 minutes. Given how wet the ground still was after yesterday's rain, I'm a little surprised the trails weren't closed.

(Leif Irgens)

Wanted to thank the French Park groomers for grooming today. Went with low expectations and was really happy I went, definitely some bare spots and twigs out there but never had to take skis off. A lot of really good spots with full coverage of firm but soft corduroy. Hopefully a new coating of snow soon will allow for good skis.

(Nils Wahlander)

Freshly-groomed! Beautiful sunny day with no wind. All packed, none tracked for classic. I skied all of the trails and I got first tracks on most of them between 12:30 pm and 2:00. Conditions were: 80% good, 15% fair, 5% poor. There were numerous small areas where the groomer had churned up small rocks to the surface. Most of these were easily avoided, but a few were hidden under a thin layer of snow and my skis found them. Seems like no serious damage to the skis though. Only saw two other skiers.

(Craig Wiklund, North Star Ski Touring Club)

Definitely some bare spots, and I hit ground probably about 8 times. Pretty thin coverage, sticks and leaves slowed me down. All things considered, it was a good ski and recommend only with rock skis.

(Zachary Pierson)

Wouldn't say the conditions are poor, closer to fair. A few grassy spots easily seen, some leaves debris. More significant is the trail is uneven due to the low thickness of the snow, just need more snow!

Photos:

(Bernard Cerles)

Much better skate deck than I expected. The park grooming report said "Poor" conditions but I thought it was pretty good for a thin base. A few sticks and branches have blown down, I tossed two small stone to the side, and saw two exposed sections of cement curb near the parking lots, but mostly I found good conditions for skating. No tracks set.

(Gene Kay)

All trail open and in good condition, a few soft spots as a result of the snow blown by the wind. A few leaves and branches but nothing material. Most of the trail is protected from the wind so not too cold while skiing.

Photos:

(Bernard Cerles)

Surprisingly good skate skiing! No classic tracks yet, FYI. Could almost use best skis but a little bit of blow down in the strong winds today. No bare patches. Great job, French Park groomers! Great November skiing!

(Michael Stiegler)

Very good early season conditions. Full snow coverage and nice firm skate deck. Did not see any dirt or debris.

Photos:

(Rick Budde)