UPDATE Posted Friday, December 11, 2009 -- 4:16pm
By Zac Schultz

Dane County: After a long three days battling the effects of the snow storm people are ready to enjoy the snow this weekend.

Barry Verdegan took the afternoon off so he could hit the cross country ski trails at Lake Kegonsa State Park. "I'm more, right now I just want to get on the course and go. Nice, quiet, looks like the trails are groomed and I'm ready to go."

He's the first of many skiiers who will take advantage of the fresh snow this weekend. "I imagine we'll be pretty busy," says Sarah Bolser, the Asst. Park Manager. "It's supposed to be beautiful out so that, plus the really nice snow conditions, we'll have quite a few people out here."

Bolser says heavy snow and drifting delayed their grooming work. "It's definitely a slower process than it would normally be. Everything just takes a little bit longer."

Bolser says the storm did some damage. "We have one trail closed right now. We're hoping to get it open next week. There's a few trees down, a lot of big branches and stuff like that."

But for Barry, there's nothing better. "I like the quiet. I like the birds. I've seen owls and deer out here all the time and they're not there when people are, so I prefer the quiet times."

If the quiet, solitude is not your preferred way to enjoy the outdoors in winter, the snowmobile trails will be open in Dane County as well.

"My own club is out grooming today and several other clubs are grooming today so the trails should be in good shape," says Paul Statz, President of the Dane County Council of Snowmobile Clubs.

Statz says the southwest quadrant is still closed, due to standing corn near Oregon and Belleville, but people are still ready to ride. "I had a call Tuesday afternoon from a guy in Illinois. He was loading up his snowmobiles and he was coming up before the roads got bad and he wanted to go riding Wednesday morning. I said we might have blizzard conditions but we should have enough snow by then."

Snowmobilers are reminded to check ahead to make sure the trails are open before riding this weekend. For instance, the trails in Columbia County are closed until Monday due to the 4-day anterless deer hunt.

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Posted Friday, December 11, 2009 --- 8:30 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- If you're a winter-sports fan excited about the recent snow, state officials urge you to be prepared before venturing out.

The state Department of Natural Resources says some winter activities might be limited because of snow damage and other concerns.

The DNR says many state parks planned to have trails groomed for the weekend, but the storm knocked down trees and branches in about half the parks. Skiers and snowmobilers should confirm conditions ahead of time with the park or forest office.

Some snowmobile trails might be closed because of open water and standing crops. County officials can tell you which trails are open.

The DNR also reminds people to wear bright or blaze-orange clothing outdoors because the antlerless gun deer hunt runs through Sunday.

On the Net:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.