The Piston Bully was out at night after the rain. We lost about half the thickness on the man made loop. But despite that the trail is in great condition. The skate deck was tilled and is in great condition. New classic track was set and is also in great condition. Please note that we still don't have a full loop through the forest. The trail goes up just past the two tier cutoff. I would not recommend going any farther and would turn around and go back to summer stage. This section of trail will be two way until we can complete the loop.

(Mark Janis)

After the warm temps the last few days and the rain today, we have lost most of the snow everywhere off of the man-made snow. There is not enough snow left to groom, so we will not be grooming off the man-made snow until we have some more snow on the ground. The man-made loop still looks to have good coverage and there are plans to groom later when the temperatures drop.

(Collin Bergholz, Wisconsin DNR)

Lovely day to ski at Lapham. So lovely that I went twice! (Late morning and late afternoon.) Today was great conditions throughout the manmade loops. There is a good mix of natural and manmade snow, so the texture is smooth and soft, allowing for some nice speed while skiing. Just a few stickier patches of melting snow as you go uphill in the pines before Magic Carpet Ride, but nothing serious to worry about. I ventured away from the main area and climbed Two Tier, Gut Buster, and beyond. The exploration of the broader trail system was fun and worth it, especially for mid December! Two Tier has south facing slopes that are getting a bit sugary in the sunlight, but otherwise was fine. Gut Buster and the trail section leading out there through the meadows were fine and still groomed (from a few days ago.) Further out in the woods and along the moraines, some of the snow cover was pretty diminished and thin, and sometimes lacking a solid classic track. Lots of leaves and twigs to watch out for, and a few rocks jutting out, but it's all avoidable, and there were no bare patches at all. Be careful on the downhills, especially the ones on the black trail, but overall it was still skiable, and I didn't encounter any icy spots or anything too treacherous. Ski on!

Photos:

(Erik Franze)

Manmade loop ranged from excellent where older snow was tilled and skate deck and tracks were perfect to fair where day old manmade snow was hard packed or lumpy. Two tier was ski-able but south field was not groomed and not enjoyable.

(Jim Marschalek)

The snow makers and groomers have been busy at the park. We now have a trail into the woods. We have groomed almost to the high point of the man made loop. You can ski the entire man made loop but please be aware that there is about a 200 yard stretch that is still natural snow and the coverage is thin. It is skiable but some dirt and rocks are showing.

(Mark Janis)

Because of the report of good conditions on skinny, I drove 30 miles and found they were very good and not icy. The skate deck was flat with enough loose snow for good edging. Man-made snow had been spread over the regular snow so the trail should still be good with warmer temperatures.

(Don Howell)

Good conditions for skate and stride on limited trails today. Due to ongoing spreading of snow whales, only the Field Loop and the One KM Loop are accessible from the Lodge. Skate deck is firm and flat with enough loose snow to get a good edge. Tracks are solid and straight.

(John McCarthy)

Hardpack icy conditions on the skate deck. Only the field loop was open due to snowmaking. The classic tracks were running fast and were in good shape.

(Bruce Bock)

The Piston Bully was out grooming our hard packed man made trails. We have a loop up and around summer stage and the meadow loop down below. The skate deck tilled up nicely and is in very good condition. New classic tracks were set and are in excellent condition. Grooming plans: Snow making continues into the woods and will be pushed out in the next day or so.

(Mark Janis)

I skied this morning on the training oval about three times and then went into the woods and took a left just before Two Tier. I skied half way down magic carpet ride until the cones directed me to the left and skied down the hill onto the training oval. Fantastic grooming job.

(Robert Hermann)