The manmade snow loops improved through the day, today, after the tilling and grooming and especially this evening with the skier-grooming. The skate surface is essentially crushed ice that will get rounder and finer with more grooming. The tracks seemed firm but icy and fast. You should expect to ski through ongoing snowmaking operations on the core loops. You can also expect that it won't be long before we're skiing on the new manmade snow through the woods. Stay tuned.

Photos:

(John McCarthy)

The man-made ski loop was groomed this morning, after rain most of yesterday. The entire trail is still snow covered, however there are some icy areas and the trail is quite dirty with leaves, needles and soil. We were able to break up the icy crust and make it skiable. The conditions could be considered poor, but the entire trail is skiable. No track was set. The trail will be groomed again tonight. Lights will be on until 9:00 pm. Snowmaking will resume Wednesday to build up thin areas and complete the loop through the woods.

(Anne Korman)

As of 10:00am it is has been actively raining for several hours at Lapham Peak with temperatures hovering in the mid 40's. The man-made snow loop is deteriorating quickly much to our dismay. Once the colder weather returns, we will be out working on grooming or tilling what's left of the snow and possibly making additional new snow. Thanks for your patience as we do our best with what Mother Nature is giving us this year.

(Anne Korman)

The core manmade snow loops are still fully covered, with a couple of minor trouble spots. The surface, which changes daily, is currently a zero to two-inch layer of ground-up ice on a firm ice base. There are two sets of tracks, which are shallow and look icy. There are good and bad segments, but overall, a fair to decent skating experience can be had. The base should be deep enough to withstand unfavorable weather.

Photos:

(John McCarthy)

At 9am 32 degrees, it was wonderful skiing that was fast. By 11am, it was 40 degrees and a little slower but still enjoyable.

Photos:

(Don Howell)

I skied this morning and it was amazingly grand. Nice flat deck with great edging snow. Was very fast when I started (about 9am) like skiing on BBs. The tracks looked excellent and there were many classical skiers taking advantage of them. As it warmed the trail was slowing but still in great shape. Hope it can survive a heat wave.

(Tom Davenport)

Wonderful ski conditions on manmade loops. Groomed new snow on top of hardpacked base. It was my fastest skiing in 18 times this season with good edging and great glide. Thanks to the groomers.

Photos:

(Don Howell)

Very good conditions for skate and stride on the manmade loops this morning. The core loops were tilled yesterday, providing loose snow for the first Wednesday Night race. Grooming overnight firmed up the surface for this morning, but it began to loosen up as the day progressed. Another small area of new manmade snow was added near the trailhead. Large 'whales' of manmade snow have been created on Magic Carpet, south of Tail End, and on the south trail from Summerstage Hill. Pictures of the new snow on these trails are included. Note that the new manmade snow is not yet ready for skiing, but will be spread in the near future, expanding the length of skiable manmade snow trails.

Photos:

(John McCarthy)

Skied the manmade loops this morning. Today's new snow added a nice coating on the icy base, making for very skiable conditions - better in some sections than others, but good throughout. The double set of tracks looked to be good. Of note: tilling of the trail with the snowcat was in progress, blending the new snow with the top layer of the icy base. A bit of new manmade snow has been added on the NW corner of the north loop. Snowmaking has been in progress since yesterday - new areas of trail coverage will include (when the snow is spread) the segment of Magic Carpet south of the junction with Tail End (aka the Spur), and the segment going south from Summerstage Hill. Thank the volunteer snowmakers and the DNR team when you see them.

(John McCarthy)

Skied around noon today for a short time. The rain yesterday did a number on the trails. They did pick up about two inches of snow that they worked in with the scarred ice but still had many icy spots. They are running a couple of snow guns to help cover the trail and expand it. The plan is to run the guns throughout the night and have the 1K loop skiable for the Wednesday night races which start tomorrow.

(Tom Davenport)