Skied 15K yesterday late afternoon and 42K today at the Peak on the man made loops. The snow was a bit uneven in places, hasn't been groomed since Wednesday and is a bit dirty in a few spots. There are even a few bare spots emerging and it's a bit icy on a section of the hill going up. But it was pretty good considering. I used a type of wax that repels dirt and it worked great. I only recommend this type of skiing for persons that have skied for years. Best to do the horseshoe loops -northward, then up the main hill, up though magic carpet, then back, and repeat. I love XC skiing. And especially when temps are in the 30's.

(Matt Stanke)

Great skate conditions at Lapham this morning. An inch or two of loose snow over solid base. Great job by the groomers, if not for their great grooming, I would have been rollerskiing on back roads all winter, so a big shout out to them!!

(Ed Edinger)

1.4k manmade loop was fast but not icy with enough loose snow for edge edging. The limb up to the cutoff was good hill training. Many were training for the Birkie next week as I was with 20 laps (28k). I wish the Birkie will be as fun.

(Don Howell)

Manmade snow loops. Much improved after last nights tilling and fine grooming. The manmade snow base has 'densified' and is essentially a block of ice. But, there is a very skiable layer of loose powdery snow on top, and a one new, good set of classic tracks. The many skiers on the trails today have also helped to pulverize the corn snow and create 'lanes' of good skiing. Get out here today, tonight, or tomorrow morning to enjoy the best (and only?) groomed ski trails in the region.

(John McCarthy)

Manmade snow loops. Fast, but not as much fun. Only token grooming done overnight. Skate deck is refrozen with a thin layer of loose snow. Classic tracks are old and icy. Plenty of base and very clean. Will be very good when a full regrooming is completed. Off the manmade snow loops looked unskiable.

(John McCarthy)

Snowmaking loops. Surprisingly good conditions considering the temps. Skate was fun and fast with plenty of control. I think I hit the sweet spot between warm slush and re-freezing. Plenty of base over all snowmaking loops, clean. Off the snowmaking loops - I was there last night, it was troublesome then and I'm sure it got worse today.

(John McCarthy)

Poor Lapham Peak got toasted by the sun and temps today. There are several almost bare sections off the man-made loop (most avoidable). The warm temps made some sections of snow molasses, and others were rock hard, almost icy where you can't push off (skating). It was tricky and almost dangerous navigating because you couldn't visibly tell if it was about to change. Magic Carpet was fast until the end where it turned to glue! I saw multiple hikers on the ski trails, and many boot and paw prints right down the ski trails, mostly on the other side of the tower from where the man-made loop is. How disappointing since there is still a sign up at the entrance and there's a decent base if we get another snowfall.

Photos:

(Holly LaVesser)

I skied all the trails mid to late morning. Very good conditions. Firm base with very good coverage for the most part. There are some occasional thin spots, though I didn't see them as a problem today with the exception of maybe on "The Luge" (the optional side trail at the Northeast end of the black loop) where there were a couple of thin spots that are more difficult to avoid. Good classic track set on most of the trail. I haven't been out here for a few years, so maybe it's me, but the "Big Slide" seemed really fast today given the relatively fresh snow conditions. Very fun.

(Dave Piasecki)

Trails are finally setting up really nice. I skied the blue and the lighted night loop and its subsidiaries. With the snow at the end of last week and this weekend's cold temperatures the base has firmed up nicely; very evident in the classic track which is noticeably faster. I skied my good skis, but there are tiny sections like the last uphill on the lighted loop where small bits of the erosion bars are sticking through (much better than last week however); some people may be pickier than others.

(Jack Jones)

Arrived at Lapham today around 11:00. Was excited to finally be able to hit the trails. With the fresh powder snow, at least we had snow to ski on, but trail system was a bit of a mess. No grooming meant just wading though messy tracks that were left by the trail blazers. Skied the lower green loop and then went up to Homestead Hollow to ski the Purple, which was quieter (less people) and much nicer. The track was deeper back here due to less skiers and more people staying in the track. Very soft conditions.

Photos:

(Dana Jones)