Not groomed yet as of 3:00 but a great ski in a winter wonderland! Classic track was well skied in with about 3 to 4 inches of fresh powder on the trails. Saw a few skaters out, but they looked like they were suffering plowing through that powder.

(Mike Joranger)

Great weather led to a terrific afternoon of skiing. Classic skied most of blue and a bit of purple mid-afternoon. All had been rolled but were soft. Skate lanes looked moderately to badly cut up. Classic had little track except toward end where it combines with green and this was quite soft. Conditions overall were good, if you're willing to blaze your own trail or follow someone else's! I encountered none of the ice reported in this week's earlier grooming reports, but a very few thin spots on Magic Carpet Ride, which is near the end. They were still rolling as of 4:00 PM. If they get classic track laid today so it gets tonight to set, weekend skiing has the potential to be very good to excellent. Enjoy!

(Jeff Nesta)

Groomers have been out since early this morning. Trails are being packed and rolled at this time, conditions are good to very good. Enjoy the fresh snow. Skate skiers are asked to be respectful of those on classic tracks and give them room. Many may be new to the sport and are just getting comfortable out there. Thanks!

(Anne Korman, Wisconsin DNR)

Skate lanes on the manmade loop were regroomed overnight and in excellent condition. Classic tracks were not reset, and so were a little ragged, but still fine. After last night's snow very slow skating conditions, I gave the waxable striding skis a try today and had good grip and good glide -- very nice skiing on a chilling morning. Pics are at the start of the manmade loop.

Photos:

(John McCarthy)

Skied the full race loop for the first time this year on Wednesday night. Coverage was very good except for the erosion bars peeking through on Two-Tier hill. Step over or around those and you can use good skis.

(Pat Toft)

I skied the entire trail system and was pleased with the snow coverage. I saw a couple rocks poking through, but beyond that, thought there was good coverage. Still slow with the glide. It was the best ski I've had in SE WI thus far (off the nice man-made loop).

(Holly LaVesser)

Skied the lighted loop and the non manmade trail was packed hard with plenty of loose snow for good edging for skating. The two big climbs were thin and I was concerned for rocks and the erosion bars. The manmade loop with fresh snow on the 3' base was good for skating and tracks for classic.

(Don Howell)

Skated the black loop today. 4-5" of fresh snow not groomed but skied in a little. Good coverage but hard work. I would avoid the "wall" as there were exposed rocks. Downhills were safe and controllable.

(Robert Garner)

Last night groomers spread new manmade snow over the the made made 1.5k trail which has a solid 3 ft base. The trail is very wide so it can accommodate a large number of skiers. Today the skate ski conditions were the best in my 21 times skiing at Lapham this season. The loose snow made for great edging and the glide was great. It was fast without much effort and at 29 degrees very enjoyable.

(Don Howell)

Wednesday evening on the manmade snow loops saw a layer of granular snow that was fun and fast for the 100+ adult, high school, and middle school racers. Thursday morning presented a complete change with overnight grooming providing a firm base of granular snow. New classic tracks were set around the warm-up loop. The climb up Tail End was packed and much firmer than the night before. Best snow - a bit softer - was on the loop through the Nordic Playground. A bit of debris here and there from the gusty wind.

Photos:

(John McCarthy)