I skied classic, while my husband skate skied. Tracks were quite good and encouraged good glide, albeit somewhat soft insofar as trusting them around hilly curves. A few spots had stick-like plants sticking straight up in the tracks, and some bare dirt spots were also apparent. For the most part, the tracks were safely skiable with a few downhill exceptions due to bare spots; nothing skiers could not "jump" over. I skied Green Thumb going left out of the shelter and met my skate-skiing husband at the Highlands intersection. We skied Highlands together, and the first part was good. Once the steep hills came into play, we did not trust skiing safely. The skate deck had a lot of bare spots, or dirt was simply churned to the top, right down the middle of the skate deck. While my husband cut off onto the Moose trail and then onto Outside Passage upon exiting Highland, I continued until turning back onto Green Thumb, heading back to the chalet. The tracks were mostly fine; observation of the skate deck left much to be desired. It was quite lumpy for quite a distance. Upon husband's return to the chalet, he said skiing the Outside Passage was tough due to conditions. Jack Lake used to be one of our top 3 favorite "local" trail systems. However, the extensive logging and clearcutting over the years has negatively impacted the ambience/setting. The trails are now susceptible to drifting, although they're still skiable. However, it's always great to be on the trails, and Jack Lake's Trails will always be one of our yearly skiing destinations. Having skipped skiing there last year due to the snow drought, I was pleasantly surprised to see the new outhouses -- great work, Langlade County!

(Gwen Harron)

Thin and windblown. Lots of sticks have fallen from the strong wind. No tracks. Groomer had just finished dragging. Snow seems fresh but needs more of it.

(Brian Ciske)