Stuck to the man-made snow portions today, including the new short stretch in the upper field (with a hairpin turnaround)...trying both skate and classic. It looks like they did a regroom last night, so things were looking good. The newer stretch was a nice pack of fresher-made snow, and with the warmer temps was more snowlike and less icy, so a good change from the rest of the course. The hill along the powerline is holding up well, even with more traffic on the course. All in all, very thankful for this great place in our backyard, and skiing in December!

Photos:

(Pieter DeHart)

Day 2 of the Middleton Nordic opener, we skated the snowmaking loop during the 5K Freestyle Fun Ski. Groomers mentioned that they did not regroom the golf course due to lack of more snow, so we used good skis with no issue on the manmade kilometer. Deep classic tracks were visible throughout the area we skied. The field loop is shaping up nicely for them to open it soon. All in all a great day on well-made base of snow in the Madison area!

(Pieter DeHart)

Had a mostly enjoyable skate across nearly 6 miles on what was open, from the snow-making loop, Round-a-bit, West loop, Round-a-lot, and Pleasant view. The current snow-making loop is in great condition, and if you want to stick to that you can use your good skis. Venturing further afield across the golf course necessitates use of rock skis, as there are patches (especially on West loop and near the clubhouse on pleasant view and Round-a-lot) of exposed grass, pine needles, and other hazards. That said, large stretches on the golf course are excellent, and well worth it for the adventurous souls. The only locations at present where there are also classic tracks are on the snow-making portions It looks like they continue to rapidly build up snow on the upper field for potentially opening soon. All in all, a fantastic resource, and with the Middleton Nordic Opener today and tomorrow (free classic and skate lessons, and free s'mores and hot chocolate!) well worth the affordable day or season pass. Huge thanks to the crew for all the snowmaking and grooming!

Photos:

(Pieter DeHart)

1 k trail manufactured snow. Well groomed. A couple of hills, all in good shape. Come out and ski!

(Dave Minden)

Skating was better than the last few days thanks to the snow softening up a bit. The downhill turns were less sketchy and icy than they have been. Classic skiing was not so great. Tracks were set this morning, but by the time I arrived just afternoon, they were mostly shallow or obliterated. There was a section that was pure ice near the snow guns, and another section where grass was poking through.

(Kyle Richard)

Grooming was done at CXC prior to me skiing and the skaters were loving it. But classic skiing was tough as there were no tracks laid down. Better than not skiing though. I was the only guy classic skiing while I was there but there were a half dozen skaters zooming around.

(Christopher Quandt)

That little bit of snow hitting Madison and Middleton this morning dumped about 1/2" of powder on CXC. It was a sweet little bit of natural snow. Loop is pretty good given the weather we have had. I classic skied for an hour late morning today but there was alot of area that had no tracks laid down ... which was fine as the new snow made it softer and slower. It was a nice ski. The winds were pretty strong and created a cold windchill. Dressing appropriately is key. Have fun.

Photos:

(Christopher Quandt)

Wonderful evening at CXC. Even with the limited capacity snow making, they are making great progress. About a 650 meter loop. Snow started a little soft, but firmed after sunset and the skin skis were great. Tracks in decent shape through most sections.

(Brandon Guenther)

Wow! So good to get out! Manmade snow of great quality. About a 350m track. Only a few people out when I skied. There are lights, but they are not super bright -- a headlamp may be useful.

Photos:

(Brandon Guenther)