Skiing at Lapham Peak rated "surprisingly good"

Chris Jones checked out the man-made snow loop at the Lapham Peak recreation area Thursday night and rated the conditions "surprisingly good."

Using the equipment provided by the Friends of Lapham Peak, the crew produced enough snow to put down a 6- to 12-inch layer on a 1/4-mile loop.

Jones, a Milwaukeean and veteran of the American Birkebeiner, sent this report: "The snow deck was hard packed with enough sugar snow on top to ski under control. There was a classic track set on each side of the trail. I skied from 6:00 - 7:30 PM and there were probably 12-15 other skiers there over that period of time - a couple of families with young kids and some adults.

"The Peak Nordic kids were just finishing their training when I pulled into the parking lot. The short track was probably a blessing in disguise as it helped to keep me from overdoing it the first time out, plus it made it easier to work on technique drills such as no pole skiing, which is always a good thing to do, especially early in the season. Overall, it was a good ski experience."

My thanks to Chris for keeping me and the Off the Couch readers updated.

Merry Christmas.