Snow-making starts at Lapham Peak

The crew at the Lapham Peak recreation area fired up a half-dozen snow guns Wednesday night and started stockpiling the supply needed to cover a 1.5-kilometer loop for cross-country skiing.

Through nearly 12 hours of snow-making, the team piled six mounds, each roughly three feet high and 30 feet long. That snow will be distributed over the ski loop.

The start-up of the snow-making will be welcome news for local skiers anxious to start the season, but their days of kicking and gliding are not imminent. Warmer temperatures are forecast on Saturday, which would put a stop to the snow-making, which requires temps at or below 18 degrees.

The forecast is also bereft of any threat of snow.

Those growing impatient may need to think back to the last season, when the first substantial snow covered the trails in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest on Dec. 11 and 12.