Buskin classic xc, Monday. Win some, lose some.

[Philip]

There was a stiff westerly blowing across the lake. The temps have cooled and the snowpack has frozen for the most part. The tracks from yesterday are frozen and sort of annoying when they grab your ski, but in places some wind-blown snow had partially filled them in and that makes them reasonably nice. You can ski along in a well-defined track with no issues for half a mile and then face a half mile of narrow, grabby track. Hard to predict. If you have small feet and narrow skis, you could probably scoot along in the track with few issues. Clod-hoppers need not apply. Overall the snow is sort of rime-iced over, and leaving the track works if you are on a very flat surface. Otherwise it is hard to control the direction your skis move. The lake may actually be getting good for skate skiing if the wind dies down. it is quite firm and the center is pretty smooth. I'm not sure how well edging will work though.

Beautiful sunshine is hard to argue with. I guess I would go ski it again if the conditions were the same. Not great, not terrible.

[patrick]

I did it on skate skiis and the lake and lower river were great. About a mile up the river the crust suddenly got too soft to support my weight and then it was bad! The wind on the lake was really bad. What Philip a 'stiff westerly' I'd call a ground blizzard. I had to go all out just to make any head way. If I was to go again I'd drive past the golf course and classic ski in on the trail from just past the golf course on the right. I noted that someone broke in a trail from that direction to the river.

Another day or so of freeze thaw and the crust should set up and be good everywhere.

Patrick