SE Wisconsin XC Ski Reports for Public Trails

Official Lapham Peak Trail Report on Saturday Mar 18 2023 at 9:57am
by Colton Kelly

The man made loops were groomed by the PistenBully Friday night and are in good shape. There are a few thin and dirty areas that are easily avoidable. This will likely be the last weekend with good skiing conditions due to warm weather and rain forecasted throughout the week. Thank you to all of our volunteer snowmakers and groomers for making the best of a challenging winter!

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Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Monday Mar 20 2023 at 11:58am
Very good conditions for skate this morning. Grooming last night with the Pisten Bully provided a loose soft layer on a firm, ice base. Softening throughout the day. Full coverage around the manmade loops with a couple of icy spots and some nearly bare spots in the northwest corner of the Field Loop. Not bad for the first day of spring and 105 days of skiing on the manmade snow. A big shout-out to Mark for keeping us skiing on groomed trails, and to the snowmakers for providing a deep base to weather this challenging winter.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Sunday Mar 19 2023 at 12:30pm
Excellent conditions for skate this morning. A thin layer of powder on a firm base provided some of the fastest, fun-est skiing of the season. Alas, the rising temps and bright sun are slowing things down in the afternoon. but still great spring skiing. Tracks are holding up well, with just a few dirty spots.

Lapham: Report by Mark janis on Saturday Mar 18 2023 at 10:06pm
The Piston Bully was out last night grooming the man made loops. Skate deck was tilled and is in great condition. Classic tracks were left as is and are in great condition.

Lapham: Report by Mark janis on Saturday Mar 18 2023 at 10:06pm
The Piston Bully was out last night grooming the man made loops. Skate deck was tilled and is in great condition. Classic tracks were left as is and are in great condition.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Saturday Mar 18 2023 at 1:07pm
Excellent conditions for skate this morning. Crushed ice corduroy, breaking down through the day, on a very solid base. Fast, but very controllable. A bit of surface debris and a couple of obvious thin spots that are easy to avoid. Occasional snow squalls adding to the ambiance. New tracks around the Woods Loop is in generally good condition.

Lapham: Report by Mark janis on Saturday Mar 18 2023 at 8:46am
The Piston Bully was out last night grooming the man made loops. The skate deck is in great condition. Classic tracks were set only on the outer loop and are in great condition.

Lapham: Report by Mark janis on Saturday Mar 18 2023 at 8:46am
The Piston Bully was out last night grooming the man made loops. The skate deck is in great condition. Classic tracks were set only on the outer loop and are in great condition.

Lapham: Report by Mark janis on Friday Mar 17 2023 at 11:49pm
The Piston Bully was out last night grooming the man made loops. The skate deck is in great condition. Classic tracks were set only on the outer loop and are in great condition.

Lapham: Report by Tom Sloey on Thursday Mar 16 2023 at 10:50am
Tough sledding or should I say skiing this morning on a slushy wet base. Hopefully we have a bit of skiing left after the rain today with some cooler temps this weekend.

Lapham: Report by Ann D on Wednesday Mar 15 2023 at 5:38pm
Classical striding report Wednesday 12:30pm: What a difference a day makes. Field loop tracks were much softer and slower today. More of a workout to move forward. Detoured around bare patches on west and south sides of loop. But it was definitely skiable. Did not look like tracks had been reset overnight due to thinning snow cover. Will wait patiently for more fresh snow!

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Wednesday Mar 15 2023 at 4:14pm
Warm weather has melted much of the snow we received from the weekend and earlier this week. While there is skiable snow, the ski base is very soft and thin with many sections of bare trail. Rock skis are recommended. Please use caution while continuing to use the trail for skiing.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Wednesday Mar 15 2023 at 1:14pm
Got a late start today - good but slowing conditions for skate on the manmade snow loops early this afternoon. Firm base with a sticky surface layer of softening snow, especially on the downhills. Shaded areas much faster. Tracks are generally good but there are several bare spots and dirty areas.

Lapham: Report by Tom Sloey on Wednesday Mar 15 2023 at 8:29am
Incredible conditions this morning thanks to all the folks who make this happen!

Lapham: Report by Ann D on Tuesday Mar 14 2023 at 8:34pm
Classical striding report Tuesday 2pm: Quite nice! Around and around on my skin skis in great tracks on the Field loop under a sunny blue sky. Yes, the tracks were a bit slushy in some spots and getting thin in others, especially on north side of loop. Field loop had minor woodchips peeking through on west side near NW corner of inner tracks and south side of outer tracks. Hopefully the sweet little PistenBully can chew up tonight’s ice for tomorrow. While skiing, it is weird to see open water in the pond and inside the Field loop. Sandhills were calling. Few skiers.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Tuesday Mar 14 2023 at 12:34pm
Excellent conditions for skate and stride on the manmade snow loops this morning. Pisten Bully magic provided a flat, firm corduroy surface that is a dream to ski. Not a sign of the icy base beneath the tilled and compacted surface. Magic Carpet is as fast as you want it, but with easy control. Do not forget to try the playground trails, freshly groomed. Solid, full depth tracks with a snowy base were putting smiles on the faces of classic skiers.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Monday Mar 13 2023 at 4:18pm
Good conditions for skate on the manmade loops this afternoon. A variable layer of ginzu-groomed snow on a hard icy base. Best section is on the Woods Loop. There are a double set of shallow tracks with a snowy base around most of the loops. Note - a good tilling of the surface by the Pisten Bully will improve the trails immensely.

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Monday Mar 13 2023 at 2:25pm
After receiving several inches of snow this weekend, the trails at Zillmer are once again groomed and in good condition. All trails have been groomed with tracks set. While there are a few bare spots present the majority of the trails are in great shape with slightly soft conditions. Because of the soft base and occasional bare spots rock skis are recommended.

Lapham: Report by GiGi on Monday Mar 13 2023 at 12:54pm
Skate skiing in the middle of March!! The fresh snow made for much better conditions than on Saturday. While there are some icy spots, the new snow covered it up enough so you can feel good skiing over it. Magic carpet was slowed down by the new snow-not a bad thing-and it was groomed well. I even thought about going off the man made loop but instead stayed on the man made. I’d be curious to hear how the skiing is off the man made loop.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Sunday Mar 12 2023 at 12:21pm
Fair conditions for skate and stride on the manmade snow loops this morning. Three to four inches of ungroomed wet snow on a soft icy base made for mostly slow going in the skate lane, with an occasional faster area. Skier traffic is packing it down in the center and providing a better skating surface. Woods Loop is the best but Magic Carpet is slow and soft, with some ridges forming. Skied-in tracks have a wet snow base which glides well while providing some grip

Pike_Lake: Report by Justin Blindert on Sunday Mar 12 2023 at 11:20am
The 1.5 inches of snow that fell today was very wet and did not add much to the thin base of the ski trail tread. Bring your rock ski's. Trails have some nearly bare areas and the campground loop is bare pavement and was not groomed. No track was set. Tread is well packed soft and slippery but not icy. Enjoy the white stuff now while conditions persist, it might be the last time before the end of the ski season.

Lapham: Report by Anne Hughes on Saturday Mar 11 2023 at 2:52pm
Skied classic today. Traveled all the way from Madison looking for variety and thinking the last snowfall was supposed to be heavier in this area than at home. It was skiable and many people were out having a ball, so that was nice. Classic conditions were below average but skiable. I didn't notice any rocks or bare spots to speak of. Tracks were icey, especially so in low places. If they don't get snow tonight (it is predicted in Madison but I am not sure about Lapham), I wouldn't say it is going to be worth skiing diagonal tomorrow. The only place worth skiing was the section that has the light poles. I tried venturing off on an off shoot that was groomed but it wasn't as good as the lighted trail.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Saturday Mar 11 2023 at 10:53am
Fair conditions for skate and stride on the manmade loops. The very wet new snow from Friday night has sort of frozen, leading to an irregular surface with some ruts and icy spots. Plenty of skiers, some of who liked it and some who did not Classic tracks are shallow, with an icy base. Best section is the Green Cutoff, in the woods, but Magic Carpet is a bit of a challenge for the novice skier. Expect conditions to improve with additional grooming and hopefully more new snow.

Pike_Lake: Report by Jessica Fossell on Friday Mar 10 2023 at 3:46pm
The trails were groomed this morning. Total of 7" of wet heavy snow. Track was set, however some of the track has already melted. As of noon, trail conditions were fair to poor. B skis or rock skis will most likely be needed.

Lapham: Report by Anne Riendl on Friday Mar 10 2023 at 2:04pm
Entire lighted loop was rolled late morning.I:15 pm Track was set on man-made loops.. Skate lane on manmade loops being packed now. Classic in the track is great spring ski now at 2 pm.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Wednesday Mar 8 2023 at 11:37am
Firm and fast initially, but getting slow and slushy in the sunny areas as the day progressed. Full snow coverage on the manmade snow loops, with new tracks throughout.

Lapham: Report by Tom sloey on Wednesday Mar 8 2023 at 7:56am
Firm fast very good to excellent skate deck, likely will soften up as the goes. Tracks look deep enough and a tad icy in spots. Looks like we can say thanks to Mother Nature as well will extending our ski later this week.

Lapham: Report by Liz Loya on Sunday Mar 5 2023 at 10:09am
Thank you to our amazing groomer! Today was another gift!

Lapham: Report by Tom Sloey on Sunday Mar 5 2023 at 7:22am
Spring skiing at its best!

Lapham: Report by Tom Sloey on Friday Mar 3 2023 at 7:47am
Very nice skate deck this morning! Thanks for the link as well as I missed that story and always thanks to the groomers and snow makers!

Lapham: Report by Sandie Pendleton on Thursday Mar 2 2023 at 3:58pm
Nice story about our heroic chief snow maker and chief groomer on Channel 58 last night. Vid available at this link: https://www.cbs58.com/news/natalies-everyday-heroes-volunteers-keep-trails-smooth-at-lapham-peak.

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Thursday Mar 2 2023 at 3:06pm
The past few days we have had near 50-degree weather as well as on and off rain. As a result of this weather, the ski trails have had some significant deterioration. Currently the ski base is very thin and soft, presenting many areas of bare ground and icy conditions. I have removed all of the larger debris/ tree fall from the trail, as well as raked up a fair amount of smaller debris. That being said the trail is still fairly dirty. If you choose to come out and ski right now, please use caution when proceeding. Rock skis are recommended. With the current forecast trails are likely to deteriorate further over the next few days and I do not expect to be out grooming them further until conditions improve as doing so will likely only damage the remaining trails further.

Lapham: Report by GiGi on Wednesday Mar 1 2023 at 12:39pm
Skate skied man made loop at 11:00 am. Conditions were skiable-slushy and in parts, dirty, but still worth going out for. I personally wouldn’t suggest classic skiing as the tracks look dirty.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Wednesday Mar 1 2023 at 12:33pm
Variable conditions on the manmade loops this morning. Some soft and slushy spots, some firmer segments with lots of pine debris, and some really nice, clean stretches, especially the east leg of the Field Loop. Downhills are slow and soft; uphills are easy climbs. Tracks are old and soft. Overall, a nice day to be skiing.

Lapham: Report by Tom sloey on Wednesday Mar 1 2023 at 10:44am
Likely too warm to groom last night but man made loop certainly skiable and with the wet snow just a tad slow.

Lapham: Report by Bob Franze on Tuesday Feb 28 2023 at 2:49pm
40+ temp skiing, but really enjoyable! My wife and our son had a great time today, thanks so much to the groomers for working magic on the manmade loop once again!

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Tuesday Feb 28 2023 at 11:53am
The warm weather and rainfall over the last few Days has led to some significant deterioration of the trails. While the trails are still technically skiable, they are currently very soft with some very thin and very icy areas. Trails also have quite a bit of debris on them. Rock skis are recommended. As always please utilize caution if you plan to ski the trails right now. I will be out early tomorrow (Wed, 3/1/23) AM to begin revitalizing/ cleaning up the trails; I will be reporting on conditions again afterwards.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Tuesday Feb 28 2023 at 11:44am
Checked out the manmade today after yesterdays rain. Looks to be in good shape. Full coverage, not too dirty, soft surface, after a few rounds of the ginzu this morning. Plenty of good skiing left. Old tracks still in place. See photos on Skinnyski

Lapham: Report by Tom Sloey on Sunday Feb 26 2023 at 7:30am
Doesn't appear they groomed last night as this mornings skate deck kind of icy but likely will soften up as we get to mid morning or so and make for good skiing conditions

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Saturday Feb 25 2023 at 1:28pm
Friday evening/Saturday morning we received another 2-4" of fresh snowfall. All trails were groomed on Saturday morning with a fresh skate deck and new tracks set. The snow we received was extremely light and fluffy leaving the skate deck a little on the softer side, however, in excellent condition. With continued use and corporative weather, the trail should firm up nicely to make some wonderful skiing. Conditions allowing the next time I will likely be out grooming will be early Tuesday morning. Until then, enjoy the trails and stay warm!

Lapham: Report by Ann D on Friday Feb 24 2023 at 11:22pm
Classic striding report 3pm Friday: Thank you to the groomers! I enjoyed fabulous tracks many times around the Field loop on my skin skis. The place was nearly deserted, no Birkie fever here. Not many skiers had been out, so tracks were like new in the afternoon. But no double tracks on the north, inner section of the Field loop.

Lapham: Report by Glenn Stoll on Friday Feb 24 2023 at 9:32pm
Thank you groomers, Friday was a wonderful day at lapham peak. Air was cold and crisp as were the tracks for classic, tracks still holding up at 3:00 p.m. today. Skating look good also, very few skiers out today. Wonder where everybody was at?? Up north !!

Lapham: Report by GiGI on Friday Feb 24 2023 at 4:57pm
Outstanding skate skiing at Lapham this morning. Only a handful of us were out there with just as many deer as skiers. Fast conditions with great glide- a whole lot of fun! Magic carpet, while fast, was smooth and I was able to feel in control the entire length. Going to try classic tomorrow!

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Friday Feb 24 2023 at 12:50pm
All trails have been groomed and are in good to excellent condition. The cold temps over Thursday night allowed the ski base to set up nicely and allowing for some quality grooming conditions on Friday morning. All loops have tracks set and a solid, if slightly soft, skate deck. I hope you all enjoy the trails and the excellent weather.

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Thursday Feb 23 2023 at 4:40pm
The green, brown, and red loops have all been groomed for both skate and classic skiing with tracks set; they are in good condition. The snow coverage is thick enough that no more bare spots are present and very few areas exist where the icy base layer peaks through. While we did get approximately 8-10" of snow in the area it was mixed with warm weather and a fair amount of rain/sleet making the snow very wet and heavy. The Yellow trail has been packed and rolled but has not been fully groomed as we could not get the proper equipment through the entirety of the trail, due to the snow conditions. You can expect some good skiing with relatively soft conditions.

Zillmer: Report by Andrew Straka on Wednesday Feb 22 2023 at 3:11pm
As of 15:00 this afternoon we have received about 5 inches of snow mixed with a small amount of sleet. All trails have been rolled and packed. Currently there is an extremely icy base just under the surface of about 1-2 inches of packed snow. Please use caution and watch for icy spots on the trail. Rock skies are recommended. Trial report will be updated again tomorrow afternoon as the winter weather persists through the evening.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Wednesday Feb 22 2023 at 11:52am
Pretty good for skate and stride on the manmade snow loops. No grooming overnight, but the 3/4-in of sleety snow provides a soft, easy gliding surface for uphills and downhills. Very nice up on the Woods Trail. Windier and icier on the Field Loop. Solid tracks in place from yesterday.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Tuesday Feb 21 2023 at 12:13pm
Very good conditions for skate and stride on the manmade snow loops. Very firm base with firm corduroy is providing an effortless gliding surface. Solid, full depth double set of tracks for striding. Bit of debris here and there, but the two bare spots I mentioned yesterday are filled in.

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Monday Feb 20 2023 at 12:04pm
Variable conditions - from icy to soft snow - on the manmade snow loops this morning. Park staff went around with the ginzu several times, with mixed results. Some sections, particularly on the Field Loop and up the Pond Loop are very nice. Other segment, such as on the Woods Loop are hard packed and icy. Overall soften as the day progresses. Tracks are from early Sunday AM, and are icy. There are two bare spots on the tracks around the Field Loop

Lapham: Report by John McCarthy on Sunday Feb 19 2023 at 11:34am
Spring skiing - again - on the manmade snow loops. A variable layer of slushy snow provides good conditions for skate. Areas in the shade are much firmer and faster than areas in the sun. The Woods loop has the best skiing surface and dampens the gusty southwest wind. Magic Carpet alternates between slick and sticky, depending on the shade. Tracks look good but also appeared to break down easily. I did not see anyone venture off the manmade loops.

Nordic: Report by Anne Korman on Sunday Feb 19 2023 at 9:55am
Skate lanes were all re-groomed overnight. Some brown spots peeking through but should be mostly good to very good, especially this morning. Track is poor to fair on most loops.