XC Skiing - Lapland Lake XC Center

Holly and I don't often pay to go cross-country skiing, but when the snow gets to be the way it is right now, going someplace that grooms their trails is really the only choice. Lapland Lake does a really good job with whatever snow or other frozen precipitation nature throws at them, so we headed there this morning for some skiing and lunch, before the afternoon's messy weather was to arrive.

Conditions were probably the best that could be expected after all of the thawing and refreezing we've had. The tracks were crunchy on the sides, but with some loose snow in them, so skiing was OK. Outside of the tracks, there was enough tilled loose granular snow to allow control on the downhills, but they were still faster than usual. I did the double black diamonds, which were beyond exciting, almost scary in spots, while Holly stuck to the blue intermediate trails, not wanting to take any chances on reinjuring her recovering knee.

Après-ski, we had lunch in the Tuulen Tupa Grill on the premises, a delicious Finnish salmon-potato casserole called Lohilaatikko. Then we headed home. I'd covered about 15k for the day, Holly a little less. More snow is supposedly on the way tomorrow, especially to our north, so winter is not over yet.