Went classic: P12 => #40 => #24 => #1 blue west => Wolf Ridge => #1 east => Champlain Lookout => #1 west => green water tank => #24 => #40 => P12.

Everywhere I skied the tracksetting was excellent and inspired. The tracks were firm and fast with good grip. The skating track was even and grooved but quite hard - on the downhills with the hardness the grooves tended to grab the skis so that a bit of caution was in order - with use they should break-up and soften nicely..

The only trail that was not trackset was #33 - from what I saw of it I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s quite icy and uneven

Paul has been going on a bit about the condition of the back-country trails - I totally agree with him - they should not be “recommended” as they are on the NCC web-site. Almost all that I saw were untracked and covered with the type of crust that eats ankles - fractures, bruises, and scrapes. The only one that I saw that had tracks was #9 (Western) with a broken track borded by crust - fine in the track but a challenge if you have to get out of the track such as on a downhill - not exactly the ideal back-country experience.

A great day: good conditions, a good temperature, and a warm sun - ideal for classic skiing.