The good news is that there’s still lots of snow - about 30 cm; the bad news is that it ain’t crust-cruising. I had hoped to have skating day; instead, I gave up where Meech Creek crosses the FP. It was just too soft for enjoyable skating (and that’s what it’s about). The FP had been trackset; however, the skating lane was already cut up since the skis were sinking in. There were still good tracks in place - I think the answer today would be to go classic with fish scales or hairies - that way you probably would have a reasonable day. Tomorrow I will bring both my skating skis and my Fischer crowns.

I totally agree with Andy about wishing for the winters that used to be. I’m long enough in the tooth to have a long memory. I remember a very pleasant March 30 that I spent going up Penguin and telemarking down in deep new snow - today when I was going down in the slop any attempt at a turn would stop me dead.

I’m afraid the future will be more in the hands of the Peter Kents than in the hands of fanatical cross-country skiers. A note of explanation: I use the term “Peter Kent” as a synonym for a piece of something that is brown, odious and goes squish under-foot.