Skated a loop from P6 today. First up the parkway to Huron and then Ridge to Wattsfords, down Penguin and around on the Gatineau parkway to return to P6. The parkway and Ridge had been groomed, likely first thing after yesterdays rains, and were in good shape. I expected it to be pretty soft but the surface held up really well. The temperature was +5C with a warm sun but there was a gusty wind blowing so it didn't feel that warm except in sheltered spots. Where the Parkway sat in direct sun all day it had gotten a little soft but for the bulk of my loop, where the shadows of the trees kept the snow surface cooler, it was firm and fast. Ridge road was also nice although the strong winds had brought down a bit of debris and ice chunks that had frozen to the tree branches. For the most part though it was no problem. I even found the descent to Wattsford and Penguin to be in excellent shape. Lots of "surface" to control the speed and it hadn't gotten too icy. Towards the end of the day, as the sun started to sink, the surface started to get harder and a little choppy but it was fine until I got to the car. They may have to resurface things tomorrow morning if these spring conditions continue... but colder weather looks to return next week so daily melts might be short lived for now.

Took a quick look at the Fortune race trails but they hadn't been groomed yet and looked pretty rough. Perhaps they'll get redone later in the "order" once the higher priority trails are set right. As Paul mentioned, anything off the groomed runs looked unappetizing as an icy crust seems to have formed.

Saw a fair number of people out in the groomed classic tracks which looked nice but not sure what their wax pick would be for the day - klister? waxless? My glide wax choice worked well but probably almost anything would work due to the icy nature of the snow. The one exception was a 10 foot strip under the bridge at P5. For some reason the snow there was very wet (maybe dirty?)and my speed dropped in half in an instant almost forcing me to "yard sale" in the middle of the parkway.