There were great skate ski conditions along #53 this morning. The trail had been groomed while the snow was still a bit wet last night, giving a fairly hard and crusty surface, but a couple of centimeters of fresh powder over the grooming smoothed things out. Glide was excellent and control acceptable. The classic tracks were firm and deep, and provided fast descents. By late morning skier traffic and the bright March sun had softened the surface a little, making it easier to get edges to hold. A little bit of suction was noticeable on some of the sun-drenched downhills returning to P17. It was (and still is) a great day for skiing.