Skated from P10 up the Fortune Pkwy, west on Ridge to just past the western intersection with 24. Conditions were rough (ungroomed) and icy at the start, quickly softening as the temperature rose. The Fortune Pkwy was badly churned by heavy traffic. Ridge Road was better (in part because under the trees there had been less radiational cooling and the snow was softer) and in part because there had been less traffic. West of the intersection with 2 conditions were very good, apart from one bare patch near the valley lookout. There was another bare patch at Shilly Shally and also a couple of exposed rocks (easily seen and avoided) on Ridge between Huron and 1B. Overall I highly recommend skiing this afternoon or tomorrow. There is still lots of snow. Skating this afternoon will need soft wax and rilling to fight the suction. Sometimes cleaning skis with a rag and a little solvent while on the trail can help retain glide. Tomorrow morning timing will be critical to catch the surface thaw. P10 was a zoo today by 9AM, so you'll have to take your chances finding a parking spot.

So far this year I've been extremely polite (I think) in my comments on Demsis' grooming. Today was past the limits of my patience. If the core parkway loop and Ridge Road had been groomed, skiing would have been fantastic all morning. Instead I had to pick my way over frozen ruts trying to catch the "thaw window". The contract calls for grooming until April 15 if there is snow. I'm attaching a picture showing the snow depth beside Ridge Road on a sunny stretch just west of Huron. Clearly there is still plenty of snow. Indeed sections that are usually bare (Fortune Pkwy at the upper lake, for example) still have good coverage. Rather than grooming Demsis put up a few idiotic signs warning of ice (see photo). By 10AM that ice was slush. I guess signs are cheaper than grooming. If Demsis treats their contract with the NCC with this level of contempt, I see no moral obligation to buy a pass next year.