WI- Underdown Rec Area 2009-2010

[fishskicanoe]

Went out for a quick jaunt at the local classic trail system in the County forest north of town. Didn't know what I'd find as the county equipment is basic and we had the slushy snow last Friday followed by maybe an inch and a half of fresh snow since. Was pleasantly surprised. The tracks are rock solid and fast but not at all icy. The newer snow made kick waxing a breeze. After we had skied about 10 minutes I realized I had left the car unlocked with a camera sitting in clear view on the front seat. We hoofed it around the smallest loop in quick time and came back to the car to find everything o.k.. Was going to drive down to Nine Mile in Wausau tomorrow (and I probably still will) but Underdown was good enough to make me reconsider.

[fishskicanoe]

This was a birthday celebration ski for me. My two boys, Sam and Mason, went with. The trail was as nice as I've seen it. A few spots where other skiers had left the tracks combined with some very, very minor glazing left the rest of the trail nearly perfect. The tracks are nearly bombproof and they are fast!














I told the guys to "look tough". We'll keep working at it.





fsc

[fishskicanoe]

Went back up to Underdown yesterday. After a few days with highs above freezing wasn't sure what to expect. I was afraid I'd be wrestling with klister on cold skis. But it turned out that the tracks were still skiable with hard wax, Swix VF 50 to be exact. The wax was a little draggy some places and a little bit slippery on the south facing slopes but 90% of the time it worked fine. With highs forecast to be in the upper twenties the next week I'm suddenly hopeful that we might make it through this warm spell in good shape.













fsc

[fishskicanoe]

Fast, abrasive snow. Extra Blue kick worked fine.








This is a picture of Loop Road. The county flat packs it occasionally for skaters. Have an abdominal pull right now which makes skating very painful, but I'd be skiing this part this weekend if I was 100%.

[fishskicanoe]

Fast conditions. Extra Blue worked for classic, despite temps in the mid-30's the last couple of days. It felt quite a bit cooler at the trails than it felt in town. We stayed on Loop Road so my eldest son could skate but the regular classic trails were freshly groomed and looked really nice where we crossed them.