On Sunday, February 22nd, all of the skate lanes at the Alturas Lake Ski area were groomed except for on North Cabin which was hit on Friday. With an intense drag and ginzu treatment, the old snow on the hard trails was softened enough to please even the most finicky nordic enthusiast. Although cold, the sun was shining with all its might and skiers reported having an excellent time.  The aging classic tracks haven’t had an upgrade in a week but were still holding up and providing good and fast double groove transport. The lake reacted to the beaming sun and generally good vibes and was booming with low frequency bass notes to the delight of all. With only 13 days left until the start of the 13th annual Sawtooth Ski Festival, anticipation and excitement is snowballing in the local skiing community.  Along with the shriek of the osprey and the chatter of squirrels, the mantra “lucky thirteen, lucky thirteen, lucky thirteen” can already be heard echoing through the sylvan hills.