On the last weekend of November, all cross country ski trails at Alturas lake were compacted with double or quadruple snowmobile passes. That should be enough to allow for rough ski touring but not skating or “classic” techniques. Although snow coverage is generally pretty good, sage brush still pokes through the snow surface in some places and no directional signs are up yet. Tree trunks and rocks that are breaking the trail surface or just barely covered are clearly dangerous so extreme caution is advised. More grooming is planned over the next few days to smooth out the skate lanes and set classic tracks. At Park Creek we await the imminent return of Adam, the first man, from the wilds of Northern Idaho for grooming to commence.

P.S. Chadeus Maximus did in fact return to the Alturas Lake ski area on Monday, dug out the grooming equipment and flattened all trails for the first time this season. A light snow was falling steadily on Monday evening.