Skill usage...

Are we using skills or skill challenges correctly?

It seems that very few skills actually get used.

Perception is used every encounter to determine surprise and to locate hidden individuals.

Stealth is used quite a bit by those that have it and pretty much ignored by those that don't.

Thievery is used occasionally, but I haven't really seen a failure. Maybe we're just super good or the DCs are a bit too low.

Arcana and Religion come up occasionally, it's either you have it and can proceed or you don't and are stuck.

Rarely see the other skills used much (Insight, Endurance, Intimidate, Bluff, Diplomacy, Nature and Dungeoneering).

Thoughts

On some obstacles, I actually write the DC to jump up, or over them right on the obstacle (or at least in my notes). You're right, we don't see many skill challenges, and even fewer ability checks. I'm not sure that this is such a "bad" thing.

I'd venture to say, we aren't conducting skill challenges the way they were intended...

Not really advocating more skill challenges, just wanted to note how some skill are used almost every encounter while others aren't used at all.

Yep, I made the same observation and have been attempting to have both athletics and acrobatics play more of a role. By far, perception seems to be the most useful skill, even worth considering taking a feat to increase a PC's modifier. If I had to do WAR! over again, there would be more "staged" battles in the field where one side is in place and the other side walks into an ambush. Also, there would be more "meeting" engagements where the two sides see each other in natural terrain at the same instance while both groups are on the march. I really liked the "Block the Docks" adventure where the party had to hold the trail intersection, ambushing Royalist reinforcements on thier way to the main battle at the docks. The party playing the role of ambusher was refreshing.

Heal, especially as play becomes more deadly or if a party lacks a Leader, can be critical. Hey, on the last little training adventure, both the Archer Ranger AND Hayden went down and were saved by a fellow PC using a skill check.

Perhaps in some games where the play is more "story" oriented and less "hack and slash", some of the other skills come into play more. Are we kinda action junkies as a group?