Icy Again

 Yesterday's snowfall was followed by a period of warm temperatures which reached +4, so about half the new snow melted. Then the temperature dropped to -6 overnight, so we now have icy conditions again. I would NOT recommend skiing this morning.

The forecast says we will get more snow today, beginning around noon. But again, they are predicting a period of warmth overnight, just after the snowfall, before temperatures drop to -10 tomorrow morning. It's difficult to know what kind of ski conditions we will have after that, but I'm not optimistic.

A Bit of New Snow

 We are currently experiencing a moderate snowfall. There is 2 to 3 cm of new snow on the ground, and it looks like there will be a couple more before it's done. This will help to cover the icy crust, but will not totally solve our problems. The temperature is just below 0 now, and will likely rise to +2 this afternoon. So this snow may melt a little before the temperature drops tonight. I think it would be a mistake for me to groom this snow, as it might just create more ice. Best to wait for colder temperatures.

The forecast is calling for a significant snowfall tomorrow, beginning around noon, followed by a fairly cold night. So, there is a chance we will have good conditions again by Saturday.

Skiing is possible today, but I think it will be a bit difficult. New snow at temperatures around 0 is almost always sticky. If you come to ski, make sure to have a good liquid glide wax on your skis.

10 a.m. Update: I changed my mind, for 2 reasons. First, our snowfall turned out to be close to 10 cm. Second, the temperature stayed below 0 until 10 a.m. So, I packed the new snow on most of the trails in the central section. Hopefully, it was the right choice, and it will make a better base for tomorrow's snow. Temperature is now +1.

Icy

 After another warm day yesterday, the temperature has dropped to below freezing this morning. The wet snow has frozen into an icy crust. Right now, the trails are almost impossible to ski on. If you want to ski today, wait until the temperature has risen to above 0 and the surface has softened; this will probably happen around 10 or 11 this morning.

Looking a couple of days ahead in the weather forecast, there is a chance we will get back into some better ski conditions for the weekend. The Weather Network is predicting 10 to 15 cm of new snow on Friday.

A Big Change

 Yesterday afternoon's temperature reached close to +5 in sunshine. A lot of melting took place, and the snow pack has settled considerably. There is still plenty of snow on the ground, but it's a very different snow: wet, heavy, and granular. Skiing is still possible, but not nearly as easy or enjoyable as it was with dry powder snow. You will not have the fine control that you had before.

The forecast says it will reach +5 again today. A full return to colder temperatures won't happen until Friday. There will be no grooming until that happens.

Skiing is still OK

 Right now, the temperature is -3, and skiing conditions are much the same as yesterday: quite good. However, that is going to change. By 11 a.m., the temperature will likely rise above 0; the snow will become wet, sticky and heavy - typical "spring skiing" conditions. It's quite windy outside, and there is a good chance of some mixed precipitation this afternoon.

For the best skiing experience, I would suggest you come as early as possible this morning.

11:00 a.m. Update: Temperature is just reaching 0, and the snow is starting to get a bit sticky. This morning, I fixed up a couple more drifted areas that I missed yesterday.

Still Good Skiing

 Conditions remain good on our trails, and the temperature will be a bit warmer today (but still below freezing). We had a strong SW wind yesterday, so there was a lot of blowing, drifting snow. We also had a large group of hikers go through, which messed up the grooming on some of the trails.

I will refresh the grooming in the worst spots this morning.

There is some warm, wet weather moving in tomorrow, which will probably have an adverse effect on our skiing conditions. Today may be the last of our powder snow conditions for a while.

10:00 a.m. Update: Badly drifted trails throughout the network have been groomed. Thankfully, there is no wind today. Skiing is very good.

Another Nice Ski Day

 Conditions remain very good on our trails. Yesterday's grooming is still looking great, and the weather is going to be nice.

Yesterday afternoon, I remedied a problem on trail #1, Mainline. There was a short section of this trail, between #16 and #3, which I had not been able to groom since our first big snowfall, 10 days ago. Snow was so deep on the trail that there was a risk of the grooming machine slipping off the edge and rolling down the hill. With a lot of shovel work, I have restored an adequate width of flat surface to take the groomer through, and the trail has been groomed.

I will refresh the grooming on the southern trails this morning. There is some wind today, so dress accordingly, and expect to see some drifting in open areas.

10 a.m. Update: Grooming on southern trails (and a couple of central ones) has been refreshed. Skiing is very good. Unfortunately, the parking lot on 5 Sideroad is full; apparently, there is a large group hike taking place today. It is permissible to park along the north shoulder of the road, where the shoulder is quite wide and well plowed back.

Very Good Skiing Continues

 There has been very little change in the ski conditions since yesterday: a trace of new snow over the previously groomed surface. A couple of trails are still a bit soft; I will try to go over these later today, to pack them a little more firmly.

It looks like there is a change coming in the weather. After an incredible stretch of almost 7 weeks of great skiing weather, 3 days of above-freezing temperatures will begin on Monday next week. This will almost certainly bring a change in our snow conditions. So, if you like skiing in powder snow, I suggest you get out on the trails this weekend.

It's cool this morning (minus 14), but will warm up to -7. There is very little wind.

Noon Update: Tracks have been refreshed on Black Cherry, Stone Hedge, Ash Grove, Central Park, most of Westside, and part of Southfield. We're currently having a little snow flurry, which is leaving a light dusting of powder over the grooming.

Very Good Skiing

 Well, things have settled down a bit, after a few days of challenging weather. All trails were groomed yesterday, and they still look good this morning. There has been about 1 cm of fresh powder overnight. It's snowing lightly now, and flurries are expected to continue through the day.

Skiing is very good today.

11 a.m. Update: I've been out to refresh tracks on a couple of trails, including #6 Central Park, #9 Pasture, #14 Logger's, and #12 Southfield. I also put up a few markers along the side of the trail on #9 so that it's easier to find the trail in the open field.

Good News/Bad News

 The bad news is that it snowed and blowed most of the day yesterday, with serious drifting and white-out conditions on the roads and trails.

The good news is that it is calm and not snowing out there this morning. Also good news that my son, who is visiting for a few days, got out yesterday afternoon and did some grooming of the central trails. It was still snowing and blowing at the time, so there is some accumulation over the groomed surface, but only a few centimetres.

I will groom the southern trails this morning, and then do the central area again.

It's a bit cool this morning, currently -16, but will warm up to -10. Skiing is good.

11:30 a.m. Update: Most trails, including all the southern section, have been packed with the roller/comb this morning. Skiing is very good. I will do some track-setting in the central area this afternoon.

Afternoon Update: Central trails have been track-set. Skiing is very good.

Snow Keeps Coming

 It is snowing here again this morning, and we are under a snow squall warning. We've received possibly as much as 5 cm since yesterday afternoon, which means that any grooming done yesterday is covered over. We also had a lot of drifting yesterday afternoon.

Skiing is good, although a bit slow this morning. At the current temperature of -15, the glide is not great.

I will not be able to groom today; I have to drive down to Toronto (a drive which I'm not looking forward to).

Recovery

 We are recovering from the heavy snowfalls of the past few days. I groomed twice yesterday; once in the morning, and again in the late afternoon. Almost everything in the southern and central areas has been rolled and packed, and skiing is very good. You will find it still a bit soft in some places, and a tiny bit of new snow fell after the grooming. Our snow depth gauge is now showing 65cm of snow on the ground.

Today, I will pack the northern trails that are open, and will then start some track-setting.

Temperatures are a little cooler today (now -13) and there is some wind, so dress accordingly. With the wind, there will likely be some drifting in open areas.

A word of warning: The parking lot had not yet been plowed at 4:30 yesterday afternoon, and one car was stuck there. If the lot has not been plowed, do not go into it; park on the roadside instead.

With the depth of snow we have now, it would be possible to ski some of the northern trails that were damaged by logging, on a "backcountry" basis. The main Bruce Trail could be skied all the way up to the stile at Airport Road, and the Northfield Circuit could also be done. DO NOT TRY North Plateau or Plateau Extension, or the section of Hockleycrest #3 parallel to Airport Road. All of these still have trees felled across them.

Afternoon Update: This morning, I rolled and packed trails #9, #12,  #14, #1a and #1 in the north end. This afternoon, I have set track on several trails in the central area. However, snow squalls continue to bring us new snow, and the wind is causing severe drifting in some areas.

Snow Just Keeps On Coming

 We've received about 10 cm of new snow since I groomed yesterday, and it's still snowing. Although the storm will not end until late today, I will start grooming right after breakfast. I know the trails will get filled in quickly, but I want to get some of this snow packed before it becomes so deep that it's totally unmanageable.

11:00 a.m. Update: STAY AT HOME TODAY. I've been out grooming in this blizzard. It's tough out there. Nobody should be on the roads in weather like this.

I managed to pack most of the trails in the central section, but it's slow going. Everything is harder when the snow is this deep. Even small uphills, that are normally done with ease, are a challenge today.

More Than Enough Snow

 I was not on site yesterday. I arrived back after 5 p.m. and began to assess the amount of new snow and its impact on the trails. I had time to roll a short loop near the house, which I have skied this morning.

We received about 20cm of new snow over the past 2 days. I will begin grooming with the roller/comb right after breakfast. I will not do a couple of difficult areas, where I might get stuck. There will be no track setting on the first groom. Once the snow has been rolled, it will provide good skiing.

However, we are expecting another major snowfall, starting this afternoon and overnight into Sunday. I would actually not mind if it stopped snowing for a few days.

10:45 a.m. Update: Most trails have been packed with the roller/comb. Only a couple of small sections were left undone. On many sections, I did multiple passes in order to achieve better compaction of this deep, soft snow.

We are currently having a moderate snowfall, with more expected later. After a short break, I will head out again with the track-setter and set a little bit of track in the central area. The parking lot has been plowed; not sure how the roads are for travelling.

Abundant Snow

 Well, if you enjoy back country skiing in deep powder, then you should like today. I'm not sure exactly how much snow fell since yesterday, but it's a lot.

Unfortunately, I have other important commitments both today and tomorrow, so this snow will not be groomed until Saturday at the earliest.

Waiting for the Big Storm

 As we wait for the big snow storm to arrive tonight, conditions on the trails are still very good. There will be no grooming today.

The forecast is currently calling for 20 to 30 cm of snow tonight. If that turns out to be correct, then it will probably take a day or two to get all the trails groomed.

More Good Skiing

 Conditions remain about the same on our trails. A few light flurries yesterday added a trace of new powder to the surface, but Sunday's grooming is still quite good. The skiing is excellent. It's a bit cool right now, at -13, but the high of -5 should be very comfortable for skiing.

It looks like we are in for a major snow storm Wednesday night and into Thursday. Is it possible to have too much snow? Actually yes. If we receive the top end of the forecast amount, 40 cm, it will be very difficult to handle. Let's wait and see.

Still Great Skiing

 It's -8 and snowing lightly right now. We've received about 1 cm of new snow since yesterday, not enough to harm yesterday's grooming. Skiing is excellent.

Based on the forecast, it looks like good conditions are going to continue for the week ahead.

Snow Again

 The snow keeps coming. Overnight, we've received 5+ cm and it's still snowing. Another couple of cm is possible. This is very nice snow - soft, powdery, good glide at the current temperature of -7.

I will groom after breakfast. In the meantime, you will have very good "backcountry" conditions. The forecast says we will have brisk westerly winds later on, so there will probably be some drifting.

11:30 a.m. Update: Trails have been groomed. Skiing is excellent. Please DO NOT SKI THE NORTHERN-MOST TRAILS. Any trail north or west of the junction of #1, #1a and #14 is closed due to damage from logging operations. Many of these trails are impassable.

A Nice Ski Day

 The trails are in good shape for today. Yesterday's grooming still looks great, except for a few drifted spots. Temperature now is -8; anticipated high -3, with very little wind. I will do a small partial groom this morning to clean up the drifted areas, primarily on trail #12.

More snow coming in this afternoon and tonight.

The northern-most trails are still closed because of logging damage. Please do not ski north or west of the junction of 1a, 1, and 14.

A Little More Snow - Again

 Yesterday's 3 cm snowfall was followed by some squalls late last night, which added another couple of cm. This was accompanied by strong winds, so there has been quite a bit of drifting. Skiing is good, but right now it's tending toward "backcountry" conditions. The glide is a bit slow this morning.

I will start a full groom right after breakfast.

11:30 a.m. Update: Trails are groomed and skiing is excellent. It's sunny and the temperature is up to -7. There is, however, a pretty strong wind; there is active drifting in open areas, especially the east end of the south field.

It's Snowing Again

It is snowing and the temperature is -8. There is already 1 to 2 cm of new snow, and it looks like we may get a couple cm more. Right now, this snow is wonderful; soft and silky, with great glide. However, conditions are subject to change.

The temperature will rise, probably topping out near -2, which is okay. The forecast mentions a possibility of freezing drizzle, which would not be good.

There will be no grooming until the snowfall is done, and then only if the temperature is cool enough.

At the moment, the skiing is very nice.

3 p.m. Update: I think our snowfall has ended. Total accumulation was about 3 cm. We also got a tiny bit of freezing drizzle, which made a very thin coat of ice on the snow surface. This has not affected the skiing; it's still very good. Our temperature has not gone above -3, which is great news.

I am not going to groom today. The wind has come up quite strong from the SW, so there is the likelihood that there will be drifting. There is also a chance of snow squalls overnight. So I'm going to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Good Skiing Continues

 The ski conditions on our trails continue to be very good. This morning's temperature is a bit cool, at -10, and consequently the glide is a bit slow. That should improve as it warms up during the day.

Yesterday's grooming is still looking pretty good. I will do a partial groom this morning, to tidy up some of the trails that were done earliest yesterday, and therefore have the most new snow on top.

The northern-most trails continue to be closed because of logging damage. Please do not ski north or west beyond the junction of #1, #1a and #14.

Finally, a note about night skiing. The night before last, we had some skiers on the trails at about 9 p.m., well after dark, wearing head lamps. For safety reasons, I would prefer that skiers use the trails only during daylight hours. PLEASE DO NOT SKI AFTER DARK.

We Got Lucky

 We got lucky again yesterday, as the precipitation all came in the form of snow. It was wet, sticky, packing snow, falling at a temperature of +1; but it was not rain.

The temperature has now dropped to -6, and the new snow is dry and soft. There is approximately 5 cm on top of the older packed trail surfaces. Skiing right now is fair to good, with good grip and good glide. I will groom this new snow this morning, and I think it will result in very good ski conditions.

11 a.m. Update: All trails have now been groomed, with track-setting where appropriate. However, a fairly intense snow flurry moved in toward the end of the grooming session, so there will be 1 to 2 cm of fresh powder on top of the groomed surface. Temperature remains at -6.  Skiing is very good.

Good News/Bad News?

 Looking at the weather forecast, it's difficult to know what's going to happen, and what the result will be.

First the good news: we received about 1 cm of new snow yesterday afternoon, when the temperature was around -6. This snow has provided a thin cushion on top of the older packed base, and this morning, at a temperature of -2, it gives both good grip and great glide. A rare combination.

But how long will this last? The forecast says there will be some snow today, possibly mixed with rain, and a high temperature of +1. Then there will be a drop to -8 tonight. So, we might come out of this with good conditions, or there might be a lot of ice.

It's generally not good to groom wet snow at temperatures above freezing, so I will likely not groom today.

Good Skiing Again Today

 Conditions on the trails are still very good. They might even be a bit better than yesterday; skier traffic has softened up the tracks just a little, and the temperature will be up around -5 today, for comfort and good glide. If the forecast is correct, we will see a bit of new snow this afternoon.

I will not be grooming today. Both my groomer and I will be up at Mono Centre for the Town of Mono Winterfest.

Please remember that the northern-most trails are not open, due to damage from logging. The furthest north that you can ski is the junction of #1, #14, and #1a.

Skiing is still very good

 We dodged a bullet yesterday. The temperature just nudged the 0 mark, but did not go above freezing, so our snow remains almost unchanged. There is just a tiny bit of crustiness in the groomed tracks, but it's barely noticeable.

Yesterday's grooming went well, and still looks great this morning.

It IS cold this morning, currently sitting at -15, with a little bit of wind. It should reach -10 later in the day. With appropriate clothing in layers, today can be a very nice day for skiing.

Here are a couple of statistical notes: Today is Day 43 of skiing here this year. Last year, we reached Day 43 on April 4. In 2023, we reached Day 43 on March 4. So, we are significantly "ahead of schedule" this year.

I have a snow depth measuring stick in my yard; it is currently showing that we have 30cm of snow on the ground.