December 31, 2017

I don't need to tell you that it's cold outside this morning. I've just come in from my first ski of the day; it's -25C. Luckily there is very little wind. Snow at these temperatures does not provide very good glide; it will be slow today.
Otherwise, trails are in pretty good shape. We unfortunately had a big group of hikers come through yesterday, and they did not obey the simple rules of trail etiquette, i.e. stay on the hiking trail, and when sharing with skiers, walk along the edge. This was in spite of the fact that I met them on the trail and explained the rules to them. Consequently, you will find significant portions of the Mainline trail pock-marked by about 20 sets of footprints.
I'm having some mechanical problems with the ATV that pulls my groomer, so I will not be grooming today.

Sat. Dec. 30

Skiing is good this morning. Trails in the northern portion of the network are a little better, due to less use by both skiers and walkers. It's a little warmer this morning, according to the thermometer, with a reading of -14. However, we have some wind to deal with today, so it's feeling like -22 right now. Dress accordingly.

Late yesterday afternoon

Friday, late afternoon update

We've received about 2 cm of new snow today. I managed to get over to the north end to roll Northfield Circuit and North Plateau. I skied both immediately afterward, and they were very nice.

The high point of North Plateau

Northfield Circuit just before sunset

December 29, 2017

I'm a bit late with my report today, as I was having computer problems. Skiing continues good on our trails. Those at the south end have been trampled a bit by hikers, but once you reach the central and northern portions of the network, you will not have this problem. Snow on the trails has become quite firm as a result of this cold weather. We've had a little new snowfall this morning, but only about 1 cm of accumulation, which helps to soften up the surface a bit.
Temperature right now is -13 with no wind, so it actually feels quite comfortable.

Dec. 28, 2017 - It's cold out there!

Trail and snow conditions remain good, but it's very cold this morning, at -24. Dress warmly with plenty of layers. Perhaps wait until this afternoon, when the temperature will have reached the predicted high of -13.

Dec. 27, 2017 - good skiing

It is cold again today: -17 with a few snowflakes drifting down, but very little wind this morning. The Christmas day grooming on the south and central trails is still holding up very nicely except in a couple of drifted spots. Yesterday afternoon, I finished packing most of the northern trails. The North Plateau is not groomed but is skiing nicely with a back-country feeling.
I have not set any track yet, as the snow depth is still a bit too thin in places. The first track-setting will happen after the next significant snowfall.
Dress appropriately for these cool temperatures.

Dec. 26 - blowing and drifting

No new snow to report, but the snow we have has moved around a bit due to strong westerly winds yesterday. The wind is not as strong this morning, but it is still significant, and therefore we are still seeing some drifting in open areas. The Mainline trail between the 2 ends of Southfield (#12) is very drifted. For those heading to the northern portion of the network, I would recommend using Pasture (#9) since it is much more sheltered.
It's also fairly cold today, at -16, so dress warmly and protect exposed skin.
I will try to groom some more terrain today, but I'm having some trouble with the groomer so I can't promise to get everything done.
Late afternoon update: drifted areas on Mainline between the ends of #12, #12 itself, #1a, #14, Pasture, Roller Coaster, the northern portion of Mainline and a connection across the north field to connect with Hockleycrest were all groomed today. There is still some drifting taking place, but the grooming has smoothed things out quite a bit.