December 31 - Blame the Weatherman

 Today is not a ski day.

Environment Canada really blew it yesterday. They predicted a snowfall of 5 to 10 cm; instead, we had rain with a high of 3 degrees. So, rather than increasing our snow cover, we lost some. The snow we have left on our trails is very icy.

Do not ski here today.

The weather forecast looking ahead for the next week is not very encouraging: some rain, some snow, some freezing rain, with temperatures above and below 0. I may be a while before we get back to good skiing conditions.

December 30 - some improvement

 Day 14 of skiing this season.

We received about 2 cm of new snow overnight, and skiing is noticeably better as a result. You will still find ice not far below the surface in many places, but the top dressing of new snow definitely helps. The current temperature is -4.

The forecast for today is also improved over what they were predicting yesterday. Snowfall is supposed to continue through the day, possibly mixed with freezing rain this afternoon as the temperature reaches a high of about +1.(Yesterday they were saying +3 with rain)

Skiing today will be best first thing this morning, when the temperature is still below 0. Both skiing and driving conditions may become difficult this afternoon.

I will not be grooming until after this weather event has finished.

December 29 - cooler

 Day 13 of skiing this season

We survived yesterday's rain and mild temperature, and managed to retain snow cover on most trails. Places that had good snow cover before yesterday will still have reasonable cover. Places that were thin, under conifers for example, will be very thin today with some possible bare spots.

24 hours ago, there was a lot of water and slush under the snow. As far as I can see, this has now frozen, and we received about 2 cm of new snow to cover the old. I have not been out over the whole network to check it, but I suspect there may still be some wet spots. Trails will be icy and fast today; not a good day for beginners.

I will do some grooming later this morning and will file an update after that.

UPDATE: I've done a partial groom this morning, trying to improve conditions on the trails that were in the worst shape. Generally, these are the ones that saw a lot of hiker traffic over the past 2 days. Sunday's footprints in the snow have become today's lumpy, bumpy ice. The 2 or 3 cm of fresh powder on top is not a lot to work with in trying to eliminate this annoying situation. Nevertheless, I think I've made some improvement.

If you can stick mainly to trails that are used only by skiers, then conditions are not too bad.

December 28 - Not a ski day

 The temperature is currently +2 with light rain falling. While it would be possible to ski under these conditions, I am going to declare today "not a ski day". In fact, skier traffic on the trails when the snow is this wet will only cause damage to the snow base, and make it more difficult to restore good conditions after the temperature has dropped. So, I'm asking that skiers stay off the trails today.

The temperature is forecast to drop to -3 by this afternoon, with a few cm of snow tonight, so if we're lucky, we may be back to skiing tomorrow.

December 27 - more snow

 Day 12 of skiing this season.

We got a little more snow yesterday afternoon and overnight, which brings our total snowfall since Thursday afternoon to about 23 cm. I will be grooming again this morning, to pack the new snow and try to smooth out the areas where inconsiderate hikers trampled the trail yesterday.

Skiing will be good today.

It looks like we will have a weak warm front passing through tonight and tomorrow morning, bringing some mixed precipitation as the temperature briefly rises above freezing, and then drops again tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, there won't be much rain.

Noon Update: most trails were groomed again this morning. The overnight snow was just enough to cover and smooth out sections that got trampled yesterday. Skiing is good; probably the best we've had so far this year.

Trail #17 Northfield Circuit. This trail was obliterated by drifting yesterday afternoon.

#21 Ash Grove, just after track-setting

December 26 - Boxing Day Bonus

 Day 11 of skiing this season.

We received more snow yesterday afternoon and overnight. According to the measuring stick on my front lawn, we now have 20 cm of snow on the ground. This packs down to about 10 cm on the trails. Skiing is now good throughout the network.

I will not re-groom everything today, but I will touch up the northern trails, where some areas were getting drifted in yesterday afternoon. In addition, I may try some track-setting in the central section.

Noon Update: I groomed all the northern trails this morning, and set track on some of the flatter central trails. However, it has not stopped snowing, and there is some very active drifting going on out there, so some of the newly groomed trails are again covered by fresh powder. In particular, trail #12, #17, and the part of #1 between the ends of #12 are badly drifted in.

December 25 - A Christmas gift

 This is Day 10 of skiing this season.

We received about 8 cm of snow since yesterday afternoon. Snow is still falling, and the forecast says we may get 5 to 10 cm more today.

It is now possible to ski on our trails. There are still a few thin spots; rock skis are recommended if you have them. I will be grooming later today: packing only, as there is not enough snow depth to set a track.

Noon update: All trails have now been groomed. Our total snow on the ground (before packing) is about 10 cm on average, but this varies depending on location. Trails through dense conifers have less snow cover. Trail #1, between #1a and the north junction of #3, is quite thin where it passes under a stand of hemlock trees. Snowfall is still continuing intermittently, so we may get a few more centimetres.

Trail #3 just after grooming this morning