Still Good Skiing

 We were fortunate yesterday that the temperature only reached +1 briefly in the afternoon. Our snow was not radically transformed into icy crust; it is still quite powdery.

Once again today, the skiing will be best early in the day. Current temperature is -4, which is ideal. It will reach 0 around noon, and that is when the snow may become moist and sticky.

The coming week looks like it will not be kind to our trails, but the following week should bring a return to cooler temperatures and better skiing.

Today is Day 74 of skiable conditions here this year, and it's only mid-February. There have been quite a few years when we never reached that number of ski days.

New Snow

 We received about 5 cm of new snow yesterday afternoon and evening. Right now, at a temperature of -3, that fresh powder on top of the old packed base is very pleasant to ski on, with great glide. However, I'm afraid that is going to change, as the forecast high for today is plus 1. It's very likely that the snow will become moist and sticky.

I will start grooming at first light, hoping to get as much done as possible before the temperature reaches the freezing point. For the best skiing today, come early.

Based on the forecast for the next week, it looks like we are going to get into a period of "spring skiing", with above-freezing temperatures in the daytime, and below-freezing overnight. This means hard, fast, icy conditions in the mornings and soft, wet snow in the afternoons. It's not my favourite kind of skiing.

10 a.m. Update: All trails have been groomed, most of them just with a comb, and not track-set. Temperature is still just below freezing, and snow is still powdery.

Flurries Today

 It looks like we will get a little bit of snow today, and the temperature will stay below freezing. That's the good news.

I can't comment on current conditions on the trails, as I'm away for a couple of days, skiing at Stokely Creek Lodge in Algoma. There will be no grooming at Hockleycrest until Saturday at the earliest.

The bad news is that, based on the current forecast, some milder weather will be moving in on the weekend, with temperatures at or above freezing. This will probably mean a deterioration in our skiing conditions.

Moderating Temperature

  Finally some more comfortable temperatures to start the day. It's currently -8 with a forecast high of -1. We are expecting a small amount of snow this morning, and some flurries again tonight.

Skiing should be good today. You will just need to watch out for sticky snow conditions when the temperature is close to the freezing mark. It would be wise to carry a scraper and some "easy glide" with you if you're skiing around the middle of the day.

And Another Cold Start

 Once again, we are below minus 20 to start the day. However, by mid-afternoon, it should be up to a very comfortable -7, with sunshine and light winds.

Trail conditions continue the same: plenty of snow, all of it groomed within the past 3 days, with just a few drifted spots. Skiing should be very nice this afternoon.

Another Cold One

 It's -22 outside right now, but not windy. The ski trails are generally in good shape, with a few drifted sections. Yesterday's grooming is still good in most places.

At the current temperature, glide is very slow, but should improve as the temperature rises to -13 this afternoon.

Cold and Windy

 Yesterday's snowfall amounted to approximately 5 cm, but it's hard to get an accurate number because the wind picked up last night and there has been a huge amount of drifting.

I groomed the southern and central trails yesterday, late in the afternoon. That may have been a mistake, as much of that grooming has disappeared under drifted snow. The strong winds have also brought down a lot of small twigs from trees; hopefully nothing big has come down on a trail.

I will groom again this morning on the northern trails, and will refresh some of the drifted trails in the central area. However, the wind is still blowing, so drifting is likely to continue.

It's also quite cold this morning, currently -20, with a forecast high of only -16. As a result, the glide is quite slow.

Noon Update: I've groomed all the northern trails and refreshed the worst of the central trails. The wind was from the north, so the east-west trails in open areas were the most affected by drifting. Be prepared for a slanted descent on The Pasture, as there was a giant drift on the hill. I ran the groomer over it, but it's still much higher on the left side than the right.