Cooler and Better

 Yesterday's temperature went just a little above 0, and the result was that skiers in the afternoon had sticky snow to deal with. We don't have that problem today. The temperature has dropped to -5, and we have 3 to 4 cm of nice dry powder snow on the trail surfaces. This snow is soft under your ski and has great glide.

The cooler weather also gives me an opportunity to groom. I will be out this afternoon to pack the entire network. Once that is done, the skiing should be very good.

3 p.m. Update: All trails have been packed and skiing is good. One thing I noticed today for the first time this year: snow in sunny spots is beginning to melt, even though the air temperature is minus 5. This happens every year, of course. It's a sign that the intensity of the sunshine is getting stronger, and it signals the beginning of the end of the ski season. But don't worry; we should have at least a couple more weeks of skiing.

And More New Snow!

 Our skiing depends on the weather, and the weather continues to be "interesting". We had a light snowfall for much of the day yesterday, at a temperature of +1. Some of that snow melted on contact, but some of it stuck around on top of the older snow.

Now that the temperature has dropped to -4, yesterday's snow has frozen into a soft crust, which collapses easily under your ski. This has been topped by a centimeter of new powder that has fallen overnight, and continues to come down.

The result is a fairly nice surface to ski on, with enough loose snow for control, and decent glide. The forecast says we will get a bit more snow today, especially this afternoon. And the forecast high is -1. If we can keep the temperature below the freezing point, then skiing should be not bad today.

More New Snow?

 The weather has been a real roller coaster lately, and it looks like today may continue that trend.

We got a mixed bag yesterday, with above-freezing temperatures, some rain, and some big fluffy snowflakes. At the current temperature of -1, we have a soft frozen crust of new snow over the packed base from Wednesday's big snowfall. The skiing right now is not bad, with acceptable glide and enough softness on the surface to provide control.

As the day progresses, the temperature will likely rise to 0 or +1, and some additional snowfall is predicted. This might lead to very sticky snow that clumps up on the bottom of your skis and makes it impossible to move forward. It all depends on temperature, moisture content, and the waxing of your skis.

We have plenty of snow, but it's a bit of a crap shoot whether we will have tolerable skiing or a lot of frustration.

Spring Skiing

 We started out yesterday with beautiful powder snow, but by mid-afternoon the temperature had reached +2 and the snow was transformed into moist granular. That is still the case this morning, as the temperature has remained just above the freezing point overnight.

I was pleasantly surprised by the skiing this morning. The glide was a bit slow, but not sticky, and actually quite nice to ski on. Whether that will continue for the rest of the day is hard to say. The forecast says the temperature will remain around +1 all day, but there might be either rain or snow flurries, so conditions could change.

Be Careful What You Wish For

 In yesterday morning's post, I was hoping for some new powder snow to cover the ice on our trails. In response, Mother Nature delivered 20 cm of new snow (instead of the freezing rain that had been forecast). This is actually more than we wanted, as it's very difficult to work with such a quantity of new snow all at once.

I did some initial grooming of some of the trails with a roller/comb late yesterday afternoon, while it was still snowing. I will continue that this morning. Today's forecast says the temperature will rise from the current reading of -4 to a high of +3. I will groom only up to the time when it reaches the freezing point, which will probably be about 10 or 11 a.m. Hopefully, I will be able to pack most of the network.

Even after 1 or 2 passes with the groomer, trails will still be a bit soft.

10:30 a.m. Update: Trails have been packed, all except for the eastern half of the Northfield loop. I did only a small amount of track-setting, as I was trying to get done quickly before the temperature hit 0. Current temperature is -1 and the snow is still powdery. Skiing is very good, with one caveat: the temperature will probably reach 0 soon, which means the snow may become sticky. Some liquid glide wax, like Easy Glide may be necessary.

Not a Ski Day

 Today will be a day to stay at home and hunker down. Ski conditions are poor at the moment, with yesterday's soft wet snow having frozen into an icy crust. With sunshine and a high temperature of +10 yesterday, we lost about 10 cm of snow. The good news is that we still have complete coverage; we just need to get some new powder snow on top to cover the ice.

Freezing rain and ice pellets are forecast for today, which is not great.

4 p.m. Update: Well, the forecasters sure got that one wrong. Instead of freezing rain, we have had heavy snowfall since 8 a.m. this morning. There is 20 cm of new powder on the ground, and the snowfall seems to have stopped. I've been out with the groomer and done an initial pass with the roller on central and some southern trails. I will do more grooming tomorrow morning.

Deteriorating Conditions

 The temperature yesterday rose to +3 and the result is easy to see: snow is no longer powdery, and there is an icy glaze on the surface. The current temperature is 0, and the glide is very fast, to the extent that it's difficult to control your speed, even on small downgrades. As the temperature rises to +3 again today, this will slow down and become wet and heavy.

The structure of the snow pack is also collapsing; trails that have been packed all season long now collapse under the weight of my ski.

Although it's possible to ski today, I would not recommend it.

Later today, I will be doing some remedial work on a problem area on the Mainline trail between Pine Cut and Hockleycrest. I'm hoping to correct the cross-fall on the trail so that I will be able to continue grooming it for the remainder of the season.

Some nasty weather is predicted for tomorrow: a wintery mix that might include rain, freezing rain, ice pellets, and snow. We will have to wait and see what impact it has on our skiing.