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.

New Snow

 We've received about 2 cm of new snow overnight, and it looks like the snowfall will continue for much of the day. The predicted total is around 5 or 6 cm. The wind is currently light from the south, but late this afternoon it will move around to the northwest and become quite strong. So the conclusion of this snow event will probably see a lot of drifting snow.

I will not groom until the snowfall has ended, which probably means tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we have good skiing on a few centimetres of fresh powder over a previously packed base.

More of the Same

 I feel like I'm writing the same thing every day; because ski conditions remain virtually the same, which is very good. Yesterday, I groomed a couple of areas that had not been done Tuesday, primarily the North Field, and I regroomed trails that were trampled by hikers on Tuesday.

Skiing will be very good today. Current temperature is -10, rising to -6 this afternoon.