The Ground is White

We have 1 cm of snow on the ground; a few more cm required before we can start skiing.

On the Right Track

It is -9 outside and snowing lightly. We've had some flurries since yesterday and there is now a white covering on the ground. Not enough to ski on, but at least we're heading in the right direction. The forecast calls for more flurries today, with possible accumulations of 4 cm. so, with any luck we might be able to ski soon.

No Skiing Yet

It's been a week since my last post, and things have only gone from bad to worse. We have lost 99% of our snow and the temperature outside right now is +3. Colder weather is supposed to return tomorrow, but the only snow in the forecast is "flurries". That will not likely provide us with enough snow to ski on for as least a few more days.
When we do have adequate snow cover, I'll let you know.

Looks like a Wet Christmas

If the weather forecast proves to be correct, we are in for some very mild, wet weather over the next few days. The little bit of snow we now have on the trails will likely disappear.
I will not make any further posts until I have some good news to report.

Saturday December 20 - Needed: More Snow

We've had a trace of new snow since Thursday, but not enough to make the trails skiable.

Time to do the Snow-Dance

Well, we have returned to below-freezing temperatures, and I've been out to inspect the trails. The good news is that we didn't lose all of our snow. General snow-coverage is about 5 to 8 cm, but there are many bare spots or places where grass is sticking up through the snow. Skiing is not recommended at the moment. We need some new snow. Not too much is needed; 5 to 10 cm would get us back to skiing again, now that we have some base on most of the trails.
There is no significant snow in the short-term forecast. A major system is predicted to come through around Christmas eve or Christmas day, but at the moment they are not sure if it will be rain or snow.

Skiing not recommended today

The warm temperatures are taking their toll. The thermometer topped out at +2 today. We still have fairly good coverage, but there are definitely some thin spots and everything is very wet. Best wait a couple of days before trying skiing again.
I just received this photo from a friend who snapped it on the Mainline trail on Saturday morning about 8 a.m. Things were very nice there for one day!

Ski Conditions Sun. Dec. 14

Just in from skiing. Temperature at 7:30 a.m. was +2. Snow is wet and packing: good for making snowmen, not ideal for skiing. Also one or two bare spots beginning to show up.
I will not groom again until freezing temperatures return; looks like Thursday at the earliest.

Conditions Sat. Dec. 13

I've just come in from skiing, using a head lamp to light my way. Temperature is right on 0 at 7 a.m. Skiing is still good, but the snow texture has become a bit heavy and sticky. This will probably get worse as the temperature rises to +3 during the day.

Plenty of snow!

I've just come in from 3 hours of grooming and an hour of skiing. Yesterday's snow storm left us with about 20 to 25 cm of soft powdery snow on the trails. In fact the snow is so soft and deep that the groomer kept getting bogged down, so I had to keep detaching the roller and pre-pack the trails with the ATV alone, then go back and re-attach the roller and snow-comb.
In the end, 95% of our groomable trails were packed and flattened. Some of the trails in the central area were also track-set.
Skiing is good: I would rate it 7 out of 10. Based on the weather forecast, it should be about the same first thing Saturday morning. Temperature is supposed to rise to +3 later Saturday, so conditions will likely deteriorate.
At any rate, we now have a good base, which will hopefully survive the warm temperatures of Sunday and Monday, and that will be the foundation of our trails for the rest of the winter.

December 11 - Snow is Falling

Well, it looks like we are finally getting a significant snowfall. Once it stops, and assuming there is enough accumulation, I will be getting out and grooming. The first grooming will probably just be packing without tracksetting.

No News is Bad News

Nothing new to report on snow conditions on our trails. We still have just a trace of snow on the ground. The forecast is calling for about 10 cm tomorrow. We'll wait to see if that turns out to be correct.