Monday Feb. 29 - No skiing today, but maybe tomorrow

It's looking like we will definitely have some new snow tomorrow. By Wednesday, I'm hopeful the trails will be skiable again.

Sunday Feb. 28

Well, we still had some skiing this morning, but after a day where the temperature reached +9, the snow is gone once again. There is the potential for a significant snowfall on Tuesday, so let's see what happens; perhaps there is still some skiing left before spring really arrives.

While the snow was rapidly melting at Hockleycrest, I was up in Ottawa skiing the Gatineau Loppet on Saturday. (52 km: 4 hours 58 minutes)  When I left there this morning, it was snowing quite hard and the temperature was -7.

Saturday Feb. 27

I am in Ottawa, not at Hockleycrest, but my wife tells me the snow is getting quite wet and ice is falling from the trees. Tomorrow's temperature looks like a disaster for our trails.

Fri. Feb. 26

I will not be at Hockleycrest this weekend, as I am skiing the Gatineau Loppet up in Ottawa. More warm weather moving in on Saturday. If you're coming to ski, better come early before the snow melts.

Thurs. Afternoon Update

I groomed this morning, completing about 95% of the trails. Most were done with roller and snow comb only. I tried some tracksetting in the central portion, but it was only partly successful. The grooming was beneficial I think. First, I managed to pack down the crust so that it no longer collapses under your ski as you pass over. Second, I picked up numerous fallen branches and twigs, brought down by the ice. There are still some on the trails (and they continue to fall) but I think I got most of the bigger ones.
There are numerous wet spots, where slush was hiding just below the surface. When I packed the snow, these became evident. Now that they are exposed to the air, they should freeze as the temperature drops. Another bit of good news: the snowfall still continues as I write this, coming down at a rate of about 1 cm per hour. This is filling in the tracks and the grooves in the corduroy, and making for a nice surface to ski on.
If you come skiing, you will have to duck under some low-hanging branches, mostly pines. I pruned the worst of them while I groomed but there are more, so keep your eyes open!

Groomer sitting on Mainline in the north end. showing ice-laden trees

Trail #12 along the edge of the soybean field, with heavily laden maples

 

Thurs. Feb. 25 - Winter Wonderland?

We have a real mixed bag this morning. Yesterday morning we received about 8 cm of new snow, but that was followed by several hours of freezing rain and some plain rain. So there is an ice crust on top of the new snow, and some of the rain penetrated down through the snow and still sits there as unfrozen water at ground level. On top of it all, we have 2 cm of new snow this morning and it is still snowing lightly. The trees are all coated in ice and snow, so it is rather pretty.
As for skiing, I've just been out and it is skiable as it stands right now. I will be out with the groomer after breakfast to see if I can crush the ice crust and leave a compressed area where more new snow will collect. Stay tuned.

Wed. Feb. 24 - Snow has begun

The snow began at 8:50 a.m. falling at a rate of about 1 cm per hour. It has now intensified and is accumulating at about 2 cm per hour. There is a risk that it will change to ice pellets or freezing rain later today, before changing back to snow tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see what we have once it is all done.

Tues. Feb. 23 - Snow is on the way

According to the forecast we will definitely get some snow over the next 2 days. The total amount appears to be 10 to 15 cm. Let's keep our fingers crossed; there may be good skiing on the weekend. I will try to groom, but may not be able to do everything. I am leaving Friday morning for Ottawa where I will be skiing in the Gatineau Loppet 50km classic on Saturday.

Monday, Feb. 22 - There may be hope on the horizon

At the moment we have no snow and therefore no skiing. But there may be cause for hope. A major storm system is forecast to pass through the region on Wed and Thurs, with some snow and maybe some rain, followed by cooler temperatures. With any luck, we might be skiing again next weekend.

Sunday Feb. 21

We have lost virtually all our snow. It will require a snowfall of at least 10 cm before we can be skiing again here.

Sat. Feb. 20, 2016 - Melt Down - Again

The mild temperatures yesterday and overnight have done major damage to our trails. There are many bare spots, and what is left on the ground is more like slush than snow.
The trails are closed to skiing today.

Thurs. Feb. 18

The trails skied well yesterday. However, late in the afternoon I noticed a few spots where conditions had deteriorated a little. With the wind blowing from the NW, some places were getting drifted in; the portion of #1 Mainline that crosses the east end of the south field, between the 2 junctions of trail #12, was drifted, as was the southeastern part of #12. Wear and tear as a result of skier traffic was also evident in a few places.
I will not be at Hockleycrest today, so trails will not be groomed. However, Tuesday's grooming is still holding up quite well.

Wed. Feb. 17 - Getting Better

We received another cm of snow overnight, so conditions on the trails have improved a bit. I would now rate them at 7 to 8 out of 10. If you're going to come skiing, better do it today or tomorrow; Friday and the weekend look horrible, weather-wise.

Tuesday afternoon update

The snowfall ended in the early afternoon, leaving us with about 3 cm of new snow since yesterday. I groomed all trails this afternoon. I rolled the north and south portions of the network, and set track on the central portion. It is not perfect, but I just skied it and it's not bad. Overall, I would rate the conditions at 6 to 7 out of 10. The skate loops are also rolled and combed.
Thank you to whoever put some money in the donation box. It is appreciated, as it helps to pay for the fuel for the groomer.

Tues. Feb. 16

We received a little snow yesterday afternoon - about 1 cm. It is snowing now, and is supposed to accumulate to about 2 cm. If there is sufficient new snow, I will groom this afternoon. I still have not set a track, because the base depth is only about 2 cm.
Temperature is comfortable! It is -3 right now and forecast high is -1.

Monday Feb 15 - Family Day

It is a much warmer day out there today, starting off at -12 this morning. Our trails are unchanged from yesterday: a packed powder surface, full coverage, but a bit thin in places.

Sunday afternoon update

All trails that can be groomed have been groomed. The temperature has climbed to -13 and the sunshine makes it feel warmer than that.
Perhaps I was a bit optimistic this morning when I said "at last some good conditions". Some trail sections certainly are good, but others are only fair, with very thin snow cover on trails running between the rows of pines and on the open fields. The 2 skate loops have both been packed; if you want to come and skate, send me an email at salydave@sympatico.ca and I will tell you where to park to access the skate loops directly.

Sunday Feb 14 - Finally, some good conditions

We have 8 to 10 cm of new powder snow on the trails. I will be out after breakfast to pack and snowcomb the surface. I do not think there is sufficient depth yet to set a track, although I may try an experimental section later on to see how it works.
IT IS EXTREMELY COLD OUTSIDE THIS MORNING. Current temperature is -29C, so if you come to ski, dress very warmly and be prepared to cover exposed skin (i.e. your face). The coldness also means that glide is very poor, so skiing will be slow.
The forecast says the high will be -12, so things should improve later in the day.

We have new snow

|I'm not back to Hockleycrest yet, but I'm on my way. Meanwhile, my son has reported to me that there is 10 cm of new snow, so I think we may have decent skiing conditions tomorrow. I will provide an update tomorrow morning. Looks like it will be pretty cold first thing in the morning, but the high is predicted to be -11, so that is not bad.

Go North

As noted in my previous post, I am skiing at Stokely Creek Lodge in northern Ontario - about 45 minutes drive north of Sault Ste. Marie. There is plenty of snow here, although conditions were a bit tricky yesterday with the temperature at +3. Due to the warm temps and wet snow, they were not able to groom much yesterday. It is colder this morning and there was about 2 cm of new snow overnight so grooming is underway. The big grooming machine just went by the window of the dining room as I sit having my morning coffee and writing this.
So, if you want to ski XC, the answer is Go North! (I've also been reading pretty good reports from Gatineau Park just outside Ottawa).
Below are a couple of photos I took today while skiing at Stokely Creek.

It seems they don't like yellow snow here, so they have provided a number of small buildings to take the pressure off.
 

Perfect grooming on perfect snow; temperature -5

Sat. Feb. 6 - A step in the right direction

We received about 3 cm of snow Friday night, so the ground is at least covered in white. This is a step in the right direction, but is still not enough to make acceptable skiing conditions.
I will not be reporting conditions here over the next week, as I will be skiing at Stokely Creek Lodge, north of Sault Ste. Marie, where they have lots of beautiful powder snow. If it snows here while I am away, the trails will not be groomed until next Sunday at the earliest.

Fri. Feb. 5 - We Need Snow

I'm sorry to report that it will be another weekend with no skiing here at Hockleycrest. We do not have sufficient snow coverage.

Wed. Feb. 3 - Good News/Bad News

After a night of mixed precipitation including snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and rain, it is now +3 outside, with more rain expected. The good news is that not all our trails are totally bare; some sections, especially in the trees, still have a covering of either ice or snow on them. However, other trails, particularly in open field areas, are completely bare.
It looks like we will return to colder temperatures tomorrow, but there is no significant snowfall in the forecast. The more immediate problem is to get through the predicted +11 today.
Yesterday, I took advantage of the mild weather to widen one spot on trail #7, and to make a small reroute also on #7. I have moved the most westerly leg of #7 into the trees, away from an area that is being used by cars and trucks. If the snow ever returns, this should make for better skiing conditions in that area.

Monday Feb. 1 - Wiped Out

The ridiculously mild weather and rain have completely wiped out our snow base. And the warm weather is predicted to continue for another few days. No skiing until further notice.