Snow is on the way

Flurries are predicted for today, and a general snowfall tonight. I will be monitoring the snowfall, and if there is enough, I will groom. 5 p.m. update. I groomed the skate loops this afternoon. Snow is beginning to fall at a moderate rate right now. Hopefully I can pack the new snow either tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Good News/Bad News - again

I've just returned from my week at Stokely Creek Lodge in Algoma, where snow is plentiful. Unfortunately, I pulled a hamstring muscle while there, so I'm on the limp right now. That's the bad news.
The good news is that stable, below-freezing temperatures have returned to our area, and we have a bit of new snow. We got about 5 cm of snow yesterday and overnight, and it is snowing lightly right now. There will be no grooming today, but the new powder over the old crust is providing fairly good skiing. It looks like there will be a general snowfall on Tuesday. I may try to groom after that.

Hope for the future

It looks like things are going to cool down by this weekend, and there is a chance of some new snow. According to long range forecasts, temperatures over the next 2 weeks will be great for skiing, if we can get a bit of new snow on top of the icy base.
Meanwhile, I am at a place where snow is abundant - Stokely Creek Lodge in Algoma, 70 km north of Sault Ste. Marie. Although there is close to a meter of snow in the bush, and half a meter of packed snow on the trails, temperatures here have been just as mild as in southern ontario. It was plus 2 yesterday, and the skiing was slow, so I opted for a snowshoe hike to the top of King Mountain.

A narrow spot next to a rock face near the summit

In a holding pattern

I skied yesterday afternoon, and it was actually not bad. The warm temperature had one benefit, which was to soften the surface and get rid of the ice. That said, however, each warm day means a little more snow lost. There are definitely some thin and bare spots out there, but 95% of the trail surface is still well covered.
We have to get through about 3 or 4 more warm days before colder weather returns.
I will not be posting regular condition reports over the next week. I am going on a holiday to a place where snow is plentiful: Stokely Creek Lodge, north of Sault Ste. Marie. I hope that when I return, there will still be something to ski on here at Hockleycrest.

Skiing is still possible!

Amazingly, after close to 3 weeks of mild weather, we still have reasonably good snow coverage on the trails. There are definitely some thin, bare, or icy spots, but generally the trails are covered with a soft packed granular snow. Conditions today are safer and more comfortable than a couple of days ago when everything was ice.
It is not what I would call great conditions, but if you're desperate to get out on skis, it is possible.

Poor skiing and a dismal forecast

We're sitting at plus 1 right now, and yesterday's ice is starting to fall off the trees. The forecast calls for very warm weather for the next week, so I don't think we're going to be skiing here anytime soon. Meanwhile, there is lots of debris to pick up as a result of the ice load on the trees.

A dead scots pine that came down across trail #1a as a result of the freezing rain.

Tuesday - freezing rain

As predicted, we are receiving freezing rain. Trail conditions are poor. Skiing is not recommended today.

icicles on a sign at the junction of Hockleycrest #3 and Central Park #6

Sunday Jan 15 - no change from yesterday

Trails are still hard packed and icy, not very good for skiing.
I spent some time yesterday putting up snow fencing along a portion of trail #7 where it doesn't get much snow and then the wind blows away whatever is there. Hopefully, the next time we have a snowfall, we will retain more snow in that area.

Saturday Jan. 14 - Skiable, but not enjoyable

I've just come in from skiing. Trail conditions have not changed much over the past few days. It is still hard and icy. Yesterday, we received about 1 cm of new snow from light flurries, but this has not really improved skiing conditions very much. If I were you, I'd go for a hike today rather than skiing.
I spent some time yesterday afternoon, limbing white pines along the Hockleycrest Trail #3; anyplace where branches were overhanging the trail and I could reach them with a saw, I removed them. This will make no difference to current trail conditions, but will hopefully pay dividends in the future.

Friday morning - Good new/bad news

The good news is that Thursday was not as warm or as wet as predicted. We still have surprisingly good snow coverage on the trails, with thin or bare spots in 4 or 5 of the usual locations. These are places where, either the overhead canopy of conifers prevents snow from landing on the ground, or the prevailing winds strip away fallen snow, or both. I spent some time yesterday morning putting up snow fencing at the junction of trail #10 and trail #19, and pruning spruce branches at the junction of #19 and #6. I piled the boughs along the edges of the trail in an attempt to hold snow and reduce wind erosion. These are experimental snow management techniques; I'm looking forward to seeing whether they make any difference.
As for today, the trails are much the same as they have been over the past week: fast and icy, not the most enjoyable to ski on, and definitely not for beginners. There are some flurries and possible snow squalls in the forecast for later today. If we got even a few centimetres of new snow over our current base, skiing would immediately be vastly improved.

Thursday - warm and wet

It is currently plus 2 and raining. I would not recommend skiing today.

Wednesday - survived phase one of Colorado Low

Tuesday saw the arrival of a Colorado Low that brought us snow, accompanied by warming temperatures, followed by rain, followed by winds that gusted to nearly 100 km/h. Today's inspection of trails revealed that we still have quite good snow coverage; about 7 cm of yesterday's snow remained on the surface in a partially melted condition. The trails, and the ground everywhere, were littered with thousands of branches and twigs. I groomed all trails this afternoon with roller and snow-comb, and stopped along the way to pick up several hundred twigs and half dozen larger limbs or entire trees. Afterward I skied and it was surprisingly good, at a temperature of +2. The purpose of the grooming was not really to produce good ski conditions now, but to create a uniform packed base for future snowfalls (if they come).
The second phase of the storm system is set to arrive tonight with more warmth and up to 25mm of rain. Time will tell if we can survive that one.

The forecast is not encouraging

We received one or two centimetres of snow in flurries yesterday, which served to soften up the trail surface just a bit. A few intrepid skiers were out on the trails Sunday. I did not see them in person, but I saw their tracks.
It looks like things will be much the same again today.
There is bad news in the weather forecast. A Colorado low is going to move through over the next 3 days, and it looks like it will bring more rain than snow. A return to colder temperatures is not expected until Thursday night.

Sunday - still no change

We are under a Snow Squall Warning, but as yet no significant snow has arrived here. The trail conditions continue to be icy and hard, with just a tiny bit of powder snow on top.
It looks like things are going to change on Tuesday. The weather forecasts all agree there will be precipitation, mostly in the form of snow. Some forecasts predict a bit of rain mixed in, and a high temperature that may go above 0. We will have to wait and see what the final result is

Saturday - much the same

We have not had any new snow, so trails are much the same as yesterday:icy and not very enjoyable to ski on. It's also pretty cold this morning at -16.

Friday morning - Wanted : more snow

Trail conditions are pretty much the same today as yesterday: hard icy crust with just a touch of powder snow on top. I did some grooming yesterday in the central area, with a heavy track-setter. It made some improvement, especially on trails where there was some powder snow drifted in. Generally however, conditions are not very good. I would not recommend skiing today. Another consideration today is the temperature; it is currently -17, which is rather cool.

Thursday morning - still icy

We've had a little bit of new snow, but not sufficient to really cover the icy crust below. The snow was accompanied by strong winds, so it was very unevenly distributed. In some places the snow blew away completely, while in other spots there are deep drifts. I tried a bit of grooming yesterday afternoon, but it was not very effective, so I stopped.
There are flurries in the forecast, and it's snowing lightly here now, but we need 5 to 10 cm to make conditions good again.
I would not recommend skiing today.

Meltdown finished - waiting for new snow

After yesterday's warmth and rain, the temperature is now sitting right on 0, and will drop during the day. We did not lose very much snow, but surface conditions today are going to be difficult, becoming hard and icy, certainly not the powder heaven we had a couple of days ago. I suspect we have a few bare spots, but will have to get out for a tour of the trails to confirm that.
The forecast says it will be cold over the next week, and there is a chance of flurries just about every day. I would not recommend skiing here until we get at least 5 cm of new snow.
10:40 a.m. update: It is snowing and blowing here right now. Not enough accumulation yet to make a real difference, but at least we are heading in the right direction. I may try a bit of grooming this afternoon and see how it works out. Grooming after warm, wet, soft conditions is tricky business;if you go on the snow too soon, you end up with hard-pack ice.

Warm and wet; please don't ski today

We're going through another warm, wet spell. Fortunately it looks like it will only last until tonight, and then we'll see a return to cooler temperatures. Please don't try skiing today. It won't be much fun, and it would just damage our snow base, leaving deep icy ruts that will be impossible to groom out.
A big thank-you to everyone who has left a donation in the box at the trail head. I've had some expenses with the groomer lately (new battery for the ATV, new drum for the roller/comb), so your contributions are greatly appreciated.

Good skiing early today - bad weather coming later

Warm weather with drizzle and rain is moving in this afternoon. Skiing should be very good up until about noon; conditions will get more difficult after that.
I will pack the skating loops this morning.
This was the view on the Southfield trail #12 this morning, with an ice crystal fog. We had great skiing until about noon.

More snow, more great skiing

The snowfall yesterday afternoon and evening left us with close to 10 cm of new snow, so I will be out at first light, packing it and smoothing things out.
Yesterday, when the temperature hit 0, the snow got very sticky and glide was poor. New fallen snow is the worst for this.Today's predicted high is -1, so hopefully we will avoid that problem; it would probably be best to ski early before the temperature goes up too much.
Thanks to TamE for pointing out in comments yesterday that some folks have been having problems in the parking lot. It is best to park only on the level area at the west end of the parking lot. If you go down the slope toward the east, you may have trouble getting back up again.
Here's your noon hour update: trails are all groomed except the skating loops. Skiing is near perfect, with blue sunny sky and comfortable temperature. So far, the glide is great.

North Plateau Trail approaching the viewpoint over the valley

The Pasture Trail