Wed. Jan. 31

With Monday's snowfall plus a little more today, we have just barely enough snow to ski on. I have rolled and combed some of the trails in the central area where the ground below is the smoothest. The snow cover is very thin. It is possible to ski, but it's not good skiing.

West Side Story trail where it passes my service area.

January 30 - New snow!

We have some new snow, but I'm not sure if it's enough to ski on. I'm not onsite today. A little more snow is forecast for tomorrow. I will advise tomorrow whether skiing is open again.

January 29 - return to winter

The warmth of the past week took away all of our snow, so there is still no skiing. But now that cooler weather has returned, there is a chance we may get back to some skiing. Some snow is forecast for tonight, and there may be some more on Wednesday. Stay tuned, and I'll let you know when the trails are ready again.

Jan. 24, 2018

After a couple of very warm days with rain, colder weather has returned briefly. We have lost almost all our snow. The little bit of snow that remained after the thaw has turned to either crust, or hard glare ice. All this is covered by about a half cm of new snow. Ski trails are still closed, and will be until further notice.
If you are walking any trails in the area, icers are recommended to prevent falling on the hidden icy patches.

Sun. Jan. 21 - No Skiing

The ski trails are closed. There is not sufficient snow.

Sat. Jan. 20 - losing our snow again

It has been possible to ski the past 4 days, but with warm temperatures today and tomorrow, it looks like we will lose most of our snow. I will be closing the trails today.

Thurs. Jan. 18

Conditions remain about the same here. There is just enough snow to ski on; it's definitely a bit thin in many places. Rock skis recommended. We're having a light snowfall here this morning. Every little bit helps, but with warm temperatures coming again this weekend, I don't think this snow is going to last very long.

Tues. Jan. 16 - Open again, but with Caution

We received about 7 cm of new snow yesterday and overnight. This is just enough to ski on, so I have taken down the Trails Closed sign. I skied about half the trails in the network this morning, and I would say the conditions are Fair at best. Wearing waxless skies, I heard the tell-tale buzz-saw sound of my ski bases contacting hard objects below the snow, on many occasions. Rock skis are recommended. There will be no grooming until we have more snow to work with.

Monday January 15 - trails closed

We still have very little snow cover on the trails, with only about 2 cm. With this little cover, I feel it is not safe to ski the trails, so I have put up a sign at the 5 Side Road access point, indicating Trails Closed.

Sat. Jan. 13 - No skiing today

The warm weather and rain has melted most of our snow, and what remains has now turned to ice. The little bit of snow we received as the temperature dropped is not sufficient to ski on.

Fri. Jan. 12 - assessing our losses

We lost a lot of snow yesterday. The temperature will drop rapidly today, followed by some snow. Once things have frozen up, I will go out and see what is left. No skiing today.

Thurs. Jan. 11 - No skiing

As I predicted yesterday morning, conditions on the trails were quite good up until noon yesterday, when the temperature climbed above 0 and light rain began.
Today will be warm and wet. Skiing is not recommended.

January 10 - Take a Break

We've been able to ski every day since before Christmas, but it looks like we will need to take a break over the next couple of days, as this mild weather moves through. Skiing should be OK today up until about noon, but after that I would not recommend skiing. Ice pellets, freezing rain, and then liquid rain are predicted later today and through tomorrow.

Tuesday Jan. 9 - still OK

The temperature here did NOT go above freezing yesterday, and we received about 4 cm of new snow. So, skiing today should be fairly good. Our problems will be on Wednesday and Thursday, when we are expecting much warmer temperatures.

Monday Jan. 8 - changes are coming

A couple of cm of new snow, and much milder temperatures means today and tomorrow should be good skiing.
Bad news on the horizon, as temperatures well above freezing, combined with rain, are predicted for Wednesday and Thursday.

Jan. 7 - warming up a little

Just in from my early morning ski; it's cool, at -18, but the forecast says it is going to warm up a bit. We are expecting some new snow later today, which will improve the surface condition on the trails. Currently, trail conditions are mostly good, with a few spots only fair due to drifting. My ATV is still in the repair shop, so there won't be any grooming for a few more days.

Jan. 6, 2018

We have received a little bit of new snow each of the past 2 days, so there is a bit of soft powder over the hard base. Trails remain about the same: fair to good, with a few drifted spots. It's very cold out there today, so dress appropriately with plenty of layers.

January 4, 2018

We received 1 to 2 cm of new snow yesterday. This will not be groomed. It helps to provide a softer surface on the hard packed base below. Trail conditions remain about the same: fair to good. There are a few drifted sections in open areas.

Jan. 3 - more wind

We received about 1 cm of new snow yesterday, accompanied by strong westerly winds. Trails in exposed areas definitely experienced some drifting.
We have some wind again this morning, and it feels colder than the -16 indicated on the thermometer. Trail conditions remain fair to good, varying according to whether the wind has blown the new snow onto or off of the trail surface. The firm base of older snow still remains intact.

January 2 - a little warmer

It's a balmy -10 this morning, although there is some wind. Trail conditions remain about the same: fair to good. We received about 1 cm of new snow yesterday in a 15 minute squall, and it improved the feel of the trails significantly to have that soft powder on top.
There will be no new grooming done until the ATV has been repaired.

Happy New Year!

I've just come in from my morning ski with the dog; it's a little warmer out there this morning, with a reading of -17! There is some light snow falling at the moment. We could certainly use a bit of new snow, as the surface of the trails has become quite firm over the past week, with consistent cold temperatures and no new powder on top.
I would rate conditions today at fair to good, with the best skiing on the north end trails, because they get the least use.
I went out and did a little grooming on West Side Story, Tornado Alley, and Around the Pines, but I didn't get far before my ATV broke down. I had to leave the roller/comb next to the trail. The ATV will go into the repair shop tomorrow, so there will not be any grooming for at least the next week.