December 31 - a teaser

We have some new snow this morning - about 1 cm. We are under a Snow Squall watch, but I don't think it's going to amount to enough snow to ski on. Looks like today is just a teaser. The next chance for a significant snowfall appears to be January 4, 5, and 6. Let's hope it becomes a reality.
For now, there is no skiing.

December 30 - Not a ski day

Freezing rain. Ice everywhere. No skiing today.

December 29 - still no skiing

We have received no new snow, and this afternoon freezing rain is predicted. No skiing today.

December 28

We have lost most of our snow. No skiing again today.

December 27 - Ugh!

Temperature first thing this morning is +7. We have lost most of our snow base. No skiing again today.

Dec. 26 - boxing day

You might as well go shopping today, as our skiing outlook has not improved. We have 4 more days of this very warm weather to get through before a return to seasonal temperatures.

Don't ski today please.

Dec. 25, Merry Christmas

No skiing again today. It looks like the next opportunity for some new snow will be next Monday.

December 24 - not a ski day

Yesterday's high of +5 in sunshine resulted in considerable melting, and some bare spots. This morning it's -5, so the remaining snow has become very crusty. No skiing today.

Dec. 23 - Not a ski day

I am not going to call this a ski day. Although it's possible to ski, conditions are not good. Warm temperatures yesterday and overnight have reduced our snow cover. It's going to be warm and sunny again today, so we'll lose more snow.
It looks like we may have to wait until next weekend for our next snowfall.

December 22 - still holding on

Day 21 of skiing this season.
Ski conditions are still fair to good on the trails first thing this morning. The temperature reached +2 yesterday, and then dropped to 0 overnight, so the snow has become a little less powdery. I expect conditions will deteriorate today, as the high is predicted to be +4 in sunshine.

December 21 - Winter Solstice

Day 20 of skiing this season.
The trails and the snow are in good shape at the start of the day. Skiing will be best in the morning, as the temperature is going to rise to 0 by noon, and +2 in the afternoon. Enjoy while you can; the next few days look challenging.

December 20

Day 19 of skiing this season.
Our conditions remain good. Trails are packed, with a few cm of loose powder snow on top. It's currently -10 outside, with very little wind.
It looks like it will be a great day to ski, with sunshine and a high of -6. Warm weather is coming in on Sunday, so ski while you can!
Afternoon update: I tidied up many of the trails this afternoon, with a light grooming comb.

Black Cherry trail this afternoon, after touching up with a light snow comb.

December 19 - Nice!

Day 18 of skiing this season.
Yesterday's snow squall left us with close to 10 cm of new snow. About half the network has been packed; hopefully the rest will get done today. The skiing is very good.
It's cool this morning, at -17, but should warm up to about -7 later on.
If you're going to ski, either  today or tomorrow should provide the best conditions. There is some warmer weather moving in on Saturday.
MID-DAY UPDATE: It's been snowing since about 9 this morning, bringing another 2 or 3 cm. I groomed this morning, covering all the trails in the north end and most of the south section. A few short pieces of #7, #2 and #13 were not done. Packed trails will have a top-dressing of fresh snow on top; there's nothing I can do about that, and I'm not going to complain about getting more snow.
Skiing is very good right now.

December 18 - a little snow

Day 17 of skiing this season.
We've received about 1 cm of new snow overnight. Flurries and squalls are to continue through the day, as temperatures drop. It's currently -7 here. Skiing is fair to good.
If there is sufficient new snow to make it worthwhile,  I will take the groomer out to tidy up the trails.
MID-MORNING UDATE: It's been snowing fairly hard since about 8 a.m. and it's still snowing. We've got about 5 cm of new snow on the ground. It will be worthwhile to groom this new snow, but not until it stops falling. That may be late this afternoon, or possibly tomorrow morning.
FURTHER UPDATE: The snowfall continued until about 1:30 p.m. We received a total of 8 to 10 cm of new snow. I rolled about half the trail network this afternoon; blowing and drifting snow was filling in the open field areas right behind me, so I decided to wait until tomorrow to finish the rest. I did try a short section of track-setting as an experiment; most of it was OK, but in some areas the bottom of the track was in the grass. We'll need a bit more snow before we can do wide-spread track-setting.

December 17

Day 16 of skiing this season.
Our conditions remain the same. Skiing is generally good, with a few thin spots under conifers. Drifted areas on open fields were groomed again yesterday, and are good now.
The weather forecast says we may get some snow tomorrow, which would be nice.
LATE UPDATE: We've had a small deterioration in conditions today. The temperature got up to about 0 this afternoon, and consequently the snow surface got a bit moist. Now that the temperature has dropped again, the snow is a little bit crusty, and a bit less powdery.
Some trail sections in the south end also got trampled by inconsiderate hikers.

December 16

Day 15 of skiing this season.
Conditions on the trails remain about the same as yesterday - generally good, with a few thin spots. I will try to go over the drifted spots in the north end later today, to restore a packed surface on the open fields.
Update: drifted sections on open fields in the northern portion have now been re-groomed.

Dec. 15 - Winter Wonderland

Day 14 of skiing this season.
It snowed all day yesterday, resulting in about 15 cm on the ground, plus every tree and bush covered with snow. I will be grooming as soon as there is daylight out there; it will take some time to get the whole network done. At the moment, we have good "back-country" conditions.
Temperature is -3, with some wind. Forecast says temperature will drop this afternoon.
11:00 a.m. update: The southern and central portions of the trail network have been rolled. There is not enough snow depth to set a track. Areas where the trail passes through dense conifers have thinner snow cover, but still just adequate for skiing.

Trail #5 West Side Story, about 10 this morning.

Further update: As of noon, all trails have been rolled at least once. There is blowing and drifting in open field areas, especially toward the north end.

December 14

We are expecting a little bit of new snow today. Time will tell whether it is enough. At the moment, no skiing.
Update as of 6 p.m. We have received about 15 cm of new snow today - much more than forecast. I will roll the trails tomorrow and there should be skiing.

December 13 - no change

No snow, no skiing. However, it looks like there might be some snow coming over the next few days. Time will tell.

Dec. 12 - no change

We had a few flurries yesterday, but no accumulation. No skiing today.

December 11 - no change

We had some snow flurries yesterday and overnight, but no significant accumulation of snow on the ground. So, no skiing again today. At least the ground has frozen again, so when snow does come, it will have a firm base.

Dec. 10 - no skiing again today

It remained warm and rained quite hard much of yesterday. Consequently, we've lost most of our snow. We did manage to retain some base on a portion of the trail network, and the temperature has now dropped to 0 again, so things should start to improve. With dropping temperature, snow flurries, and possible snow squalls today, we will begin to rebuild the snow base.
In the meantime, no skiing until further notice.

December 9 - no skiing

Today is not a ski day.
Since yesterday, we have lost about half our snow. It's +6 outside, raining lightly, and will continue like this until tomorrow. Please stay off the trails.

December 8 - deteriorating conditions

Day 13 of skiing this season.
Skiing is still fairly good first thing this morning, with temperature at -2. We had some damage to trails yesterday, as a large number of ignorant, inconsiderate hikers trampled portions of Mainline #1 and Hockleycrest #3. We also had a truck drive on a portion of Southfield #12, but it didn't cause too much damage.
Temperature is forecast to rise to +5 this afternoon, so there will be a deterioration in the quality of the skiing.

December 7 - good skiing

Day 12 of skiing this season.
I groomed about 95% of the network yesterday. On a late afternoon ski, conditions were excellent. We received a dusting of new snow overnight; temperature right now is -7, predicted to rise to -2, so it should be a good day for skiing.

North Plateau trail #20, Friday afternoon

December 6 - snow

This is our 11th day of skiable conditions so far this year.
It's snowing this morning, expected to continue until about 10 a.m. Ski conditions are good.
I've bought a new ATV for grooming, and it arrived yesterday, so I'll be out on the trails giving it a try later today.

Some of the trails have now been rolled

Dec. 5 - revised

It got a bit too warm yesterday afternoon, so our snow conditions deteriorated temporarily. However, we got some new snow overnight and this morning, so skiing has now returned to good.

December 4 - a bit sticky

Skiing was good yesterday. We received a little new snow overnight - about 1 cm - but it was slightly moist and packing, so our snow surface is no longer that nice dry powder that is so pleasant to ski on. The temperature rose to +1 overnight and is predicted to stay around there much of the day.

December 2 - snow has returned

I've just come in from skiing, and conditions are not bad. Yesterday's storm started out as ice pellets, gradually changing to snow, which has continued into this morning. Total amount of snow on the ground is now up to almost 10
 cm. However, there is a difference between this event and the early snowfall we got on November 11: this time, the ground surface was frozen, so there has been no melting of the snow on contact. This time also, the snow began as ice pellets, so there is a base that is firm and hard, topped with powder, so a relatively small amount of snow is sufficient.

With these snow depths, there will be no grooming. All our signage is now up, so you should be able to find your way.

November 24 - getting ready

After a brief encounter with wintery conditions last week, today's sunny and mild weather gave us a chance to get out on the trails and put up signage to help people find their way. We hope to have everything done by December 1.

Mainline trail near junction of #6 Central Park

Mainline trail just north of junction with #14 and #1a.

Hockleycrest Trail near junction of #10 Field and Forest

November 22 - No Skiing

We've lost most of our snow. There will be no skiing in the foreseeable future.

November 21

It got very warm yesterday afternoon, and consequently we lost some snow. What remained was more like slush than snow. Then last night it dropped below freezing and the surface froze. So, this morning, it's icy and crunchy out there. I would not recommend skiing today.

November 19

We had snow yesterday - about 5 cm - but the temperature was +3 and the snow was wet, heavy, and sticky. I would not recommend skiing today.

November 16 - more of the same

Our temperature yesterday reached just slightly above the freezing point, but we did not lose any snow. Conditions remain about the same.

November 15

Our skiing is still fair to good here. There was a little new snow yesterday, so we have close to 15 cm of loose snow on the ground. Temperature was right on 0 first thing this morning, and is predicted to rise to +2, so things may get a bit sticky later on. Trails have not been groomed since Tuesday, and we still don't have any signage up.

November 14 - skiing is improved

We've received a couple cm of new snow overnight and this morning. Temperature is comfortable at -3, so the skiing is quite enjoyable. No signs up on the trails yet, and about half the trails have been packed.

Nov. 13 - it's cool out there!

I've just come in from my early morning ski, under the light of the full moon. Conditions are fair to good on the trails, but it's chilly this morning: -17C. Roughly half the trails have been rolled and packed.
If you're thinking of coming to ski, remember that none of the guide signage is up yet, so you must know your way around.
It looks like we may get another couple of cm of snow tonight, and the cool temperatures will remain until the weekend.

Afternoon update

Good news and bad news. First the good: I've rolled and packed about 60% of the trails. Now the bad: the ATV started giving me trouble again, after about 75 minutes of operating. Clutch is slipping again. Last time, this was a very expensive repair.

Nov. 12 - improved skiing

Snow continued overnight and it's still flurrying. We now have 10 to 12 cm on the ground. Temperature is -8 with light wind.
Nothing is groomed yet, but I may go out later this morning and pack some of the trails. As you can see from the photos, the sun has now come out, and it's very pleasant.

Hockleycrest Trail #3 in the spruce bush

Mainline Trail just north of #12

Northfield circuit where it parallels Airport Road

November 11: we can ski

Today’s snowfall of about 7 cm, on top of the 1 to 2 cm we already had on the ground, is just enough to make skiing possible. I’ve just been out on the trails, and overall it’s not bad. There are a few spots that would qualify as “fast grass” but there is decent coverage on most trails. One problem with this early snow is that I don’t have my signage up yet. So if you’ve been here a few times before, and know the trails well, you could come for a ski tomorrow. But if you don’t know the trail network it’s better to wait until I have the signs up. My target for that is December 1st.

New season of skiing is on its way

It's November 3 and the ground is covered in white stuff. More snow is falling from the sky. It must mean ski season is approaching. There is not enough snow yet for skiing, but hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
I've been out on the trails, mowing and weed-whacking and pruning, and clearing fallen trees; so when the real snow arrives, we should be ready.
There is nothing new on the trails this year, except a new battery for our ATV groomer. I'm hoping we will have no mechanical breakdowns this year, so the trails will be well-groomed.

March 27 - It looks like we're done for this year

Our snow is all gone. Trails are either bare, or covered with glare ice. Unless we get a really big, freak snowstorm in the next couple of weeks, we're done for this season.

March 16 - No skiing

After 2 days of warm temperatures and rain, we have lost most of our snow. Now that the temperature has dropped below freezing again, what remains is glare ice. You don't want to ski on this stuff. This may be the end of our ski season, unless we get another substantial snowfall.

March 14 - Skiing not recommended

Mild temperatures and rain have adversely affected our trails. Snow is slushy and getting thin. Skiing is not recommended.

March 10 - warm weather: Yuk!

I am not on site at the trails today, so I have not been able to check their condition. However, with the warm temperature and rain, I suspect things are not very good. It would be better to stay off the trails today. Cooler weather, and maybe a little bit of new snow, will return tomorrow, so things may improve after that.

March 7 - still good skiing

The skiing continues to be good today. Some sections of trail in open areas are covered with a little bit of drifted snow, but this is not too bad. I went over the worst areas this afternoon with the groomer, so this has improved things a bit, but the drifting (and some new snowfall) were continuing, so the trails will get drifted in again. It looks like we should be OK until Saturday.

March 6 - good skiing

I'm sorry, I haven't posted recently, for 2 reasons. First, my computer was in the shop for repairs, and second, I was away skiing in northern Wisconsin and northwestern Ontario, so I didn't really know what the conditions were like here. The good news is that we have plenty of nice powder snow, and I groomed all trails yesterday. There was some pretty active drifting going on yesterday afternoon, so some trail sections in open areas will be blown in a bit, but generally the skiing right now is very good, and should remain good for the next couple of days.

This is the Black Cherry trail, Tuesday afternoon March 5

Wednesday evening update - ski while you can!

95% of our trails were groomed today; the only trail section that was not done was the eastern half of Northfield Circuit. However, the wind was strong from the west, so some sections in the open areas were getting drifted in very soon after grooming. Overall, the skiing is very good right now, but in this topsy turvy fickle winter we're having, it may not last very long. Tomorrow night, the temperature is predicted to rise to 0, with rain possible, so all this beautiful powder could be transformed into ice by Friday.

This is a portion of trail #12, taken this afternoon.

Now, I have a request for one of our skiers: the guy who comes and telemarks all over the place. I don't know if you read this blog, but if so, please stay on the trails, and only the trails that are meant for skiing. Today there were telemark tracks zig-zagging back and forth across some challenging hills, into the bush and back out again. There were ski tracks on trails that are marked as snowshoe only trails. Please read and obey all signage. I have tried to maximize the enjoyment for all user groups - skiers, hikers, and snowshoers - by creating separate trails for each group wherever possible. But if people won't obey the signage, then all this effort is wasted. How can I expect hikers and snowshoers to stay off the ski trails, if skiers insist on skiing on the walking trails. So, please be considerate of other trail users, and be a responsible skier. If you want to telemark off-trail, then please go someplace else; this is not the place for you.

Feb. 13 - Lots of snow

The official measured amount of snowfall yesterday was 24cm, but the strong easterly winds will have blown it around, so there will be more in some places, less in others. I will try to get some trails groomed today. Right now, we have very good back-country conditions.

Tues. Feb. 12 - Back in business again

New snow Sunday night amounted to about 7 cm of light powder. This provides just enough soft surface to ski on. I have rolled and packed most of the trails, mainly to provide a firm base for the new snow that is arriving today. The skiing yesterday afternoon was not bad; there is still ice below the snow, but now at least there is a soft cushion of 1 to 2 cm of packed snow on the surface. By tomorrow, we should have a lot more.

February 3 - bad weather coming

We have some bad weather coming in Sunday and Monday - melting temperatures, with rain and freezing rain. This will not be good for our skiing conditions.
I am going to be away for the next week, skiing at Stokely Creek Lodge, north of Sault Ste. Marie where there is plenty of snow. I will not be around to do any grooming, nor will I have any first-hand knowledge of conditions here at Hockleycrest. However, after 2 warm days, I suspect skiing will be either poor, or impossible.

Sat. Feb. 2, 2019

Today should be a good day for skiing. Trails are in good shape, and the temperature is moderating to a more comfortable level. The forecast calls for a bit of new light snow, which will soften up the surface just a bit. I will try to do some "touch-up" grooming this morning.

Trail #23 Black Cherry - Friday afternoon

February 1 - good snow, cool temps

We still have good snow, but temperatures are also still pretty cool. The wind, fortunately, has decreased to a gentle breeze, so it's a nice day for skiing.  This morning I have regroomed some of the trails that had drifted in the worst, but there is no guarantee they will not drift in again. I even set some track on some of the trails in the central area. It looks like Saturday may be a great day to ski. We have some warm weather and rain coming in on Sunday.

Mainline trail #1, on the monastery property

Trail #5 West Side Story

Jan.30, 2019 - Brrrrrr.

North Plateau Trail this afternoon

It's a sunny but bitterly cold and windy day here. The remainder of the trails have been groomed this morning, but with the strong westerly wind some open areas will drift in quickly. Skiing is good, but don't get frostbite!

Mainline Trail near Central Park

Jan. 29, 2019 - Late afternoon update

Our snowfall yesterday amounted to between 15 and 20 cm. of beautiful powder. I have groomed about 75% of the trails this afternoon - rolling and combing only; no track set yet. I hope to groom the rest of the trails tomorrow. Skiing is good, but be careful about the temperature; the next couple of days are predicted to be very cold.

Finally, plenty of snow

With about 20 cm of new snow from Monday's storm, we now have good coverage in most areas. Because of the wind, some spots may still be blown bare, while others will be drifted deep. It will take me some time to get this snow groomed. In the meantime, we have pretty good "backcountry" conditions.

Monday, Jan. 28 - off again, on again

The roller coaster continues, as we have again received some new snow, and skiing is again possible. The snowfall overnight Saturday into Sunday brought us about 5 cm of new powder. However, it was accompanied by winds, so the coverage is not uniform. Some open areas may be blown off nearly bare, while others will have deeper drifts. I would consider the skiing to be fair only.
The forecast says we will get a significant snowfall later today and into tomorrow. I will try to groom as soon as I can after the snowfall stops.

Fri. Jan. 25 - On again, off again

Wednesday's warm temperatures and rain resulted in a loss of snow cover on our trails. We now have significant bare patches, and the remaining snow is tending toward ice. I would not recommend skiing in these conditions.

Jan. 20: We have skiing

Saturday's snowfall brought us just enough snow that skiing is now possible. Snow depth ranges from 5 to 10 cm. All trails are now skiable. The skiing is not what I would call "good" but it's tolerable. I have groomed about half the network, concentrating mainly in the central section, with some in the south.
Temperatures are very cold and the wind is strong from the northwest, so if you come, be sure to dress well and keep your skin covered.

Trail #10, Sunday afternoon.

Jan. 19, 2019 - No skiing

We have received a few cm of new snow over the past couple of days, but it is still not sufficient for skiing. Sorry folks, this has been a really bad year so far.

Sat. Jan. 12, 2019

There is snow somewhere, but it's not here at Hockleycrest. We still have just a thin covering on our trails.
If you are looking for a place to ski, I can recommend Highlands Nordic, near Duntroon. I went there yesterday, and the conditions were very good.

January 11, 2019 - No skiing

We've had some light flurry activity over the past couple of days, but it has not delivered enough snow to ski on. Snow depth on trails ranges from 2 to 5 cm, not sufficient for safe skiing.

Hockleycrest Trail, Thursday afternoon, Jan. 10

January 4, 2019 - a little snow but not enough

We received about 3 cm of new snow on January 3, but then it was above freezing on the 4th so we lost some snow. There were ski tracks coming in from the trail head on 5 Side Road, but they only went about 50m and then stopped and turned around. The skiers obviously came to the conclusion that the snow was not deep enough.

Trail condition at 5 Side Road access point on Friday afternoon

January 2 - a New Year's Wish

It may be a new year, but there is not much new on our trails. We still don't have snow to ski on. The ground is either bare or covered with a thin layer of ice, after the quick thaw, rain and then a fast freeze-up over the past 2 days.
With no skiing or grooming to be done,  I took advantage of the opportunity to do some pruning of limbs on the spruce trees along the Westside Story trail. They were beginning to protrude into the trail, making it narrower than it should be.

The trail before pruning

Wider trail after branches were removed