December 31 - Blame the Weatherman

 Today is not a ski day.

Environment Canada really blew it yesterday. They predicted a snowfall of 5 to 10 cm; instead, we had rain with a high of 3 degrees. So, rather than increasing our snow cover, we lost some. The snow we have left on our trails is very icy.

Do not ski here today.

The weather forecast looking ahead for the next week is not very encouraging: some rain, some snow, some freezing rain, with temperatures above and below 0. I may be a while before we get back to good skiing conditions.

December 30 - some improvement

 Day 14 of skiing this season.

We received about 2 cm of new snow overnight, and skiing is noticeably better as a result. You will still find ice not far below the surface in many places, but the top dressing of new snow definitely helps. The current temperature is -4.

The forecast for today is also improved over what they were predicting yesterday. Snowfall is supposed to continue through the day, possibly mixed with freezing rain this afternoon as the temperature reaches a high of about +1.(Yesterday they were saying +3 with rain)

Skiing today will be best first thing this morning, when the temperature is still below 0. Both skiing and driving conditions may become difficult this afternoon.

I will not be grooming until after this weather event has finished.

December 29 - cooler

 Day 13 of skiing this season

We survived yesterday's rain and mild temperature, and managed to retain snow cover on most trails. Places that had good snow cover before yesterday will still have reasonable cover. Places that were thin, under conifers for example, will be very thin today with some possible bare spots.

24 hours ago, there was a lot of water and slush under the snow. As far as I can see, this has now frozen, and we received about 2 cm of new snow to cover the old. I have not been out over the whole network to check it, but I suspect there may still be some wet spots. Trails will be icy and fast today; not a good day for beginners.

I will do some grooming later this morning and will file an update after that.

UPDATE: I've done a partial groom this morning, trying to improve conditions on the trails that were in the worst shape. Generally, these are the ones that saw a lot of hiker traffic over the past 2 days. Sunday's footprints in the snow have become today's lumpy, bumpy ice. The 2 or 3 cm of fresh powder on top is not a lot to work with in trying to eliminate this annoying situation. Nevertheless, I think I've made some improvement.

If you can stick mainly to trails that are used only by skiers, then conditions are not too bad.

December 28 - Not a ski day

 The temperature is currently +2 with light rain falling. While it would be possible to ski under these conditions, I am going to declare today "not a ski day". In fact, skier traffic on the trails when the snow is this wet will only cause damage to the snow base, and make it more difficult to restore good conditions after the temperature has dropped. So, I'm asking that skiers stay off the trails today.

The temperature is forecast to drop to -3 by this afternoon, with a few cm of snow tonight, so if we're lucky, we may be back to skiing tomorrow.

December 27 - more snow

 Day 12 of skiing this season.

We got a little more snow yesterday afternoon and overnight, which brings our total snowfall since Thursday afternoon to about 23 cm. I will be grooming again this morning, to pack the new snow and try to smooth out the areas where inconsiderate hikers trampled the trail yesterday.

Skiing will be good today.

It looks like we will have a weak warm front passing through tonight and tomorrow morning, bringing some mixed precipitation as the temperature briefly rises above freezing, and then drops again tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, there won't be much rain.

Noon Update: most trails were groomed again this morning. The overnight snow was just enough to cover and smooth out sections that got trampled yesterday. Skiing is good; probably the best we've had so far this year.

Trail #17 Northfield Circuit. This trail was obliterated by drifting yesterday afternoon.

#21 Ash Grove, just after track-setting

December 26 - Boxing Day Bonus

 Day 11 of skiing this season.

We received more snow yesterday afternoon and overnight. According to the measuring stick on my front lawn, we now have 20 cm of snow on the ground. This packs down to about 10 cm on the trails. Skiing is now good throughout the network.

I will not re-groom everything today, but I will touch up the northern trails, where some areas were getting drifted in yesterday afternoon. In addition, I may try some track-setting in the central section.

Noon Update: I groomed all the northern trails this morning, and set track on some of the flatter central trails. However, it has not stopped snowing, and there is some very active drifting going on out there, so some of the newly groomed trails are again covered by fresh powder. In particular, trail #12, #17, and the part of #1 between the ends of #12 are badly drifted in.

December 25 - A Christmas gift

 This is Day 10 of skiing this season.

We received about 8 cm of snow since yesterday afternoon. Snow is still falling, and the forecast says we may get 5 to 10 cm more today.

It is now possible to ski on our trails. There are still a few thin spots; rock skis are recommended if you have them. I will be grooming later today: packing only, as there is not enough snow depth to set a track.

Noon update: All trails have now been groomed. Our total snow on the ground (before packing) is about 10 cm on average, but this varies depending on location. Trails through dense conifers have less snow cover. Trail #1, between #1a and the north junction of #3, is quite thin where it passes under a stand of hemlock trees. Snowfall is still continuing intermittently, so we may get a few more centimetres.

Trail #3 just after grooming this morning

December 24 - snow is coming

 We started the day at +5. Snowfall began at 1 p.m. when the temperature was still +2, so no accumulation on the ground. Snowfall increased about 4 p.m. and began to stay on the ground, as the temperature had dropped to -2.

How much will we have by tomorrow morning? It's anybody's guess, but Environment Canada thinks it will be 10 to 15 cm. Let's hope they are right.

December 22 - tiny improvement

 We received about 1 cm of new snow overnight. Still not enough to ski on. Waiting anxiously to see what we get on Thursday and Friday.

December 21 - backsliding

 Yesterday's high temperature was +2, so there was some melting, and we definitely lost some snow. Skiing is not possible today. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day look promising for a snowfall. Fingers crossed!

December 20 - incremental improvement

 Yesterday afternoon and evening, we received about 3 cm of new snow. The ground is now completely covered, but it's still not enough to ski on. The forecast for the next five days shows some precipitation, but with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, it remains to be seen whether this will be rain or snow.

December 15 - on the road to recovery

 Today is not a ski day, but at least we now have some new snow on the ground. Flurries yesterday and last night left us with 2 to 3 cm of new snow. Not enough to ski on, but it's a step in the right direction.

December 13 - Have we turned a corner?

 In my previous post,  I said I would  not report again until I had some good news. Well, today we have some very modest good news: the melting has stopped. After 4 days of warm weather including yesterday's day-long rainfall, the temperature has dropped below freezing, and it looks like it will stay there for the next week.

On the negative side, we have lost about 90% of our snow base, and there is no significant snowfall in the forecast. Until we get a good snowfall, there will be no skiing here at Hockleycrest.

December 10 - No skiing today

 Trails are not in good enough condition to ski today, and probably not for the next several days. It looks like colder weather will return on Monday, but there is no significant snowfall in the long range forecast.

I will not make any further posts until I have some good news to report.

December 9 - warm weather ahead

 Day 9 of skiing this season.

The trails are still skiable here at Hockleycrest, but I don't know how much longer that will last. It's currently -1 here with a light snowfall. The new fallen snow is a bit sticky. The forecast high for today is +3, and the next 4 days will all be above freezing, with 2 days reaching +6. That will certainly do some damage to our base.

December 8 - nothing new

 Day 8 of skiing this season.

 Our conditions remain about the same. The snow on the trails is a bit thin, and it's icy in quite a few places. Temperature this morning is -7.

December 7 - waiting for more snow

 Day 7 of skiing this season.

It's possible to ski today, but conditions are only poor to fair. Quite a few trail sections are icy, and our snow cover is thin. I tried a bit of grooming yesterday, but it wasn't very effective, as there is just not enough snow to work with.

Weatherwise, the week ahead looks like a mixed bag, with temperatures above and below freezing, and a couple of days of mixed precipitation. If we can hold onto the base we have now, it should provide good support for the next snowfall, which might arrive next weekend.

December 6 - No change

 It's Day 6 of skiing this season.

Conditions remain about the same here. Trails are skiable, in fair condition, with a few icy spots and a few thin spots. We could use some additional snow, but it doesn't look like we're going to get any for a while. At least the temperature is now in a better range than a couple of days ago; it's currently -6 and should reach about -2 this afternoon.

December 5 - Skiable

 Day 5 of skiing this season.

It's possible to ski today, although conditions are only fair. We received a few cm of new snow yesterday, but we also had some melting, as the temperature reached +2 in the afternoon. This morning's temperature is -2, so the snow firmed up a bit overnight, and there is decent glide right now.

We've still not had a good hard freeze, so our base is wet, and there are a few thin spots.

December 4 - Not a ski day

 Ski conditions are poor this morning. This is not due to lack of snow, but rather, the temperature. It's currently 0, with light snow falling. This is a wet, sticky, packing snow that loves to accumulate on the bottom of your skis and totally prevent you from gliding.

The forecast predicts 2 to 4 cm of new snow accumulation, with a high of +1. Once the snowfall stops, and the temperature drops overnight, conditions should be better.

December 3 - holding on

 Day 4 of skiing this season.

Conditions remain about the same this morning, with a temperature of -2. We had a small amount of melting yesterday afternoon in the sun, but it only affected a few areas that were already thinly covered. With a predicted high of +1 under cloudy skies today, we should be able to hold onto most of our snow.

The weather forecast looking ahead for the next several days looks quite good: 2 to 4 cm of snow on Friday, daytime highs below freezing and overnight lows down to about -5. This should help us retain the snow we have, and hopefully freeze the wet base.

Skiing  is fair this morning.

December 2 - a little more snow

 Day 3 of skiing this season.

We picked up about 5 cm of additional snow since yesterday. Temperature is now -3, predicted to reach 0 later today. I will be grooming again this morning. I don't think we have enough base yet to set any track, so it will be rolled and combed only.

Skiing is fair to good.

Noon update: Most trails have been groomed again this morning, and a number of fallen trees and branches cleared. It's now sunny; a great looking day. The first photo below is our newest trail, #22 Plateau Extension, just built and opened this year. The second is the long, winding downhill on Mainline just north of #12.

December 1 - Snow has returned

 Day 2 of skiing this season. We've received between 10 and 15 cm of snow since yesterday afternoon, and it's still snowing. The forecast predicts an additional 10 to 15 cm will fall today and tonight. Because the precipitation started as rain, the base layer is very wet. I will make a first pass over the trails with the roller this morning, so that skis will ride on top of the snow rather than sinking down to the bottom.

11:30 a.m. update: The entire network, with a couple of tiny exceptions, has now been rolled for the first time. Snow continues to fall, and the temperature is just below freezing. There are a few thin spots, and a few areas where moisture is soaking through from the bottom. The worst spot for moisture is on Mainline between #1a and the north junction of #3. Hopefully, now that it's been packed, the wet area will freeze and be covered by the new snow.

Mainline trail in central area of network