November 30 - a little new snow

Day 2 of skiing this season.

We have essentially the same amount of snow as yesterday. Because the ground is not frozen beneath the snow, there was some settling of the snowpack yesterday, but this has been replaced by a little bit of new snow this morning.

Skiing is possible, but coverage is thin, especially in conifer plantations. I would suggest using old skis and staying away from the more challenging trails where rocks and roots are not far below the surface. For example, Mainline trail in the north end, between #1a and #3 is not very good.

Mid-day update: our temperature has reached 0. Snow is now wet, packing, and very sticky. I do not recommend skiing this afternoon.

November 29 - Just enough snow

Day 1 of skiing this season.

The total accumulation from our snowfall yesterday is about 8 cm. This is just barely enough to ski on. From the weather forecast, it looks like we will probably lose this over the next few days, so I am not going to groom.

If you are really keen to get out skiing and you have some old rock skis, then it would be possible to give it a try today.

Snow

 We are receiving our first measurable snowfall of the season this morning. We have 2 to 3 cm at the moment. It's not enough to ski on, so please don't come to ski. But we're definitely heading in the right direction.

Trail #5 at noon today

Getting closer to winter

 The ski season is getting closer! We've had a few light snow flurries, with a small accumulation on the ground, although it has melted later in the day.

About 95% of the signage is now up on the trails. Some of the signs have to wait until December 1, when we officially close a portion of the Bruce Trail and open the winter alternate route and snowshoe trail.

We now have our revised map for the coming season; laminated versions will be going up soon at 12 "You are here" locations throughout the network.

Winter approaching

It's been a while since I posted anything, so here's a brief update.The temperature is falling to around 0 every night now, and we've had a few snow flurries, but no accumulation of snow. Our preparations for the upcoming ski season are progressing well. About 60% of our signage is now installed. I've obtained some new signs, in an attempt to keep walkers off our ski trails. These signs are bigger and more direct than the old ones, so hopefully walkers will get the message that we don't like footprints on our groomed ski trails. Today, I installed a small bridge over an intermittent stream that crosses trail #3 Hockleycrest. This little watercourse normally dries up in winter, but because of the amount of rain we've had this fall, it's currently running, so it's best to get our ski trail up, out of the water.

New sign advising walkers to stay off the ski trail

Small plywood bridge on Trail #3