2025/26 Season Round-up

 Well, it looks like our ski season is finished, and it was a very good one. We had a total of 91 days of skiable conditions, starting November 10, and finishing on March 15. The monthly totals were as follows:

November - 3 days

December - 29 days

January - 27 days

February - 27 days

March - 5 days

We received a lot of snow this year, which meant I did a lot of grooming; but it paid off in good skiing conditions for much of the season. There were a couple of snowfalls that were a bit too much snow all at once, which led to some difficulty getting it packed sufficiently. Toward the end of February, we had 60 cm of snow on the ground.

One nice thing about this year's ski season was that we got through it with no equipment break-downs, and no need for in-season repairs.

Over the summer and fall, I will be doing some minor work to improve ski conditions for next year - mainly removal of shrubby growth and dangerous dead trees along the edges of trails.

A big thank-you to those of you who made a contribution to our donation box. The money received was sufficient to cover the cost of fuel, and an oil change and routine maintenance on the ATV.

Looking forward to doing it all again next year!

No Skiing Today

 The sudden rise in temperature to +7 this morning has spoiled our skiing. The snow that fell on Friday and Sunday has basically turned to slush.

Trails are closed.

More Snow Coming Today

 According to the weather forecast, it should be snowing here right now, but it's not (yet). Skiing is not bad this morning; the current temperature is -6, snow is powdery and glide is good.

Trail conditions are quite variable; some spots are very good, while others have ice just below the surface. And we have two small flooded areas, both on trail #5 Westside; one is just north of Central Park and the other on the south part of the trail.

They are forecasting 2 to 6 cm of new snow today, possibly mixed with freezing rain or ice pellets this afternoon. If you can get here safely, skiing will probably be best before noon.

Today is our 91st day of skiing this winter.

11:30 a.m. Update: We've received about 4 cm of snow and it's still snowing. I have groomed trails in the central portion of the network. Current temperature is -2.

Winter Has Returned

 We received about 15 cm of new snow yesterday and overnight. As the snow was coming down, at a temperature near the freezing mark, it was a bit moist and packing. But as it cooled off to -5 overnight, the snow has dried out and is now a very nice powder.

I will be grooming first thing this morning with the roller comb. I expect it will result in fairly good ski conditions. There are a couple of concerns this morning: there are a couple of places where the new snow fell on areas that were covered with partially frozen ponded water. I'm not sure what the result will be in those areas. Second, the wind is fairly strong this morning, so there will probably be some drifting in open field areas.

The predicted high temperature for today is 0, so it's possible that the snow will become a bit sticky later in the day. Fortunately, it's not expected to reach 0 until about 4 p.m.

10:30 a.m. Update: I've just come in from grooming. The result was not as good as I had hoped. There are many locations where there is hard, lumpy ice not far below the surface. There are also 2 very wet spots on trail #5. I did not groom the entire network, since there were several locations where there was glare ice under the snow, and the ATV could not get enough grip to climb the hills. The trails that were not groomed are #1a, part of North Plateau, part of #17, a portion of Mainline from the north junction of Hockleycrest to North Plateau, and the portion of Hockleycrest from #12 to #17.

Only very good skiers should try skiing today.

Trails Closed

 The continued warm weather has taken its toll on our trails. We now have bare patches and flooded areas. Skiing is no longer possible. Unless we have a return to colder weather and a significant snowfall, this may be end of our ski season.

There is a glimmer of hope that we will get in some more skiing, as the weather forecast is calling for a decent snowfall next Sunday. But we will have to wait and see if that actually happens.

No Skiing Today

 With the warm temperatures and rain yesterday, we lost a huge amount of snow. The current temperature is 0, so the remaining snow is a hard frozen crust. This will soften as it again warms up to +7, but skiing will be very poor.

I suspect we now have a few bare spots, and possibly some flooded spots as well.

Very Warm

 The temperature rose to +7 overnight and will top out at +16 later today. It is possible to ski, but I don't think it will be very much fun. The structure of the snow pack has been destroyed, and the snow collapses under your ski when you put weight on it.

As far as I know, we still have complete snow coverage on the trails, but I haven't been over the whole network to check. Some bare spots are beginning to appear on exposed hill tops.

Poor Skiing

 After warm temperatures yesterday, we are below freezing again this morning. Consequently, trails are very icy right now. Trail surfaces may soften up later in the day, as it warms up to about +4, but the skiing will not be good.

I do not recommend skiing here today.

More Spring Skiing

 A few people got out for a ski yesterday after the snow had softened up. It looks like we will have the same opportunity again later today.

At our current temperature of minus 2 the trails are very icy; it is essentially unskiable. However, after lunchtime the temperature should be up to about +4, and trail surfaces will have softened and slowed down. Conditions will not be great, but may be tolerable.

As ski season winds down, we are into maple syrup season. I tapped some maple trees on Tuesday, and yesterday I collected about 40 litres of sap: enough to make about 1 litre of syrup.

Spring Skiing After Lunch

 Yesterday afternoon, when the temperature was +3, I tried a little bit of skiing. The surface snow had melted and softened a bit, so that skiing was possible. Conditions were not great, but were tolerable.

Conditions here right now, at a temperature of -3, are very icy. But once the temperature gets up to +4 or +5, around noon, it should be possible to have some spring skiing. You will need to be aware of differences in glide between sunny places and shady spots. (Sunny will be slow, shady will be fast)

Also, if you come, be very cautious at the parking lot. On Sunday, it was a skating rink from top to bottom. I haven't been there since Sunday, but I suspect it is still very icy. You may need to park on the shoulder of the road.

10 a.m. Update: The sunshine has done its job; the ice in the parking lot has been melted. Trails are starting to soften up, but shady places are still icy. Wait until afternoon to come skiing.

Trails Closed

 Our trails are closed today, due to extremely icy conditions.

Not a Good Ski Day

 The temperature went up to +5 yesterday, and did not go below freezing overnight. But it's now approaching zero, and the wet snow is beginning to freeze. As the temperature continues to drop today, the trails will become very icy.

There is nothing I can do in grooming to prevent or rectify this.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND SKIING HERE TODAY.

Good Skiing Right Now

  Conditions on the trails remain about the same as yesterday; we have a few cm of powder snow over a packed base on most trails. At the current temperature of -5, the skiing is very nice.

The forecast calls for a high temperature of +4 this afternoon, and that will definitely affect the skiing, as the snow becomes moist, heavy and packing. If you like "winter" ski conditions, come before 11 a.m. If you like "spring" skiing, then come this afternoon.

Nice Skiing Today

 The ski conditions will be nice today. Tuesday night's 5 cm snowfall was packed in grooming yesterday morning, and the temperature did not quite reach the freezing mark. We received an additional 2 or 3 cm of snow in flurries yesterday afternoon, and it's snowing lightly now. So we have a little bit of loose powder on top of the packed base.

The current temperature is -8 with a predicted high of -2.

I will not do a complete grooming today, but I will go out and tidy up some areas that got drifted in yesterday afternoon.

9 a.m. Update: Drifted areas around the south field have been regroomed, as well as a few other trails in the central area. Skiing is very good on either groomed or ungroomed terrain.

By the way, we now have 60 cm of snow on the ground, according to my snow measuring stick.

New Snow

We've received about 5 cm of new snow overnight. At the current temperature of -3, this is nice, dry powder with good glide.

Depending on which forecast you look at, the temperature is expected to rise to minus 1, or perhaps as high as plus 1 this afternoon. That would change the characteristics of the snow, and make skiing more difficult.

I will start grooming first thing this morning, and hope to finish before the temperature reaches the freezing point.

There will probably be some drifting this afternoon, and possibly some snow squalls which would bring more snow.

10:45 a.m. Update: All trails have been groomed, including track-setting where appropriate. The temperature has not yet reached 0, and we are having a fairly heavy snow flurry right now.

Skiing is good.

Winter Returns

 It's a cool minus 16 here this morning. At that temperature, the glide is a bit slow, but that will improve later in the day as it warms up to -8. Ski conditions are good. All trails were groomed yesterday afternoon.

We are expecting another snowfall tonight, possibly in the 5 to 10 cm range.

Cooler and Better

 Yesterday's temperature went just a little above 0, and the result was that skiers in the afternoon had sticky snow to deal with. We don't have that problem today. The temperature has dropped to -5, and we have 3 to 4 cm of nice dry powder snow on the trail surfaces. This snow is soft under your ski and has great glide.

The cooler weather also gives me an opportunity to groom. I will be out this afternoon to pack the entire network. Once that is done, the skiing should be very good.

3 p.m. Update: All trails have been packed and skiing is good. One thing I noticed today for the first time this year: snow in sunny spots is beginning to melt, even though the air temperature is minus 5. This happens every year, of course. It's a sign that the intensity of the sunshine is getting stronger, and it signals the beginning of the end of the ski season. But don't worry; we should have at least a couple more weeks of skiing.

And More New Snow!

 Our skiing depends on the weather, and the weather continues to be "interesting". We had a light snowfall for much of the day yesterday, at a temperature of +1. Some of that snow melted on contact, but some of it stuck around on top of the older snow.

Now that the temperature has dropped to -4, yesterday's snow has frozen into a soft crust, which collapses easily under your ski. This has been topped by a centimeter of new powder that has fallen overnight, and continues to come down.

The result is a fairly nice surface to ski on, with enough loose snow for control, and decent glide. The forecast says we will get a bit more snow today, especially this afternoon. And the forecast high is -1. If we can keep the temperature below the freezing point, then skiing should be not bad today.

More New Snow?

 The weather has been a real roller coaster lately, and it looks like today may continue that trend.

We got a mixed bag yesterday, with above-freezing temperatures, some rain, and some big fluffy snowflakes. At the current temperature of -1, we have a soft frozen crust of new snow over the packed base from Wednesday's big snowfall. The skiing right now is not bad, with acceptable glide and enough softness on the surface to provide control.

As the day progresses, the temperature will likely rise to 0 or +1, and some additional snowfall is predicted. This might lead to very sticky snow that clumps up on the bottom of your skis and makes it impossible to move forward. It all depends on temperature, moisture content, and the waxing of your skis.

We have plenty of snow, but it's a bit of a crap shoot whether we will have tolerable skiing or a lot of frustration.

Spring Skiing

 We started out yesterday with beautiful powder snow, but by mid-afternoon the temperature had reached +2 and the snow was transformed into moist granular. That is still the case this morning, as the temperature has remained just above the freezing point overnight.

I was pleasantly surprised by the skiing this morning. The glide was a bit slow, but not sticky, and actually quite nice to ski on. Whether that will continue for the rest of the day is hard to say. The forecast says the temperature will remain around +1 all day, but there might be either rain or snow flurries, so conditions could change.