Today is the first of 3 days of mild weather which will definitely affect the ski conditions. Although skiing is good right now, by mid morning our temperature will be up to 0 and snow will become sticky and difficult.
The forecast includes the possibility of rain, freezing drizzle and light snow, as the temperature hovers just above the freezing mark.
Today is probably not a good day to come skiing.
The temperature yesterday got up to just below 0, but did not go above. Consequently, our snow remains powdery, and has not become icy. Skiing is good today on most trails, and the temperature is very comfortable.
A few trail sections have become hard-packed from heavy skier traffic. I will be going out this morning with the piranha to loosen up the surfaces, especially on the larger hills.
UPDATE: I've gone over about half the network with the piranha, and I think the skiing is improved as a result.. We're getting drifting on some trails in open areas, especially #17 Northfield Circuit. I've been over these with the groomer, but they may drift in again. Otherwise, skiing is quite good.
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| Trail #17, after treatment with the Piranha |
With a current temperature of -5, ski conditions are still good on our trails. As usual, after the heavy traffic of a weekend, trail surfaces are a little bit "beaten up", but not bad.
We will have to watch the temperature. The forecast has been revised so that it's showing milder weather this week. It might reach 0 this afternoon, and perhaps as high as +3 on Wednesday. If that happens, then there will be a deterioration of ski conditions, as the snow transforms to an icy granular texture.
Those of you who read my last post know that I was away for a few days, so no grooming was done since Wednesday's snowfall. I arrived back late yesterday afternoon, and started immediately to groom the 15 cm of powder on the trails. All the central area was rolled and combed. I will be grooming again this morning, starting with the southern section, and then moving to the north.
With a forecast high of -4 today, skiing will be very good. However, it is a bit windy, so it will feel colder than it is.
The photo below was NOT taken on our Hockleycrest trails, but rather at Stokely Creek Lodge in Algoma, where I had a brief vacation. If you ever want to take a XC ski holiday, that is the place to do it.
We received close to 15 cm of snow in yesterday's storm. The snowfall appears to be pretty well finished; there may be a few flurries later in the day.
Unfortunately, I will be away from Hockleycrest today and tomorrow, so I won't have a chance to groom this snow until the weekend. Conditions on the trails should be good for "backcountry" skiing.
Looking ahead in the weather forecast, it looks like cool temperatures will remain with us for at least another week, so we should be able to retain this snow for quite a while.
Our temperature is still above 0 and we're getting a mix of rain and snow. As the temperature drops this afternoon and tonight, a significant snowfall is expected. Skiing (and driving) will be difficult.
If we get the 25 cm of snow they are predicting, it will take some time to clean up and get everything groomed.
If you want to ski today, do it this morning. By afternoon, the temperature will be above freezing; snow will get heavy and sticky.
This will be followed by some rain, and eventually on Wednesday and Thursday, quite a bit of snow. Snow is good, but when it comes in large quantities all at once, it makes the grooming difficult. So we may be skiing in "backcountry" conditions for a couple of days.
