Disappointed Again

 The predicted 20cm snowfall did not happen. Instead, be received about 10cm of snow, mixed with rain. The result this morning is that we have good coverage, but the snow is very wet and heavy. It will be hard work skiing on this stuff. Glide is poor at the moment, with the temperature sitting at +1.

I cannot groom this snow until the temperature drops below freezing. It looks like that will be later this morning, or early afternoon. I will provide an update when I have something new to report.

NOON UPDATE: I have groomed most trails with the roller/comb. I spoke to one skier who said it was not bad. I have not packed 3 short trails in the central section: Ash Grove, Stone Hedge, and Black Cherry. I will do those after a lunch break, and will try some track-setting. The temperature has dropped to -3. Trail #1 crossing the creek between #1a and the north junction of #3 remains thin, and wet. There is a slushy spot right beside the bridge; this will freeze and become ice as the temperature drops lower.

Improved Conditions

 Ski conditions are much improved this morning. This is the result of 3 to 4 cm of new snow we received yesterday, plus some grooming that I did, and the fact that this morning's temperature is -3. We have about 10 cm of snow on the ground, which packs down to about 5 on trails that I have groomed. Only the trails in the central section of the network have been groomed.

We are expecting a major snowfall tonight and into tomorrow, but again there is likely to be some rain mixed in. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see what the results are.

For today, conditions are fair to good, with a few thin spots.

NOON UPDATE: Some trial grooming showed that it made a noticeable improvement, so I have gone over all trails that were not previously groomed, with the roller and snow comb. A notable thin spot is trail #1 where it runs down across the stream toward the north junction of #3. Also, every place where the trail passes beneath a hemlock tree is thin.

Need to wait a little more

 With a return to below-freezing temperatures, yesterday's very wet snow has now frozen. We have coverage of 5 to 7 cm on the trails. However, the surface is quite icy. Skiing is possible, but I DO NOT recommend it. Hills will be very fast today, and control is difficult.

This is not the snow we want to ski on, but it will make a good base for future snowfalls which will hopefully be soft and velvety smooth.

We are expecting a little bit of new snow today, and substantially more Friday and Saturday.

UPDATE: Since I posted at 7 a.m. we have received about 3 cm of new snow, which is on the moist side. You can make a snowball with it. I have also taken my scarifier over the central trails in an attempt to pulverize the icy crust. These two things have resulted in a slight improvement in the skiing conditions; trails will be "slower" now. The new snow might be a bit sticky on the base of your skis.

Conditions are still challenging; for good, experienced skiers only.

We need to wait!

 Yesterday's snowfall was about 10 cm, and was followed by about 6 hours of rain, with temperature reaching +3. The result is that we do have a white coating on the ground, but the snow is saturated with water. It could almost be called slush. The current temperature is +1.

I cannot groom until some of the water drains away, and the temperature drops below freezing. That is forecast to happen sometime this afternoon.

In the meantime, please DO NOT SKI on the trails. It will not be an enjoyable experience, and you will only cause lasting damage to the snow base.

Things should improve as the temperature drops, and additional snow is forecast for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Snow expected today - but.....

 A significant snowfall is expected today and overnight into tomorrow. That's the good news. However, the bad news is that the temperature will be near 0, and probably above 0 by tonight, and there may be rain following the snow. Grooming of wet snow is always difficult, and often does not produce good results.

We will have to wait and see exactly what Mother Nature decides to give us, and then we will deal with it.

No skiing today; tomorrow maybe.

Disappointment

Yesterday morning, Environment Canada promised there would be "flurries, at times heavy" last night, with accumulation of 2 to 4 cm. It did not happen. We received only about a half cm of new snow. Not enough to ski on. Trails remain closed.

The New Year has arrived, but Winter has not

 We received about 2 cm of new snow last night. It's a start, but not nearly enough to ski on. Trails remain closed.