Trail Conditions

Bucky is planning to groom this morning so expect the best conditions of the season by noon! Looks like they will stay that way for 48 hours and then will rapidly dissolve so the answer to-“sit at my desk/go ski?, sit at my desk/go ski??” should be easy to discern. Cheers,

Registration for TOC membership, Jack Rabbit and gear rental is now open. Gear distribution will be next weekend for those who have registered and paid for gear rental. zone4.ca/register.asp?id=37094&lan=1&cartlevel=1 If we get a few cm of snow today, skiing will be pretty nice, although likely not enough to set track yet. Crooked Tree Trail still needs a lot more snow to cover the ground under the softwoods. Doug Bliss reports Water Fowl Park ice is 7 cm thick and fairly smooth- not the 10 cm the Red C

As expected there was more snow up the hill than here in the lowlands. Skiing was quite pleasant this morning but the trails have been flat packed by the ATV in hopes a bit of frost might get into the ground(fluffy snow is a good insulator), so that future snow will hopefully last longer. Normally we would use the flat part of the groomer but the ATV still needs a few more break in hours before it is allowed to pull anything. So although there is enough snow to ski most places, except under the softwoods- especially CTTrail and hills into Smith Camp, the trail is a bit bumpy and rutted and a tad fast. But if you like those conditions, get out there! Hopefully if it doesn’t get too warm next week Bucky will be able to take the groomer around. Cheers,

So if you are going stir crazy sitting at your desk with all this glorious sunshine and glistening snow, here is where you could ski: -Beech Hill Park- road is passable to field which is great. Everywhere in the open up high has 3-4 cm of crusty snow from Thursday and 3-4 cm of fluff from Sunday. BEst to go up the road counterclockwise to field, down to bottom of field and return via windy road to main road avoiding descents on roads where you will encounter gravel -LeRond to Cypass to Shelagh’s Shelter is pretty good and like most of the ski trails has been flattened by the new ATV, but no tracks. Quarry-Go_Round is doable with care as not as much coverage(lwer and more conifers….) Or you can continue to wallow in your resentment…

If you can find open terrain(No conifers) that is high and dry, and you possess skis that aren’t averse to contact with rocks and roots, you could likely eke out a wee ski today. Don’t forget your shades. And no, there is not enough snow for Bucky to groom….

I was hoping to have a legitimate excuse for haranguing you all one last time. I did check out the conditions, and although there was close to 4 cm of very wet snow up the hill this morning, skiing other than perhaps in the field at Beech Hill would have been pointless. And though Bucky is on a brief furlough, he did appoint a caretaker groomer(see pic), and although they were keen to get on with it, they said the only way grooming was going to happen was if we had a Sea Doo. have a great non snow season, and as they say in Star Wars, “may the snow be with you”. Cheers,

Well, I am sure my optimizism will shock you but I did venture up the hill this morning to see if there were any surprises from the micro climate, but, sadly, no surprises. It is very wet with water flowing like the Flood, and no more snow than in Town. I did venture ac

I did venture up the hill yesterday afternoon to see what snow was left. There is pretty good coverage on the areas I inspected but it was already rock hard. Bucky would need diamond tips on the Renovator to make any headway, and with more warmth heading our way things are looking pretty forlorn. But nothing that a foot of snow wouldn’t fix…. However on a brighter note Tim Reiffenstein, Kate Duffy and Sean Blaney all guessed both picture locations correctly, (which is a bit shocking because whenever they go by me they are going so fast I can hardly recognize them)- Going up the hill past Ravensway and the start of Cypass, and Tammy Wheaton and Brock Baird each got one correct so points to them all! I think they are still skiing in Charlo, but no where south of there.

It’s a brilliant day in the woods. The snow that was showers in town was snow on the hill so there is a skiff of softness which is slowing things down. Glide was about 2.5/4 except under the conifers which didn’t receive the blessed flurries where it is close to 3.5. Wax was working nicely but now that things are heating up waxless and maybe skins are best. Glide will steadily decrease as more water in the snow creates more suction, especially in the sun. The Amygdalites are heading with out as this goes to “press”. It will remain zippy in the shade until late afternoon, so be careful there. Whoever guesses the correct location of either of these pics gets 5 points Cheers,

Track is still pretty good except where less new snow fell(Yes the conifers again), where things are a bit slippy slidey. Glide is “great” at 3-3.5/4 with soft snow in the pole track should you wish to brake, or you can just stay in the track, relax, and enjoy a break.. Wax was working this morning but skins or waxless best now. Might as well ski today and tomorrow as it looks like Wednesday you’ll have a chance to get to the office and pretend to do some work. Cheers,