March 29: A beautiful day for some late season skiing. Conditions should soften as the day goes on. Best conditions, in order, will be uphill on New Pine and Warm Brook, Overlook in and out to Cold Brook Dr., the roads and E-Z. We have not been on Cedar Brook so can't evaluate.
March 28 Update: Just returned from grooming at the Park. Yes, there will be snowshoeing and limited skiing this evening with Leah Worden as your host until 8:00P.M.
There is some ice on every trail-
E-Z and the trackset on the roads have the least ice. The hills on E-Z are thin and the trackset has been moved to compensate as much as possible. The roads have quite a bit of ice in the skate lanes and unavoidable ice at the tee. The only camp loop that does not have a lot of ice is C.
Warm Brook is good except for around 200 feet coming out of the swamp and the hill by the dump station. New Pine is good except by the kiosk. Old Pine has quite a bit of ice. Overlook is good down to Cold Brook Drive but the roadside is solid ice.
This will probably be the last grooming unless we get snow.
It will be a very pleasant night to snowshoe! Ski with care.
It has turned into a great season!
March 28: Softening conditions through the day today. Headed up now to see if any areas may benefit from grooming.
March 27: We have another nice day for spring skiing. The conditions yesterday were quite good. Cedar Brook is not groomed but those skiing it reported it skied well, with good coverage except for a small area on the roadside of Toadstool, the short hill by the brook that always gets the sun. There is some grey out there in the tracks, icy below freezing, not bad above freezing.
We are in a freeze thaw cycle with the night temps below freezing. It is turning the snow to corn snow, skiing on ball bearings. We may try to groom at least the roads when they are below freezing and move the track set to lessen the ice.
We are getting near the end of the season, so if you need your ski fix before the snow is gone, now is the time. It would be nice to make it to April 1st, we'll see!
March 26 Update: In the end the Park received over an inch of snow. Track set on the roads is still good, skate lanes groomed well. We groomed E-Z and Pine, E-Z a little thin on the hills.. Latest ever grooming of Overlook, flat groomed along the roadside, the rest of the trail is track set. Track set on Warm Brook is still good.
We still have very skiable and snowshoe friendly conditions!
March 26: The weather last night was somewhat radical, after all. Our early morning skier, Doug, was out on the E-Z Trail this morning and reports that there is a little over a 1/2 inch of new snow with conditions neither sticky, nor icy. Time, not conditions, kept him from further exploration.
There is a gusty southwest wind that should not be an issue in the woods.
We will go up soon to check out whether grooming is feasible.
March 25: Conditions softened up enough to get an effective grooming this afternoon. Anyone out for a late day ski should have decent conditions on the roads, E-Z , Pine and Warm Brook. Coverage is still quite good. There are a few small icy spots but overall late season corn snow is the surface. If the weather is not too radical tonight the track set should hold up. There is no hard freeze tonight, so weather permitting, we will make an effort to groom Cedar Brook early in the day.
It has been several years since we have had groomed skiing this late-
March 24: Our apologies, the plan was to go to the Park earlier this morning to check the trail conditions and groom if possible. Unfortunately, life got in the way and we have a commitment this afternoon. Our intrepid skier, and trail reporter, Doug Welch reports that Overlook is done unless we get more snow, however, most of the road looks usable, as well as Pine and E-Z. He says faint tracksets remain. We don't know about the Cedar Brook side or Warm Brook.
It looks like conditions should hold up for tomorrow, so we will try again then.
Again, best laid plans-
March 23: Soggy! Due to the present and anticipated wet weather today there will be no night skiing tonight and no grooming today. We will reevaluate possible grooming tomorrow morning if the temperatures drop sufficiently.
March 22: It looks like a beautiful spring day to enjoy the Park.Yesterday the trackset was compressing as it was being used, essentially maintaining the trackset by travel on it. We won't disturb the existing conditions until after tomorrow's rain. We will evaluate after Thursday and groom when conditions permit. It looks like there may be opportunities over the weekend and next week.
Our diehard skiers are out there daily enjoying the trails and skaye lanes.
March 21: It was too warm by 7:00A.M. this morning to groom in the present snow conditions, but with everything groomed yesterday, skiing should still be ok.
There will be night skiing tonight with Michael Schuckers as host until 8:00P.M.
The outlook does not look good for Thursday, so if you want to get in a late season evening ski, tonight is the night!
March 20: Tom groomed the trails, Judy groomed the roads. Everything is groomed and track set, all it needs is skiers!
March 20 Anticipated: Who knew? We had an inch here at the house, not that far from the Park. We misjudged on grooming. The Park did have enough to groom many of the trails and the roads. We got there late, flat groomed the roads and camp loops and track set E-Z.
Tom will be grooming tomorrow morning. Conditions tomorrow should be very good.
If you did not get to the Park today, check out the picture below.
March 19: The Park received about 1" of snow in open areas. The snow should improve existing tracks. We will check a little later to see whether any grooming can be done and whether it will improve the existing surfaces. We will report back if grooming is done.
Thanks and have a great "winter" day.
March 18 Update: Conditions are better than expected. There is coverage everywhere. Overlook, Warm Brook, Oine, E-Z, camp roads and loops are trackset. There is some ice on the roadside of Overlook.
All areas groomed well, but there are a lot of pinecones, bark, leaves and twigs, particularly on the camp loops.
March 18: Temperatures are below freezing this morning so we will be checking to see what grooming may be able to be done.
We will let you know, but it is a reasonable bet that there will be some very skiable conditions as the day goes on.
March 17: Happy St. Paddy's day! Most years of late we have not had a ski report by this date. We are not grooming today because the early temperatures were already above freezing. Trails are still in good shape. Some forecasts show below freezing temps first thing tomorrow. If that is the case, we will groom them then.
The weekend looks promising, let's hope!
March 16: Blanche Towne will be your host for skiing and snowshoeing tonight until 8:00P.M.
This should be another day of excellent conditions. We will groom on a limited basis, most trails are still in great shape. This looks like it could be our last day of winter conditions before we get into the spring cycle of variable conditions - so enjoy!
March 15 Update: Today is one of those once a year days-plenty of fresh, pristine snow, snow laden trees, fresh track set and grooming, blue skies and nearly perfect conditions. The only caveat is it was 27 degrees a few minutes ago at the Park, the sun is warm, you may want to put some wax on your waxless skis.
Everything is groomed and track set. Thank you, MIke Morse & SLU for flat grooming the roads with the Tucker.
If you can work it into your schedule, don't miss this day on the trails!
March 15: Snow! The open areas have between 6 and 8 inches. The woods have a great many heavily laden branches with much less reaching the ground. We actually hoped for a gentle breeze to dust off the branches. It did not come.
It is snowing moderately at the moment. Grooming will be slow because so many branches are hanging in the path. We will be starting grooming within the next hour. We are imploring Mike Morse to come through when he can on the roads with the Tucker. It would be a huge help.
Skiing will be awesome!
If you like backcountry, have at it. If you prefer groomed, look for groomer tracks.March 14: Ellie Menz will be hosting skiing tonight until 8:00P.M.
We tried grooming this morning but it was not a rousing success. The E-Z trail is groomed and track set, new Pine is groomed and track set, Overlook is track set,and the roads and camp loops are track set and have a narrow skating lane.
The temperatures and snow characteristics got to the point where there was little chance of turning the sleds so the rest has not been groomed. The good news is Parishville-Hopkinton was on Warm Brook and the Cedar Brook network so the track should be well established. Beware of low branches! They are sagging but where we groomed most of the branches should be lifting.
March 13: With warmer temperatures today and tracks still in good condition, any grooming today will be minimal. We do plan on grooming tomorrow. Parishville-Hopkinton Wilderness Education will be on the trails tomorrow and we anticipate night skiing tomorrow night.
We learned that the register at the kiosk is out of pages. There will be new pages in it a little later this morning, so please stop and sign-and if you have skied when it was out of pages, feel free to note it.
March 12: A beautiful spring day to enjoy the groomed trails of the Park on skis or snow shoes. Snow shoes are a better choice than walking for a couple of reasons-the softening base makes walking difficult and walking on the trails in these conditions damages trail bases and can make trails hazardous for other users.
Tom French is out grooming now, and Ed will be out shortly, trying out repairs he just finished on the Friends' sled.
March 11: Tom will be grooming starting around 9:00. Ed will be working on grooming equipment maintenance.
The roadside on Overlook still has coverage and a weak track set but it is getting close to the ice below. The rest of the trail is excellent. The other trails are all in good shape.
Tom will reset some to get rid of any overnight glaze from sub-freezing temperatures. Conditions are still packed powder in most places with a little corn snow in the more exposed areas. Skate lanes are excellent, and track set on the roads is in good shape.
March 10: A beautiful day and weekend ahead for some spring skiing. We will be grooming starting around 9:30-Overlook, Warm Brook, Pine, E-Z and skate lanes down to the tee. Everything else was groomed yesterday.
March 9: Another day of winter ski conditions, we'll take it! Val White will be the host for skiing tonight until 8:00P.M.
Ed will be resetting the tracks on the trails at approximately 10:00.
'Tis the season when thoughts turn to spring and a last minute frenzy of snowmobilers and post holing hikers venture onto the xc trails. So far, the snowmobile damage has been recoverable and the post holing damage not too great. Please let us know if you discover damage we need to correct between our regular groomings.
Thanks and enjoy the trails in this winter weather.
March 8: Packed powder conditions in most places. Overlook, Pine, and Warm Brook were groomed late yesterday. The South side of the Cedar Brook system, Cedar Brook Hills, and the gentler side of Raquette Ridge were groomed this morning The camp loops and roads were also groomed this morning. Skiing is unusually fine for this time of year.
The Parishville-Hopkinton students are enjoying a day on the trails today, hope some of you also have the opportunity to do so.
When we hear NCAA Championships we tend to think of basketball, but that is not all-there are also NCAA Championships in skiing and this year they are in Lake Placid. St. Lawrence University is the host for the XC portion with events on the 9th and 11th. This is a large undertaking for St. Lawrence and specifically for Coach Ethan Townsend, also our President of the Friends, who is a committee of one to bring this to fruition. The second link is a live stream of the events, the first has the schedule.
https://www.ncaa.com/sports/skiing
https://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2023/03/01
March 7 Update: Grooming went better than expected:Overlook, Warm Brook, PIne, E-Z, all roads and camp loops have been groomed and trackset. Sections of E-Z and the roadside of Overlook have changed to corn snow. The rest are still packed powder. The report from one of our regulars is that Cedar Brook is still skiing well. It is presently snowing, though no accumulation.
Skiing tonight and tomorrow should be good.
March 7: Blair Madore will host skiing tonight until 8:00P.M.
One of us will be grooming later this morning. Conditions are variable. In the cooler spots, conditions are packed powder, in the warmer areas the snow has transitioned to corn, which in temperatures below freezing packs into a frozen snow cone. If we are able to break it up, we may be able to reset the tracks but below freezing it will congeal back into a groomed frozen snow cone. We are forecast to get some snow through the day. If we do, it will restore better conditions.
March 6: A beautiful, bluebird day to enjoy the Park trails. Coverage is very good. We will be grooming starting around 10:00. Conditions will be firm until groomed, hopefully softening after grooming and in the sun.
March 5: Snowing this morning.
All trails, roads and camp loops were rolled, groomed and track set yesterday. Most will still be in excellent condition. We will be checking the conditions around 9:30 this morning and regrooming as needed.
You may have noticed a number of young skiers, Ermines, on the trails yesterday. The Ermines you did not see on the trails yesterday were in Vermont at a Bill Koch Festival. We hope they are having a wonderful weekend. It is fun to watch the young skiers using the skills they have learned in the Ermines to enjoy new experiences.
It's another great ski day!
March 4: Ed and Tom will be grooming starting around 10:00. It looks like around 4" of heavy, wet snow.
Given the temperatures, grooming may be challenging, but the snow should pack into a firm surface. You may want a wipe or spray on wax for no-wax skis today, at least while the temperatures stay around freezing.
Have a good day on the trails!
March 3 Update: What a beautiful day! Everything is groomed and track set.
If you enjoy hills, Raquette Ridge is in the best shape it has ever been.
March 3: What a beautiful day to ski or snowshoe and enjoy the Park! We will be grooming starting around 9:15.
Check out the Friends Facebook page for Tom French's excellent Adirondack Explorer article on the Wood's Trail.
Have a great bluebird day!
March 2: Leah Worden will be your host for skiing this evening until 8:00P.M.
Spring like conditions for the daytime hours today. The tracks are well established with some glaze.
Temperatures are forecast to drop some with light snow later in the day. We will assess conditions this afternoon with the hope to groom some in the later afternoon-the roads and E-Z at a minimum.
March 1: A beautiful day on the trails today. The roads, camp loops, Pine, E-Z and Overlook were groomed late yesterday.Ed will be grooming the remainder of the trails starting at 8:30.
Parishville-Hopkinton students will be enjoying the trails today.
Some of the best conditions of the season. Don't miss them if you have the chance!
February 28: Just a note- the snow reporrt email account gets suspended when recipients mark the email as Spam, making it impossible to send out reports to those who want them until it is unlocked. If you would like to be dropped from emails, please let us know and we will remove you. Thank you!
Kim Bouchard will be your host for skiing tonight until 8:00P.M. Conditions are excellent! Everything was groomed and track set yesterday. Skate lanes are groomed. We may touch up a few spots today with a thorough grooming again tomorrow morning.
Every snow day is a good day!
February 27: A total of around 4" of powder has fallen at the Park overnight Saturday through this morning. We will be grooming this morning starting around 9:30. Conditions are excellent.
Enjoy this late season gift! Maybe we will have a snowy March!
February 26: Another great day for skiing with warmer temperatures and fresh snow!
The track set on the trails has held up well and been softened by morning snow flurries. Snow squalls are forecast for this afternoon. We will regroom either late today or tomorrow morning once the snow is past.
It is a strikingly white, beautiful world at the Park right now. Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy it!
February 25: Today maybe on the chilly side, but the conditions are not to be missed. Skiing is great! We will be grooming starting around 10:00 this morning. The Park received and additional 2" of snow over the past two days. All trails and roads will be groomed.
Every day with conditions like this is a gift.
February 23 Update: The snow was more dense than it originally seemed. About 5" in the open areas.
Mike Morse flat groomed the roads and camp loops with the Tucker. They have been trackset. All the trails have been groomed and trackset in most places. Skiing is quite good. There are some areas of ice not far below the surface.
Enjoy , it is also snowing!
February 23: The snow total is much lower than we had hoped. It appears the Park will have received around 4+ inches in the open areas of light, dry snow. We may flat groom initially, allowing a little time for snow to set up before tracksetting.
We will keep you posted. At a minimum, the roads should be good for night skiing tonight with Carol Rossi-Fries as host.
February 21: After checking the trails and roads, it was decided it would be best to cancel skiing tonight and look forward to better conditions for Thursday.
There is a base in most places, but also areas of inescapable glare ice on every trail. As temperatures warm today, sections of trails and roads may be skiable-this with daylight visibility to identify the impassable sections. Snowshoeing is a good bet for today and a much better idea.
There is currently no grooming until we get snow.
February 20: People are still skiing in spite of the thin cover and ungroomable conditions. Conditions are late spring variable. The good-and bad news is that where there is a base it is starting to soften up, better for skiing on, but not for lasting. It does look like conditions may improve later in the week, allowing us to get back to grooming. We will look forward to that!
February 18: The Park got around 1.5" of snow yesterday. We will flat groom the roads around 10:00. If there is anything else that is groomable we will do so and post afterwards.. Those of you who are Ermines-the two play areas have good coverage.
February 16: There will be skiing tonight, but only the roads, not the camp loops. Only the roads are in suitable condition for skiing.
There are good patches on the trails but too much ice on any of them for night skiing.
Snowshoeing on the trails would be a great alternative.
CPCS has two classes skiing today on what is available.
February 15: A pair of sunglasses was lost on the Wood's Trail on Saturday. If you find them, could you please drop them at the Park Office or reply to this email so I can return them to the owner.
Madrid-Waddington School braved the strangely not winter weather today to spend the day skiing and snowshoeing with the year's largest group at the Park. The report back was that these kids can RUN, and did so on snowshoes. The weather did not daunt their spirits at all!
As you can surmise, conditions are not ideal. There was no grooming today because the temperatures were too warm. There are icy areas, snow covered areas and bare areas. If the temperatures drop sufficiently overnight we will assess grooming possibilities and do what can be done. The good news is that the potential of snow looks better next week.
As you're watching the snow melt, and hoping for the return of winter, here is a challenge for you: Tim Pearl, who manages to coax the Park's tractor to do trail renovation well beyond its capabilities, has done a lot of work on the trails over the last few years. Some changes are obvious, some more subtle. How many trail improvements can you identify? Email me your recollections and we will see who can identify the most. We'll post a list on Sunday.
Think SNOW!
February 14 Anticipated: 💘
Tom will be grooming fairly early in the morning to take advantage of the cooler conditions. A Parishville class will be enjoying the Park tomorrow. The snow at the Park has turned mostly to corn. Skiing Monday afternoon, where groomed, was really lovely late season conditions.
Blair Madore will host evening skiing until 8:00P.M. tomorrow (Tuesday). If the Thursday forecast holds true tomorrow night will be the last evening skiing until we get more snow.
Brooke from Grasse River Outfitters has extended a 20% off coupon for Friends of HFSP until the end of March. The code is XSKI20. It can be used once by each person during the time period.
Enjoy the "spring" skiing while we have it.
February 13: Yesterday turned into a beautiful day to ski as warmer temperatures softened the conditions. Conditions are starting out icy this morning, softening as the day goes on.
Overlook is very icy along the roadside, good on the back side. We may do a little grooming this morning but are hoping for snow overnight, to improve conditions. Tom French will be doing a more extensive grooming tomorrow morning.
February 12: Ed and Tom are out grooming on the roads and trails, where practical, to loosen them up as much as possible. Coverage is still quite good.
It will be spring conditions. It is a beautiful day to be outside.
If spring conditions are not your cup of tea, how about snowshoeing? The Park has a large stock of snowshoes to rent for only $3.00 per day. Have you ever explored the Wood's Trail (named for John Wood, Park Supervisor at the time of construction)? Thanks to the Griffin's for breaking out the trail to make your trek easier. There is a new spur at the lower end that takes you to Warm Brook.
If you would like a shorter hike, the Beaver Pond Trail is always worth the effort, and the leanto at the Pond is a perfect spot to stop for lunch.
Whatever your means of locomotion, be sure to record the distance you covered on the challenge chart at the Lodge! Danielle and Bob are counting on you!!
February 11: Conditions are better than expected, but are very firm. There is still good coverage except for along the road on Overlook-covered but thin. The tracks on the roads held up well and the roads were flat groomed. All trails were trackset. The 1/2+ inch of snow we got helped a lot. Not sure what the conditions will be as that melts off.
February 10: The weather has not been suitable for grooming; the wetness needed to drain out of the snow from the rain we got. We are planning to start grooming tomorrow morning around 8:00.
We don't know yet what to report on conditions, but we will let you know when we can. It will be impossible to do so before late morning because of the Sled Shed dedication.
The ski challenge is still going forward as is the Hospice Challenge, and many events around town, so come on up and give it a go!
February 9: Raingear would be the appropriate gear for skiing today -- better to find another activity and let the snow last as best it can.
As soon as rain stops and drains out of the snow and temperatures cool some we will resume grooming. Still hoping to create acceptable conditions for the weekend.
February 8: Trails and roads were groomed and reset today and were in excellent shape after grooming. The grooming actually cleaned up the snow surface some. They should stay in reasonably good shape until whatever rain we get. We will reassess after that.
If you ski, check out the posters in the lodge for this weekend's Fri.-Sun. Ski Challenge.
February 7: We anticipate skiing tonight. It looks as if a snow or rain shower might pass through around 5:00 but be brief. If you are planning on skiing tonight, please check your emails. If there is a change of plans we will post it by 4:00P.M.
All woods trails were groomed yesterday and the main roads. There are quantities of pine needles and small twigs on the trails: Outlook is the dirtiest, Warm Brook and Raquette Ridge are the cleanest. Raquette Ridge is in the best shape it has ever been in. The roads are also clean, some debris on the loops.
Conditions should soften through the day.
February 6: Trails and roads will be groomed today after a very busy weekend, Sunday, in particular, was a joyous day with a great many skiers enjoying every foot of skiable, snow-shoeable terrain. A new play area by the pump out station was created for the Ermines, who made good use of it, playing tag and other games with the SLU Ski Team and trying their hand at a ski jump made by the team. The pulkas were out, ski jorers, skate skiers, back country and in track skiers, snow-shoers; everyone having fun.
February 5: Skiing should be excellent today with warmer temperatures. SLU/Mike Morse is flat grooming the roads and the area by the pump out station for the Ermines. Ed will be working on Raquette Ridge and touching up other trails if needed. Judy will be grooming the area around the lodge for the Ermines and track setting the roads.
This is a roller coaster of a year. Enjoy the snow while we have it.
February 4: Trail conditions should be good but fairly slow in the cold temperatures.
February 3: Brrrr-a good day to hunker down and plan your next visit to the Park. If you venture out on the trails, stay safe.
The Cedar Brook network was groomed yesterday and all trails are in good shape.
A man we worked for had a philosophy toward using equipment "It doesn't have feelings, work it hard". That may be true, but anyone who has operated equipment in extreme cold will tell you that the rate of equipment failure in those temperatures is much higher. We will resume grooming when the temperatures moderate. Conditions should hold well until then.
We are going to start teasing you with news about the upcoming winter event over the Winterfest weekend of Feb. 10-12th.
February 2: Trails are being touched up by Ed and Tom or Mike.Reports are that conditions are very good. It is breezy, watch out for snow bombs! Fortunately, the Park's trails are sheltered.
February 1: Hermon-Dekalb Central will be on the trails today. I know this is impossibly short notice, some wires got crossed. If anyone is out there skiing this morning and would be willing to help with a group, we could use one volunteer around 9:00A.M.
We will be working on the trails this morning.
January 30: Grooming yesterday was limited by the heavy, wet, snow. Approximately 3/4 of the network was groomed, including the roads. Tom is grooming today, working on the wooded trails at the moment.
January 29: Mike Morse/SLU has groomed and track set the roads this morning. Tom French is out on the trails grooming them. It is snowing fairly hard at the Park this morning.
Yesterday was a day filled with joy at the Park. Attached is a picture of some of the happy faces.
If your young skier is missing his or her equipment, stop by the Park Office from 7-3:30 and claim it.
Excellent skiing on fresh snow today. Henry has a fire going by the kiosk for your enjoyment!
January 28: Marty Duffany will be grooming this morning. Ed hopes to groom Raquette Ridge. The temperature is warm which makes ungroomed snow on steep hills very difficult, so we shall see how that goes. We will be preparing the area around the lodge for the Ermines and also widening out the E-Z trail for their skate lesson.
January 27: Skiing should be excellent. We will be grooming this morning -- all roads, EZ, and Overlook plus anything else that needs to be done after yesterday's evening skiing.
January 26 Update:
Conditions for Night Skiing (until 8:00) should be Fantastic!
All woods trails except Raquette Ridge, all roads and camp loops have been groomed and trackset.
January 26: Grrrr...temperature inversions! My phone says temp is 24, but the thermometer here says 30 and the Park is 32 degrees.
Ed has made a valiant attempt at grooming but the snow is just too saturated and heavy, sleds pulling a groomer equals no turning. He has taken the Skandic without a groomer around Overlook with some difficulty after trying to groom E-Z with sled and drag. E-Z is more or less groomed.
Mike tried to bring the Tucker in to flatten the roads but even that rebelled. We are going to have to wait until temperatures cool, hopefully by this afternoon.
If you ski, you may want an anti-stick coating of some form on your skis. Once we get this snow groomed it should make an excellent base.
Ed reports there are some branches down on Overlook, so if you are skiing, stick flicking would be appreciated.
Skiing should be excellent tonight if we can get the trails groomed. Blanche Town will be your host this evening. We will post an update after we do get them groomed.
January 25 Update: Roads, camp loops, and all woods trails groomed and trackset. Skiing is very good.
There are a few low hanging branches, mainly on Cedar Brook and Pine-a project for next spring or fall.
January 25: The roads and camp loops were groomed late yesterday afternoon. As we finished grooming a snowsquall came through and dumped a few inches of snow. We will be starting grooming woods and roads around 10;30 this morning. Conditions will be excellent.
January 24 Update: All woods trails are groomed, trackset, and in good shape. The roads and camp loops are not groomed yet but will be a little later this afternoon.
Night skiing tonight should be excellent.
January 24: The Park received about an inch of dense snow the night before last, improving conditions. We had a brief snow squall this morning. We will be heading up to check out grooming possibilities around 9:30. We will try the Overlook trail first and go from there. Skiing should be good today.
January 22: All trails, including Raquette Ride were groomed and track set where possible yesterday afternoon, also the roads and camp loops. Conditions are thin, but there was a crowd out enjoying the trails yesterday.
Fingers crossed for more snow in the forecast.
January 21: Conditions are looking up. We received a little more snow after we groomed yesterday and the temperatures dropped. Skiing should be good today.
We will check out Overlook and possibly groom it, maybe Warm Brook too, but that is more doubtful due to the rocks and low coverage in coniferous sections.
The Ermines will be out having fun at 1:00 today. If you want to see pure joy, stop and watch them for a few minutes.
January 20 Update: Yippee, it is snowing at the Park!
Little accumulation, probably an inch at most, but it helps. E-Z, Pine, and the roads are groomed and trackset. Cedar Brook is groomed and trackset where possible. Camp loops are flat groomed.
Any snow we get now will make a big difference.
January 20: Henry reports that the Park has received a little snow and that there are people skiing. We are going up to see if there are areas we can groom. We will start with the roads and E-Z and go from there.
January 19: Conditions are variable. The roads have been flat groomed for skating and a fresh trackset for classical. The camp loops have been flat groomed. The E-Z trail has been groomed and track set and is in reasonably good condition..
If you ski tonight, the above would be the best options. The roads and camp loops were pretty rough when we started grooming. The roads groomed out pretty well, the snow depth on the loops is so minimal that they did not come out as well.
With minimum snow depth on the woods trails, we did not attempt them yet. If we do try any additional trails it may be Pine. We will update if we do.January 18: The weather is slightly above freezing and precipitation is mixed rain and snow. As much as we would like to groom we are afraid it will turn the saturated snow to slush. As soon as temps drop below freezing for a little while to let the base harden up we will resume grooming.
If you decide to ski today, the roads are the most firmly packed and should be the best skiing.
January 17: After skiing ourselves this morning, we decided it would be better to wait on the grooming. The roads are still quite good. The trails are thin-and getting thinner. Damp pine cones and twigs are stickier than frozen ones. Skiing is still possible, the road is the best choice.
Skiing is scheduled for tonight until 8:00. Please check your e-,mail before heading out to make sure the weather has not forced a cancellation.
January 16: Conditions are holding up quite well considering the minimum amount of snow we have.
The trackset on the main roads can be groomed when needed but the loops and trails are better left alone until we get more snow.
Skiing is quite good, considering.
January 15: Cedar Brook excluding the Raquette Ridge trails has been flat groomed. The roads have been groomed and trackset.
Coverage on the woods trails is very thin but skiable. We will hope for additional snow later in the week. but , hey, it's skiing!
January 14: Much snow stayed on the trees.
E-Z is groomed and trackset. Overlook, Pine and Warm Brook are flat groomed. The roads are groomed and trackset.
We did not do the Cedar Brook network. Probably skiable, but not enough to groom.
Best skiing is on the roads and E-Z.
January 14 Anticipated: We received quite a bit of rain prior to the precipitation switching to snow. In the open areas, we received between 5 and 6". The bottom is slushy from the rain, the top is good snow.
We are waiting until tomorrow morning to start grooming in order to give the colder temperatures a chance to hopefully freeze the bottom layer.
If all goes as we hope, skiing should be at least passable tomorrow. If you are skiing, please help us out and throw a few branches off the trail. It will make for a better experience for everyone.
January 13: We have received approximately 1.5" of snow. We will hope that it continues snowing, and will wait until the temperatures drop and the wetness underneath freezes to groom-if we receive enough snow. Hopefully tomorrow morning would be the grooming, if conditions permit.
December 30: It is too warm for us to groom today, but there should still be coverage on most trails. Late spring skiing. This may be it for a while, so enjoy.
December 29: It should be a beautiful day of spring skiing. Ed will be grooming a few of the trails as temperatures permit this morning. Leah Worden will host skiing until 8:00P.M. this evening.
We do not feel this snow will endure the thaw well. The ground is frozen which will help, but there have not been the freeze, thaw, snow cycles that have helped toughen the base in other years.
Hopefully this thaw will be followed by more snow and more stable temperatures.
Right now, it is beautiful, so enjoy!
December 28: Tom French groomed the roads, EZ, Pine, Toadstool, and Overlook. We may groom Cedar & Warm Brook later when the snow lets up.
The Park is spectacular right now with the snow hanging in the trees. Conditions should be very good today, possibly getting a little sticky in the afternoon.
Keep in mind some photos for next year's photo contest.
Hopefully the weather coming will be our January thaw and winter will settle in after it. We will be in groom it and use it mode until and if we run out of snow. We will groom when temperatures permit operating the sleds.
Ignore tomorrow's forecast and enjoy today, skiing is great!
December 27 UPDATE: The Park received between 6 and 8" of powder.
All trails have been trackset. Pine has been widened and has a narrow skate lane. Most of the roads and loops are trackset and have a skating lane. The snow is powdery and the Park is busy. The trackset won't hold up. It will be reset tomorrow.
Great skiing!!
December 27: It snowed lightly all day yesterday at the Park and is still snowing this morning. The snow is powdery. Conditions should be excellent.
Ed will be grooming Raquette Ridge this morning. We will be grooming some of the trails this morning. Tom French plans on doing additional grooming this afternoon.
Enjoy these awesome conditions while we have them, changes are on the horizon :-(
December 26 UPDATE:
Everything except the Raquette Ridge area has been groomed and trackset. There were some trees down. They have been cleared. Mike Morse flattened the roads with the Tucker. It has been dragged and track set. Conditions are very nice. The Park got around 2" of powder while we were grooming.
The weather looks glum for the end of the week so if you have the opportunity,now is the time to enjoy the conditions. Those chores will still be there on the bad weather days!
Night skiing tomorrow night until 8:00P.M.
December 26:
We will be assessing the trails this morning for downed trees, and beginning grooming in the usual sequence E-Z, Overlook, Warm Brook, Pine and the Cedar Brook network.
Once the trails are cleared, one of us will start grooming the roads.
It looks like around 8" on the level at the Park. Once again, there will be some branches to toss.
Thank you for your help on branches.
December 24:
We don't know how much snow we may have gotten because the landscape is so windblown. Conditions are adverse for travel, grooming and skiing. We will let you know when we start grooming.
If you ski, the conditions are ungroomed at the moment. Please let us know if you come across downed trees.
Mike Morse will bring the Tucker in at some point to level out the roads. We will let you know when we start grooming. We will do so as soon as it is safe to do so.
December 23: Don't, is our suggestion!
It is pouring rain, but getting ready to switch over. The wind has arrived.
The Park has closed the lodge and rentals. If traffic stays off the trails until this sets up, hopefully with some snow on top, we will be able to restore it.
December 22: Skiing conditions are very good today-but keep an eye to the sky if you are in the woods. Snow is coming down in snow "bombs" and it is very heavy.
After today, we would appreciate trail users refrain from using the trails until after the storm has passed and temperatures are below freezing again.
December 21: Conditions should be excellent today.
Cedar Brook, Raquette Ridge, down by the lean-to, all trails were groomed and trackset yesterday and came out well.
SLU's groomer brought the Tucker in last night and flattened/compacted the roads and camp loops to level them out and put them in the most durable condition to withstand the coming weather event. We will be restoring the track set on them this morning. L
ooks like we should be able to enjoy today and hopefully through Thurs. evening before bad weather hits. It would be a big help on Friday if the trails were not used until they freeze up.
December 20: Henry and Tim have been hard at work. They cleared the Park camp loops, Overlook, Pine and Toadstool of downed trees. All except Toadstool have been groomed and trackset. There is now a fairly narrow skating lane on the road and the loops. It is somewhat unlevel yet, but it is a lane.
Henry and Tim expect to work on the Cedarbrook side today. As soon as they finish it, we will groom it.
We should have good conditions for the next couple of days, until the next weather system. If you can, now is the time to enjoy it. We still ask that you throw a few branches off the trail to help with the conditions over the winter months.
December 19: The Park staff, Henry and Tim, will be cutting trees this morning, Ed will join them in the afternoon.
The main road, loops B,C, and F have been track set. The other loops have trees down. We will work this morning on widening the current grooming to eventually create a skating lane.
E-Z, New and Old Pine are groomed and trackset. One large tree is blocking grooming the Overlook loop. We will groom that as soon as the tree is cut. We will move on to Warm Brook after that. Most trails can be skied-skiers have made paths around downed trees.
There are quite a few branches down, and snow laden branches leaning low over trails. If you are out on the trails, please help us out by picking up a few branches and knocking the snow off the overhanging branches. We need to get back to square one before the forecast weather changes at the end of the week.
December 18: On the brighter side, possibly for the first time ever, all equipment is at the Park and operational for the first day of grooming.
Yesterday was a challenge. We did not make much progress. The Park had no power and the Sled Shed is not included on the generator circuit, so opening the doors was the second problem. The first was getting a path to the shed.
The snow was heavy and wet, prone to tipping over machines. There are trees down and branches.It is skiable before grooming. There are paths broken out by skiers on many of the trails.
The Park will be cutting the trees today and we will be back working on the grooming. The cooler temperatures overnight should have helped out a lot.
December 17: Whew, the snow was so heavy that it compressed some under its own weight. Before packing it added up to around 16-18". Once again, the problem is that a great deal of it is still on the trees. A gentle breeze would help, a strong wind would be a real problem.
SLU and we will be working on grooming today, starting with the roads, E-Z, then working our way to Overlook, Warmbrook, etc.
December 16: Elevated surfaces have 6-8" of snow on them. Open areas at ground level have 4-6" on them, but in the woods, the snow is hanging on the trees and little is making it to the ground. It is more like 2+ inches under the trees and still snowing.
This very heavy, wet snow will be a good base. It will be sticky until temperatures drop. Some branches may have come down, more will if we get any wind. We will begin grooming a little later today, or tomorrow at the latest. The roads will have the best coverage.
November 20: We received a dusting of snow last night. Colder temperatures may have improved the stickiness. E-Z was groomed and trackset yesterday. The trackset bottoms out to the ground in a lot of places but is skiable. The flat grooming is good. We skied it yesterday. Packed down, it is not sticky. Ed is going to go up and check it out. He may try grooming one more trail, possibly New Pine.
November 19: We got an additional 2" snow, but with the warm ground and warmer temperatures, we are losing snow. The Friends sled is back in service and is at the Park. Ed made a couple passes around the E-Z trail to try it out. There is not really enough snow to groom (wear bars on the skis need enough depth to stay above the earth) but compacting it may have helped the sticking.
November 18: The first skiers were out two days ago. Snow is falling, but the ground is not frozen, conditions are marginal and ungroomed.
There is insufficient snow yet to groom and sleds are still in the shop being serviced. If we get an adequate amount to start grooming, and we get the first of the sleds back, we will groom.
We will keep you posted.
Plan for potentially sticky conditions!
