3/9/16 Update:
     Temperatures have warmed to near 60, but the Paul Smith's VIC now reports 8" of uno in the woods and most trails skiable.  They hope to be able to stay open for the coming weekend.  Nearby areas should also be skiable through the weekend since the surfaces will be soft.  A little cooler on Friday, but then warm again through the weekend and into next week.

Original Post
We had some cold, winter-like weather last week and into the weekend, but no new snow, and now we are looking at increasingly warm temperatures through Thursday.  Highs Wednesday and Thursday will be in the 50s, then a bit cooler on Friday, followed by a return to the 50s for the coming weekend.  There will still be snow above 3,000 feet, but it will be a hike to get there.  

And speaking of hiking, most hiking trails have a hard icy base that makes good traction aids (microspikes or crampons) mandatory for most ascents.  By the coming weekend, some of the lower elevation trails may be completely free of ice, but until then, don't leave home without traction.

As we have before, we checked around to see if any part of the Adirondacks had any snow.  The result is that only Osceola Tug Hill ski area remains open.  The snowmobile condition report from usually snowy Inlet (yes, we are that desperate) notes poor conditions and sums up this week's weather with "game over".

For die-hards, I can personally recommend a trip to Ottawa for skiing in Gatineau Park - 150km of beautifully groomed trails with several feet of base.  If only here .....

MORE SPECIFICALLY:
JACKRABBIT TRAIL - No section skiable

BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS:  
                         Snow depth at Lake Colden:  18 "
                         Snow depth at 4,000 feet: 24-36"
       Bare spots on both the hiking trail and truck trail to Marcy Dam.  Snow cover but many rocks showing to Avalanche Camp.  Ski route past Avalanche Camp passable.  Lake ice on Avalanche Lake no longer crossable. Likewise, don't count on being able to cross the Opalescent River in Flowed Lands as of the coming weekend.
     Remote monitoring in the Huntington Forest in Newcomb indicates 3", so Newcomb Lake Road to Camp Santanoni skiable, but not likely to survive until the coming weekend.   (see comment below)
     WHITEFACE HIGHWAY:  Very icy at the Toll House, and thin enough that one can see the yellow line through the ice.  Likely some show higher up, but probably not worth the hike.  

CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS (trail fee required)
                       Van Ho, Cascade, and Dewey are all still closed.
                       Paul smith's VIC:  (See 3/9/16 update)   As surfaces soften, but before they melt entirely, there will be a "window" when areas nearby including Hays Brook and Fish Pond truck trails will be skiable.

Not for the first time we're relegated to trying to ski on 1/2" of "winter storm warning".  It was a wild night on Tuesday as a major storm passed to our north with rain, high winds, and even a dusting of snow by morning.  In the end, not nearly enough to put any local skiing back in shape.  The outlook for Thursday is quite cold, but no new snow.  In fact, no significant snow in the forecast with a repeat of earlier patterns that will have temperatures back to 50 by next Tuesday.  So all we can say is that microspikes remain as the "wax of the day".  For die-hards, I can personally recommend a trip to Ottawa for skiing in Gatineau Park - 150km of beautifully groomed trails with several feet of base.  If only here .....

MORE SPECIFICALLY:
JACKRABBIT TRAIL - No section skiable

BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS:  
                         Snow depth at Lake Colden:  20 "
                         Snow depth at 4,000 feet: 24-36"
       Bare spots on both the hiking trail and truck trail to Marcy Dam.  Snow cover but many rocks showing to Avalanche Camp.  Ski route past Avalanche Camp passable, but likely very icy unless that area picked up snow on Tuesday morning as the storm moved on.  Lake ice on Avalanche Lake crossable, but one must avoid inlets, outlets, and edges where melt water has entered the lake.  The trail is the safer alternative.
     Remote monitoring in the Huntington Forest in Newcomb indicates maybe an inch if new snow, which would have fallen on 2-3" of icy base, so Newcomb Lake Road to Camp Santanoni skiable, but not that great.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS (trail fee required)
                       Van Ho, Cascade, and Dewey are all still closed.
                       Paul smith's VIC:  Closed today.  The area has held onto a base, but the morning report only indicated a trace of new snow.  We'll check tomorrow to see if they are able to groom any terrain back into skiable condition.  Neighboring backcountry areas, however will likely be too icy to be much fun.    

As reported previously, the only skiing is around Paul Smiths and Newcomb, but that is reasonably good skiing on the flatter, smoother terrain.  Sunday night and Monday will see some light precipitation that will likely be freezing rain.  Then we can look forward to Wednesday!  At the moment, the forecasts are varied and range from sleet and some snow at the end to a total of 5-8" of snow by Thursday morning.  Given this range, the next update will be Thursday, 3/3 after we know what actually happened.  

Meanwhile, checking today determined that Meadow Lane, the approach to the Marcy Dam Truck Trail, had 1/4" of snow on ice.  It was skiable, but just barely.  Approaching the register for the truck trail, the snow became intermittent with gaps continuing past the register.  Your reporter didn't investigate further, but there are likely additional gaps on any south-facing section heading to Marcy Dam.   

 Friday morning report:
After two days of rain and temperatures in the 40s, most of the snow that we had below 2,500 feet is gone.  Overnight we did pick up 2-3" of light snow, which as of 8 AM is being blown around by high winds.  With no base in most areas, this isn't enough for any good skiing in the Lake Placid area.  There is a base remaining at the Paul Smith's VIC, with 3" of new snow, which also means the Hays Brook and Fish Pond truck trails will be skiable with a bit of powder on well-frozen granular.  Newcomb Lake Road will have similar conditions.  Whiteface Highway may look good at the Toll House, but the winds will have blown snow off of much of the rest of the highway.  

​Friday evening report not any more optimistic.  Van Hoevenberg only reports 5km skiable "at your own risk". Other local ski centers still closed.  Still nothing but snow showers predicted for the weekend and upcoming week, so any recovery beyond what was reported above will be slow.  

Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden  will remain crossable as long as you give any inlets and outlets a wide berth.  No other lake or river ice can be considered safe.  By next weekend we may be able to get a positive report on the Opalescent River in Flowed Lands, but for now consider that crossing unsafe.

See 2/23 update below.

Keep your fingers crossed for a March miracle folks...that's about the only thing that can save the ski season at this point.   The most recent thaw and rain has been, in a word, devastating.  The Lake Placid Nordic Festival and Loppet were cancelled, as was the Mountaineer's annual Backcountry Ski Festival, and our annual Avalanche Pass Ski Swap.  

Ski trail conditions across the region remain very icy with bare ground still showing in some locations, especially after more rain and 40 degree temps on Saturday.  There's very little snowpack remaining at lower elevations. 
The Jackrabbit Trail cannot be recommended for skiing until we receive more snow.   There's a chance for a few inches of accumulation mid-week, but the forecast for Thursday is for temps in the mid 40s and rain (again), so a rebound doesn't look promising at this point.

National Weather Service Forecast for Lake Placid

NYSDEC reports 17 inches at the stake at Lake Colden.  We have 5 to 8 inches in the lower elevations of the High Peaks. There is about 6 to 10 inches of snow on the ground at about 2,000 feet, with 14 to 18 inches at about 2,700, and fresh snow above about 3,500 feet with as much as two feet on and near summits.  Skiers have reported up to 8 inches of fresh snow on trails at higher elevations in the High Peaks (above 3,500 feet) but approaches will barely be skiable. The rain brought high water to most of the streams and with much of the ice blown-out, some water crossings will be difficult.  Backcountry travelers should also expect to encounter water on top of the ice on Avalanche Lake, Lake Colden and other water bodies.

Paul Smiths VIC reports a few trails open, but trails remain closed at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Dewey Mountain, and Cascade XC Center.  
Even the reliable "low snow" skiing options are still in rough shape.  The Whiteface Toll Road, Marcy Dam Truck Trail and South Meadow Lane remain icy.  The road to Camp Santanoni is skiable with generally 6-7" of snow in Newcomb. This dense base should survive Thursday's rain. We'll check again on Friday to see how much new snow we get at the tail end of the thaw.  
​
2/23 update
Otherwise, with a base and some trails open at the Paul Smith's VIC, the Hays Brook and Fish Pond truck trails also have a base that should survive the thaw - again just a question of how much new snow we get afterwards to cover up the icy base. 

Going further afield, Lapland Lake XC Ski Center near Northville http://www.snocountry.com/cross-country-ski-resorts/ny/laplandlakexc is still reporting 8-12", which is enough to groom a loose granular surface on 33 km of their trails.  Osceola Tug Hill in Little River near Camden, NY http://www.snocountry.com/cross-country-ski-resorts/ny/osceolatughillxc has 6-7" and 40 km open. Other possibilities include the ski to High Rock on the Oswegatchie, starting at Wanakena near Cranberry Lake and Cascade Lake near Old Forge/Eagle Bay.

Here we go again folks...another round of weird weather coming our way tonight.   I was just about to post a report about how much fun we had skiing Avalanche Pass Ski Trail yesterday, via the Whales Tail Ski Trail to Marcy Dam, but then I saw the forecast for tonight and tomorrow:

National Weather Service - Forecast for Lake Placid

There is a Winter Weather Advisory in place through Tuesday.  We'll likely get 2-4 inches of accumulation tonight, which would be great if it wasn't followed with a predicted half-inch of ice and then rain showers throughout the day tomorrow.  This is sure to wreak havoc on the ski trails across the region.  Stay tuned for another update tomorrow, once we have a chance to survey the damage.  

Once the storm clears watch for a call for volunteers to clear the inevitable downed trees and branches that will result from this much ice.

​
​

With a little snow every day, we are slowly getting back to where we were before last week's thaw.  Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Cascade and Dewey Mountain are open again...see below for links to conditions at the reporting areas.  
On the Jackrabbit Trail, the Lake Placid side of Mackenzie Pass is pretty good skiing right now, but skiers should still use caution on the downhills. There's 4-5 inches of fresh snow on the crust leftover after the thaw above the Fallen Leaf Trail, and conditions are terrific. Approaching from the Saranac Lake side skiers will find 2-3 inches of dry snow on a minimal, icy base (with bare ground under the fresh snow in spots).  It has been skied several times in the past few days...but conditions are still marginal on this side of the pass.  These observations would indicate that the rest of Jackrabbit Trail will be in the same condition.  Craig Wood, Lake Placid Club and Whiteface Inn golf courses will be fantastic skiing right now for those looking for a more casual outing.

Checking yesterday afternoon showed 2-3" of fluff on a surviving firm base of inch or so on the Fish Pond and Hays Brook truck trails.  A very nice skied in track - especially on the Fish Pond Truck Trail. Connery Pond to Whiteface Landing is not quite ready for "prime time' but is has been skied.  While not actually checked, these observations would indicate that the remote reports of snow depths at Newcomb would have both the Newcomb Lake and Moose Pond routes skiable as well.  

The Whiteface Toll Road is in great shape at the moment...see photo below.  

DEC reports 15 inches at the stake at the Lake Colden Outpost, and 5 inches of new snow over the past two days.  We'll post an update on ice crossing conditions in the High Peaks later tonight or tomorrow.

​Not a great winter when on President's Weekend we're still only able to report on skiing on what we have often called the "early-season favorites", but at least there is skiing and its going to be plenty cold this weekend to keep the snow we do have from melting. 

XC Ski Area Conditions (click links)

​Cascade XC Center
Mt. Van Hoevenberg
Paul Smiths VIC

Well I have to admit I've been putting off writing a report about the horrible weather this week because I just didn't want it to be true, especially since the trails were finally starting to get really good.  Beginning on Sunday the entire region experienced a significant meltdown, with steady rain showers pouring salt on the wound on Wednesday.  

As of this afternoon the Jackrabbit Trail and other ski trails in the region cannot be recommended for skiing.  We're seeing a combination of glare ice, bare ground and wet, crusty snow conditions throughout the trail network.  With colder weather returning tomorrow, we can expect to see even icier conditions going into the weekend.  

Groomed ski areas took a hard hit as well - Cascade XC Center, Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Dewey Mountain and Paul Smiths VIC nordic ski trails are all closed until further notice.  

At higher elevations there's still 6-12 inches of snow in the woods.  14 inches of snow is reported at Lake Colden and 18 inches on the higher summits.  Backcountry skiers should be equipped for all conditions if venturing into the High Peaks, where crampons or micro-spikes may be necessary on steeper slopes...you'll definitely want to dust off those rock skis too.

Temperatures will drop again on Friday and there's some snow in the forecast, although it doesn't look like we'll get enough accumulation to bring skiing back to life.  "Wait and see" is the name of the game for now.  Stay tuned for an update on Sunday.

National Weather Service Forecast for Lake Placid

Upcoming Events

Feb 5-7 - Empire State Winter Games
- Winter Bike Races @ Mount Pisgah
- Snowshoe Races @ Paul Smiths' VIC
- Biathlon Races @ Mt. Van Hoevenberg
- Cross Country Races @ Mt. Van Hoevenberg

Feb 11 - Cabin Fever Cure Dance Party @ Dewey Mountain

BETA-ASTC Backcountry Ski Trips (Feb 13 and Feb 21)

XC Ski Area Conditions (click links)

​Cascade XC Center
Mt. Van Hoevenberg
Paul Smiths VIC

Following a "relatively fantastic" weekend for ski touring on the Jackrabbit Trail, the region experienced a brief warm spell on Tuesday with temperatures reaching into the mid-40s at lower elevations, accompanied by mixed precipitation throughout the day in the form of snow squalls, sleet, and rain.  Thankfully the rain wasn't heavy and did not significantly impact ski conditions on most trails.  We picked up a dusting to a few inches on Tuesday night and the forecast is calling for additional accumulation on Thursday night.  

​National Weather Service Forecast for Lake Placid

Skiers can expect to find "fast and firm" packed powder conditions and good ski tracks on the vast majority of un-groomed trails in the region, with the thin base persisting in some spots and varying depths of consolidated powder in the woods.  Excellent conditions were observed and reported on the Jackrabbit over the weekend, and at least one report from Wednesday on Mackenzie Pass indicates that not a whole lot has changed since the rain on Tuesday.
​  
We had a great turnout Sunday for the Theresa Klauck Memorial Ski on the Jackrabbit Trail, and for the annual Pool Party that followed. The event raised $1000 to support maintenance of the Jackrabbit and other ski trails under the stewardship of BETA.

Huge thanks to the Crowne Plaza Resort Lake Placid - Golf Club and the Lussi Family for making their pool available for this event and for allowing for the development of ski and bike trails on their property.
And many thanks to these Pool Party event sponsors - Cascade X-C Ski Center, Elk Lake Lodge, Origin Coffee Co., The Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, Cycle Adirondacks and Mr. Mike's Pizza & Italian Kitchen
​
There was a rather serious rescue operation on the North Face of Pitchoff Mountain on Saturday, and NYSDEC personnel accessed the accident site on snowmobile via the Old Mountain Road section of the Jackrabbit Trail to treat and evacuate the injured ice climber.  Skiers should expect to encounter snowmobile tracks if touring in this area.  

The Whiteface Toll Road is in great shape with good pavement coverage on all but the usual windswept corners.  

This report will be updated this afternoon with information for backcountry ski conditions in the High Peaks (we're waiting for a call back from the Lake Colden DEC outpost).
​ 
Upcoming Events

Jan 29 - Friday Night Farm Dinner w/ Crowfeather @ Cascade XC Center

Feb 5-7 - Empire State Winter Games
- Winter Bike Races @ Mount Pisgah
- Snowshoe Races @ Paul Smiths' VIC
- Biathlon Races @ Mt. Van Hoevenberg
- Cross Country Races @ Mt. Van Hoevenberg

Feb 11 - Cabin Fever Cure Dance Party @ Dewey Mountain

BETA-ASTC Backcountry Ski Trips (Feb 13 and Feb 21)

XC Ski Area Conditions (click links)

​Cascade XC Center
Mt. Van Hoevenberg
Paul Smiths VIC