UPDATE - 2/1/18

Wednesday night we only ended up with a dusting of snow, so not much change from what was reported on Tuesday.  Mt. Van Hoevenberg is spreading their supply of man-made snow and now reports all of 2 km open.  Whatever is open, however, will be in use for the Empire State Games this weekend, so the Paul SmithsVIC is best alternative.  At the VIC, all trails are open, but skiing is recommended on only a few trails with "hard and fast" surfaces reported.  

Slightly above freezing today, but then colder over the weekend with a chance of snow showers.  A better chance for more snow early next week.  We can only hope.

TUESDAY 1/30
Unfortunately, there is nothing positive to report since the last update on the 27th. There is still an icy base in the wooded areas, but most open areas are mostly bare.  The only good news is that we haven't lost all of our base, but there is only a chance of snow showers any day through the weekend.  Wednesday night is the best chance for enough new snow to again make some of the gentler terrain skiable, but then it will be warm on Thursday before cooling off again for the weekend.  

Mt. Van Hoevenberg only reports 1 km open.  Cascade has 15 km open, but the surfaces are likely pretty firm and fast.  Likewise, the VIC in Paul Smiths has all their trails open, but warns that they ar hard packed and icy.

Pond skating is good on most ponds.  Aggressive traction needed for any ascents of a high peak as many trails are quite literally a frozen river of water ice.  Gentler terrain will be doable with microspikes, but some form of traction is recommended for any backcountry travel.  

​We'll do an update on Thursday with hopefully news of at least a few inches of snow falling Wednesday night. 

Update 1/17/18:  Old Mt. Road section now fully skiable as the washout has been shoveled in and all the beaver ponds are solidly frozen.  In addition to Hayes Brook, Fish Pond Truck Trail is in great shape, but the ponds may now be slushy.  Otherwise, road to Ausable Lakes is thin but skiable with snowmobile traffic actually making skating possible.  Remote sensing for the Huntington Forest in Newcomb shows 15" there, so should be great skiing to Newcomb Lake and Moose Pond.  That report would also indicate skiable snow on Gulf Brook Road to the Boreas Ponds.

Today we'll be out checking conditions around the area.  This report will updated throughout the day.
3:00pm - a few more updates
Good ski tracks are established on most of the Jackrabbit Trail.  On the Lake Placid end of the Old Mountain Road section, a few ice climbers have bare-booted but mercifully stayed to the side of the trail and out of the ski tracks.  Above Whiteface Inn Lane the trail is well-traveled by skiers and snowshoers.  We spent some time today packing snow in the open drainages that are now frozen between the road and the lean-to.  A few remain open with running water,  so use caution on downhills.   

On the Saranac Lake side of McKenzie Pass, the trail remains impassable due to a flooded bridge between McKenzie Pond Rd and McKenzie Pond itself.  The water level has continued to rise since Saturday.  The span of open water and ice flow is now 50 feet from bank to bank, with no safe place to cross whatsoever.  The trail can still be skied as an out and back from the parking lot....quick but enjoyable, and you get to see the stream running 2-3 feet deep above the deck of the bridge.  Hopefully its still there when the water goes down!

At the Hayes Brook truck trail there is now a small 2-3 car parking area shoveled out at the intersection of Mountain Pond Rd and Rt. 30.  Thanks to Forest Ranger Pete Evans for the report and your efforts.   
​

9:00am - A few specific updates to share since yesterday's report.  
Skiers out in the High Peaks yesterday report a higher than average number of people on the trails without skis or snowshoes.  Mount Marcy was skied but can't be recommended for all, and certainly not for the faint of heart.  From Marcy Dam, the bottom section is still icy and rocky.  Middle section has decent snow and good skiing, but crossing the stream at Indian Falls is "sketchy".  Above treeline conditions are very icy and wind blow. 

Jackrabbit Ski Trail still impassable between McKenzie Pond Rd and the pond itself.  The first major bridge reached when traveling toward the pond is completely flooded still as of Sunday afternoon. Also, a report of flooding past the Placid Lean-to on the McKenzie Pass section.  As of Saturday, Old Mt. Rd. had one stream flowing across the trail about 3/4-mile up from Rock and River.  Beaver pond at two miles was also flooded, but a bypass was possible.  No reports so far on the many beaver ponds on the Lake Placid side of the pass, but all of the above may have frozen with last night's cold temperatures.  Again, look for updates later today or tomorrow.

Trail to Whiteface Landing from Connery Pond - Great powder conditions BUT flooded sections too. Several wet areas with running water and a couple iced over. More snow needed to cover the ice. Passable but take care crossing

​Reports from Paul Smiths/Fish Creek area are good.  Fish Pond truck trail and trails around Little Green Pond are in great shape.  Hayes Brook will be good as well but be advised that Mountain Pond Rd is not plowed from Rt. 30 to the parking area.  

Stay tuned for more updates... 

Weather will warm up slowly this week with perhaps some light snow to help cover up the icy sections left from the flooding.  Now predicted to his 30 by Saturday and 40 on Sunday with, you guessed it, again a chance of rain. 

  Mother Nature hit the reset button this weekend.  Heavy rain on Friday switched to freezing rain and then snow late in the evening as temperatures dropped from the 50s to single digits overnight.  When the skies cleared on Saturday afternoon we were left with ideal conditions for backcountry trail skiing.  Observations on the Jackrabbit Trail yesterday revealed about 6 inches of perfect powder snow, sitting on top of a thin layer of tiny freezing rain pellets and then a 1-2" inch crumbly crust, with unconsolidated sugar snow under the crust.  The crust easily supports the weight of a skier or snowshoer.  Total snowpack around 2500-3000 ft in the Lake Placid area seems to be 12-16".

If any hikers are reading this....we always discourage hiking without snowshoes in winter, BUT NOW WOULD BE A HATEFUL TIME TO POST HOLE.   

Skiing will be fantastic just about everywhere, but the heavy rain on Friday left previously frozen streams swollen with melt water and ice flows.  Skiers should expect to navigate around at least some open water on most trails. The ice on larger rivers like the West and East Branch of the Ausable broke up on Friday.  Most smaller streams and drainages are open with running water, but the cold temperatures should start to lock that up today.  In some areas water flooded onto trails and then partially refroze before being covered with the new snow.  Use extreme caution on ice crossings, especially near inlets and outlets.  

In other words, WET SPOTS ABOUND...DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A METAL SCRAPER.

One very specific alert for the Jackrabbit Ski Trail - see photo at right.  When traveling toward McKenzie Pond from the parking area on McKenzie Pond Road, the first bridge reached (in the big dip) was flooded as of Saturday afternoon. Skiing on this section of trail cannot be recommended today.  Crossing the stream is not advised. 

National Weather Service forecast for the Lake Placid region here.  
Sunny and cold today with overnight lows reaching -22F.  Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be perfect for ski touring.  Temperatures in the teens and sunny all day.  More snow possible Tuesday and Wednesday.  

We will post another update on Monday afternoon.  

​IF YOU ARE OUT SKIING AND WOULD LIKE TO SHARE OBSERVATIONS, PLEASE POST THEM IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.  THANK YOU!

Very brief update.  As of Friday morning it is raining heavily in the Lake Placid-Saranac Lake region, with temperatures in the low 50s.  Snowpack is dramatically diminished at lower elevations.  A flood watch is in place until 7am Saturday morning.  We will be out checking trailheads this afternoon before it starts to cool down again.  Rain will change to freezing rain early this evening and then to snow, with a low of 9F forecasted for Friday night.

Needless to say skiing cannot be recommended today.  

National Weather Service forecasts 2-4 inches of snow tonight and another 3-5 inches on Saturday.  This will surely help us recover but will not restore the fantastic skiing conditions we had earlier this week. 

The new snow may be exciting but skiers heading into the backcountry on Saturday and Sunday should expect to find variable trail conditions, especially where drainages and streams have flooded from the heavy rain.  Ice flows are likely in those locations.   Use extreme caution on all ice crossings, especially near stream inlets and outlets.  

As threatened, temperatures Thursday morning are in the low 40s with a few rain showers.  A bit warmer this afternoon, and then 100% chance of rain tonight.  Tomorrow it may hit 50 with more rain before cooling off starting Friday afternoon.  This will be followed by a mix of precipitation, which could include a fair amount of snow.  We'll just have to wait and see.  So far, it doesn't appear that we will lose a significant amount of the nice dense base that we accumulated during the cold spell, and the new snow should bring us back to where we were as of yesterday.  Next update?  Whenever we have a reliable forecast or report on how much snow at the end of this thaw.