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.  
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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.

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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