Quick update folks.  Those of you reading this who live in the area will already understand the sad reality we are facing.  For those that don't, we have unfortunately lost much of the snowpack this week.  Today temperatures will exceed 60F and the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning with 1/2" to 1" of rain forecasted for this afternoon and evening.  Colder temperatures will return this week but it will take some time (or one big mutha of a snowstorm) to bring back the trail skiing.

We cannot recommend skiing on any backcountry trails this weekend.  In general, the ski trails outside of the High Peaks Wilderness are partially melted out, with a mix of slushy granular snow, hard water ice and bare ground, exposed rocks and roots, open drainages with fast moving run-off, and very challenging skiing conditions where the snow does remain.  Golf course crossings along the Jackrabbit Ski Trail have very little cover.  Additionally, we urge skiers and snowshoers to avoid all ice crossings at this time.

The only section of the Jackrabbit Trail that has mostly survived the meltdown is from Whiteface Inn Rd to the top of McKenzie Pass.  Still good cover on this stretch but skiers attempting it this weekend should be prepared to encounter melted drainages and hard ice on some downhills.  We do not recommend skiing through to McKenzie Pond Rd.   The rest of the trail has little snow cover remaining.  The Old Mountain Rd section still has snow on the Lake Placid end, but the beaver dam ponds can no longer be crossed safely, making it necessary to scramble around the ponds through the scree.

Below are some photos taken today, February 25, around 12pm.

 We've been in denial here at the BETA office since temperatures started spiking on Saturday, but eventually had to accept the reality of the weather situation.  The warm temperatures and sunshine of the past 5 days have drastically consolidated the deep snowpack of last week, leaving behind a mixed bag of skiing conditions on trails throughout the region.  

As of this morning good snow cover can still be found on most sections of the Jackrabbit Trail and other trails in the Jackrabbit corridor, through skiers should expect to encounter hard-packed, wet ski tracks and bare spots in some areas.  Drainages are melting out quickly.  Caution is needed on steep downhills and all bridges, which may have thin and/or icy cover.  Untracked snow on the sides of trails and off-trail is heavy and difficult to navigate.

In the High Peaks good snow cover can still be found on the trails used frequently by skiers.  Marcy, Avalanche Pass, Wright Peak, Mr. Van, Lake Arnold trails and the Truck Trail from South Meadow are still being skied as of yesterday, and will likely be good today (Thursday) as well.

USE CAUTION on all ice crossings.  As of Wednesday the ice on Avalanche Lake was still stable but the surface was slushy with standing water.  It will only get worse today.  

Unfortunately ski conditions are going to get much worse before they get better.  National Weather Service is forecasting rain/freezing rain for Friday morning with temps in 40s, changing to rain after 1pm.  Temps will remain in the 40s Friday night and rain will continue, heavy at times, through Saturday, when it will warm up to the mid-50s.  Temps will dip into the 20s Saturday night which may produce a little snowfall.  Sunday is clear and sunny with temps in the 30s.  

The Lake Placid Nordic Festival and Loppet have been postponed to March 18 due to the weather.  World Snowshoe Championships are still a go for this weekend in Saranac Lake.   

​BETA's annual Ski Movie Fundraiser will be held this Saturday, February 25 at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts.  Doors open at 6:30pm.  Movie at 8:00pm.  FREE for current BETA members.  FREE for kids under 12.  $15 for non-members (you can join/renew membership at the door).  

Well folks, its been another memorable week for skiing in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks.  A big winter storm  hit starting Sunday morning and dumped 10-18 inches of perfect powder across the region.  This "reset" was just what we needed to cover up the funky crust layer that formed after last week's rain-freeze event.   Virtually every mile of ski trail in the greater Lake Placid region is now in perfect condition, and skiers wasted no time taking advantage of the new snow.

In the High Peaks the Wright Peak, Avalanche Pass, Lake Arnold and Mr. Van ski trails are all highly recommended.  Skiers will find perfect packed powder tracks and bountiful powder on the edges of all trails.  The Lake Colden caretaker reports 60 inches at the DEC outpost stake.  Skiers are urged to use caution when venturing above tree-line.  Abundant new snow and heavy winds on Sunday and Monday will have virtually erased previous hiker/skier tracks near and above tree-line, making navigation more difficult especially if visibility is low.  Additionally, natural and human triggered avalanches are now more likely on steeper slopes and slides.  

The Jackrabbit Trail has excellent coverage and all major sections are now well-tracked.  Skiers heading out on the Old Mountain Rd section this week and especially this weekend are urged to use the temporary parking area on Alstead Hill Rd, just before reaching the normal parking area at Rock & River.  The temporary parking area was created by the Town of Keene at the request of the owners of Rock & River, in anticipation of a very busy President's Day weekend.  If you are skiing the Jackrabbit Trail, please follow the parking signs that are now installed.  

The National Weather Service forecasts 2-6" of new snow accumulation between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning, with a possibility of 1-3" during the day on Thursday.  Then, sunny with warmer temperatures in the 30s and low 40s throughout the holiday weekend.  

Upcoming Events:

Feb 24-26 - Lake Placid Nordic Festival and Lake Placid Loppet 

Feb 25 - Annual BETA Ski Movie Fundraiser - "Monumental" - a film celebrating the history of backcountry skiing in our greatest National Parks

Feb 25 - World Snowshoe Championships in Saranac Lake

March 3-5 - Mountaineer's Backcountry Ski Festival 

March 5 - Wooden Ski Rendezvous at Cascade XC Ski Center

March 12 - Whiteface Ski Mountaineering Classic 

Mother Nature can giveth, and she can taketh away.  Freezing rain and then rain Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning was a big gut check after the perfect powder conditions we've been enjoying for the past 2 weeks, but it didn't do nearly as much damage to the snowpack as you might think.  Snow became saturated before temperatures dropped into the single digits Wednesday night.  Our observations on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning proved that while the snow is consolidated significantly, snow cover on the ski trails was not significantly impacted.  Ski tracks and fresh powder snow is a little crusty and crunchy in places, but no significant rain-freeze crust developed on the surface.  Late Wednesday night we received a dusting of fresh snow and its still snowing lightly as of Thursday morning.  

We are gathering information on conditions in the High Peaks and will post another update soon.

We previously reported that 2 snowmobilers traveled on the Old Mountain Rd section of the Jackrabbit Trail between Route 73 and Rock & River in Keene on Tuesday afternoon, creating a rough skiing surface.  Between the warm temps and rain which consolidated the snow on the trail, and the fresh 3-4" that fell on Wednesday night, Old Mountain Road is in good condition again.  

Friends, we've returned from a bit of a hiatus from the Conditions page.  Its been snowing almost every day for nearly 2 weeks, and I guess we just lost track of the days.  Here's a list of other things we've been neglecting in the midst of our insatiable quest for "just one more day" of skiing:  sleeping, eating, shoveling, dishes, laundry, and paying bills.  We're sorry if you've looked for an update and didn't find one.

The simple fact is that the ski conditions are the best we've seen in recent memory.  Skiers will find good packed powder on all the classic ski tours in the High Peaks and all sections of the Jackrabbit Trail, with anywhere from 6 to 18 inches of powder snow outside of ski tracks and in the woods off-trail.  Only a few specific things to mention here:

• Getting to the trailhead for Hayes Brook Truck Trail from Route 30 may be difficult for some vehicles as the Mountain Pond Rd has not been plowed regularly during this recent snowfall.  Use your best judgement if you find the road unplowed (there is no cell service here)
• Open drainages and running water have been reported on both the Klondike Notch Trail and the section of trail along Calamity Brook between the Upper Works and the Flowed Lands/Lake Colden

National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory beginning Tuesday afternoon:
Snow will arrive during the early to mid-afternoon hours on Tuesday before transitioning to a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain by the evening. A transition to all rain or rain showers is expected by Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning in most locales. Snow amounts ranging from 1 to 3 inches and ice accumulation of a few hundredths to one third of an inch.  Temperatures will drop to single digits again on Wednesday night.

This Sunday, February 12, is the annual Avalanche Pass Key Swap ski tour.  See our website for more details.
http://www.jackrabbittrail.org/ski-trips.html