Saturday was a beautiful day.  Lots of skiers out on the trials, hope you were one of them. As predicted, Sunday has become quite windy with temperatures in the 40s.  No significant loss of snow expected, and now 3-5" of new snow on Monday to restore the surfaces.  On the other hand, these winds will likely bring down some trees and branches, and it could be a few days before this new blowdown has been cleared, so be cautious before "letting it rip" on the downhills unless you have already been up the same trail.  

Following Monday's snow, the temperatures will plunge with highs not reaching 20 on Tuesday and Wednesday.  A little warmer on Thursday through Saturday, creeping above freezing on Friday.   A more complete report on Tuesday when we may know of the extent of storm damage and what the groomed centers have been able to do with this latest weather cycle.

Recent report is that, while it is icy and crusty to Marcy Dam and up to Avalanche Camp, there was little or no rain above that elevation, so Avalanche Pass is in good shape as are the Marcy and Wright Peak Ski Trail above 2,600 feet or so.

INTRODUCTION

     Cold temperatures have returned, unfortunately without much new snow following Friday's warm weather.  The best skiing will be at the groomed centers, and they do have plenty of snow to groom.  Elsewhere, trails that were broken out before Friday's thaw will be quite fast and bumpy.  Unbroken areas now have a breakable crust.

     Cold through Wednesday this week with some snow possible Wednesday and into Thursday.  Thursday will also see a warming trend back to the low 30s through Saturday.  We'll update later this week when the actual amount of snow expected (or actually falls) is known.

•  JACKRABBIT TRAIL CONDITIONS​
•  ​Base depth:  6-12"
•  Surface Conditions:  Frozen old powder and crust
•  Km Open - 50
•  Remarks -  Longer sections, Old Mt. Road and McKenzie Pass, broken.  Good cover on all sections, but will be quite fast on the downhills and recommended only for experienced skiers until we get a few more inches of new snow. 
• ​
• BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS         
• Snow depth at Lake Colden: 49" (recent new snow minus settling and recent thaw)  
• Snow depth at 4,000 feet - 4-5 feet 
• Good cover on all backcountry trails.  Surface conditions will vary from fast downhills to breakable crust.
• SKIS OR SNOWSHOES ARE REQUIRED ON ALL TRAILS IN THE HIGH PEAKS AND ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE WORN ELSEWHERE - BOTH FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND TO PRESERVE GOOD CONDITIONS FOR ALL OTHERS.  The only exception would be where traction's required and no depression is being left in the snow.
  
  X-C SKI CENTER CONDITIONS: (Groomed, trail fee required)
  ​
       Mt. Van Hoevenberg X-C Ski Center:  
  •  50km of trails, open daily, rentals, lessons, 518-523-2811, www.whiteface.com/activities/cross-country-skiing 
                  Base Depth (packed) -7" 
  •               Off track snow depth - 12"
                  Inches New Snow - 0" new, but 8" past 5 days
                  Surface Conditions - Groomed granular and powder 
  •              Km Open - 50
                 Km Tracked 50
  •              Remarks -   
  
  
  •      Cascade X-C Ski Center:
  •     20 km of trails with connection to 50km at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, open daily, rentals, lessons, restaurant, bar.  518-523-9605, www.cascadeski.com
                  Base Depth(packed) - 7" 
  •               Off track snow depth - 12"
                  Inches New Snow - 0" new, 10" in the last 5 days
                  Surface Conditions - Groomed granular and powder  
                  Km Open - 15
                  Km Tracked - 10
                  Remarks - 
  • Paul Smith's VIC: www.trailhub.org/trail/generatepdf?orgid=TXpFMA==&actid=TVRVPQ==  
  •            30 km of trails, open daily, rentals, 518-327-6241, 
                           Base Depth (packed) - 16"
    •    Off track snow depth:  24"
         Inches New Snow: 
         Surface Conditions -   Groomed granular and powder
    •    Km Open - 30
         Km Tracked -
                          Remarks:  All trails open.                    
                                                                               
                          Dewey Mountain - Saranac  Lake​
  •             13 km of trails, open daily (including nights until 7PM Tue. - Fri.), rentals, 891-2697         http://www.deweymountain.com 
                            Remarks - Lower trails groomed and good skiing.  Upper trails ungroomed , but still with some thin spots.   
  
  

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise headline noted that the storm ..."wasn't as bad as predicted...."  Well I guess it's all what one considers to be a "bad" snowstorm.  Anyway, the Saranac Lake/Paul Smiths area received 4-5" of new snow, increasing to 6" in LakePlacid and about 8" in Keene.  The snow fell at relatively warm temperatures, so it's a bit dense (at least in Keene), but probably just what we needed to cover up and stick to the crust. 

Mt. Van hoevenberg, Cascade, and the VIC are grooming today, and should be able to have most of their terrain open and groomed by tomorrow.  Thursday will be colder, but then it warms up again on Friday with even a chance for a bit of rain along with some additional snow. Then cooler on Saturday, further cooling Sunday through next Tuesday with high temperatures only in the low 20s.  

Next update on Friday evening when we see just what Friday's weather has been and what it has done to the skiing.  Otherwise, it's back to the mandatory use of skis or snowshoes in the High Peaks Wilderness (which now includes what was formerly the separate Dix Wilderness) and certainly needed elsewhere for you safety and the preservation of the trail surfaces. 

The good news is that most areas have held onto a base through this latest thaw.  Thursday was back to warm temperatures that will continue through Friday, so the soft surfaces will permit some skiing on Friday.  The weekend, however, will be cold again; and as Josh's comment to the earlier report stated, only the groomed centers will be able to offer good skiing.  Mt. Van Hoevenberg currently reports 40 km open and groomed and about 25km of track set on the cross-country side of the road.  Cascade X-C Center will reopen on Saturday, 2/9. 

The lake ice was plenty thick enough before this thaw to still be crossable - just watch for any inlets that might have made things unsafe. Also, some streams such as the Opalescent through Flowed Lands or Marcy Brook at Indian Falls may have opened up again.  Be prepared to alter plans.

​With the cold this weekend, good traction will be needed for any hiking on area trails.  No significant snow in sight until next Tuesday, and it won't take all that much to get us back to good conditions again.  Stay tuned.