Deep snow, sunshine, temps in the mid-30s for the whole weekend...sounds more like Lake Tahoe than Lake Placid....and we're not complaining.  

Quick update for the weekend:

All the popular sections of the Jackrabbit Trail are broken out by now.  In general skiers will find fantastic "trench skiing" throughout the Jackrabbit trail system.  Good ski track with near knee deep powder on either side.  McKenzie Pass and Old Mountain Rd have been patrolled for blowdown and are completely clear.  Other sections will be patrolled and cleared this weekend.  

As of Thursday afternoon the Whiteface Landing trail had only been skied to Connery Pond.  If you're the one to break the trail to Whiteface Landing, please let us know...we'll buy you a beer.  It is absolutely beautiful back there.

In the High Peaks the trail skiing is incredible.  As of Friday afternoon there are well-established tracks to Marcy Dam from both the HPIC and South Meadow Rd, and the Marcy Trail had been skied from the summit cone.  Mr. Van trail from the HPIC has not yet been skied.  Trail to Wright Peak and Algonquin is well-traveled but we cannot say if Wright Peak Ski Trail has been skied yet.  We found a single track on Whales Tail, leading away from Marcy Dam.  And on Thursday the crew from The Mountaineer broke trail from Marcy Dam to Avalanche Lake...thank you!

The Nordic centers are all fantastic thanks to hard work of the good folks who've been out grooming 40 inches of snow since Tuesday night.  The Loppet is today at Mt. Van Hoevenberg...you couldn't have asked for better timing.  Dewey Mountain, Cascade XC Center and Paul Smith's VIC are all completely open with groomed and ungroomed terrain.

Warmer temps and sunshine on Friday consolidated the storm snow, so if you are breaking trail this weekend it may be a little slower going.  Plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time if skiing virgin trails.  Ski and snowshoe traffic in this deep snow has created a trench approximately knee-deep.  With warm days and cold nights this trench is going to start to set-up, which will present a challenge on steeper downhills.  

Get out there and go skiing while you can...this won't last forever!

Skiers rejoice!

The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for our entire region, from 7AM this morning to 11AM Wednesday morning.  We could see 18-24 inches of new snow by Wednesday, with the heaviest snow forecasted for Tuesday afternoon and evening.  

Needless to say this will "make skiing great again" in the greater High Peaks region.  By Wednesday morning skiing should be fantastic just about everywhere, however skiers should keep in mind that this new snow will be falling on trails that have either melted-out to bare ground or are covered with bulletproof hard-pack and/or water ice.  Larger rocks and water bars were also exposed by the warm temps.  Additionally, the meltdown we experienced at the end of February left many streams and drainages wide open.  Use caution on downhills and on any trail segments with open drainages, some of which may be hidden after this storm.  

We'll provide an update with more detailed information about accumulations and snow coverage on the local ski trails tomorrow morning.  Stay tuned and travel safe.