As of Thursday morning the snow has stopped, but we have picked up 4-6" of light snow in the Keene/Lake Placid area. Less snow as you go further west with only apparently 2" in Tupper Lake.  No report from the automated station in Newcomb. Since there was no base, skiing will still be limited to the smoother, flatter terrain.  Best bets would be the Whiteface Highway (no wind for a change) and the Newcomb Lake Road. (Even though there is no direct report, the NOAA snowfall map would indicate at least 4" there.)

Meadow Lane is closed for the season.  Adds nearly one mile to the approach to Marcy Dam via the Truck Trail.

Mt. Van Hoevenberg was open with the earlier snow, but no report as of 8 AM on their plans for this snow.

No real change in ground conditions since Monday's severe thaw except that the temperatures are back to normal and we now appear to have at least some chance of benefitting from the coastal storm.  UPDATE:  As of 1 PM it has started snowing, and some forecasts now call for 4-6" of snow before the storm ends Thursday morning.  Stay tuned.

Hope you managed to get in some skiing over the weekend.  The warming temperatures on Sunday have been followed by rain, high winds, and predictions of temperatures near 60 on Monday. A bit cooler on Tuesday, and then a return to near normal temperatures by Wednesday.  A coastal storm may drop some snow on southern Vermont Wednesday night and Thursday, but so far no significant snow in sight for this area.  

Tupper Lake did have a foot or so of snow before this thaw, so the Fish Pond Truck Trail and Raquette Falls may hold onto enough snow to remain skiable.  The Burn Road in the William C. Whitney Area is also a good possibility. There was never more than 3-4" in Newcomb, so the Newcomb Lake Road is likely no longer skiable.  

So stay tuned, and we'll update Wednesday or Thursday as the temperatures fall and we get at least a few snow showers.

As of Thursday, it doesn't just look like winter, it feels like winter.   While we're still measuring our snow in inches rather than feet like Buffalo, there is skiing to be had, and not just on the Whiteface Highway.  Cold weather will continue through Saturday before it starts to warm up on Sunday with rain and temperatures near 50 on Monday, so "ski it while you can."

Mount VanHoevenberg:  Open on 15 km of mostly flat terrain but including the Ladies 5km - "experts only".  Lodge open, but no services as of yet.

Whiteface Highway:  Skiable from the Toll House.  Given the winds that accompanied this storm, expect many stretches higher up to be blown clear or nearly so.

Marcy Dam Truck Trail:  3-4" with a thin icy base. Definitely skiable, but there are rocks to dodge. Meadow Lane is blocked off for the winter.

Newcomb Lake Road:  The automated sensing equipment in the Huntington Forest indicates 5-6" in Newcomb as well.  That definitely makes that road skiable along with the road to Moose Pond.  If anyone does ski there, send a report to info@jackrabbittrail.com.

Fish Pond and Hays Brook Truck Trails:  With generally more show falling to the west, both are now skiable.  As of Thursday afternoon there was 5-6" on the ground in that area with more lake effect snow possible overnight.

As of Wednesday, it doesn't just look like winter, it feels like winter.   While we're still measuring our snow in inches rather than feet like Buffalo, there is skiing to be had, and not just on the Whiteface Highway.  Cold weather will continue through Saturday before it starts to warm up on Sunday with rain and temperatures near 50 on Monday, so "ski it while you can."

Whiteface Highway:  Skiable from the Toll House.  Given the winds that accompanied this storm, expect many stretches higher up to be blown clear or nearly so.

Marcy Dam Truck Trail:  3-4" with a thin icy base. Definitely skiable, but there are rocks to dodge. Meadow Lane is blocked off for the winter.

Newcomb Lake Road:  The automated sensing equipment in the Huntington Forest indicate 3-4" in Newcomb as well.  This would make that road skiable.  If anyone does ski there, send a report to info@jackrabbittrail.com.

Fish Pond and Hays Brook Truck Trails:  With generally more show falling to the west, both should be skiable.  Look of a more complete report before the weekend

Well, it sure looks a lot like winter out there today - snow, cars off the road, and warnings about slippery sidewalks.  1-3" of wet snow in the Tri-Lakes Area plus much more forecast in the lake effect areas.  No significant additional snow is forecast, but the higher elevations should continue to pick up snow as this complex moist weather system moves through.  So for the Lake Placid area it looks like golf course skiing this week with good conditions on the Whiteface Highway.  We'll update again on Wednesday after the bulk of the storm system has finally moved out and again on Friday  in advance of the weekend.  

(EVENING UPDATE) Since posting the report below under mostly clear skies, there have been some intermittent but strong snow showers.  Thus there may now be just enough snow to get one up the Whiteface Highway.  That said, I'm not about to drive back for another visual inspection and plan to hike the new trail to OK Slip Falls tomorrow.  Feel free to post comments or email info@jackrabbittrail.com.

While the weather has turned cold again and Whiteface Mt. Ski Center will open this Sunday on man-made snow, there is only a dusting of natural snow on the Whiteface Highway.  Tuesday's dry warm temperatures melted what was there last weekend up to about 4,000 feet, so unless there is an unexpected snow squall Friday night there won't be any x-c skiing this weekend.  Cold weather continues into next week, and in many ways it is better to start the season with enough cold weather to freeze the ground and stop all the little water courses from flowing before we get good snow.  We'll see how it goes this season.

While some did find skiing on the Whiteface Highway last weekend, today's temperatures in the 60s in the valleys and definitely above freezing - probably as high as 4,000 feet - will mean that we're essentially starting over as far as any skiing for the coming weekend.  There are predictions of some snow as of Wednesday evening, but so far most of Wednesday's precipitation will likely fall as rain.  We'll heck again Thursday or Friday to actually see what is there at the toll house.