Update Wednesday evening:

The Jackrabbit Trail from Rock and River at the Keene end is skiable to the top of McKenzie Pass above Whiteface Inn Lane.  Given that Saranac Lake only received 4" of snow, a descent to McKenzie Pond cannot be recommended.

The Ausable Lake road is being driven, but there is plenty of skiable snow next to the vehicle tracks, and there is a skied in track for the first mile from the gate. Please extend it and keep the tracks as wide as the ones on the first mile.

Tuesday's big storm did not dump quite as much snow as predicted on the Jackrabbit Trail or the High Peaks in general.  4" in Saranac Lake, 6" in Lake Placid and Keene.  The north end of the Park and up to the St. Lawrence River did get nearly a foot.   Nevertheless, there is enough snow to ski the golf courses and the truck trails and no danger that this will melt before the weekend.  In fact, it will be more like mid-winter temperatures through the weekend before it warms up into the 40s to start next week.  

In the High Peaks, the snow does not yet reach the 12" threshold where regulations require snowshoes, but travel is generally easier with snowshoes if there is more than 6".  And as noted above, it will be full-on winter on the higher summits with goggles, face mask, and of course traction for any of the higher, steeper trails.  No report from Lake Colden, and no lake ice is anywhere close to safe.

For skiers, here is my current speculation about possibilities. No idea how much blowdown might still be down after the Halloween storm. More on Friday.

Marcy Dam Truck Trail:  Skiable to Marcy Dam.  Be aware that there are rocks that, while covered, present a hazard.

Hays Brook Truck Trail:  Enough snow to be skiable, but there may be blowdown.

Fish Pond Truck Trail: Same as Hays Brook.

Raquette Falls: First few miles skiable, but not enough to ski to the falls.

Ausable Lake Road:  Still likely being driven, so not a good surface for skiing.

Newcomb Lake Road: Likely skiable, but the remote monitoring equipment at the Huntington Forest is not updated.  Reports of conditions welcome.

Gulf Brook Road:  See Newcomb Lake Road
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After a bit of snow last week that made the Whiteface Highway skiable (reports of about 100 skiers on Saturday), we are now looking at a storm that will produce at least six inches and perhaps as much as 12 inches by Tuesday afternoon.  The weather will continue cold through the week with additional chances for more snow, so the coming weekend will likely have many new possible places to ski.

The downside of all this early snow is that the ground is not yet frozen.  Thus, whatever snow falls will be melting from the ground up as well as the top down.  Additionally, this early snow could prevent the frost from ever going very deep, resulting in all the little seeps continuing to spread water across the trails. Every season is different, so we will just have to wait and see how this current weather pattern affects the rest of the ski season.

UPDATE FRIDAY EVENING 11/8;

      The Whiteface Highway is now skiable from the Toll House!  Thin at first, but increasing depth as one gets higher. Many skiers sampled it today, but they left some snow for others.  

         Golf courses in Lake Placid have just enough snow to slide on, but that's about all there is.  

​        A bit warmer on Sunday, but not likely to melt much on the Whiteface Highway, and then cold temperatures return for the rest of the week with additional chances for more snow.

Temperatures above about 2,000 feet are below freezing and some snow has accumulated today.  More could accumulate overnight.  We'll therefore check the Whiteface Highway tomorrow afternoon while also assessing whether there can be any golf course skiing.

Hikers this weekend must be prepared for icy conditions with traction aids (read Microspikes) on any steep trail above 3,000 feet.

​Next week will remain cold through Wednesday at least, so we may have more skiing to report for next weekend.