Conditions 12/19/2014

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 

• • Our brief thaw has ended as of Friday with no significant loss of snow.  Surfaces will be a bit hard and scratchy because we only got barely an inch of new snow as it cooled instead if the promised 2-4".  Sunny with high temperatures in the 20s on Saturday and then cloudy on Sunday before it again starts to warm up next week.  Forecast for Wednesday makes me think some of us x-c skiers have been really naughty because Santa may just leave slush balls in our stockings.  Cooler starting on Christmas Day, so don't give up yet for the vacation week.
  • SKI MOVIE SAT, DEC. 20:  DAYS OF MY YOUTH BY Matchstick Productions Some truly amazing skiing presented by Placid Planet - benefit of ASTC/BETA.
  • TIME:  7 PM.            PLACE:  Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Saranac Ave. Lake Placid
  • ADMISSION:  $12 Adults, $10 Children  plus Raffle Prizes from local sponsors.
  • LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IDEA:  LOST SKI AREAS OF THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS  by Jeremy Davis.  Learn that there were once 14 ski areas in or near Lake Placid, and another 13 between Tupper Lake, Paul Smiths, Saranac Lake, Wilmington, and Jay.  Available at the Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid and The Mountaineer in Keene Valley. 
  JACKRABBIT TRAIL CONDITIONS:
  •               Base Depth - 18-24" (except less as one heads toward Paul Smiths)
  •               Surface Conditions -   Powder and crust
                         Km Open - 50
                 Remarks -  All sections broken out.  Still a few branches on some sections.
  
  BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS:
                Snow Depth at Lake Colden: 22"
                Snow Depth at 4,000 feet:  2-3 feet 
                Surface Conditions: Powder and crust 
            Meadow Lane now closed for the winter.  Adds nearly a mile each way on the Marcy Dam Truck Trail.  Skis or snowshoes now required in the High Peaks, needed elsewhere.
  • All popular backcountry routes are skiable, but caution will be needed as surfaces will be quite fast after the thaw. Avalanche Pass has been broken out, and the Lake Colden Caretaker has further improved the conditions with some shoveling.  Wright Peak and Marcy are skiable, but caution is needed as it isn't quite mid-winter conditions yet.  The Calamity Brook Trail is skiable but rough as Newcomb only got 12" - plenty for Newcomb Lake and Moose Pond - but rough for the start from Upper Works.  Connery Pond to Whiteface Landing broken out and all downed branches removed.
  • Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden are crossable.  No other lakes or rivers are safe to cross.  The only good that may come from next week's thaw is that we can start over building up a decent thickness of ice on the lakes so that there isn't "terminal slush" that prevents crossing any lakes without icing up.
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  • 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) -  6" 
    •               Off track snow depth - 18"
                    Inches New Snow - 1
                    Surface Conditions -  Powder and hardpack 
                    Km Open - 50
                    Km Tracked - 50
    •               Remarks -   Snacks and rentals now available
    •      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) -   6" 
    •               Off track snow depth - 16"
                    Inches New Snow - 1
                    Surface Conditions -  Powder and hardpack 
                    Km Open -15
                    Km Tracked - 15
                    Remarks -  Ski shop open daily.  Bar and restaurant open weekends.  
    • 
               Whiteface Club Nordic Center:
    •     10 km of trails, open Wed-Sun. Rentals, 518-523-2551,
    • www.whitefaceclubresort.com
                    Base Depth (packed) - 6"
                    Inches New Snow - 1
    •               Surface Conditions -   Powder and hardpack 
                    Km Open -  10
                    Km Tracked - 10
                    Remarks - Open for the season as of 12/20
    
               Paul Smith's VIC:
               20 km of trails, open daily, rentals, 518-327-6241, www.adirondackvic.org
                           Base Depth (packed) - 3-5
                           Off track snow depth:  8"
                            Inches New Snow 1
                           Surface Conditions - Powder and hardpack
                           Km Open - 15
                           Km Tracked - 
                           Remarks -  All trails except for the Woods & Waters and the Esker Trail packed and skiable, but no set track
    
                   Dewey Mountain - Saranac  Lake
                13 km of trails, open daily (including nights until 7PM Tue. - Fri.), rentals, 891-2697         http://www.deweymountain.com
                            Base Depth (packed) - 6"
                            Inches New Snow - 1
                            Surface conditions - powder
                            Km Open - 10
                            Km Tracked - 
                            Remarks - Trails packed, but no set track
    
                     Tupper Lake free x-c ski trails
                 10 km of groomed trails starting from Tupper Lake Golf Course 
                 http://www.skitupperlake.blogspot.com
               4-10" of cover.  All trails packed and all but Big Tupper Trail tracked.