Unfortunately, we didn't escape the warmer temperatures and rain that have reduced the snow depth by nearly one-half.  What is left is now quite dense, so we won't lose too much more before it cools down this afternoon.  Meanwhile, temperatures around 40 and raining as of 10 AM.

Once it cools down, we should get a few inches of new snow, which will mitigate what would otherwise be very fast, icy conditions on the trails that have already been broken out.  Unbroken areas will have a breakable crust.  Best skiing for this weekend will be at the groomed centers, once they are able to work the snow Friday.  We'll do a full update Friday evening when we know what the grooming has been able to do.

And don't forget that this Sunday is BETA's 27th Annual Ski & Swim Fundraiser from 2-6 PM at the Crowne Plaza in Lake Placid.  Current members admitted for a small donation.  Others can join BETA at the door.  More details on Friday evening on the possibility of any ski-ins to the party.

While the predicted winter storm started out slow on Saturday evening, by noon today we had picked up 15-20" of snow in the region.  So, all possible ski routes are now in good shape - once they are broken out.  The snow fell at very cold temperatures, so it is powdery, but still dense.  Trail breaking will be a chore with progress reduced to 1 mph or less if you are doing "community service" by breaking out a trail.  The Old Mountain Road section of the Jackrabbit Trail has been fully broken out.  No report on any other routes, but please post them in the Comments at the bottom.  

The cross-country centers will be packing and track-setting, so no way to give an up to date report on exactly how much terrain will be groomed at any particular moment. Suffice it to say there is plenty of snow to groom for a change.

The weather this coming week will be, shall we say, "varied".  Monday, will see highs only remaining below zero.  Tuesday will be a high of 15, and Wednesday will be in the 30s and even a chance of a bit of rain along with snow showers.  Then a bit colder on Thursday, and cooling down so that next Saturday will have a high not far above zero.

​Next update on Tuesday when the Wednesday forecast is more refined, and we have some idea of what has been broken out or groomed.  

INTRODUCTION

         While it doesn't appear we will ultimately get the promised 8-14", we have picked up 5-6" of new snow, starting Wednesday with some dense we snow followed by light powder.  It is still snowing as of 9 AM, so a few more inches of light snow are possible.  Tomorrow will be very cold with temperatures only barely getting above zero.  Saturday will be a bit warmer, and by Sunday the temperature should hit 20 degrees.  Warmer still by Tuesday, but so far no thaw in sight.  

            JACKRABBIT TRAIL CONDITIONS​

•  ​Base depth:  4-6"
•  Surface Conditions:  Powder on frozen granular
•  Km Open - 50
•  Remarks -  Caution still required on any downhill as cover may not be perfect, and branches keep falling with the high winds and heavy snow of Wednesday.

​

• BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS         
• Snow depth at Lake Colden: 37" (Now great skiing there.  We will work on getting a report on the condition of the Calamity Brook approached the crossing of the Opalescent River in Flowed Lands.)
• Snow depth at 4,000 feet - 3-4 feet 
• Hiking trail from Adirondak Loj again skiable.  Truck trail likely better skiing
• Avalanche Pass is again skiable, and only a bit rough on the trail from Marcy Dam to Avalanche Camp.  Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden are crossable with care, but stay well away from inlets or outlets after these thaws. 
• Marcy and Wright Peak were skiable higher up and still have a base once we get more snow.
• All of the  truck trail skis (Connery Pond, Hays Brook, Fish Pond,  etc.) are recommended.
• Whiteface Highway - Still being plowed
• Keene Valley/Garden Parking - Not yet really skiable, but closer than any time this winter.
• Lake Road to Lower Ausable Lake: Good cover.  Some snowmobile traffic   
• Newcomb area had 4-6 inches of snow as of last week, so Newcomb Lake Road to Camp Santanoni is in great shape. 
• Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds has good cover, and the parking area is now being plowed.  

​

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) -4" 
•               Off track snow depth - 10"
                Inches New Snow -5
                Surface Conditions - Powder on  frozen granular
•              Km Open - 40
               Km Tracked 40
•              Remarks - All trail open, groomed and track-set except for the Porter Mt. Loops

•      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) - 5" 
•               Off track snow depth - 10"
                Inches New Snow - 6"
                Surface Conditions - Powder on frozen granular 
                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) - 12"
  •    Off track snow depth:  18"
       Inches New Snow: 5
       Surface Conditions -   Powder on frozen granular
       Km Open - 30
       Km Tracked -

                        Remarks:  All trails open, with grooming ongoing on Thursday.                    
                                                                             
                        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 in good shape.  Upper trails ungroomed with still some thin spots.  

We have picked up 2-3" of new wet snows of noon on Wednesday.  National Weather Service is now predicting 8-14" by noon tomorrow. Not all forecasters yet agree, so we'll just have to wait and see.  Even 4-6" more inches would get most trails back in skiable condition, so stay tuned.  

No major changes from Friday since no new snow and only a few hours today with temperatures above freezing. We have checked out Connery Pond to Whiteface Landing, and it's skiable - but not exactly perfect given some rocks showing at several points.  Best approach is across the pond to avoid marginal conditions on the rerouted start.

Otherwise, the other favorite truck trails, Hays Brook/Grass Pond and Fish Pond should be in as good shape as the report from Newcomb Lake yesterday.  Raquette Falls not likely to be quite ready yet.  

The forecast now calls for cold Sunday night and into Monday, but warming up with a 90% chance of snow Monday night and into Tuesday.  This system could possible grade to rain for a bit, but if it doesn't we can hope for a good dump of just the kind of dense, heavy snow that will stick to the crust and fill in the holes.  Stay tuned.

Friday evening update:

     Definitely 4" of new snow at Marcy Dam, but still not enough to cover up the rough crust that would make Avalanche Pass skiable.  Also, 4" of new snow in Newcomb and great conditions to Camp Santanoni on the Newcomb Lake Rd.  Boreas also has good cover, and the parking continues to be plowed.  No report on the snow depth at Lake Colden, but since one can't really ski there, an estimate of 16-20" should suffice.  Dewey Mt. now says their lower trails are again open with packed powder on an icy base.
​  
On Thursday, we picked up 2-4" of new, light snow.  Not enough to make any bare ground skiable, but areas with a base are again skiable.  Mt. Van Hoevenberg reports "much improved" with 30 km open and 10 km set track.  Cascade also has better conditions on 15 km open with 10 km set track.  Hiking trail from ADK Loj not recommended.  Truck trail will be better, but the crust underneath will likely be a bit rough and bumpy. Ditto for sections of the Jackrabbit Trail other than the Old Mt. Road.  The Keene end suffered significant water damage and will either need another 8-10" or some shoveling to be skiable.  Above freezing today, Friday, and still warm on Saturday, but no rain in the forecast as there was earlier in the week.  Colder Monday and Tuesday with 70% chance of more snow.  Here's hoping....   

INTRODUCTION

​     Well, after our "Christmas miracle" the Grinch ultimately came back with a vengeance Friday night.  Yesterday's late afternoon update dared to be optimistic that the thaw was mostly over; but after dark, temperatures soared to near 50 with a wind.  Cold weather has returned as of Saturday afternoon, but the base is gone on any south slopes or open areas.  Best bet for Sunday - Tuesday will be Cascade X-C Ski Center where their wind-sheltered trails hung onto some decent cover.
      The only good news from these thaws is that now some frost can finally get into the ground and freeze up many of the little seeps that have been plaguing backcountry trails up until now.  Lake ice will also be able to thicken without the snow cover.  This will improve backcountry for the rest of the season.  

     Meanwhile, expect icy conditions anywhere outside of the groomed centers.  For hiking, traction is essential for any even moderately steep trails, and snowshoes may still be needed on unbroken terrain. Stream crossings will be difficult with ice-covered rocks showing as the water goes back down.

JACKRABBIT TRAIL CONDITIONS​ ​Base depth:  2-6"

•  Surface Conditions:  Frozen granular
•  Km Open - 
•  Remarks -  No section really recommended until we get a bit more snow.

​

• BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS         
• Snow depth at Lake Colden: 16"
• Snow depth at 4,000 feet - 2-3 feet 
• Hiking trail from Adirondak Loj not  skiable.  Truck trail maybe skiable, but not recommended. 
• Avalanche Pass has cover, but is too icy to be skiable.  Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden are crossable with care, but stay well away from inlets or outlets after these thaws. 
• Marcy and Wright Peak were skiable higher up and still have a base once we get more snow.
• All of the  truck trail skis (Connery Pond, Hays Brook, Fish Pond, etc.) are too icy to be recommended.
• Whiteface Highway - Still being plowed
• Keene Valley/Garden Parking - Not skiable.
• Lake Road to Lower Ausable Lake: Also too icy to be skiable.   
• Newcomb area has at least 4-6 inches of base snow, so Newcomb Lake Road could be skiable with a few inches of new snow. 
• Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds has good cover, and the parking area is now being plowed.  Also will be skiable with some more 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) -4" 
•               Off track snow depth - 10"
                Inches New Snow -
                Surface Conditions - Frozen granular
•             Km Open - 6
               Km Tracked 
•               Remarks - Grooming today may be able to get more terrain open for Sunday

•      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) - 5" 
•               Off track snow depth - 10"
                Inches New Snow -
                Surface Conditions - Groomed granular 
                Km Open - 8
                Km Tracked - 5
                Remarks - Some short icy patches, but also some nice set track. Definitely the best choice until we get more snow.  
• 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) - 6"
  •    Off track snow depth:  12
       Inches New Snow:
       Surface Conditions -   Frozen granular
       Km Open - 30
       Km Tracked -

                        Remarks:  Report says all trails open, but recommends two of the easier trails                    
                                                                             
                       

•                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) - 
•                         Inches New Snow - 
                          Surface conditions - 
                          Km Open -
•                         Km Tracked 
                          Remarks -  Closed until conditions improve
• 
                   Tupper Lake free x-c ski trails
              No current report
               http://www.skitupperlake.blogspot.com