INTRODUCTION

     Cold temperatures have returned, unfortunately without much new snow following Friday's warm weather.  The best skiing will be at the groomed centers, and they do have plenty of snow to groom.  Elsewhere, trails that were broken out before Friday's thaw will be quite fast and bumpy.  Unbroken areas now have a breakable crust.

     Cold through Wednesday this week with some snow possible Wednesday and into Thursday.  Thursday will also see a warming trend back to the low 30s through Saturday.  We'll update later this week when the actual amount of snow expected (or actually falls) is known.

•  JACKRABBIT TRAIL CONDITIONS​
•  ​Base depth:  6-12"
•  Surface Conditions:  Frozen old powder and crust
•  Km Open - 50
•  Remarks -  Longer sections, Old Mt. Road and McKenzie Pass, broken.  Good cover on all sections, but will be quite fast on the downhills and recommended only for experienced skiers until we get a few more inches of new snow. 
• ​
• BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS         
• Snow depth at Lake Colden: 49" (recent new snow minus settling and recent thaw)  
• Snow depth at 4,000 feet - 4-5 feet 
• Good cover on all backcountry trails.  Surface conditions will vary from fast downhills to breakable crust.
• SKIS OR SNOWSHOES ARE REQUIRED ON ALL TRAILS IN THE HIGH PEAKS AND ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE WORN ELSEWHERE - BOTH FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND TO PRESERVE GOOD CONDITIONS FOR ALL OTHERS.  The only exception would be where traction's required and no depression is being left in the 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) -7" 
  •               Off track snow depth - 12"
                  Inches New Snow - 0" new, but 8" past 5 days
                  Surface Conditions - Groomed granular and powder 
  •              Km Open - 50
                 Km Tracked 50
  •              Remarks -   
  
  
  •      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) - 7" 
  •               Off track snow depth - 12"
                  Inches New Snow - 0" new, 10" in the last 5 days
                  Surface Conditions - Groomed granular and powder  
                  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) - 16"
    •    Off track snow depth:  24"
         Inches New Snow: 
         Surface Conditions -   Groomed granular and powder
    •    Km Open - 30
         Km Tracked -
                          Remarks:  All trails open.                    
                                                                               
                          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 good skiing.  Upper trails ungroomed , but still with some thin spots.   
  
  

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise headline noted that the storm ..."wasn't as bad as predicted...."  Well I guess it's all what one considers to be a "bad" snowstorm.  Anyway, the Saranac Lake/Paul Smiths area received 4-5" of new snow, increasing to 6" in LakePlacid and about 8" in Keene.  The snow fell at relatively warm temperatures, so it's a bit dense (at least in Keene), but probably just what we needed to cover up and stick to the crust. 

Mt. Van hoevenberg, Cascade, and the VIC are grooming today, and should be able to have most of their terrain open and groomed by tomorrow.  Thursday will be colder, but then it warms up again on Friday with even a chance for a bit of rain along with some additional snow. Then cooler on Saturday, further cooling Sunday through next Tuesday with high temperatures only in the low 20s.  

Next update on Friday evening when we see just what Friday's weather has been and what it has done to the skiing.  Otherwise, it's back to the mandatory use of skis or snowshoes in the High Peaks Wilderness (which now includes what was formerly the separate Dix Wilderness) and certainly needed elsewhere for you safety and the preservation of the trail surfaces. 

The good news is that most areas have held onto a base through this latest thaw.  Thursday was back to warm temperatures that will continue through Friday, so the soft surfaces will permit some skiing on Friday.  The weekend, however, will be cold again; and as Josh's comment to the earlier report stated, only the groomed centers will be able to offer good skiing.  Mt. Van Hoevenberg currently reports 40 km open and groomed and about 25km of track set on the cross-country side of the road.  Cascade X-C Center will reopen on Saturday, 2/9. 

The lake ice was plenty thick enough before this thaw to still be crossable - just watch for any inlets that might have made things unsafe. Also, some streams such as the Opalescent through Flowed Lands or Marcy Brook at Indian Falls may have opened up again.  Be prepared to alter plans.

​With the cold this weekend, good traction will be needed for any hiking on area trails.  No significant snow in sight until next Tuesday, and it won't take all that much to get us back to good conditions again.  Stay tuned.   

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.