In addition to the comment on the previous, somewhat negative post, experience on Tuesday indicates that just the 1-2 inches we picked up between Sunday night and Monday night has made at least the easier terrain again skiable. Wednesday night could see up to 3", so the weekend could be looking pretty good as temperatures remain below freezing. Next week looks to start out quite cold, so no immediate 'January thaw' in sight.

More complete report with on Thursday evening after Wednesday's predicted snow.

Saturday night saw more rain and wind, but fortunately temperatures stayed low enough that we didn't lose too much of our base. Surface conditions, however, are not really conducive for skiing, even with metal edges, outside of the groomed centers. We did pick up an inch or so of snow Sunday, but we need a few more to get back to where we were a week ago. The best chance seems to be Wednesday, which will start around 30 degrees, into Thursday, so stay tuned.  If we are lucky, it will start with some heavy wet snow that will stick to the crust and then grading to lighter powder. 

As predicted, Friday saw some afternoon showers, and these will continue into Saturday. Temperatures never were much above 40, so minimal loss of the snowpack we have built up to date. Surface conditions, however, will not be good until we manage to pick up some more snow. The promise is for cooler temperatures on Sunday, followed by colder on Monday, and then low to mid-thirties Tuesday and Wednesday. Some snow is promised each of these days, but no promise if the total will be enough to mitigate the crusty surfaces. Given these four days of snow, however, next weekend should again be pretty good skiing.

Meanwhile, the groomed centers will have enough to groom, so those may be the best choice for the next few days. The US National Chanpionships are over at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, so they should be able to pay more attention to the Legacy Loops starting on Saturday. There is contact information for each of the groomed centers on the previous report.  Best to check directly on their conditions. 

UPDATE 1/4:
 All trees have been cleared on the McKenzie Pass section of the Jackrabbit Trail. Cold to start the week, but warmer with rain by the end of the week. Hope you all got in a good ski this past weekend. SKI IT WHILE YOU CAN!

INTRODUCTION
After Monday's thaw temperatures have gone back down to the single digits or low teens with 1-2" of new snow on top of what is now a solid crusty base. There will be additional chances for some new, light snow, but for the moment this area will miss any of the big snows coming out of the Midwest. Temperatures will remain cold through the current forecast period, only reaching the low 20s by Monday, 1/5. 
.JACKRABBIT TRAIL
In general, every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has enough cover to be skied, but trees may be still down on some sections.
McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable from Whiteface Inn Lane to the top of the pass, and the hill down to McKenzie Pond is skiable with care as it is crusty on the sides. Then  skiable out  to the road. Coming in from McKenzie Pond Rd., it is discouragingly thin for the first 100 yards, but much better after that. All trees from Whiteface Inn Lane to McKenzie Pond Rd. (including to side trail to McKenzie Pond) have been cleared as of 1/3.
Old Mountain Road Section: Skiable and now fully cleared of blowdown. The new start that bypasses Rock and River has been finished. Park on the left at the bottom of the field to access this new start. Beaver pond on the Lake Placid side likely back to slush - stay to the side away from the cliffs.
Paul Smiths Section: Trail skiable from the VIC to Rt. 86. South of Rt. 86, there are still two trees down, but the comment below says they are easy to negotiate.  There apparently won't be any logging on the trail this winter. Some flooded sections on the section under the power line may again have slush on top of the ice, but the ice is safe.
Other sections:  Craig Wood to Birdsong Lane skiable and cleared of blowdown. The new section around Scotts Cobble is also in good shape and cleared of blowdown. Good skiing behind the guardrail to reach Mountain Lane, and the new trail to the top of the hill is covered and clear. 
                                       River Road to the Lake Placid Club golf courses also has good cover and should be free of blowdown

GROOMED CENTER  

        SCOTTS COBBLE NORDIC CENTER
         15 km of groomed trails on Craig Wood Golf Course - rentals, lessons operated by High Peaks Cyclery. Trail fee of $15/day - $10/half-day. Residents of the Tri-Lakes area ski for free (Donations appreciated)       scottscobblenordic.com.
518-523-9811 or 518-523-3742
          KM Open and Groomed: 10  Track Set: none yet
          Remarks:  Thin spots in the areas most impacted by wind, but good skiing on the recommended 10 km.
          MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG:
        https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/   518-523-2811
          Km Open and Groomed: 25  Track Set: intermittent  
         Remarks: 6 km of Competition loops plus 20km of Legacy trails open with some set track.  The 10 km of Porter noted as both "track-set" and "caution"
​           PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER:
         https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/  518-327-6241
           Km Groomed and Open: 30 km  Track Set: none reported 
           Remarks: All trails open with 2" of now snow on a firm base. No grooming reported on Tuesday, but maybe some later.
             DEWEY MOUNTAIN:
           https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter  518-891-2697
            Km Open:  15   Track set: ?
             Remarks: Lower and Upper Mountain trails groomed with maybe a few inches of snow on a firm base.
           TUPPER LAKE X-C SKI TRAILS
           https://www.facebook.com/Tupper-Lake-Groomed-XC-Trails-102907273119538/  518-359-8370
            Km Open: 10   Track set:   10
            Surface Conditions:  Packed powder
​        Remarks:  No specifics on snowfall or overall snow depth, but their Facebook page shows ample snow. 

          ADK CASCADE WELCOME CENTER (PREVIOUSLY: CASCADE CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTER) 
Unfortunately, not operating this winter with its long-term status yet to be determined.

BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS
Winter conditions regarding temperatures and snow depth sufficient to require skis or snowshoes.  Wednesday 12/31,  report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is  23".  Now 3-4 feet of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet.  Most lake ice is now crossable, but as always use care around inlets and outlets.  Slush is again a problem after Monday's thaw, but the coming stretch of cold weather may resolve that problem. 
Whiteface Highway: As has been the case for nearly two months, the highway is fully covered, but there will be a few sections that are either narrow or totally bare given the high winds, not to mention sections blown clean down to the icy base. 
Connery Pond to Whiteface Landing: There is good cover all the way to  the landing. Ice on the pond is an alternative, but  slush is again a problem, and the outlet must be given a wide berth. No report on any blowdown.
Marcy Dam, Truck Trail:  Skiable all the way to Marcy Dam. Meadows Lane now blocked off for the winter. Park on the left to leave room for ranger vehicles with snowmobile trailers in the event of an emergency. 
Fish Pond Truck Trail:   Great skiing all the way to Fish Pond. Again, no report on blowdown.
Hays Brook Truck Trail: Definitely skiable to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond. There may be new blowdown after the earlier clearing thanks to work by BETA and DEC rangers. As of 1/30, the parking lot has  been plowed and the skiing is reported to be excellent. We hope the plowing continues for this popular ski.
Newcomb Lake Road: As usual, the best skiing with nearly a foot of snow in Newcomb.  The side road to Moose Pond would also have good cover and has been skied, but no report on whether there is any difficult blowdown to negotiate
Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds: Adequate coverage with 4-5" at Blue ridge Rd.   Some plowing for parking reported at the highway, but no plowing of the main lot.
​Raquette Falls: Earlier reported to be skiable with caution on the "hemlock hill" descent on the way in as well as the switchback descent to the falls at the end, so probably again good.. 
Avalanche Pass: Officially still closed due to the July landslide. There is a passable hiking route, but skiing across the debris field will require more snow than is usually needed to ski the pass. There is also a yet to be determined amount of avalanche danger from the new slide
 ​Ausable Lake Road: Was being plowed "for maintenance" up to Christmas. Plowing has ended, but the cover is very thin for most of the first mile or so, and especially thin under the hemlocks just past the gate.
Wright Peak Ski Trail:  Not likely  skiable up to the divergence from the hiking trail
Mt. Marcy Ski Trail:  Plenty of  snow  above Indian Falls, and enough to be at least passable right from Marcy Dam.

After a beautiful weekend for skiing, Monday has seen rain with temperatures in the low 40s. No enough to melt all the snow that we have accumulated, but surface conditions will not be ideal until we pick up 3-4" of new snow. So far, the forecast is that we will pick up that much, an inch or so at a time, by New Years. Then, continued cold, but not too cold, into the first part of the new year.

We'll have as complete a report as possible by tomorrow, Tuesday, afternoon as it will take at least that long to evaluate what base is left an how much new snow is actually going to fall. 

INTRODUCTION
Friday started below zero, but warmed up to the low teens. Saturday will be equally cold to start, but then warm up as well. Sunday will be warmer still and Monday may even see some mixed precipitation before it cools back down for the rest of the week. Since last week's thaw, we have picked up 4-6" of nice fluffy snow, so surface conditions are again quite good. Still quite a bit of blowdown yet to be cleared from the backcountry trails, so caution is still required.

JACKRABBIT TRAIL
In general, every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has enough cover to be skied, but trees may be still down on some sections.
McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable from Whiteface Inn Lane to the top of the pass, and the hill down to McKenzie Pond is skiable with care. Then thin but skiable out  to the road. 
Old Mountain Road Section: Skiable and now fully cleared of blowdown. The new start that bypasses Rock and River has been finished. Park on the left at the bottom of the field to access this new start.
Paul Smiths Section: Trail skiable from the VIC to Rt. 86. South of Rt. 86, all blowdown had been cleared, but there may be more new that hasn't.  There apparently won't be any logging on the trail this winter. Some flooded sections on the section under the power line, but this cold week should have frozen the ice enough that they are no longer an issue.  
Other sections:  Craig Wood to Birdsong Lane skiable and cleared of blowdown. The new section around Scotts Cobble is also in good shape and cleared of blowdown. Good skiing behind the guardrail to reach Mountain Lane, and the new trail to the top of the hill is covered and clear. 

GROOMED CENTER  

        SCOTTS COBBLE NORDIC CENTER
         15 km of groomed trails on Craig Wood Golf Course - rentals, lessons operated by High Peaks Cyclery. Trail fee of $15/day - $10/half-day. Residents of the Tri-Lakes area ski for free (Donations appreciated)       scottscobblenordic.com.
518-523-9811 or 518-523-3742
          KM Open and Groomed: 15  Track Set: none yet, but maybe by Saturday, 12/27
          Remarks:  
          MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG:
        https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/   518-523-2811
          Km Open and Groomed: 15  Track Set: 5  
         Remarks: Competition loops plus 10km of Legacy trails open with some set track. Over 100 trees cleared to date, but more must be cleared to get more trails open.
​           PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER:
         https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/  518-327-6241
           Km Groomed and Open: 30 km  Track Set: 20 km 
           Remarks:  Good cover with much fresh grooming reported.
            DEWEY MOUNTAIN:
           https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter  518-891-2697
            Km Open:  10   Track set: ?
             Remarks: Lower mountain trails groomed with maybe some set track. Upper mountain closed

           TUPPER LAKE X-C SKI TRAILS
           https://www.facebook.com/Tupper-Lake-Groomed-XC-Trails-102907273119538/  518-359-8370
            Km Open: 10   Track set:   10
            Surface Conditions:  Packed powder
​        Remarks:  No specifics on snowfall or overall snow depth, but their Facebook page shows ample snow and reports fresh grooming with set track!

          ADK CASCADE WELCOME CENTER (PREVIOUSLY: CASCADE CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTER) 
Unfortunately, not operating this winter with its long-term status yet to be determined.

BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS
Winter conditions regarding temperatures and snow depth sufficient to require skis or snowshoes.  Wednesday 12/24,  report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is  19".  Now 3-4 feet of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet.  Most lake ice is now crossable, but as always use care around inlets and outlets. Still some slush problems possible. 
Whiteface Highway: As has been the case for over a month, the highway is fully covered, but still with a few sections that are narrow or bare given the high winds. 
Connery Pond to Whiteface Landing: There is good cover all the way to  the landing. Ice on the pond is an alternative, but no report on slush, and the outlet must be given a wide berth. No report on any blowdown.
Marcy Dam, Truck Trail:  Skiable all the way to Marcy Dam. Meadows Lane now blocked off for the winter. Park on the left to leave room for ranger vehicles with snowmobile trailers in the event of an emergency. 
Fish Pond Truck Trail:   Great skiing all the way to Fish Pond. Again, no report on blowdown.
Hays Brook Truck Trail: Definitely skiable to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond. There may be new blowdown after the earlier clearing thanks to work by BETA and DEC rangers. Parking lot has not been plowed.  BETA will again reach out to the Town of Brighton to try and arrange for regular plowing. 
Newcomb Lake Road: As usual, the best skiing with nearly a foot of snow in Newcomb.  The side road to Moose Pond would also have good cover and has been skied, but no report on whether there is any difficult blowdown to negotiate
Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds: Adequate coverage with 4-5" at Blue ridge Rd.  Gate now closed for the winter. Plowing for parking unlikely.
​Raquette Falls: Earlier reported to be skiable with caution on the "hemlock hill" descent on the way in as well as the switchback descent to the falls at the end, so probably again good.. 
Avalanche Pass: Officially still closed due to the July landslide. There is a passable hiking route, but skiing across the debris field will require more snow than is usually needed to ski the pass. There is also a yet to be determined amount of avalanche danger from the new slide
 ​Ausable Lake Road: Was being plowed "for maintenance" according to the sign, which also includes an apology for any inconvenience and a promise that the plowing would only last until Christmas. No report on whether the plowing has ended.
Wright Peak Ski Trail:  Not likely  skiable up to the divergence from the hiking trail
Mt. Marcy Ski Trail:  Plenty of  snow  above Indian Falls, and enough to be at least passable right from Marcy Dam.

Christmas Day update:  A bit more snow in the Lake Placid area with very cold temperatures predicted for Friday and Saturday. So, we're back to where we were before last Friday's thaw. Scotts Cobble has been actively grooming, but no set track as of yet. We'll wait for the other centers to report in tomorrow, Friday, and post them here. Meanwhile, hope you have all had a merry Christmas, and maybe even a bit of skiing today as well.
​
As of Wednesday morning, we did pick up at least the promised minimum of 3" in the storm of Tuesday night. The new snow is relatively dense, so it is perfect for covering up the crust underneath. Since most areas did not lose all of the snow in Friday's thaw, we are, for the most part, back to where we were a week ago. No reports this early on grooming at the ski centers, and there could be still be downed trees from Friday's storm. 
​We appreciate the reports on the good skiing on Gulf Brook Road and Marcy Dam and encourage more as we swing into the holiday week.

TWO DAYS AFTER:  Temperatures have remained cold, and there is now a 'winter weather advisory' for the area on Tuesday an Tuesday night.  Perhaps 3-5" of new snow, which would put most areas back to where they were before the thaw. Stay tuned ....
Mt. Van Hoevenberg reports a 2 km competition loop and a 2.5 km flat loop as open with work ongoing to clear downed trees.
Scotts Cobble is open, but suggests metal-edge skis.
Paul Smith's VIC has good cover with 2" of new snow, and promise to groom today, Monday, having cleare most of the blowdown. No reports on any backcountry routes or the Jackrabbit Trail. Both have at least some cover and are skiable (again metal-edged would be helpful) but expect downed trees until we can issue an 'all clear.'

As of Saturday morning the wind has died and temperatures are back below freezing. There is an inch or so of new snow on the now-frozen base, so the groomed centers have something to work with. No significant new snow in the forecast for the coming week, but we'll again be watching for a potential warm-up at the end of the week.

For now, here is what we can report:
           Mt. Van Hoevenberg - remains closed Saturday while they clear trees. Should have some easy terrain open for Sunday.
             Paul Smith's VIC - Reports a base remains on all trails with new snow on top. The trails are open with variable conditions noted, and they will start grooming Saturday, so there should be some good conditions by Sunday.              
                Scotts Cobble - Closed Friday, but no report early Saturday on any plans to open but at least there is cover remaining on nearly all areas.
               Jackrabbit Trail - Saranac Lake end of McKenzie Pass not likely skiable, but cover remains elsewhere. Use caution as downhills will be fast and bumpy and it will be a few days before we can say that all trees have been cleared.
                      Backcountry - no reports yet, but expect hard, fast surfaces, open water at any unbridged crossing and definitely fresh blowdown is very possible.