Another good weekend coming up

UPDATE MONDAY 12/15:  The additional snow Friday and Saturday appears to have brought us to near mid-winter conditions. Rougher sections still require caution, and it may require another round of snow before the hiking trail section of Wright Peak is skiable, but the Marcy ski looks to be quite good.

It will be cold Monday and Tuesday, but then warming on Wednesday with temperatures in the upper 30s to 40 on Thursday and Friday. This doesn't appears to be enough of a thaw to significantly reduce the snow cover, and by Saturday it is now predicted to be back below freezing with some new snow. The brief warm-up may actually turn out to be a benefit as it will reduce the insulating effect of the snow on lake ice. This will allow the ice to further thicken, thereby reducing the chance for any water to seep through cracks in the ice and produce slush to clog ones skis. 

For now, the conditions as reported on Friday (with a few updates based on weekend reports) remain valid. We'll update again on Friday after we have a better idea of what the warm-up has done to the snow cover.

INTRODUCTION
Wednesday's storm that was predicted to produce 3-6" did not live up to expectations, but we got some and the skiing is great for mid-December. Saturday will be warmer that the past few  days, although Sunday will return to high temps only in the low 20s. We'll be watching a potential warm-up for later this coming week, but for now, "Ski it While You Can"
A WORD OF CAUTION: While this is a promising start, bear in mind that it is still early with not much firm base underneath the nice powder. On the Jackrabbit and the other ungroomed trails, every lump of snow that sticks up should be assumed to be a rock until proven otherwise. 

JACKRABBIT TRAIL
In general, every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has enough cover to be skied, but great caution is still advised on all of the downhills.
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 except that Chimney Hill still deserves caution. The new start that bypasses Rock and River has been finished with three brand-new bridges that the BETA crew, working in some tough weather managed to finish. 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 has been cleared except for some large trees within sight of the logging. 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 Lake Placid Club section is skiable, but the new section around Scotts Cobble still probably needs a bit more snow. 

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:  Still thin, especially on the gravel cart tracks, but otherwise very nice skiing.
          MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG:
        https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/   518-523-2811
          Km Open and Groomed: ?  Track Set: ?  
         Remarks: Narrative on the website says all is open. Details only say Flatlander, North Brook, Innerloopen and East Mt. reported open. So far, the web site does not indicate any of the competition trails are 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:  
            DEWEY MOUNTAIN:
           https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter  518-891-2697
            Km Open:  10   Track set: Some
             Remarks: Lower mountain trails groomed with some set track. Upper mountain iffy

           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 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 12/10,  report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is  24".  Now 2-3 feet of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet.  No lake ice can yet be assumed to be safe, but shallower  areas are now probably crossable. 
Nevertheless, we're still t the stage when the old Norse proverb comes to mind, "Praise not the ice until it is crossed."
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. Tracks indicate that some have at least checked out the ice on the pond, but it is not yet recommended. The steeper hills at the start are skiable, and the two trees just past the register have been cleared. 
Marcy Dam, Truck Trail:  Skiable all the way to Marcy Dam. Still some rocks that are merely "disguised" not covered, but overall good skiing. 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. One thin spot at the first right turn on the descent from the top of the big hill at two miles in, but it is obvious and easily avoided. 
Hays Brook Truck Trail: Definitely skiable to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond. Blowdown cleared thanks to work by BETA and DEC rangers. Parking lot has not been plowed, and there is now enough snow that most vehicles will struggle to get in and out. 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.
​Raquette Falls: No report yet, but it might 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. 
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: Currently 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. 
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.