Ski Trail Conditions
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UPDATES 2/3/25:
The only update that is really needed is to note that Wednesday and Thursday will see highs in low 20s with some sun. Friday will grade to snow but still not be truly frigid, but Saturday and Sunday will see highs around zero. Then a few degrees warmer as we start the following week. It's not ideal, but it beats a January Thaw. INTRODUCTION: Given the new snow and continued cold weather, there is almost no need for this report. everything is skiable and will remain so through the weekend and into next week. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has plenty of cover to be skied, and most if not all sections by now have been broken out. McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable and broken out with finally good snow right from McKenzie Pond Rd. Old Mountain Road Section: Skiable with beautiful powder surfaces. Use the new start that bypasses Rock and River. Park on the left at the bottom of the field to access this new start. Paul Smiths Section: Trail skiable from the VIC to Lake Clear as there apparently won't be any logging on the trail this winter. Other sections: Craig Wood to Birdsong Lane and the new section around Scotts Cobble both 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. 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: 15 Remarks: Full Moon Party on Friday. Bonfires, skiing, sledding, and music. MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/ 518-523-2811 Km Open and Groomed: 45 Track Set: 40 Remarks: All but 3 km of Competition loops open plus 40km of Legacy trails open with set track on most sections. "Classic Saturday" features double track set on the best line on Porter Mt. - just like it was 40 years ago. full Moon Party on Saturday. PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/ 518-327-6241 Km Groomed and Open: 30 km Track Set: 30 km with most track refreshed as of Thursday Remarks: All trails open. DEWEY MOUNTAIN: https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter 518-891-2697 Km Open: 10 Track set: 8 Remarks: Lower and Upper Mountain trails groomed. Lower trails with track set, and some track set on upper trails. 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 fresh grooming as of 1/20. 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 1/21, report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is 50". Now 6 feet or more of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet. Lake ice crossable, but as always use care around inlets and outlets - especially on Avalanche Lake where it is best to exit the ice to the right about 50 yards before the outlet and use the bridge. Whiteface Highway: The highway is definitely skiable with cover from edge to edge on most of the usually windy spots. However, all that looks white will not necessarily have the same depth of coverage. Connery Pond to Whiteface Landing: There is good cover all the way to the landing. Ice on the pond is an alternative to the up and down start. No slush, but as always, the outlet must be given a wide berth. 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. Still no report on whether there is any slush on the ponds for the alternate return, but there shouldn't be a problem Hays Brook Truck Trail: Definitely very good skiing to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond. The parking lot had been plowed and has continued to be plowed. (Thanks to Jackie N for the comment confirming the current plowing.) Newcomb Lake Road: As usual, good skiing with feet of snow in Newcomb. The side road to Moose Pond also has good cover and has been skied with, apparently no difficult blowdown to negotiate. An earlier report said that Newcomb Lake Road had two good tracks on either side of the road with a snowshoe track in the middle - ideal use of the space available on this wide road. Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds: Good cover. As of 1/24, some plowing for parking was evident at the highway, but no report on plowing since then. Parking on the road is legal - just not ideal. Raquette Falls: Good skiing to the falls. Gate to the Seward trailhead is now closed, so no plowing or likely any vehicular traffic that might make it possible to drive to the actual trailhead. The "default" parking at the end of town plowing adds about a mile to the ski. Avalanche Pass: Officially still closed due to the July landslide. Reported to be skiable. There is also a yet to be determined amount of avalanche danger from the new slide. Calamity Brook Trail from Upper Works to Flowed Lands, skiable and broken out. Caution needed when crossing the Opalescent River in Flowed Lands Ausable Lake Road: Finally good cover right from the gate. Wright Peak Ski Trail: Finally skiable up to the divergence from the hiking trail with great cover on both the approach and the top part of the trail. Mt. Marcy Ski Trail: Plenty of snow and broken out after Monday's storm.
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Sunday night and into Monday the area picked up anywhere from 10-16" of new snow. Even the lower amount is enough to make every popular ski route fully skiable, and with no thaw in sight we will be able to enjoy these conditions through the week and coming weekend. No significant new snow after Monday, so trails broken out this week will be great skiing for the weekend. Temperatures will remain below normal with highs only in the 10-15 degree range until Sunday that may actually hit 20. Perfect to keep this very light fresh powder fresh and light.
Now we just need some reports of which trails have been broken out. For now, we can personally report is that the Keene end of the Jackrabbit Trail has been broken out as far as the top of the pass. No tracks coming up from the Lake Placid side. An online report has the Marcy Trail to Indian Falls and Avalanche Pass broken out. A skier report said that the McKenzie Pass section of the Jackrabbit Trail has been broken out. UPDATE 1/23/26: The area picked up 3-6" of new snow on Thursday and Thursday night. It came in a series of snow squalls, so some areas may have received more. Moderate temperatures on Friday, but by now everyone must know how cold it will be on Saturday. Rallying to a high of about 10 on Sunday, and then cold with highs 10-15 throughout the coming week. Possibly another significant storm on Monday.
All conditions below updated to reflect this new snow. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has enough cover to be skied, and all trees that would pose any problem have been cleared.. McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable from Whiteface Inn Lane to the top of the pass. The hill down to McKenzie Pond is now fully skiable to the bottom at McKenzie Pond. Then skiable out to the road. Coming in from McKenzie Pond Rd., it is still thin for the first 100 yards or so, but better after that. Old Mountain Road Section: Skiable with beautiful powder surfaces. Use the new start that bypasses Rock and River. Park on the left at the bottom of the field to access this new start. No slush on the beaver pond on the Lake Placid side. Paul Smiths Section: Trail skiable from the VIC to Lake Clear as 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. 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: 15 Remarks: Trails will remain open this weekend, but the pro shop may close if the combination of wind and cold make the skiing unsafe. MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/ 518-523-2811 Km Open and Groomed: 45 Track Set: 40 Remarks: 5 km of Competition loops plus 40km of Legacy trails open with set track on most sections. PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/ 518-327-6241 Km Groomed and Open: 30 km Track Set: no specific report Remarks: All trails open. Fresh grooming on Thursday. Should be even better with the new snow. DEWEY MOUNTAIN: https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter 518-891-2697 Km Open: 10 Track set: 8 Remarks: Lower and Upper Mountain trails groomed. Lower trails with track set, but upper trails still to thin for set track.. 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 fresh grooming as of 1/20. 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 1/21, report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is 39". Now 4-5 feet of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet. Lake ice in the High Peaks and most other areas is now crossable, but as always use care around inlets and outlets - especially on Avalanche Lake where it is best to exit the ice to the right about 50 yards before the outlet and use the bridge. Whiteface Highway: The highway is definitely skiable with cover from edge to edge on most of the usually windy spots. However, all that looks white will not necessarily have the same depth of coverage. Connery Pond to Whiteface Landing: There is good cover all the way to the landing. Ice on the pond is an alternative. No current report on any slush, but that is not likely a problem. As always, the outlet must always be given a wide berth. 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. No report on whether there is any slush on the ponds for the alternate return. Hays Brook Truck Trail: Definitely very good skiing to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond. The parking lot had been plowed earlier, but no recent report on whether that has continued.. Newcomb Lake Road: As usual, the best skiing with over a foot of snow in Newcomb. The side road to Moose Pond also has good cover and has been skied with, apparently no difficult blowdown to negotiate. An earlier report said that Newcomb Lake Road had two good tracks on either side of the road with a snowshoe track in the middle - ideal use of the space available on this wide road. Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds: Adequate coverage with 4-5" at Blue ridge Rd. As of 1/24, some plowing for parking was evident at the highway. Apparently every storm isn't plowed, but 4WD at least could confidently pull in and get back out. So, it's a good trend, but still no guarantee that one can park off the road. Raquette Falls: No current report, but should be good. The Corey's Road gate remains open and hikers at least are still driving to the Seward trailhead, but no report on whether one can still park closer to the trailhead. The "default" parking at the end of town plowing adds about a mile to the ski. Avalanche Pass: Officially still closed due to the July landslide. Reported to be skiable. There is also a yet to be determined amount of avalanche danger from the new slide. As of 1/15, reported good conditions on the Calamity Brook Trail from Upper Works to Flowed Lands, and it should be even better now. Caution needed when crossing the Opalescent River in Flowed Lands Ausable Lake Road: Cover is still thin under the hemlocks just past the gate but very good skiing after that. Wright Peak Ski Trail: Still not likely skiable up to the divergence from the hiking trail. Otherwise the approach and the continuation to the top are in good shape. Mt. Marcy Ski Trail: Plenty of snow above Indian Falls, and now enough to be skiable right from Marcy Dam. UPDATE 1/16/26: With a bit more colder snow on top of the wet snow Wednesday night and cold temperatures, conditions have generally improved from the report below. With warmer temps on Saturday, it will be a great weekend to get out.
INTRODUCTION The warm spell has ended with 2-3" of new wet snow as of Thursday evening. We had hoped the first snow would be wet so that it would stick to the crust underneath. Now we can hope for the inch or two of new lighter snow predicted for tonight into tomorrow. Friday will be cold, but Saturday and Sunday will see temperatures in the upper 20s before it really cools off Monday-Wednesday. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has enough cover to be skied, and all trees that would pose any problem have been cleared.. McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable from Whiteface Inn Lane to the top of the pass. The hill down to McKenzie Pond is skiable with care as it is still a bit thin and any new snow may have become crusty. Then skiable out to the road. Coming in from McKenzie Pond Rd., it is discouragingly thin for the first 100 yards, and somewhat better after that, but still a bit icy. All trees from Whiteface Inn Lane to McKenzie Pond Rd. (including to side trail to McKenzie Pond) have been cleared as of 1/3 and again the next week. (Thank you Jim and Jennie Sausville.) Old Mountain Road Section: Skiable with beautiful powder surfaces. Use the new start that bypasses Rock and River. Park on the left at the bottom of the field to access this new start. No recent report on any slush on the beaver pond on the Lake Placid side. It may still be slushy, but probably the thaw/freeze cycle and the new snow have solved that problem. 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: 15 Track Set: 10 Remarks: Grooming as of Thursday. Fischer ski demo day on Saturday. Great chance to see if you ant to upgrade your equipment. MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/ 518-523-2811 Km Open and Groomed: 40 Track Set: 30 Remarks: 6 km of Competition loops plus 34km of Legacy trails open with some set track where snow depth is sufficient. PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/ 518-327-6241 Km Groomed and Open: 30 km Track Set: 20 Remarks: All trails open. No grooming on Thursday, but should be able to groom once the snow has settled and dried out. Good skiing this weekend. DEWEY MOUNTAIN: https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter 518-891-2697 Km Open: 10 Track set: 8 Remarks: Lower and Upper Mountain trails groomed. Lower trails with track set. 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 fresh grooming as of 1/15. 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 1/14, report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is 34". Now 4-5 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 - especially on Avalanche Lake where it is best to exit the ice to the right about 50 yards before the outlet and use the bridge. Whiteface Highway: The highway is definitely skiable but before this new snow there were several sections that were either narrow or totally bare given the high winds and warm temperatures. The new, wet snow should have stuck to the bare sections, but use caution as not every spot that looks white will have the same depth of coverage. 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 any slush after the thaw, and the outlet must always 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 12/30, the parking lot had been plowed and the skiing is reported to be excellent. We hope the plowing continues for this popular ski, and we welcome reports. 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 with, apparently no 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: No current report, but should still be good. Avalanche Pass: Officially still closed due to the July landslide. Apparently now enough snow to be skiable. There is also a yet to be determined amount of avalanche danger from the new slide. Reported good conditions on the Calamity Brook Trail from Upper Works to Flowed Lands. Ausable Lake Road: Was being plowed "for maintenance" up to Christmas. Plowing has ended, but the cover is still very thin for most of the first mile or so, and especially thin under the hemlocks just past the gate. After that, very good skiing. 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. 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. INTRODUCTION
After a cold weekend with great skiing, temperatures are back up to freezing or just above. There will continue to be additional chances for some new, light snow Tuesday night and into Wednesday, but Thursday through Saturday will be above freezing with the chance of some rain. Fortunately, for now the forecasts say the thaw won't last long as we will be back below freezing by Sunday and colder by Monday. Some new, light snow will also fall to soften any crust produced b y the thaw. .JACKRABBIT TRAIL In general, every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has enough cover to be skied, and as of 1/3 all trees that would pose any problem have bee cleared.. 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 may still be slushy - 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: 15 Track Set: 10 Remarks: Thin spots in the areas most impacted by wind, but good skiing otherwise. MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/ 518-523-2811 Km Open and Groomed: 40 Track Set: 30 Remarks: 6 km of Competition loops plus 30km of Legacy trails open with some set track. The 10 km of Porter noted as set to junction 42 (about 1/2 way around) but the far end remains blocked by downed trees. US National X-C Championships on Thursday and Friday, but only the competition loops will be affected. All Legacy Loops will be fully open for recreational skiing. And maybe it could even be worth watching the 20 km mass start on Thursday or the sprints on Friday. PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/ 518-327-6241 Km Groomed and Open: 30 km Track Set: 20 Remarks: All trails open with 3" of new snow Monday night on a firm base. All wider trails groomed on Tuesday. . DEWEY MOUNTAIN: https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter 518-891-2697 Km Open: 15 Track set: 8 Remarks: Lower and Upper Mountain trails groomed. Lower trails in great shape with double tracks set. 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 fresh grooming as of 1/1. 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 - especially on Avalanche Lake where it is best to exit the ice to the right about 50 yards before the outlet and use the bridge. 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. Apparently now enough snow to be skiable. 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. |
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01/10 -- Backcountry Film Festival at the North Country School's Performing Arts Center
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