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After another string of above freezing weather, is has snowed on Thursday,4/1, but it's very wet snow falling on bare, unfrozen ground, so not much if any additional skiing out of this snowfall. Temperatures a bit cooler through the weekend, but then back to the 50s for most of next week. Additionally, the DEC has issued their annual "mud season advisory" about avoiding trails above 2,500 feet. Therefore, even approaching Marcy for a late season ski is a somewhat questionable choice.
So, hike at home if you live south of here. In this area, the best places to hike would be the CATS trails in the Champlain Valley, but Blueberry Cobble/Bald Peak on the East Trail to Rocky Peak and Giant is also an option. And unless something dramatic changes, this will be the last report of the season. It all seemed to end too quickly, but at least we can remember those solid weeks of perfect powder conditions earlier in the winter.
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We've had a week of record or near record highs this week and finishing with a day of temperatures in the 50s to 60s with wind and rain. The snow is thus either gone or going faster that our ability to provide detailed condition reports for all of the areas we try to cover. There is still snow out there, but for the weekend any surfaces will be very soft. Saturday looks to be the better day to actually get out, and Monday will cool down a bit. Tuesday and Wednesday will again see temperatures in the 50s, but the week will finish with temperatures below freezing at night and highs not quite reaching freezing during the day.
Mount Van Hoevenberg was closed today, and their natural snow trails are no longer skiable. No update from Cascade, but their trails must have suffered from the heat. The Paul Smiths VIC just says, "What a great season it has been", while still indicating that snow remains on some trails. No grooming and no trail fee. Once the temperature drops at the end of the week, we will try to assess what is still skiable and what surface conditions might be like for next weekend. And we could still have that April blizzard. One never knows. In case you haven't looked at your thermometer recently, it's been a very warm week. Conditions are thus changing by the hour. The Lake Placid area and the High Peaks still have a good base of snow with 28" still at Lake Colden and 4-5 feet at 4,000 feet. Skis or snowshoes are still required for travel.
The open areas of the Jackrabbit Trail along River Road and across the golf courses will soon be bare if they are not that already. The groomed centers at Cascade and Mt. Van Hoevenberg will still have good skiing on most, but not all, of their systems through the coming weekend. All of the backcountry routes we usually report on will still have cover, except perhaps on a few south-facing slopes. Surface conditions, however will vary as Friday will still be warm with some rain, but Friday night could be cool enough to freeze surfaces with temperatures on Saturday taking a bit of time to warm up above freezing. In summary, Spring arrived this week, and we now have spring skiing. Deal with it. INTRODUCTION
We're now past mid March with Spring officially happening this weekend. Right on time, we have "spring" conditions and thankfully a pretty good base to carry us along. Spring conditions also mean variable conditions depending on the time of day and the exact temperature - conditions that this report cannot precisely report. Friday will be below freezing in most areas, but after that Saturday will be in the 40s, and the rest of the week will see highs in the 50s. The sunny skies each day will still mean below freezing temperatures each night (maple sugarer dream weather), but that will make for some frozen surfaces each morning. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Entire trail is still skiable.Those skiing the Old Mountain Road starting from Rock and River in Keene should use the "Additional Parking" area on the right just before the lodge. CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 20km Track Set: 10 km New snow: 3" last five days Base Depth: 12" Off Track 12" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular. Remarks: Ski shop open MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: Km Open and Groomed: 54km Track Set: 52 km New snow: 3" last five days. Base Depth: 22" on man-made trails. 12" on natural snow. Off Track 12" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular. Remarks: PAUL SMITHS VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: 40 km Open. Most all trails groomed, many with set track. New Snow: Base Depth: 18" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular. Remarks: BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: 31" at Lake Colden 4-5 feet above 4,000 feet Pretty much everything is now skiable, and skis or snowshoes are now required by regulation for travel in the High Peaks. In other areas they are needed and should be used. Avalanche Pass definitely skiable, Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden remain crossable. Wright Peak and Marcy Ski Trails skiable, WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable. Still a better choice than the hiking trail as far as surface conditions go, but over a mile longer than the Loj approach. HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Skiable. Old Marcy Dam approach is the better start, but both approaches are skiable. AVALANCHE PASS: Broken out and skiable through to Avalanche Lake. Avalanche Lake is frozen crossable. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Skiable and broken out after the snow earlier this week. HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely very skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow. As of 2/19, parking area continues to be plowed. (Yay!) FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable, and loop back on the ponds now very doable. RAQUETTE FALLS: Fully skiable. "Official" plowing ends one mile from the parking area at the Corey's Road gate (now closed), but the road and trailhead parking are being plowed. GULF BROOK ROAD TO BOREAS PONDS: Parking area is still being plowed. Washed out culvert at 1/2 mile is a bit of an obstacle, but can be easily negotiated on skis, and there is track broken to the ponds. NEWCOMB LAKE ROAD TO CAMP SANTANONI: Good cover to both Camp Santanoni and Moose Pond. AUSABLE LAKE ROAD: Fully skiable, and snowmobile traffic has diminished. 3/16 Update: Based on the comments, it appears that beyond ADK Loj there was more snow than in Lake Placid itself. So, still not great conditions, but better than we expected. Temperatures will warm Wednesday and Thursday with some precipitation on Thursday. With temperatures predicted to be around 40 it is hard to imagine that precip will be snow, but we will check after it cools down on Friday. By Sunday, it will be in the 50s, and that trend will continue into next week. We do have a good base that should support several weeks of good spring skiing. Don't put them away just yet.
Yes, between Saturday night and some additional "pop-up" snow flurries on Sunday we have received one-half to maybe one inch of powder on the crust. Definitely less under any thick stand of conifers. So, the flatter trails are still skiable, but most of the Jackrabbit Trail and backcountry trails need a few more inches of snow. Unfortunately, none on the horizon..Next update on Friday, 3/19, when we see what the weekend weather will be and when we might see some more snow. After three days of bright sun and temperatures in the 50s, a cold front has cooled things off. A dusting to maybe an inch of new snow fell, although isolated pockets may have picked up more. However, ski conditions will be very fast and icy, so a hike with good traction aids is probably the best choice for an activity this weekend.
There is still a good base at the groomed x-c centers, and those are a really the only possibility for skiing this weekend. Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Cascade, and Paul Smiths all have complete cover, but grooming will take time, so don't expect everything to be skiable first thing Saturday morning. It will remain cold through Monday (highs only around 20), but will warm to the 40s by the middle of the week. Some additional snow possible on Sunday night, but not likely enough to improve the skiing. Last weekend was quite warm and left us with a hard crust when the temperature dropped. Fortunately, Monday and Tuesday saw a total of 4-5" to cover up the crust. Unfortunately, there was no new snow south of the High Peaks, but that still leaves some good terrain for the weekend. It will stay cold through Sunday, but then warm up each day until Wednesday and Thursday hit 50 with a chance of showers. Cooling back down to the 30s on Friday. So, no major meltdown, but we'll just have to wait to see what surfaces are left for next weekend.
JACKRABBIT TRAIL Entire trail is skiable, and all sections between Keene and Saranac Lake have been broken out since the new snow earlier this week. Paul Smiths section also has great cover,.Those skiing the Old Mountain Road starting from Rock and River in Keene should use the "Additional Parking" area on the right just before the lodge. CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 15km Track Set: 10 km New snow: 5" last five days Base Depth: 15" Off Track 18" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder. Remarks: Ski shop open MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: Km Open and Groomed: 54km Track Set: 53 km New snow: 5" last five days. Base Depth: 22" on man-made trails. 15" on natural snow. Off Track 18" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder Remarks: PAUL SMITHS VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: 40 km Open. Most all trails groomed, many with set track. New Snow: Base Depth: 20" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder Remarks: BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: 33" at Lake Colden 5+feet above 4,000 feet Pretty much everything is now skiable, and skis or snowshoes are now required by regulation for travel in the High Peaks. In other areas they are needed and should be used. Avalanche Pass definitely skiable, and most rocks to avoid between Marcy Dam and Avalanche Camp are now covered. Avalanche Lake is crossable. Wright Peak and Marcy Ski Trails skiable, WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable. Still a better choice than the hiking trail as far as surface conditions go, but over a mile longer than the Loj approach. HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Skiable. Old Marcy Dam approach is the better start, but both approaches are skiable. AVALANCHE PASS: Broken out and skiable through to Avalanche Lake. Avalanche Lake is frozen crossable. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Skiable and broken out after the snow earlier this week. HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely very skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow. As of 2/19, parking area continues to be plowed. (Yay!) FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable, and loop back on the ponds now very doable. RAQUETTE FALLS: Fully skiable. "Official" plowing ends one mile from the parking area at the Corey's Road gate (now closed), but the road and trailhead parking are being plowed. GULF BROOK ROAD TO BOREAS PONDS: Parking area is still being plowed, although not after the last few inches of new snow! Washed out culvert at 1/2 mile is a bit of an obstacle, but can be easily negotiated on skis, and there is track broken to the ponds. Crust definitely a problem at the more "southern" location. NEWCOMB LAKE ROAD TO CAMP SANTANONI: Good cover to both Camp Santanoni and Moose Pond, but surface is mostly crust as no new snow that far south. AUSABLE LAKE ROAD: Fully skiable, although only about an inch or so of new snow after last weekend's thaw. After a warm weekend, temperatures fell during the day on Monday, finishing with a quick 4-5" of snow and high winds in a series of snow squalls that passed over the Lake Placid area. So far, apparently very little new snow south of the High Peaks. Given the high wind, actual snow depths will vary, and the crust underneath is variably breakable in areas no previously broken out. We'll have more information by the weekend as we get out and see what the conditions actually are.
Today, Tuesday, will see high temperatures in the teens, but warmer on Wednesday with highs near freezing. Then back to upper teens to 20 for highs for the rest of the week, warming to 25 for a high on Sunday. No additional new snow in sight. X-C centers have plenty of snow to groom and will remain in full or nearly full operation. Jackrabbit Trail fully skiable, and all backcountry routes also remain skiable. Next full update on Friday, 3/5. Continued mostly great conditions, and the crust from last week's storm has been somehwat mitigated by new snow and some warm temperatures that "softened and blended" that hard crust with the new snow. Still, best skiing is on trails that were well broken out before last Tuesday, and have received good use since then. The skiing there is good, but quite a bit faster when the icy crust component is factored in. Trails in this category include the popular sections of the Jackrabbit Trail and the trails leading away from ADK Loj. More specific reports (as we know them) are reported below.
Coming weekend weather looks good, although, high temperatures will be above freezing Friday, Saturday on Sunday. This will mean somewhat icy conditions each morning. A slight warming trend forecast for next week, but no major thaw that will diminish the snowpack we have.. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Entire trail is skiable, and all sections between Keene and Saranac Lake have ben broken out well enough that the crust is not an issue. Paul Smiths section has great cover, and at least the White Pine Road to VIC section has been broken out. Those skiing the Old Mountain Road starting from Rock and River in Keene should use the "Additional Parking" area on the right just before the lodge. CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 15km Track Set: 10 km New snow: 2" last 48hrs Base Depth: 15" Off Track 18" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder. Remarks: Ski shop open MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: Km Open and Groomed: 54km Track Set: 53 km New snow: 2" last 48 hrs Base Depth: 22" on man-made trails. 15" on natural snow. Off Track 18" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder Remarks: PAUL SMITHS VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: 40 km Open. Most all trails groomed, many with set track. New Snow: 2" -72 hours Base Depth: 20" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder Remarks: BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: 33" at Lake Colden 5+feet above 4,000 feet With this snow, pretty much everything is now skiable, and skis or snowshoes are now required by regulation for travel in the High Peaks. In other areas they are needed and should be used. Avalanche Pass definitely skiable, and most rocks to avoid between Marcy Dam and Avalanche Camp are now covered. Avalanche Lake is crossable. Wright Peak Ski Trail skiable, although the crust is still an issue up high. The approach to the Wright Peak Ski Trail on the hiking trail now much improved. Marcy trail now totally skiable, but again with the above cautions. WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable. Still a better choice than the hiking trail as far as surface conditions go, but over a mile longer than the Loj approach. HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Skiable. Old Marcy Dam approach is the better start, but both approaches are skiable. AVALANCHE PASS: Broken out and skiable through to Avalanche Lake. Avalanche Lake is frozen crossable. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Skiable cover, but the crust may still be a problem. . HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely very skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow. As of 2/19, parking area continues to be plowed. (Yay!) FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable, and loop back on the ponds now very doable. RAQUETTE FALLS: Fully skiable. "Official" plowing ends one mile from the parking area at the Corey's Road gate (now closed), but the road and trailhead parking are being plowed. GULF BROOK ROAD TO BOREAS PONDS: Parking area is still being plowed, although not after the last few inches of new snow! Washed out culvert at 1/2 mile is a bit of an obstacle, but can be easily negotiated on skis, and there is track broken to the ponds. Crust may be a problem at the more "southern" location. NEWCOMB LAKE ROAD TO CAMP SANTANONI: Good skiing to both Camp Santanoni and Moose Pond. Crust could be an issue, but no reports so far AUSABLE LAKE ROAD: Fully skiable. Some snowmobile traffic along with the foot traffic. INTRODUCTION
Continued mostly great conditions but crust from Tuesday's storm has created problems east and south of Saranac Lake. On trails that were well broken out before Tuesday, and have received good use since then, the skiing is good, but quite a bit faster when the icy crust component is factored in. Trails in this category include the popular sections of the Jackrabbit Trail and the trails leading away from ADK Loj. More specific reports (as we know them) are reported below. Weekend weather looks good. High temperatures in the mid 20s and an additional inch or so of snow on Saturday. Sunny on Sunday. A slight warming trend next week, but no major thaw. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Entire trail is skiable, and all sections between Keene and Saranac Lake have ben broken out well enough that the crust is not an issue. Paul Smiths section has great cover, but no reports of what stretches have been broken out. Those skiing the Old Mountain Road starting from Rock and River in Keene should use the "Additional Parking" area on the right just before the lodge. CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 15km Track Set: 10 km New snow: 2" last 48hrs Base Depth: 15" Off Track 18" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder. Remarks: Ski shop open MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: Km Open and Groomed: 54km Track Set: 53 km New snow: 2" last 48 hrs Base Depth: 22" on man-made trails. 15" on natural snow. Off Track 18" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder Remarks: PAUL SMITHS VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: 40 km Open. Most all trails groomed, many with set track. New Snow: 2" -72 hours Base Depth: 20" Surface Conditions: Groomed granular and packed powder Remarks: BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: With this snow, pretty much everything is now skiable, and skis or snowshoes are now required by regulation for travel in the High Peaks. In other areas they are needed and should be used. Avalanche Pass definitely skiable, and most rocks to avoid between Marcy Dam and Avalanche Camp are now covered. Avalanche Lake is crossable. Wright Peak Ski Trail skiable, and approach on the hiking trail now much improved. Marcy trail now totally skiable. Whales Tail Ski Trail broken out earlier, but no reports since the icing event on Tuesday. Random notes from the field: 1) Botheration Pond Loop is skiable despite the loss of the 55-foot bridge over the East Branch of the Sacandaga Riveras snow on top of ice makes an easy crossing. 2) Southern approach to Hoffman Notch is difficult due to no bridge over the West Branch of Trout Brook. Northern approach is fine. Between the earlier cold weather and the new snow, most lakes no longer have problems with slush. Still, no guarantees-carry a scraper. Snow Depth at Lake Colden: 34" Snow Depth at 4,000 feet (est.): 5-6 feet. WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable. A better choice than the hiking trail as far as surface conditions go, but over a mile longer than the Loj approach. HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Skiable. Old Marcy Dam approach is the better start, but both approaches are skiable. AVALANCHE PASS: Broken out and skiable through to Avalanche Lake. Avalanche Lake is frozen crossable. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Skiable cover, but reports indicate not much fun due to the crust. . HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely very skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow. As of 2/19, parking area continues to be plowed. (Yay!) FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable, and loop back on the ponds now very doable. RAQUETTE FALLS: Fully skiable. "Official" plowing ends one mile from the parking area at the Corey's Road gate (now closed), but the road and trailhead parking are being plowed. GULF BROOK ROAD TO BOREAS PONDS: Parking area is now being plowed! Washed out culvert at 1/2 mile is a bit of an obstacle, but can be easily negotiated on skis, and there is track broken to the ponds. Crust may be a problem at the more "southern" location. NEWCOMB LAKE ROAD TO CAMP SANTANONI: Good skiing to both Camp Santanoni and Moose Pond. Crust could be an issue, but no reports so far AUSABLE LAKE ROAD: Fully skiable. Some snowmobile traffic along with the foot traffic. |
Trail Conditions 101Trail condition reports are posted frequently during the ski season. The Adirondack backcountry can be a hard place to predict with weather and trail conditions that often change rapidly. We can't offer the same detailed descriptions of trail conditions as groomed nordic centers. Archives
April 2021
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