UPDATE 11/7/25:  Continued cold with some additional precipitation this past week means that the Whiteface Highway will be good skiing right from the Toll House for another weekend. The weather won't be all that good, but nothing bad enough to keep the skiing fun. Lake Placid golf courses will be "slidable" on a mixture of snow and slippery grass.

UPDATE: SATURDAY 8:00 AM  There is snow at the Toll House level on the Whiteface Highway, but likely not much on the Lake Placid golf courses.  Cloudy this morning with some sun in the afternoon. 

The forecast looks good for snow on the Whiteface Highway, and this time by Saturday morning it could be right down to the Toll House. No guarantees as it hasn't happened yet, but we'll check the web cams tomorrow morning.  There is also the possibility of some sliding on the local golf courses tomorrow and Sunday.  Again, no guarantees but it's worth checking.  This new snow may not last past Monday as then temperatures go back up to 50 or so, but it does look like a promising start to the season.
​

UPDATE 10/28:  The snow didn't last on the highway as long as predicted last week, so no snow for now, Tuesday.  More snow possible before the weekend so stay tuned.

Thursday night saw some cold temperatures and snow on the higher summits. Some summits saw snow as low as 3,900 feet, but the line on Whiteface was apparently a bit higher. So yes, there is a report that someone has skied on the upper reaches of the Whiteface Highway, but plan to walk at least three miles up the highway before encountering any possible whiteness that you could slide on.  Any additional reports are welcome.

The coming week is predicted to be mostly dry until Thursday, but valley temperatures will remain in the 40s. That means that whatever snow is now there up high will likely still be there in case there is more snow by next weekend.  Stay tuned....

No skiing to report yet, but it's been cold enough to snow up high, so with the Whiteface Highway closed for the season we can begin to speculate when there will be the first skiable snow on the highway. Stay tuned.

So, your usual reporter is now back, and what a change from three weeks ago!  Any X-C skiing is pretty much limited to the man-made snow on Van Ho's competition loops, the VIC at Paul Smiths, or perhaps a few other places including the Newcomb Lake Road and the terrain past Marcy Dam. The only part of the Jackrabbit Trail still skiable would be from Whiteface Inn Lane to the top of the pass, but definitely not possible to ski through on that section. Meadows Lane still has some dirty snow right from the Loj Rd,, but no guarantee that there is continuous cover all the way to Marcy Dam. The snow  depth at Lake Colden has shrunk to 30", a decline of over a foot in the past week. Above 4,000 feet, expect there to still be 4-6 feet of snow depending on drifting and aspect.

The forecast for the weekend and into next week indicates that this stretch of very warm weather is ending, but with just a bit of new wet snow forecast these conditions won't change.  For those shifting to hiking, expect any icy spine ("monorail") at the start of most High Peak trails where spikes would be handy, but transitioning to deeper snow with snowshoes needed. The cooler temperatures should at least firm up the snow so that the snowshoes aren't going in too deep.

Finally, it will likely be mostly die-hards who read this report. Going forward, you can  probably figure out on your own where to go for the best outdoor experience. I will therefore say that, unless something dramatic happens to the weather, this will be the final report for the season. It was great being able to report almost two straight months of good conditions, and we'll just have to hope for conditions as good next year.

INTRODUCTION
Let me first start with a disclaimer – our trusty ski conditions reporter, Tony, is currently on an adventure across the pond.  Today’s conditions are brought to you by Megan, your special guest reporter (i.e. someone brand new to collecting and sharing this info).  Please lend a hand by submitting your own observations in the comments.
Onto the good stuff (AKA the actual report)…
You may have noticed a bit of a shift in the weather lately.  It’s that time of year again – our first winter melt is upon us.  For the last week there have been periodic above-freezing temps and we’ve gotten smatterings of rain here and there across our region.  Rain and snow showers are in the forecast for the coming week.  Expect that skiing conditions will generally be icy when below freezing, soft when above.  
​
JACKRABBIT TRAIL
In general, every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has good cover and has been broken out.
McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable from Whiteface Inn Lane to McKenzie Pond Road. 
Old Mountain Road Section: Fully skiable. 
Paul Smiths Section: At least a track broken by a few skiers on all of the trails starting at the VIC. To date, logging has prevented a through ski from the VIC to Lake Clear, but this new snow may have covered up the logging efforts. Reports welcome.  
Other sections:  Craig Wood to Lake Placid Club section is skiable, and the new snow has smoothed out the new section around Scotts Cobble. The connections to Cascade Welcome Center are also skiable.

GROOMED CENTERS
​ADK CASCADE WELCOME CENTER (PREVIOUSLY: CASCADE CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTER)
https://adk.org/cascade-welcome-center/   518-837-5047
Km Open and Groomed:  15  Track Set:  15
Remarks: Day 81! Everything is open and groomed. We got a little bit of powder overnight and Mike says that the skate lanes are incredible today. It's going to get into the high 30s this afternoon so don't forget your glide wax and a positive attitude!

SCOTT'S 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: 10k
Remarks:  none.

MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG
https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/   518-523-2811
Km Open and Groomed: 55  Track Set: 45 km  
Remarks:  Set track on all of the Legacy trails on the south side (a.k.a. cross-country side) including now the Porter Mt. Loops. Trails on the north side (a.k.a. biathlon side) also packed and mostly track set. 

PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER
https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/  518-327-6241
Km Groomed and Open: 45 km  Track Set:  25 
Remarks: Set track on the wider trails where the Pisten-Bully can be used. Other narrower trails open but not all have been packed. Expect trails to be potentially icy in the AM, but mashed potatoes by the afternoons. Last groom was on Feb. 24th; grooming to resume over the weekend when temperatures are colder.

DEWEY MOUNTAIN
https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter  518-891-2697
 Km Open:  15   Track set: 7 km
Remarks: Lower mountain trails open for skiing.  Variable conditions on the upper mountain – Timinator, Iron Bill have been packed and groomed while others have good cover and are ungroomed.

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, trails were groomed after the Brewski last weekend and reported to have great conditions. 

BACKCOUNTRY
Still enjoying pretty stellar mid-winter conditions.  
Wednesday 2/26,  report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is  50". Now 6-7 feet of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet. Finally, even the roughest routes (ie. lower Wright Peak and Marcy) are in good shape.  From the NYS DEC Adirondack Backcountry page, “Remember that avalanches are most common in February and occur most frequently during or after large snowstorms like the one we had this past weekend.” – visit adkavy.org to view and submit local avalanche observations. 

Whiteface Highway: the highway is fully covered, but still with a few sections that are narrow or bare given the high winds.
Marcy Dam Truck Trail: Good skiing 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: Very skiable all the way to Fish Pond. Lake ice safe for the alternate return.
Hays Brooks Truck Trail: Skiable to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond.  Last I knew, the parking lot had not been plowed.
Newcomb Lake Road: Great skiing.
Gulf Brook to Boreas Ponds: Good coverage.  Some plowing for 2-3 cars reported as of 02/22. Parking on the shoulder is legal, just not all that desirable.  Conditions were great early last week and are now a bit crunchy due to the warming and rain.
Raquette Falls: Skiable, but no report on whether it is broken out or whether it is still possible to drive beyond the town plowing and park at the trailhead.
Avalanche Pass: Very skiable past Marcy Dam, and the pass has great cover. Lake Colden now has 50" of snow.  Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden are crossable. Caution is always advised near the outlet to Avalanche Lake as there are recent reports of skiers/snowshoers breaking through. If in doubt, take to the trail on the west side about 50 yards before the outlet and cross on the bridge.
Ausable Lake Road: No new report; was fully skiable last weekend.
Wright Peak Ski Trail: Skiable after it diverges from the hiking trail.  Still, there will be a snowshoe trench on the hiking trails portion.  Reported as “in great shape” recently.
Mt Marcy Ski Trail: Should still be skiable until the ski trail junction above 50-meter bridge. Good cover above that elevation, but there are many blowdowns that have been reported earlier from there to Indian Falls.  Above Indian Falls, plenty of snow, but a snowshoe trench  to deal with.

INTRODUCTION
It's been a week of trailbreaking, and now weekend skiers can benefit from all the earlier hard work. The specific report below may not really be necessary because pretty much anything is now skiable. The weekend looks very good with a lot of sun and temperatures in the 20s. Warming up to the 30s early next week, but no real melting anticipated, and the temperatures will be back below freezing by Friday.

JACKRABBIT TRAIL
In general, every section of the Jackrabbit Trail has good cover and has been broken out.
McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable from Whiteface Inn Lane to McKenzie Pond Road. 
Old Mountain Road Section: Fully skiable. 
Paul Smiths Section: At least a track broken by a few skiers on all of the trails starting at the VIC. To date, logging has prevented a through ski from the VIC to Lake Clear, but this new snow may have covered up the logging efforts. Reports welcome.  
Other sections:  Craig Wood to Lake Placid Club section is skiable, and the new snow has smoothed out the new section around Scotts Cobble. The connections to Cascade Welcome Center are also skiable.

GROOMED CENTERS

        ADK CASCADE WELCOME CENTER (PREVIOUSLY: CASCADE CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTER)
         https://adk.org/cascade-welcome-center/   518-837-5047
           Km Open and Groomed:  15  Track Set:  15
           Remarks: All regroomed and track-set. 

         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: 10k
          Remarks:  
          MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG:
        https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/   518-523-2811
          Km Open and Groomed: 55  Track Set: 45 km  
         Remarks:  Set track on all of the Legacy trails on the south side (a.k.a. cross-country side) including now the Porter Mt. Loops. Trails on the north side (a.k.a. biathlon side) also packed and mostly track set. 

​           PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER:
         https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/  518-327-6241
           Km Groomed and Open: 45 km  Track Set:  25 
           Remarks:  Set track on the wider trails where the Pisten-Bully can be used. Other narrower trails open but not all have been packed.
            DEWEY MOUNTAIN:
           https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter  518-891-2697
            Km Open:  15   Track set: 7 km
             Remarks: Lower mountain trails groomed and track-set.  Upper trails also groomed but not set. Ungroomed upper trails now have good cover.

           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 just mentioned the work required to deal with the deep drifts.   

BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS
Finally true mid-winter conditions.  Wednesday 2/19,  report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is  51".  Now 6-7 feet of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet. Finally, even the roughest routes (ie. lower Wright Peak and Marcy) are in good shape.  

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: ​Skiable.  Alternatively, the ice is safe to cross, thereby avoiding that initial hill. 
Marcy Dam, Truck Trail: Good skiing 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:  Very skiable all the way to Fish Pond. Lake ice safe for the alternate return.
Hays Brook Truck Trail: Definitely skiable to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond.  Parking lot has not, unfortunately, been plowed, but the brave can try with 4WD.
Newcomb Lake Road: As usual, the best skiing.  The side road to Moose Pond also has good cover with only minor and easily circumvented blowdown reported.
Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds: Good coverage.  Some plowing for 2-4 cars reported as of 2/10.  Parking on the shoulder is legal, just not all that desirable. 
​Raquette Falls: Skiable, but no report on either whether it is broken out or whether it is still possible to drive beyond the town plowing and park at the trailhead. 
Avalanche Pass: Now very skiable past Marcy Dam, and the pass has great cover. Lake Colden now has 51" of snow.  Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden are crossable. Caution is always advised near the outlet to Avalanche Lake as there are recent reports of skiers/snowshoers breaking through. If in doubt, take to the trail on the west side about 50 yards before the outlet and cross on the bridge. 
​Ausable Lake Road: With the new snow, now fully skiable. .
Wright Peak Ski Trail:  Skiable after it diverges from the hiking trail, and maybe now not so rough getting from the point where one joins the hiking trail to where the ski trail diverges. Still, there will be a snowshoe trench on the hiking trails portion.
Mt. Marcy Ski Trail:  With the new snow, now skiable until the ski trail junction above 50-meter bridge. Good cover above that elevation, but there are many blowdowns that have been reported earlier from there to Indian Falls.  Above Indian Falls, plenty of snow, but a snowshoe trench  to deal with.

Between Saturday night and Sunday evening, this area picked up another foot or more of snow. There was a bit of mixed precipitation for an hour or so in the middle of the storm, but not enough to in any way compromise the nice light powder that otherwise fell.  Given this snowfall, most of the conditions reported below as of last Friday are obsolete, but we'll do the usual Friday update as we know more about what has been broken out, and what the weather will be doing.  

​This site will not attempt to assess avalanche danger except to say that it is now very much an issue on any of the steeper slides, but most of you who ski there know this already.  As for popular ski touring routes, there are still DEC avalanche warning signs at the top of Avalanche Pass. However,  that 1999 landslide has not avalanched since then, and there are even trees growing back to further guard against a sudden slide.

This week will remain cold and windy with high temperatures only in the low teens until Friday when it reaches 20. Saturday and Sunday will be in the mid-20s with some sun promised as well. 

INTRODUCTION
The 6-8" of new snow last Sunday made for the best conditions of the season. Unfortunately, some mixed precipitation on Thursday has resulted in a light crust on unbroken surfaces and caused skied-in surfaces to be a bit slick - at least on the ungroomed terrain. Saturday will be sunny and cool with highs only in the teens. Sunday holds the possibility of a significant storm that may also have some mixed precipitation. Still, with base depths greater than we've seen in years, we can hardly complain.

JACKRABBIT TRAIL
In general, already broken tracks will be a bit slick and demand more caution than was the case last week.
The McKenzie Pass Section: Fully skiable from Whiteface Inn Lane to McKenzie Pond Road. 
Old Mountain Road Section: Fully skiable. 
Paul Smiths Section: Logging prevents a through ski from the VIC to Lake Clear. The section from the VIC to Rt. 86 has good cover and only a few trees down that can be gotten around or over. South of Rt. 86 it is good skiing for about 1.5 miles to where the logging starts and the skiing ends. Coming up from Lake Clear, the old trolley line under the power lines is skiable until one hits the active logging road. 
Other sections:  Craig Wood to Lake Placid Club section is skiable, and the new snow has smoothed out the new section around Scotts Cobble. The connections to Cascade Welcome Center are also skiable.

GROOMED CENTERS

        ADK CASCADE WELCOME CENTER (PREVIOUSLY: CASCADE CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTER)
         https://adk.org/cascade-welcome-center/   518-837-5047
           Km Open and Groomed:  15  Track Set:  15
           New Snow last 72 hours: 6"
          Surface Conditions: Packed powder.
          Remarks: All regroomed after Thursday's storm. Full Moon Party Saturday 2/15

         SCOTTS COBBLE NORDIC CENTER
         10 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: 10k
          New snow past 72 hours:  6"
          Surface conditions:     Packed powder 
          Remarks:  
          MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG:
        https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/daily-update/   518-523-2811
          Km Open and Groomed: 55  Track Set: 35 km  
          New snow past 72 hours:  6"
          Surface Conditions:   Packed powder. 
         Remarks:  Set track on most of the Legacy trails  on south side (a.k.a. cross-country side). Trails on the north side (a.k.a. biathlon side) also packed and mostly track set. Previously, Porter Mt. Loops only had set track as far as the junction at the base of the first climb. This was apparently due to damage done by vehicular access for trail construction last summer that was never repaired, requiring more snow to be able to set track all the way around those loops. Maybe this new snow will allow track to be set all the way around, but we'll wait for confirmation.

​           PAUL SMITH'S VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER:
         https://www.paulsmithsvic.org/trailconditions/  518-327-6241
           Km Groomed and Open: 45 km  Track Set:  25 
           New snow past 72 hours:  6"
           Surface Conditions:  Packed powder. 
​           Remarks:  Set track on the wider trails where the Pisten-Bully can be used. Other narrower trails open but not all have been packed.
            DEWEY MOUNTAIN:
           https://www.facebook.com/deweymountainrecreationcenter  518-891-2697
            Km Open:  15   Track set: 7 km
             New snow past 72 hours:  4"
           Surface Conditions:  Packed powder
           Remarks: Lower mountain trails groomed and track-set.  Upper trails also groomed.

           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
           New Snow:     Base Depth:  deep    Off track:    deeper
           New snow past 72 hours:  much
           Surface Conditions:  Packed powder
​        Remarks:  No specifics on snowfall or overall snow depth, but their Facebook page just mentioned the work required to deal with the deep drifts.   

BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS
Finally close to mid-winter conditions.  Wednesday 2/12,  report from Lake Colden says the snow depth at the cabin is  46", but perhaps a bit more after Thursday's storm. 5-6 feet of snow with deeper drifts at 4,000 feet. All but the roughest routes (ie. lower Wright Peak and Marcy) are in good shape.  

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: ​Skiable, and any rocks on either side of the initial hill, are now covered. Alternatively, the ice is safe to cross, thereby avoiding that initial hill. 
Marcy Dam, Truck Trail: Good skiing 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:  Very skiable all the way to Fish Pond. Lake ice safe for the alternate return.
Hays Brook Truck Trail: Definitely skiable to both the Sheep Meadow and Grass Pond.  Parking lot has been plowed earlier,   apparently not plowed as of 2/10. 4WD will still allow use of the parking. 
Newcomb Lake Road: As usual, the best skiing.  The side road to Moose Pond also has good cover with only minor and easily circumvented blowdown reported.
Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds: Good coverage.  Some plowing for 2-4 cars reported as of 2/10.  Parking on the shoulder is legal, just not all that desirable. 
​Raquette Falls: Now  skiable with the new snow. Coreys Road plowed, but not sanded to the trailhead as of 2/10. Parking at the trailhead not plowed as of 2/12, but negotiable with 4WD. There is parking at the end of town plowing, which adds a mile each way to the trip.
Avalanche Pass: Now very skiable past Marcy Dam, and the pass has great cover. Surfaces are a bit slick from Thursday's storm and raise the difficulty - especially without metal-edged skis  Lake Colden now has 46" of snow.  Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden are crossable. Caution is always advised near the outlet to Avalanche Lake as there are recent reports of skiers/snowshoers breaking through. If in doubt, take to the trail on the west side about 50 yards before the outlet and cross on the bridge. 
​Ausable Lake Road: With the new snow, now fully skiable, but surfaces will be slick on the packed snowmobile tracks.
Wright Peak Ski Trail:  Skiable after it diverges from the hiking trail, and still just a bit rough getting from the point where one joins the hiking trail to where the ski trail diverges.
Mt. Marcy Ski Trail:  With the new snow, now more skiable until the ski trail junction above 50-meter bridge. Good cover above that elevation, but there are many blowdowns from there to Indian Falls.  Above Indian Falls, plenty of snow, but a snowshoe trench  to deal with.