great skiing for now and likely later after the thaw

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.