Mid-winter conditions

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.