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INTRODUCTION (updated as of Friday, 2/21.
This past Tuesday was a bit above freezing with a bit of rain during the night, so the hills are faster than usual, but it's not absolute glare ice. X-C Centers will be able to groom up some nice surfaces. Ungroomed areas may vary as some received a bit of new snow, others didn't and we haven't been able to personally check every area at this moment given that one-half inch of new snow that has fallen, seemingly randomly, and can make a big difference. It was cold Wednesday night through Thursday night with no new snow, but has warmed on Friday to the low-mid 20s and will then warm to around freezing on Saturday. Then warmer still on Sunday followed by highs around freezing into next week with finally a chance for some new snow. Meanwhile, there is plenty of cover, and it's not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Finally good cover from end to end. Downhills will be quite fast after the brief bit of rain Tuesday night. All sections are well broken out. Section in from McKenzie Pond Rd. is quite hard and fast with debris from the recent high winds further complicating the skiing. Whiteface Inn trailhead has a bit of new snow and would be the best start for an out and back trip. Other trailheads toward Keene have pretty "firm" surfaces. CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 15 Km Track Set: 15 New snow: Base Depth: 10" Off Track 20" Surface Conditions: Packed powder and hardpack Remarks: Restaurant and ski shop open MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: Km Open and Groomed: 45 Km Track Set: 45 New snow: Base Depth: 12" off Track 20" Surface Conditions: Packed powder and hardpack Remarks: Groomed and tracked - everything except the outer loop of the Ladies 5 km. PAUL SMITHS VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 37 New Snow: Base Depth: 25" Surface Conditions: Packed powder with a glaze of ice Remarks: All trails groomed. Most track-set BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: Snowshoes or skis are now required in the High Peaks. There is 47" at Lake Colden and 6-7 feet at 4,000 feet. WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Finally enough snow to truly cover all the rocks, but the hills will be fast HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Definitely skiable. The hills will be fast, but snowshoe traffic has made for perhaps better surfaces than on the truck trail. Old Marcy Dam trail is the better start as there are no problems with any brook crossings. AVALANCHE PASS: Finally, no rocks to dodge above Marcy Dam. Pass is in good shape. Lake ice on Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden is being crossed. Be cautious around all inlets and outlets - especially the outlet to Avalanche Lake where the safest course is to exit on the western shore and cross the outlet on the bridge. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Finally fully covered and broken out, but probably quite hard surfaces. Pond can be crossed to avoid the hills at the beginning. HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow, Blowdown past the crossing of Hays Brook now reportedly cleared. FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely fully covered from the parking area, but tracks are very hard with much storm debris complicating the skiing. There is room for a new track to be broken, and that would be very nice skiing. RAQUETTE FALLS: Finally enough cover for this classic tour. A bit thin under some of the hemlocks, and there is a tree at the bottom of a hill about three miles in. Road is plowed to the parking area past the bridge over Stony Creek with a few spaces plowed at the parking area. GULF BROOK ROAD TO BOREAS PONDS: Parking area has been plowed. Tracks broken to the ponds and out onto the surface for an even better view. Second washed out culvert that required a detour has now been shoveled (thank you Jim Brundage?) and is no longer an obstacle. First culvert is now just a "speed bump" with the new snow. NEWCOMB LAKE ROAD TO CAMP SANTANONI: Good skiing as always. Moose Pond Trail also has good cover, but there is an undetermined amount of uncleared blowdown. AUSABLE LAKE ROAD: Plenty of cover, and one of the areas that did get a bit of new snow after the warm weather and rain on Tuesday. Snowmobile traffic makes the surface less than ideal for skiing, but still acceptable given the new snow..
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2/17 Update:
Great conditions everywhere, but ski it today as Tuesday is predicted to have a "wintry mix" including some rain before it again becomes quite cold for the end of the week. Pretty much all popular ski routes are in great shape and broken out. Raquette Falls is finally good skiing Boreas Pond parking is plowed, and at least some has been broken out. All X-C centers are in full operation, and no races at Mt. Van Hoevenberg to curtail the skiing there. INTRODUCTION Thanks to last Friday's 12-18" of snow, we definitely have good cover everywhere. Unfortunately, three days of above freezing temperatures have put a crust on the unbroken areas, and a glaze on those sections that have been broken out. Today, Thursday, we have started out with some freezing rain, although it is supposed to change to snow with up to 3" by the end of the day. Tomorrow, Friday, will be quite cold with high temperatures only in the single digits. Saturday will start very cold, but warm to the mid-20s. Sunday will be near 30, and then early next week will be a bit warmer before cooling off by the end of the week. So, given the temperature "rollercoaster", the best surface conditions will beat the groomed centers, but pretty much anywhere will have good cover. JACKRABBIT TRAIL Finally good cover from end to end. Today the downhills will be quite fast until the new snow covers up the glazed surfaces. All sections have been broken out since last week's storm. CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 15 KmTrack Set: 15 New snow: 1". Base Depth: 10" Off Track 20" Surface Conditions: Packed powder and hardpack Remarks: Restaurant and ski shop open MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: Km Open and Groomed: 45 Km Track Set: 45 New snow: 1". Base Depth: 10" off Track 20" Surface Conditions: Packed powder and hardpack Remarks: Groomed and tracked everything except the outer loop of the Ladies 5 km. Williams College Winter Carnival X-C Races Friday and Saturday morning on the biathlon side, PAUL SMITHS VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 37 New Snow: 1". Base Depth: 25" Surface Conditions: Packed powder with a glaze of ice Remarks: All trails groomed. Most track-set BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: Snowshoes or skis are now required in the High Peaks. There is 36" at Lake Colden and 4-5 feet at 4,000 feet. WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Finally enough snow to truly cover all the rocks. Broken out as of last weekend. HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Definitely skiable, but the hills will be very fast. AVALANCHE PASS: Finally, no rocks to dodge above marcy Dam. Pass is in good shape. Lake ice on Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden is being crossed. Be cautious around all inlets and outlets - especially the outlet to Avalanche Lake where the safest course is to exit on the western shore and cross the outlet on the bridge. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Finally fully covered. HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow, Blowdown past the crossing of Hays Brook now reportedly cleared. FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely fully covered from the parking area. GULF BROOK ROAD TO BOREAS PONDS: No report on whether the parking areas has been plowed, or if it has been broken out, but definitely enough cover to east the crossing of the washed out culverts. NEWCOMB LAKE ROAD TO CAMP SANTANONI: Good skiing as always. Moose Pond Trail also has good cover, but there is an undetermined amount of uncleared blowdown. AUSABLE LAKE ROAD: Plenty of cover, but the combination of warm days, cold nights, and snowmobile traffic makes the surface less than ideal for skiing. After the foot or more of snow on Friday, Saturday's cold temperatures did not appear to diminish the desire of skiers to get out and enjoy the new snow. Consequently, all sections of the Jackrabbit Trail between Keene and Saranac Lake have been skied, but no report on the Paul Smiths section. Additionally, Avalanche Pass and the Marcy trail are finally in good shape with much traffic over the weekend on both trails. Hiking trail from ADK Loj now definitely very skiable, but there are good tracks on the truck trail as well. No rocks to avoid on the stretch between Marcy Dam and Avalanche Camp.
Monday through Thursday will see high temperatures above freezing with some light precipitation of various kinds. No significant accumulation or melting expected. Friday will be very cold with highs only in the low single digits, but Saturday warms to near 20 and then again above freezing on Sunday. So the upcoming weekend and the beginning of President's week will see by far the best skiing of the season. In case you haven't been following the weather forecasts, we have picked up over a foot of snow on Thursday and Friday. It's fairly dense snow, so it will more than cover any of the rocks and other hazards we have been warning about so far this season. It's always a great moment for skiers when all of the safety warnings are about the highways and not the ski trails.
So, as it happens both of the contributors to this conditions page are away this weekend, so we can't provide timely updates on which trails have been broken out. That said, go out and start breaking trails on any popular trail, and soon some other party is likely to catch up to you and add to the trail breaking effort. Saturday will be quite cold with highs only 10-15 degrees, but it warms into the 20s on Sunday. Then warm with light rain or snow on Monday and Tuesday before dropping back below freezing on Wednesday. So, the coming week and following weekend look to be great skiing most everywhere. Happy Monday skiers,
Here is a Jackrabbit-specific report covering the entire trail from Paul Smiths to Keene, based on observations on Sunday Feb 2. Our next full conditions report for the region will be posted later this week. Until then the big takeaway is that skiing improved everywhere over the weekend. A dusting of snow Saturday night and Sunday was just enough to soften things up on already well-traveled ski trails. In some areas there is a weak crust when breaking trail, but not enough to detract from the skiing (even on skinny classic skis). Paul Smiths to Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake to Lake Placid
 BRIEF UPDATE BEFORE THE WEEKEND
Trail conditions have not changed significantly since our report at the beginning of the week. Mercifully, it has stayed cold all week with single digit temps at night, so at least the snow we have has been preserved. National Weather Service forecasts snow showers through the weekend and into early next week with temps hovering above freezing during the day and just below freezing at night. This could be just a dusting or we could get lucky with a "foot of flurries"...time will tell. For this weekend we refer you to the last conditions report for recommendations on where to ski. All the groomed nordic centers will be in great shape and can be highly recommended. Avalanche Pass has been regularly skied and will only improve with a few more inches at higher elevations, though the Marcy Dam truck trail is still the better approach for nordic touring into that area. All sections of the Jackrabbit Trail will have good cover with the exception of the long downhill from McKenzie Pass to McKenzie Pond, which is still in rough shape. We don't recommend skiing that section, except if traveling toward Lake Placid. Caution still required on steeper descents throughout the trail - watch out for open drainages, water bars, bare spots, barely covered rocks and ice flows. BRIEF CONDITIONS UPDATE: Last week the Jackrabbit Trail saw a ton of traffic and we went into the weekend with a very compacted base on all but the most obscure sections. On Saturday we skied from Rock & River in Keene to downtown Saranac Lake, the main 25-mile section of the trail. Skiing was fast with good cover almost everywhere, with the exception of the long downhill on the Saranac Lake side of McKenzie Pass, which cannot be recommended except maybe for the hardiest of skiers on metal edge skis. That side of the pass suffered some washouts from the big warm-up and rain on Jan 11-12 and has yet to recover. There are large sections with partially exposed rock and bare patches in places where it is very difficult to slow down. On Saturday afternoon it rained for 1-2 hours starting around 1pm, switching to snow around sunset. We picked up 1-2 inches of wet snow overnight on Saturday, and a few more inches throughout the afternoon on Sunday. Ultimately it was a net gain for the ski trails but we're left with some wet snow covering slush which will make skiing challenging in some places. The smoother sections of the Jackrabbit Trail close to Lake Placid are again very skiable, the Old Mt. Road section can be recommended but use caution descending toward Keene and around the beaver ponds. There is mostly good cover but some "wonky" sections. Craig Wood Golf Course to River Rd., River Rd. to the Lake Placid Club Golf Courses, and the Peninsula Section are again in good shape. The section heading toward Saranac Lake from Whiteface Inn Lane held a base and is good skiing to the top of the pass for the most part, but be on the lookout for water bars and a few broad wet areas that may have turned into ice flows. Near the top of the pass on the LP side there is a small washout that isn't quite covered with snow again that requires caution. As noted above the section descending from the top of the pass to McKenzie Pond cannot be recommended, there are many hazards on the entire descent. From McKenzie Pond to McKenzie Pond Rd and over to NCCC is good to go. From Lake Clear there is a good snowmobile track on the power line heading toward Paul Smiths, and the skiing from Easy St to the VIC will be good as well. BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: Snowshoes or skis are required in the High Peaks when there is 12" or more of snow on the ground. There is again about 24" at Lake Colden and 3-4 feet at 4,000 feet. WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Skiable with good cover. HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Skiable with caution as some log staircases/bog bridges are still exposed, and some larger rocks still not covered. AVALANCHE PASS: Still somewhat rough past Marcy Dam, but the pass itself is in good shape. Lake ice on Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden is being crossed. Be cautious around all inlets and outlets - especially the outlet to Avalanche Lake where the safest course is to exit on the western shore and cross the outlet on the bridge. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Skiable with good cover. HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow, FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely fully covered from the parking area. 28TH ANNUAL SKI TO SWIM PARTY On Sunday we celebrated the 28th "pool party" at the Crowne Plaza Resort. This is our favorite FUN-raiser and member appreciation event of the year. 26 people, including over a dozen kids, skied the Theresa's Tour from Cascade XC Center to downtown Lake Placid. We were excited to welcome a couple new families to the area who joined BETA for the first time at the pool party, as well as many pool party veterans. A fun time was had by all thanks in part to our event supporters - Crowne Plaza Resort, Big Slide Brewery, Origin Coffee Co, Outpost Wine & Spirits, Long Run Wealth and Lakeview Deli. Huge thanks to everyone!  1/19 UPDATE:
In the end, only 2-3"of new snow, but conditions now are good on any place except the low-lying routes that are particularly rough like Raquette Falls. Other minor updates are included below. 1/18/20 UPDATE: The chance for some more significant snow has increased with perhaps 4-6" now possible by Sunday at noon. If that actually happens, most of the trails that still had a few rocks showing will be fully covered, and rougher trails such as Raquette Falls will finally be skiable. Stay tuned. INTRODUCTION Yesterday the area picked up 4-6" of somewhat dense powder snow. Where there was still a base, this wet snow will tend to stick to the base and make for some good skiing for the weekend. While it will be cold and blistery today, temperatures will moderate to the 20s and near 30 on Sunday before dropping back to the teens for highs Monday through Wednesday. Skiers should be aware that the thaw finished with high winds on Sunday, and we weren't able to get out and check every trail for blowdown during the "window" before yesterday's snow. JACKRABBIT TRAIL The smoother sections close to Lake Placid are again very skiable, the Old Mt. Road section can be recommended with caution because there was very little base left after the thaw. Craig Wood Golf Course to River Rd., River Rd. to the Lake Placid Club Golf Courses, and the Peninsula Section are again in good shape. The section heading toward Saranac Lake from Whiteface Inn Lane held a base and is good skiing to the top of the pass. The upper part of the descent to mcKenzie Pond is probably fine, but there was virtually no base left on the trail in from McKenzie Pond Rd,, so be aware that there are likely hazards on the lower third of the descent. It is thin but skiable in as far as the pond. Update: If we get the predicted4-6", all will be skiable. CROSS-COUNTRY SKI CENTERS CASCADE X-C SKI CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 15 KmTrack Set: 10 New snow: 3". Base Depth: 5" Off Track 9" Surface Conditions: Packed powder Remarks: Restaurant and ski shop open MOUNT VAN HOEVENBERG: Km Open and Groomed: 49 Km Track Set: 30 New snow: 3". Base Depth: 5" off Track 12" Surface Conditions: Packed powder Remarks: Everything except the outer loop of the Ladies 5 km. Track set everywhere except East Mt. and Porter Mt. PAUL SMITHS VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER: Km Open and Groomed: 37 New Snow: 3". Base Depth: 8" Surface Conditions: Packed powder Remarks: All trails groomed with some track-setting planned for Friday. BACKCOUNTRY CONDITIONS: Snowshoes or skis are required in the High Peaks when there is 12" or more of snow on the ground. There is again about 24" at Lake Colden and 3-4 feet at 4,000 feet. WHITEFACE HIGHWAY: Skiable all the way to the Castle. MARCY DAM TRUCK TRAIL: Just enough cover to ski with caution. The rocks are still not really "covered", just "disguised". HIKING TRAIL FROM ADK LOJ: Possibly skiable, but not recommended. AVALANCHE PASS: Still somewhat rough past Marcy Dam, but the pass itself is in good shape. Lake ice on Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden is being crossed. Be cautious around all inlets and outlets - especially the outlet to Avalanche Lake where the safest course is to exit on the western shore and cross the outlet on the bridge. CONNERY POND TO WHITEFACE LANDING: Skiable with caution as not all rocks are covered. Some washouts, but all are easily crossable. HAYS BROOK TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely skiable to both Grass Pond and the Sheep Meadow, Some blowdown past the crossing of Hays Brook. Two of the trees are a bit of an effort to get around, but they don't detract from the overall experience. Use caution on the steep hill that descends to Hays Brook. FISH POND TRUCK TRAIL: Definitely fully covered from the parking area. GULF BROOK ROAD TO BOREAS PONDS: Parking area has been plowed, but not after this recent snowfall. Still doable with 4WD, and just a bit harder with 2WD. Some culverts washed out in the Halloween storm, but the first is crossable, and the second only requires a short detour. Trail broken as far as the inner gate. NEWCOMB LAKE ROAD TO CAMP SANTANONI: 6" new snow on a 6" base. Definitely still the best skiing. Moose Pond Trail also has good cover, but there is an undetermined amount of uncleared blowdown. AUSABLE LAKE ROAD: Now can be recommended for skiing with 4" of new snow on an icy base. Status as of Thursday morning:
While not really predicted as recently as Monday, we have picked up 4-6" of somewhat wet powder with more possible by the end of the day. The fact that it is somewhat wet snow is perhaps good in that it will stick to the icy base - at least in places (see below) where there was some base left. The x-c centers will be grooming, and should have most of their terrain open for the weekend. All the gentle backcountry routes and most, if not all, of the Jackrabbit Trail will be skiable. Some of the rougher terrain such as Avalanche Pass will probably be skiable, but the Wright Peak and Marcy ski trails are still probably not ready. Tomorrow, Friday, will see highs only in the single digits with some high winds, but weekend temperatures will be mid-20's to 30 before cooling to highs only in the teens through Wednesday. No significant additional snow is in the forecast so far, but at least we'll hold on to what we get today. A more complete report tomorrow after the x-c centers have groomed and we can get out and see what's skiable. After a drive "around the block" yesterday, I can report that all is not lost. The snow is pretty much gone in Keene and is thin in Lake Placid and thinner in Saranac Lake, but there is still some good base left to the west and south. Surfaces are hard and icy, but 3-4" of new snow will make a good deal of the gentler terrain skiable again. This will happen slowly through the week with the best chance of more significant snow on Saturday. Friday will be quite cold, but Saturday and Sunday will see temperatures in the low to mid-20s before cooling off again on Monday, MLK Day.
Warning: High winds accompanied the thaw, so there may be new downed trees on any of the trails. Specifically: Marcy Dam Truck Trail - 2-3" if ice or hard crust left, but the ground is covered. Jackrabbit Trail - The section starting at Whiteface Inn Lane retained consistent snow: 5" at the trailhead. McKenzie Pond Rd. end virtually bare as are the Old Mt. Road and the golf course sections. The Paul Smiths Section had 10" at the Easy Street Crossing, but less toward the VIC. Hays Brook Truck Trail - 3-4" at the trailhead. Note in the register says Forest Ranger Scott Sabo cleared the trail as of 12/12. Looking for confirmation from the ranger that all trees to the Sheep Meadow have been cleared. Fish Pond Truck Trail - Also 3-4" at the trailhead, so skiable with some new snow. Newcomb Lake Road - 4-5" in the road where it had been packed down, and 6-8" off trail. Gulf Brook Road to Boreas Ponds - The parking is now being plowed and there is about 6" of snow at the south-facing trailhead. Note in the register says, "culvert #1 impassable", but is was definitely passable a month ago. Ausable Lake Road - No cover at the gate under the thick trees, but likely some after 1/2 mile. These condition reports are provided by the Bark Eater Trails Alliance (BETA), continuing a service started by the Adirondack Ski Touring Council. BETA continues as a mostly volunteer-driven organization (no pay for yesterday's drive), but the organization now does field a small, paid trail crew to work on routine maintenance of the vastly expanded trail network while also working on the many opportunities for new trail construction now that the Saranac Lake Wild Forest plan has been approved. The organization also has a full-time, paid executive director to coordinate all of the above activities, not to mention the cost of keeping this site active. So, if you've never contributed to BETA but find these reports useful. please consider going to the organization's website, www.betatrails.org, and making a contribution using PayPal or most credit cards. Thanks |
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
March 2020
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