Thanksgiving weekend ski report 11/25/19

UPDATE 11/27/19

 As of Wednesday evening, it is raining on the Adirondacks.  While there won't be a lot of additional snow melt, the temperatures will fall without much hope of any new snow.  So, according to the latest forecasts, it will be at best "dust on crust" for the coming weekend.  Hiking with microspikes is probably the best outdoor activity for the weekend.  Hays Brook Truck and Fish Pond truck trails still have a thin base as of Wednesday, but will need several inches of new snow to again be skiable.  Hays Brook in particular may have blowdown from the Halloween storm that has yet to be cleared.. Marcy Dam truck trail has better cover, but will still need an inch or so to be truly skiable.

ORIGINAL 11/25/19 POST 

No new snow and temperatures have been above freezing most days since the last report.  The snow is therefore thinning out, but it's not gone yet.  We are in the mode of "spring conditions" in November where the surfaces will be rock hard and fast in the morning, but softer in the afternoon.  

Cascade X-C Ski Center reports 10 km of trails open
Mt. Van Hoevenberg reports 40 km of trails open
Both distancescould shrink with the warm temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday.

The rougher trails like most of the Jackrabbit Trail can no longer be recommended, but the smoother trails such a Hays Brook, Fish Pond, and the Newcomb Lake Road are still quite skiable.  The Ausable Lake road still has good cover, but the vehicular traffic has encroached on the separate ski tracks.

Warm daytime temperatures through Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, will slowly reduce what snow we have, but colder temperatures return as of Friday and Saturday.  Therefore, weekend hikers will need traction aids for almost any trail hiking, and need to be prepared for winter conditions on any of the higher summits.