PLPP
Jody Cairns sent this email this morning(right after he jumped out of the Pisten-Bully)…
It is 6:30AM and a winter wonderland in PLPP. It is currently minus eight at Elk Pass and snowing very lightly only (there are even some stars peeking through). All tracksetting passes currently have one cm or less of snow covering them (although prob some drifting on Hydroling already) These include Elk Pass, Tyrwhitt, Lookout, Hydroline and Upper Lake Access (good to use if Elk Pass parking lot fills up). Come and get the snow while it is still cold, Spring may come. Off to ski…
Canmore Nordic Centre
The Pisten-Bully grooming map shows that most of the trails at Canmore were groomed and trackset overnight.
That’s good to see that they are out there now. That’s the proper timing. Do it while it’s still soft and warm, and let it harden up over night. Although this can backfire too. I remember that night it rained (Jan maybe?), and they groomed it in the early evening instead of the next morning after the rain, even though all forecasts were calling for rain, and then dropping temperatures. The result was a skating rink that was potentially lethal to novice skiers. In that case, waiting to the morning would have been the right call. Tonight they seem to have it right though.
You are probably right about them not being able to do all the trails. Maybe I’m in the minority, but in that case I would rather see them groom 15km to a high standard than groom 35km to sub par standards. Quality over quantity.
Neil;
I wonder if it’s because they only have one Pisten-Bully right now? I noticed many times through the winter that both grooming machines were working right up until 8:30 in the morning. I don’t know this for certain, but it’s possible that one machine can’t cover all the trails in a short time.
I just checked the grooming map(7:06 pm) and it shows the Pisten-Bully is out grooming trails right now. That’s unusual for this time of day.
Just a heads up to those going to the CNC. The “slight dusting” that the report talked about is anywhere from a true slight dusting to 10cm depending on the trail and what time at night it was groomed. I think they are getting better organized at the CNC with signage, maps and grooming etc., but unfortunately they still seem to groom when the “schedule” says they should, not when the weather says they should. There’s been quite a few times this year when starting or delaying the grooming a few hours either side of when they did it would have made a huge difference in the conditions. For example, they admit on their report that the snow stopped around 3:30 last night. Why not go and groom it then, instead of grooming during a storm, and ending up with 10cm of snow on your fresh grooming? Precipitation and temperature are HUGE factors in grooming quality. You need to groom when the weather dictates, not what shift you are scheduled for. As I said, I think they are slowly getting better organized and hopefully something will be done about this next year.
I found fabulous fresh powder at Confederation Park yesterday!!! Also some slush, but what can you expect in April???