John and Nicole from Cochrane were out for their first-ever ski in PLPP. The trail is Moraine.
It’s a good thing the moose is gone from Tyrwhitt because I wouldn’t have stood a chance of outrunning outskiing it today. There’s about 8 cm of new snow on the recent tracksetting which has rendered the tracks very soft and slow. Oh well, more time to enjoy the magnificent scenery!
Evelyn and Georgina on Elk pass
Between slow tracks and too much visiting, I ended up skiing the last 30 minutes in the dark, but it was a good thing I was out late because I encountered Jody coming up Pocaterra in the Pisten-Bully and can tell you that Whiskey Jack, Packers, and Pocaterra will be trackset tonight. I’m not sure how much of Pocaterra will be completed; for certain the stretch between WJ and Packers, but it might just go all the way to the hut. Let’s hope it doesn’t snow too much overnight. How ironic, only one month ago we were wishing and praying for more snow.
Canadian national ski team skier and world cup racer Kevin Sandau on Elk pass
Did you know the groomer usually has to make three passes on every trail to complete the job of tracksetting? First pass will pack one side(leaving corduroy), second pass will pack the other side, and the third pass down the middle will set the tracks.
It was -22°C upon my departure from Canmore. When I started skiing from Elkwood Amphitheatre around 1 pm, the temperature was -9°C with a blue sky and no wind. Beautiful! I was surprised to see only one other vehicle in the parking lot. Not like those mall parking lots today.
Jody in the Pisten-Bully on Pocaterra
My initial journey took me down Wheeler, Moraine(first time this winter), and Fox creek. Lots of snow over the tracksetting on all those trails, but the tracks are still well-defined if a bit slow and soft.
Next was Elk pass which had been trackset yesterday but it must have started snowing as soon as the tracksetting was finished, because it also had about 5 cm of new snow. Georgina and Evelyn were also just starting Elk pass, so I had company all the way to the top. We met world-cup racer Kevin Sandau on the trail and had a nice visit, re-hashing the events of last weekend at the World Cup races in Canmore where Kevin competed with the best and had a respectable showing.
It was a nice evening for a moonlight ski. This is at the Amos/Wheeler junction
I don’t usually ski Tyrwhitt from south to north so it was a nice change of scenery, going in this direction. As mentioned, already lots of fresh snow on the recent tracksetting.
It was on Pocaterra where I encountered Jody making his first pass in the Pisten-Bully. Starting at Boulton creek, he had been up Packers, so I skied down Packers. The trail is almost completely free of twigs, and the small bumps at the bottom of the first two hills are a lot smoother. It’s now more fun than scary.
Canmore Nordic Centre
Trails will be groomed on a daily basis at the Canmore Nordic Centre throughout the holidays. Check the CNC page for the latest news Canmore Nordic Centre
Enjoyed the PLPP microclimate yesterday as well – far too hot in our mitts, warmest hats etc! We did the loop from Pocaterra via Meadow, Wooley, Amos, Packers, and back down Pocaterra. No sign of Bruce the moose but there was some crashing in the bushes as we were getting close to the Boulton campground so that may be the new location, either that or some heavy footed deer of some sort.
This comment came in from Peter N:
Guess it pays to go higher… Ribbon Creek area was -20 all day long.