– Julie, Alex and Kyber enjoying a stroll on Goat creek –
Darlene emailed me to ask about conditions on Goat creek. I had not received Roland’s update yet, so I went for 3K down the trail. Roland’s description was mostly accurate for the portion of the trail I skied. It’s hard-packed, but the snow is still cold and VR50(0/-4)wax worked very well. The tracks are fast, but you can still snowplow if necessary.
Goat creek at 2K from trailhead
For having heavy use over the past week since it was trackset, it’s still skiable with care and caution. I was actually surprised to see the tracks in as good condition as they are.
I should remind everyone of the rules regarding dogs on Goat creek. You are allowed to walk or ski with your dog on a leash, but Goat creek only goes for 900 metres on the ungroomed trail in K-country, at which time it hits the Banff Park boundary where dogs are not allowed on the groomed ski trail. There are lots of packed trails near the trailhead which are still in Kananaskis where you can enjoy a walk with your faithful companion.
Natural snow on Banff trail at the Canmore nordic centre still has some debris
Canmore Nordic Centre
I hadn’t been to the Canmore Nordic Centre for a long time, so I stopped there on my way back from Goat creek. The air temperature was zero, but the same VR50 wax was still working well. As always, the man-made snow trails are excellent. The natural snow on Banff trail had excellent tracks but there’s still some debris kicking around. It’s easy enough to step into the middle of the trail to get past any bad spots.
Man-made snow on Banff trail at Canmore nordic centre was excellent
