– Moraine Lake road has about 15 cm of ungroomed snow –
Everyone is hungry for information about MLR, as it’s usually the first place we ski every winter, at least on natural snow. I heard conflicting reports on the amount of snow which Lake Louise received from yesterday’s storm, so I went to see for myself.
There’s about 15 cm of consolidated snow(it may have been 20 – 25 cm immediately after falling), but no packing or grooming has occurred. There were skier tracks in the deep snow from a couple of people who couldn’t wait any longer.
It’s just a matter of time until Parks starts packing it. I’m not sure when that will be, but let’s hope it’s skiable by next weekend(Nov 9, 10), if not sooner.
Kananaskis Update
From the PLPP trail report: As of Nov. 2nd, PLPP is blanketed by snow. Overnight, upwards of 20 cm of snow fell at the lowest elevations of the park, with much more at higher elevations. On the Smith-Dorrien Road, near Chester Trailhead, 36.5 cm of snow is now on the ground and near the continental divide, accumulations are closer to 44 cm. If venturing out, it is critical to be aware of the potential for early season avalanches.
Trails in Peter Lougheed have not been groomed or packed at this early stage, so avid early season cross-country skiers should anticipate breaking trail in deep snow and be aware that there is no base yet so pole plants and skis will break through to ground in most locations.
Yoho/Emerald Lake Update
Going further afield, some good news from the Kicking Horse Ski Club. They have “re-connected” the Emerald Connector. You may recall, the old trail had an avalanche two winters ago and Parks would not allow grooming to occur in that zone. The trail has been re-routed and will once again be trackset.
The KHSC has posted a pre-season update. While I’m at it, if you enjoy skiing at Emerald Lake and Yoho, a reminder to get your membership in the KHSC.
This would be a good time to let everyone know that Trail #20 in Guess the trail, bridges edition was the Emerald Connector.
The Emerald Connector is an extremely enjoyable trail with small rolling hills as it winds through the forest between the Natural Bridge and Emerald Lake, about 10K one way. If you access it from the Field Visitor Centre, it would extend the trip to 12K.
Nipika Update: See photo. Six inches is equivalent to about 15 cm.
Golden, BC Update:
From Twitter, Troy Hudson reports they received about 20 cm of snow on the Dawn Mountain Nordic trails. I’ve tweeted Troy and asked if it’s deep enough for them to start packing.
Thank you for the great information on the MLR and beautiful photo! We got a 5-10 cm snowfall in Edmonton and can hardly wait for skiing. But in the mean time, MLR looks great!
West Bragg Creek got between 20cm and 37cm of snow, depending on aspect and elevation. Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association volunteers have already started packing & grooming the snow. No track setting yet, but at least the base is being packed down.
Steve Riggs and I skied an interesting figure-8 loop north of the parking lot, using all-season trails like Braggin’ Rights, Reconnect, Long Distance, plus long sections of the new logging haul roads, and winter trails like Demi-Tel, Hostel Loop and Telephone Loop to finish off. Good conditions for skiing or snowshoeing all the way around!
Good to see West Bragg getting off to a good start. Terrific volunteers there! -Bob
Here are some photos from West Bragg Creek.
https://picasaweb.google.com/112757355578245802406/WBCNorthSkiNov32013?authkey=Gv1sRgCOCGu5LugfyMBg
You used your alpine touring gear?
We had been thinking of more usual early season backcountry objectives such as Chester, hence leaving town with the “big” skis. However bad roads, summer tires and a desire to have a look at the potential of the haul road as an xc trail led us to West Bragg. Given the amount of trail breaking the wide skis were an asset in the deep snow. Plus, our legs got more of a workout 🙂 .
As for the haul road that heads north from the Mountain Road and winds about between the new Long Distance trail and Telephone- it would make an excellent ski trail. Right now all it would need is grooming.
Bragg Creek got about 30cm.