Smilin’ faces

I was greeted by 5 cm of new snow on Moraine Lake road and lots of smiling faces. It continued to snow all afternoon. Everybody was in a good mood on this beautiful day!

Tracksetter John’s plan for setting the track has worked out well. Moving snow from the side of the trail to create some extra depth allowed him to set a good track yesterday. It already had lots of fresh snow in it, but with all the skiers there today, it was generally skied-in quite well. This is most likely the configuration of the trail for the weekend; one machine-set track and a skating lane. Snow coverage on the portion of the trail from which the snow was removed is still a bit thin, but people are skiing on it as you can see in the photos.

Fresh falling snow is always a concern for waxing. When I arrived at 1 pm, the snow was falling but it was cold enough to not cause any major problems with waxing. Air temperature was -5°C, and the snow was -4°C. I used VR45 and it performed well until the last 2K when it iced a little bit. In order to ensure a quick trip back, I scraped it off at the end and used VR40 for the return.

It’s 8.9K to the turn-around point. You can ski further, all the way to Moraine Lake in fact(as Chuck did yesterday), but you will cross an avalanche path.

Tracksetter John showed up around 3 pm to start working on the trail. He was combing the skating lane. Wouldn’t you know it, two minutes after he went by, a skater was right behind putting big gouges in the soft snow.

Parking on the weekend

I predict the MLR parking lot will be full before 9 a.m. and cars will be lined up and down the road. A great alternative parking lot is the huge public parking lot at the lake. You’ll get the enjoyment of skiing down Tramline for 1.7K before you reach MLR. Upper Tramline is trackset and in great shape. Who knows, if you park on the road at MLR, you might have to walk 1.7K to get to the trail anyway.

Enter the new contest 

I need everyone who’s going to Lake Louise this weekend to do me a favour. Stop in at Wilson Mountain Sports in the village and enter the contest.  Believe me, the prize will make it worth your while. Wilson’s is giving away a pair of Atomic SkinTec skis.

This contest is a little different from the usual in that you have to enter in person at the store. The manager, Bill, wants to see if anyone reads this blog so let’s let him know. Just go in and request an entry form, you can say SkierBob sent you.

The SkinTecs usually retail for around $550.00.  If you never want to wax skis again, these are the skis for you. I demo’d a pair last winter and they were excellent on any type of snow. Here’s a Review of the SkinTecs that will give you some insight into these incredible skis.

The advertising on this blog is how I get my paycheque for doing this strenuous and demanding job of skiing and blogging. If Wilson’s gets an overwhelming response to this contest, it will help me sell the value of this blog to my sponsors.

Sale on rental gear

By the way, Wilson’s is selling off last year’s rental gear. If you’re looking for a complete package, you can get started with skis, boots and poles for $179.00. Bill also tells me that “Wilson’s is having an opening weekend special on Swix performance accessories now till Monday.”

Golden is Open

The nordic trails at Golden, BC are open, the earliest ever. I’ve put an announcement on the Trip Reports page. Golden Nordic Club

More photos from today on Moraine Lake road:

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