-You can tell by the body language that it was a fantastic day in PLPP-
It truly was a superb weekend for xc skiers, and thanks for all the trip reports. Chuck’s report, which just came in, shows Brewster creek to be in nice shape. Robo-skier Chuck must have been upset at me on Friday for out-skiing his measly 21K, and did 52K today.
Wheeler
What a phenomenal day of skiing in PLPP today. All the trails which we skied on had been recently groomed and pine needles in the tracks are almost non-existent.
The weather was perfect for xc skiing. Snow and air temperature were both -5°C. It was calm, the sun was shining, and skiers were out in full force enjoying this outstanding day.
Most of the junctions were busy with eager skiers deciding on their next trail
I took photos of numerous skiers and I’ve forgotten almost everyone’s name. Memory overload. If you see your photo, and would like me to caption it with your name, please send me an email. I can remember Liz near the Visitor Centre trailhead, where a squirrel was entertaining us, and Anick who appears on the Woolley trail.
Climbing Whiskey jack. Peter’s in second place.
Barbara, Peter and I started out from the Visitor Centre trailhead and skied a 23K loop consisting of Meadow, Wheeler, Whiskey Jack, Pocaterra, Lynx, Amos, Woolley. We waxed with VR45(-2/-8) and had good grip all day.
Peter put on an impressive display while climbing Whiskey Jack by keeping up with a couple skiers who were half our age. I tagged along behind, just barely able to keep everyone within eyeshot. I’m glad he’s on my team in the upcoming Lake Louise to Banff Loppet. If you are participating in the loppet next Sunday, check today’s update.
Pocaterra, near the Whiskey jack junction. Terrific tracks and grooming!
At the top of Whiskey Jack, I skied the 500 metres over to the Tyrwhitt / Lookout junction to check on conditions. There’s lots of fresh snow on both trails.
I found the snow texture to be excellent for both climbing and gliding. One of those days where it all works perfectly.
After that daunting climb up Whiskey Jack, we were rewarded with 5.2K of downhill on Pocaterra which was fun beyond belief today.
Anick was having a good time on Woolley
There were lots of skiers in PLPP, but I noticed a few of the trip reports are remarking that some trails weren’t that busy, such as Mt Shark, Spray River loop, and Lake Louise. I think everyone else from Calgary went to West Bragg Creek today, judging from David’s observation that vehicles were parked for 1K down the road.
This location used to be the Pocaterra/Lynx junction but the floods of 2013 changed things somewhat
There’s some very scary weather in the forecast starting on Wednesday for Calgary, Canmore, and parts of Kananaskis with highs of +7. I hope it changes in the next few days. I don’t know if I could handle a second meltdown this winter.
Lake Louise
Ken Hewitt has been keeping us updated with the NorAm race at Lake Louise and the resulting trail closures. If you’re planning to ski at Lake Louise this week, make sure you read his Groomer’s Reports.
