25K of pure heaven

-Wonderful conditions in the south end of PLPP today-

I can’t add much to the reports from Carol, Duane and Keith regarding PLPP, other than this was the near-perfect day.

Hydroline was excellent

I started out at Boulton creek at 12:15 pm when the air temperature was zero. Snow temp was -4. I waxed with VR45(-4/-12) which did the trick for my first 13K, then I added some VR50(0/-4) while climbing Elk Pass. The tracksetting from last night was all good. Many of the thin tracks which we were seeing through the winter were much deeper, especially on the lower sections of Elk Pass.

Fantastic conditions on Tyrwhitt

My route was somewhat unconventional. My original intention was to do the classic Tyrwhitt loop, but with everything in such great shape, I added on a ski down Hydroline and ended up doing Elk pass in both directions. It’s hard to believe, but that was the first time this season that I skied the entire length of Hydroline in one fell swoop.

This group of skiers was headed for the Elk Lakes cabin. Their leader was Jordan, the guy with the cool glasses and big hat.

I encountered Al and Joanne while climbing Whiskey Jack. They picked the perfect day to come from Regina and ski in PLPP. It was nice seeing one of our faithful trip reporters, Keith Bagnall, on Tyrwhitt. He introduced me to Al Millar, the grandfather of Aidan Millar who I featured on yesterday’s post about the Canmore Nordic Centre.

Best conditions of the winter on Fox Creek

I had the most delightful run through the Tyrwhitt meadows. From the high point on Tyrwhitt, I was able to cruise for 2.9K without taking a stride. Even on the hill just after the picnic table, I was able to swoosh over the top with a few double poles.

Two weeks ago, there was no snow on this section of Moraine, and the low spot had a puddle of water. The trail crews have patched it up nicely.

I was euphoric at the conditions on Fox creek and Moraine. Haven’t seen anything that good this entire winter. It was so much fun snaking through the trees on Fox creek on good snow.

As I was skiing my last few kilometres along Moraine, the sun-exposed areas were getting soft and wet. These will probably be crunchy in the early morning tomorrow.