-The Bill Milne trail in Kananaskis is groomed for classic and skating.-
“It was sooooo beautiful to be in the sun and on such wonderful snow. As I was on my way back I decided if I died tomorrow I’d be ok with it because today’s ski was that great.” -Rhonda W
Rhonda’s comment is a fitting tribute to the exceptional skiing today. Bill Milne offers easy, gentle, cruising through one of the most beautiful parts of the world. To die for!
The first thing I should point out is this trail is groomed for classic and skating. We’re getting lots of inquiries from skaters on what trails are available to them, well, here’s one for you.
The Bill Milne trail offers spectacular scenery
The Bill Milne trail’s official start is at Kananaskis village, and the 2.4K fun downhill to Kovach pond is groomed, but it would be quite a workout to climb back up at the end of your ski trip. I’ve skied it in the downhill direction, but always had someone picking me up at the bottom.
Bill Milne is a dog-friendly trail
Most skiers will start at Ribbon creek or Wedge pond. If you do the entire length including Wedge connector, you’ll cover 13.1K one-way.
It was the “perfect storm” of conditions which made for a memorable day on the Bill Milne trail in Kananaskis. Cold, clean snow at -10°C with perfect tracks and corduroy. A sunny day with little wind and an optimum air temperature of -5.
Bill Milne goes all the way to Wedge pond. The “Wedge” can be seen in the distance
Despite being late in the day, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many skiers on this trail.
Wind can become a problem because the trail is exposed. On the other hand, being so open means you are almost always enjoying the spectacular views.
If starting at Ribbon creek, use the east parking lot.
It’s a trail where you usually have to ski within a day or two of grooming to get the maximum benefit of the excellent conditions, and a lot of skiers were taking advantage of yesterday’s grooming and tracksetting. The weather forecasts are all over the map for this weekend, so it remains to be seen how the snow will hold up.
Bill Milne trail
Lots of grooming occurred in Kananaskis today. Jeff did the Skogan pass trails along with Sunburst, High Level, Troll Falls and Ruthie’s. Troll Falls won’t last long because of all the walkers. A minor detail when you consider what’s available to us.
Bill Milne trail
In PLPP, Tyrwhitt, Hydroline, Kananaskis Fire Lookout, and Lower Lake. If you’ve never skied the Lower lake trail, make a point of doing it this winter. You’ll be exposed to fabulous views.
We have our first update of the season from Chateau tracksetter Jeff Douglas which I’ll be posting on the Groomer’s Reports.
A complete list of skate trails is on the main menu under”Resources.”
PLPP: Lower Lake trail? wa? Did you mean the 1km Upper Lake Connector?
No, I am referring to the Lower Lake Group Camp trail, but I see it wasn’t groomed yet, my mistake. Upper Lake Connector is a nice trail, too which most people ignore. -Bob