Ribbon creek and Kananaskis village

Where are you skiing tomorrow? Talk about first-world problems. As you can see from the Trip Reports, the choices abound.

Martin on New Ribbon Creek

The conditions at Ribbon creek and Kananaskis village were superb. There was a cm or two of loose snow over yesterday’s grooming. The air and snow temperature were both -6°C, so no problems waxing. I’m still using the VR40(-4/-12) which I applied 3 trips ago.

Ribbon creek

I finally had the opportunity to test-run the steep downhill on New Ribbon Creek and it was a blast. The loose snow slowed down my descent just enough to keep me from getting scared.

Terrace trail

It’s quite the roller coaster ride, with a few sharp turns, but when snow conditions are this good, even I can stay upright and enjoy it.

I also enjoyed being back on the “Old Ribbon Creek,” although only about 600 metres of it remains.

Darren and Kesa were taking Hendricks out for his first ever ski trip on the Bill Milne trail

The only glitch in today’s skiing was one exposed rock on New Ribbon Creek. I saw it on a turn as I was climbing the steep section. Snowplowing had scraped away a lot of snow, and I’m sure a few people have a new gouge in their skis tonight.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen tracks on the bridge over Evan-Thomas creek on the Bill Milne trail. Photo by TSJ

It was impossible to remove the rock, so I stopped and covered it with a lot of snow and packed it down firmly. It was in a spot where, even if you saw it coming, it would be hard to stop in time.

The Wedge Connector was groomed and trackset today

The 3.5K run down from the Kovach Lookout to Kananaskis village was a rarefied experience. As the brochure says, without exaggeration, “Welcome to the serene, snow-covered forests and meadows of the Ribbon creek cross-country ski area.” The S-turns still had plenty of snow and the snow-covered trees were stunning. There’s an elevation drop of 125 metres but nothing difficult.

Ribbon creek parking lot

I would have stayed and skied longer, but wanted to get down to PLPP before dark and check out Elk pass. On the way, I stopped and took some photos of the Bill Milne trail and Wedge connector.

TSJ(Tracksetter Jeff) was working on the Bill Milne and Wedge Connector trails and they look magnificent. If you’re a beginner or novice skier, the Wedge Connector would have to be one of the best choices for you to practice on.