Fairview was very bumpy and uneven
I skied for 1K on Fairview from the trailhead at the Chateau parking lot. I’m glad I used an old pair of flat, wider, rock skis because I may not have remained upright on anything fast.
This was one of the rare spots on Fairview where it was smoother
The trail has plenty of snow and there were no exposed rocks or dirt. The problem is the uneven trail with huge dips and bumps. It also has open water in numerous places. I would not call it fun, but maybe an accident waiting to happen.
Trail through the middle parking lot which connects Tramline to the lake
I don’t think it has been snowmobile packed yet. Probably waiting for the water to freeze. If it has been packed, there’s been a lot of new snow over top.
Phil, who I met on Moraine Lake road later in the day, said he skied Fairview from the other end and reported conditions were just as bad.
Snow temperature was -7°C and the air temp was -4. Nice, cold snow.
Upper Tramline is trackset and in nice shape. The Banff trail report indicates Lower Tramline is trackset as well.
From the top of Tramline, which is also the Fairview trailhead, the exit road from the middle and upper parking lots has been packed and is very skiable. I skied the 500 metres to the lake. There is no skiing on the lake yet.
From the road, I noticed the Bow River and Campground loops were snowmobile packed.
We skied fairview to MLR, then down the tramline to the station. The kids (ages 6+7) loved the uneven terrain and ‘water features’.