Surprisingly cold snow

I took Tessa for a leisurely ski on Evan-Thomas and Wedge Connector this afternoon. With the temperature at +6°C, I used my fish-scale waxless skis, but probably could have used waxable.

Evan-Thomas sees lots of foot traffic. The snow was still cold but not icy.

Evan-Thomas sees lots of foot traffic. The snow was still cold but not icy.

I’m pretty sure that VR50(0/-4) would have given good grip on 95% of the trails we skied. There was only a 100 metre section on Wedge Connector where the snow was actually wet.

The snow was still cold in this sun-exposed area of Wedge Connector but the tracks had been drifted over

The snow was still cold in this sun-exposed area of Wedge Connector but the tracks had been drifted over

I expected the sun-exposed 300 metres on Wedge where it meets Evan-Thomas would be wet, but no. Still nice and cold.

Evan-Thomas is completely chewed up and there is no evidence of any tracksetting but Tessa didn’t care. It was kind of chunky but not icy, and I didn’t have any trouble skiing it.

Terrace trailhead at Kananaskis Village

Terrace trailhead at Kananaskis Village

Wedge still has good tracks in the protected parts albeit with some tree debris. That’s the advantage of waxless skis, they go right over the debris without grabbing.

I stopped at Kananaskis Village to have a look at Terrace trail. It was freshly groomed/trackset and looked magnificent. I couldn’t resist, and skied about 200 metres just to see if wax would work. Indeed, I had excellent grip with VR50. Should be wonderful skiing around the village in the morning.

Thanks to all the multi-users who were staying clear of the ski tracks. Photo by Tracksetter Jeff

Thanks to all the multi-users who were staying clear of the ski tracks. Photo by Tracksetter Jeff

A Valentine 

The photo at the right was sent to me on Saturday by tracksetter Jeff. He had been out for a ski and was impressed with the behavior of the multi-users on the trails he groomed the night before. We have subsequently learned that not all the bikers and hikers behaved so well, but let’s appreciate those who are considerate of the ski tracks.

“An early valentine to the snowshoers, bikers and skiers on Ribbon Creek Trail all getting along the way it is supposed to work.” Tracksetter Jeff

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