Karen and Ted were braving the -25 temperature for a short ski on freshly packed Goat Creek
Update Dec 30 @ 8:30 pm: I’ve learned from Chuck that Spray River West from Banff to the Spray bridge at 9.9K has been trackset.
Chuck has posted a trip report and 11 amazing photos. If you are skiing one-way from Canmore to Banff, you’ll have a packed trail on Goat Creek for 9K to the Spray bridge and tracksetting thereafter for 9.9K to Banff.
Goat Creek has been snowmobile packed
From the Goat Creek trailhead above Canmore, I skied out in -25°C to the Banff boundary just to see if any grooming had been done today. As you know, the first 900 metres of Goat Creek is never groomed because it’s in K-Country. This section is always well-packed by snowshoers and hikers.
Spray River West is trackset. Photo by Chuck
At the Banff boundary I could see the start of the snowmobile packing. No skiers had been over it yet, just snowshoers.
As I was turning around at the boundary, I met two others who were out for a short ski, Karen and Ted.
It looks like Goat Creek received about 10 cm of new snow. I only saw two rocks, one right at the beginning on the downhill to the creek, and another about 200 metres in.
The Spray Lakes road is nice to drive on now. Hard-packed snow with very little gravel showing.
-27 all day in Okotoks so stayed close to home & played back country around town natural areas again for a couple hrs fitness …but I think you got it Bob, surely the LAST frigid day of the year!