Hay Meadow
I did most of today’s skiing on Bill Milne, Wedge, and Evan-Thomas but I first took a short trip on the newly trackset for the first time this season, Hay Meadow trail.
Frozen Troll Falls
If you want to take your kids for a nice family day ski trip that isn’t difficult, you could do the Hay Meadow – Troll Falls loop from Stoney trailhead with a side trip to frozen Troll Falls. Total distance is 3.7K.
The final .3K to Troll Falls is skiable but still has a few rocks.
I didn’t know what to expect on the Troll Falls ski trail which I skied back to Stoney trailhead because it hasn’t been groomed, but the skiing was quite pleasant. Skiers, hikers and snowshoers have it packed down to a nice, firm, smooth base and I had no difficulty at all. There were no hazards whatsoever.
Starting out on Hay Meadow
The .3K ungroomed trail to the frozen waterfall is also skiable but it’s pretty tight as it goes through the trees and there are some rocks to watch out for.
The Stoney Trailhead is not marked on the trailmarkers but it’s easy to find. After turning in towards Kananaskis Village from Hwy 40, instead of taking Centennial Dr to Ribbon Creek/Kananaskis Village, go 100 metres further and Stoney parking is the turn to the right and there is a sign. It is indicated on the Ribbon Creek brochure/map.
A new sign for the Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation
I noticed the new sign along the Hay Meadow trail on the bank of the Kananaskis River for the Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation. I’ll never forget the day when I was skiing here in March 2000 and encountered the researchers including Peter Sherrington himself who told a fascinating story of the day they encountered wolves(the wolves ran away).
The Troll Falls ski trail was well-packed and quite enjoyable
The air temperature at 2:30 pm was -2°C and the snow was -4. I skied ’til 5 pm and it hadn’t started snowing, but on my drive home it sure was coming down. It started around Barrier Lake and from the casino to Lac Des Arcs it was near white-out conditions.
The other trails I skied were close to perfect. I did the 7K Evan-Thomas, Wedge Connector, Bill Milne loop. When I arrived back at the Evan-Thomas parking lot, I skied the Evan-Thomas again(1.7K) just so I could enjoy the wonderful return trip which is all downhill.
