It was -4°C at Lake Minnewanka at 2:30 pm with about 6 – 8 cm of new snow on the Cascade Valley trail. There were decent skier-set tracks and VR45(-2/-8) was giving excellent grip.
Cascade valley trail in Banff National Park
The crunchy sound made by my poles told me there was a crusty base underneath all this new snow. The tracks were a bit wonky in places, and not quite up to the “soul-mending rhythm” standard where your mind will transcend worldly cares.
Skied to the end of the campground at 6.3K where I could see there was a good skied-in single track continuing on, but the skating lane was untouched.
I chose Cascade valley because it’s usually the first trail which the Banff tracksetter does after a snowfall, but no luck. If I remember correctly, the tracksetting in Banff ended quite early last winter. I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case this year. Maybe we’ll see some grooming in the days to come? Here’s hoping.
Received a note on Facebook from Bruno, wondering “Does anyone know if it’s groomed at Ribbon Creek?” My advice was to call the Barrier Lake Visitor Centre in the morning for an update.
Cascade valley trail in Banff National Park
