The November theme song for xc skiers
This update is just some miscellaneous stuff and I didn’t know what title to give it, so I named it after the song I’m listening to right now, and how appropriate!
One of the things I am enjoying about the return of ski season is all the skiers I’m meeting on the trail, and the ones I’m renewing acquaintances with.
Also, I enjoy seeing the readership of this blog increasing. The day isn’t over, and 4329 people have already logged in.
The snow is here!
We’re off to a good start with the early snow. Last year, we didn’t have any tracksetting on MLR until Nov 14, and it was paper thin. A few of us have already skied on groomed trails in Kananaskis, too.
Listing of Skate-ski trails
Acting on the suggestion of John Addicott, I’ve started a page which lists Skate ski trails. If I’ve missed any, please leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list. I’ve added this page to the Main Menu under Resources.
John suggested four years ago that I start a Webcam page. It has proven to be one of the popular links on here.
I want to thank everyone who has left a trip report so far this ski season. Talking about popular pages on this blog, the Trip Reports is THE most popular. 75,000 views last winter.
Snow predicted for K-Country
It’s snowing in Canmore as I write this at 10:30 pm. I see there’s snow in the forecast for K-Country. 13 cm for tonight and tomorrow at the elevation of Elk pass, then another 12 cm on Wednesday. The temperatures are getting cooler, too, so the snow should preserve well. This might help you decide which day to pick in the “Guess the date” contest.
Flashback to 1985
Alf was at Boom Lake today, and mentioned that Boom Lake is no longer listed as a ski trail. I have an old Nordic Trails brochure from Banff National park where Boom Lake is listed:
Boom Lake(Click for larger image)
Yes I’m ready – Flashback to ancient times
I remember listening to this song as a 12-year-old, and I’m still totally smitten with Barbara Mason. You’d never see such a “real” person on a video today.
So… the question would be, for the novice-to-intermediate xc skiers out there… how to judge when Boom Lake would be risky from an avalanche point of view? Our back-country touring friends are expert on the concept, but most track-set xc skiers who are looking for a new spot might put themselves unnecessarily at-risk… Thoughts?
The Boom Lake Trail has been re-routed to avoid the two avalanche slide paths that were noted in the old “Nordic Trails” in Banff brochure. When avalanche hazard is high, you can hear avalanches coming off of Boom Mountain, across the valley to the south. Those slides are a very long distance away from the trail, but they are a warning not to go beyond the end of the trail once you get to the lake.
Thanks Alf!