West Bragg Creek

West Bragg Creek received 10-15 cm of cold, powdery snow. Most of the trails have been roll-packed. The temperature at 2:30 pm was -9°C. 

Alf Skrastins on West Crystal Line

Of course, the cold powdery snow compresses to about a 2 cm base when packed. With the thin snow cover, there are numerous hazards. Some you can see with the naked eye, others are lurking under the snow. I skied 8K and scraped bottom about three times, luckily none of the incidents were fatal nor did they result in a tumble. 

Flora and Maggie on Sundog

If you go skiing at West Bragg, exercise extreme caution. You’ll encounter some thin spots with exposed dirt and rocks. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Alf Skrastins on the trail. In the photos you’ll see his w-i-d-e skis which are more stable and give more flotation on the thin snow base. 

A thin spot with dirt and rocks on Sundog

I also ran into Maggie, Flora, and Maggie’s happy dog Kona. If you are interested in ski coaching at West Bragg, Flora is the person to talk to. 

The trails which haven’t been packed are Elbow, Iron Springs, Mountview, and Telephone. 

It appears from the trip reports that Moraine Lake road and the Great Divide in Lake Louise are in excellent condition. It’s a good idea to carry bear spray if you’re skiing the Great Divide as there is a grizzly bear frequenting the area. Read the warning from Parks Canada. I enjoyed the entertaining report from Kazzy on the Boom Lake trail. I’m curious to know how much snow Elk Pass received last night. 

Canmore Nordic Centre open tomorrow(Saturday). Photo from March 2018

The official opening of the regular season at the Canmore Nordic Centre is tomorrow(Saturday, November 17th). The projection is that a few more trails will be open for Saturday, such as half of the Stadium and a connection to Frozen Thunder from the Stadium. Frozen Thunder will be open to the public 7 days/week.