Loggers Loop at West Bragg Creek
Early-season skiers in Calgary are jubilant. There are enough trackset trails at West Bragg Creek to easily be the equivalent of skiing Moraine Lake road – without the long drive! An added bonus is that we get to see lots of happy dogs on the trail.
I met Conrad and Max the dog at the Loggers-Sundog junction
I also saw lots of smiling faces on the trails today. I skied most of the core trails which were all trackset and that included Mountain road, Crystal Line both east and west, and Sundog. Moose Loop is also trackset and you can get details and photos from Steve Riggs’ trip report.
Mountain road
I ventured onto Elbow for a short distance in order to see how the snow coverage was. It was fine for the short ski to the top of the first hill on skier-set tracks. It’s packed and has a couple cm of loose snow on top. Don C skied Elbow and Iron springs and said it was all good.
The snow and air temperature were both -5°C in mid-afternoon with bright sun and not a breath of wind. There are still a few early-season hazards in the tracksetting like twigs and grass and the odd rock. If you’re skiing on a section of trail where the snow cover is not perfect, it’s easy enough to step out of the tracks and ski in the middle of the trail where the snow coverage is sufficient.
Upper West Crystal Line
I stopped to pet three friendly dogs today. Dogs are allowed to run off-leash on the trails but are required to be on-leash in the parking lot.
The weather forecast is predicting above-zero daytime temperatures for the next two days. Friday is the biggest concern with a high of +6. The sun is at a lower angle now, so that should help. In any event, it’s turning colder on the weekend with significant snow in the forecast.
Sundog
Glad to hear from Helen Read that the Great Divide was being packed today. I’m not sure what’s happening on Moraine Lake road. Parks Canada has posted a notice that machinery will be on the road tomorrow. Chuck’s photos showed plenty of snow on MLR.
Update Nov 7: The Banff trail report indicates that Tramline has also been packed.
Welcome to this blog
This site is chock full of information for cross country skiers. I know we have a lot of new readers, so let’s make sure everyone knows what’s most important here: The Trip Reports page.
Who wouldn’t be smiling today?
Today there are reports from West Bragg Creek, Sandy McNabb, and Moraine Lake road. Most of the reports are posted well before I post my update.
On days when I don’t ski, you’ll still have lots to read and look at on the Trip Reports page. You’ll notice on today’s reports that Ray Yong, Chuck and Steve Riggs even provided a link to some spectacular photos.
Another item on the menu to take note of is the “Resources” tab. There’s lots of good information, especially if you are a new skier.
