Trip Reports – March 2013
Let’s help each other have a great ski trip by sharing information on trail conditions. If you have photos, upload them to a photo-sharing site such as Flickr or Picasa, and leave a link with your comment.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed. Scroll to the bottom of the page to leave your report.
{ 158 comments… read them below or add one }
Black Ski Trails?
You may have noticed black or grey ski trails or black pepper sized dots jumping around on the snow in recent days. Those are bugs commonly known as snow fleas. Hypogastrura nivicola are a species of springtail within the sub-class Collembola. If the name Collembola sounds familiar, it is because that is also the name of the mountain between Mt. Allan and Skogan Pass. The mountain, in turn, was named for the snow fleas.
Snow fleas appear in large numbers in the spring and mark the beginning of the end of the ski season. When you see a lot of snow fleas, you know that there are more snow melting days, than snow accumulation days.
Snow fleas produce a protein, which acts as an antifreeze that prevents water within their bodies from crystallizing. This allows them to become active and to reproduce, while there is still lots of snow on the ground. Once the snow melts, Collembola spend the summer turning leaf litter into soil.
Snow fleas can hop amazing distances by using two spring-like tail structures. My guess is that they randomly jump into ski tracks and then can’t hop back out, so they concentrate in the tracks. Skiers squash them as we ski along, thereby turning the tracks black.
https://picasaweb.google.com/112757355578245802406/Collembola?authkey=Gv1sRgCLGXuJK7jZTomAE&gsessionid=jqMwWp-dNc5vUqMDvz6Dpw#
Wow, very informative. I’ve never seen black tracks like that, but surely would have wondered what was going on.
Are they harmful to dogs?
No, they are incapable of causing any harm to humans or animals, because they have no biting mouth parts. They only digest decaying plant litter and fungi. In fact, snow fleas can’t even breathe and will desiccate (dry out) and die, if they are not in an extremely moist environment.
There is one website that sells a chemical to “protect” you from springtails/snow fleas, but is a scam.
Great biology lesson, Alf! thank you
Silly me, I thought the mountain was named after a flower
We have seen the black trails on many occasions. A few years ago some guy on the Tyrwhitt trail told us they were an endangered species. I don’t think it was April 1st…….
I started wondering if this may have been an early April Fool’s joke, so started googling collembola and snow. Some of the results show less-than-pretty photos, so while I was hoping to get another great XC day in, I think this has grossed me out for the night
.
“Too warm for wax, but not skates”
Easter bunnies on skate skis visited the Nordic Centre today. They figured out that was the only way to go, although waxless skis would work until it gets too mushy in the afternoon. Then it just becomes hard work to move. But there’s still good skating, hopefully for a few more weeks. Photographs:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xcskier/sets/72157633137874910/
It ain’t over!!!
Jeff and I met at his place in Canmore around 11 AM and headed out to Mt Shark shortly thereafter. We arrived at the trailhead just after noon – temperature was +5C, in the bright sun. We set out on our Fischer Superlight waxless wonders. The first couple of kms were a bit slippery – but soon the snow softened and the ski was absolutely amazing. Up and down, great grip, excellent glide and super fun downhills. The recent grooming was a huge boost. This morning we wondered if this was to be our last ski – but this fantastic end of March ski leaves us hoping for more next weekend. Just don’t want the season to end.
The first question that came to mind at the Boulton trailhead in Peter Lougheed Park was “Waxless or Waxable”. The trail from the parking lot had been impeccably groomed a day or so earlier, but was frozen as hard as concrete. Too hard for waxless skis! We opted for waxable skis and Universal Klister. This worked perfectly! We were able to climb straight up the steepest parts of Wheeler trail, without even using poles. Glide was good on the flat or downhill bits. On Tyrwhitt, the snow had softened in the sunny areas and the skis would slow down on the wetter snow. After the first couple of surprises, we simply anticipated the grabbiness of the sunny patches by bending our knees and extending one foot slightly ahead of the other, telemark style.
At Elk Pass, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Elk Pass and Hydroline trails had been freshly groomed and renovated over night, leaving a soft, clean track. We followed Elk Pass trail down to Blueberry Hill Junction and then went up to the Blueberry Hill viewpoint on beautiful, virgin tracksetting. The run down to Fox Creek Junction was slower than usual, because the sun had softened parts of the trail. The shady parts were still fast, but the sunny areas were grabby. A lovely tour along Fox Creek and Moraine completed the loop. The last of the klister wore off just before we reached the last little climbs along the Moraine trail. Perfect timing.
An excellent day out on the south half of the Peter Lougheed trails!
https://picasaweb.google.com/112757355578245802406/PLPPSouthMar302013?authkey=Gv1sRgCPGT0sK9iP6GYg&gsessionid=tHZEqG-gTUw75k1DvCtVgA#
Thanks again, Bob, for your wonderful blog site. Besides being the best source of information about trail conditions, it creates an infectious sense of enthusiasm among the cross country ski community. Well done! Much appreciated!
Skied my last ski of the season at Mt Shark today. Headed out the Watridge trail for a change. Tonnes of snow still there but as I expected difficult to get any grip on the classics and klister scares me after the first and last time I used it.
Spray lakes road was extremely bumpy, moreso than last week. A person could get a compression vertebral fracture driving that road. Still a beautiful sunny day to be in the mtns.
Someone once left a comment saying that it was probably more dangerous driving to the trails than it is skiing on them. -Bob
Mt. Shark Helipad to Spray River
Had a fabulous day spring skiing from the Mt. Shark helipad along the Watridge Lake trail to the bridge over the Spray River as it enters Spray Lakes. It was incredibly warm by the end of the day when the parking lot had emptied out. Earlier it was great to see all the people having fun out there, including lots of dogs who all were on their best behaviour.
I ended up skiing my waxless skis today, but earlier in the day I couldn’t get enough grip on the icy sections. A bit of universal klister on the kick zone did the trick and I had good grip and glide the rest of the day.
The Smith-Dorrien road is mostly just wet and muddy right now with some sections that have a lot of potholes.
I hope this isn’t the last ski for the season…
Hi,
I skied Goat Creek/Spray Lakes from Canmore to Banff and Back yesterday for the first time, so I didn’t really know what to expect. It was a beautiful day, but the trail conditions were something else
The first 3-4 km were completely trampled by hikers. The middle 10km had lots of snow still, but the track was a faint skier set track. Overall, the Spray lakes trail was much better than the Goat Creek trail. There was lots of debris and a few mud slides, but the trail was flat and the faint skier set tracks were not as trampled as Goat Creek.
It would be possible to ski the whole thing without removing skis, but it is very difficult. I took my skis off for one big hill and I bailed on a few others on the way to Banff, but I managed to stay on my skis the whole way back
Waxing was quite the science. At 11am, I tried some red wax and it provided zero grip. I put on universal klister and it was waaaaay too grabby. so I covered that with red wax and it was OK-ish for the mostly downhill trail. I managed with that wax combo right up to the last big bridge. From there, I put on green base klister and that worked pretty well all the way to Banff and back to the picnic area at the 5k mark.. By the time I left there, it was 4pm and I switched to universal klister, which worked like magic! I have never loved klister so much. I didn’t have to herring bone almost any of the hills on the way back, and I had no icing or grabbing problems. It was a bit slow on the downhills but that was a bonus not a hinderance
Wildlife. I saw some deer along the river from one of the bridges, which was nice. I also saw something really odd. There was a piece of a spine, maybe 5 or six vertebrae long, 2 inches or so wide, right in the middle of the trail on the way back. It didn’t look too fresh. Blood was dried on, and there was no flesh. There were no other bones that I could see. Creepy. I didn’t stop long enough to look for tracks around it, because it was late and I was skiing back to get the car solo, so I didn’t want to hang out there for too long. Anyway, I reported it to Parks Canada.
Saw a few other people on the trail. Mostly walkers. Sounded like the conditions war much better two weeks ago. It’s amazing how quickly things change this time of year. I was going to try to go to Mount Shark today, but 41km with no track tired my muscles out too much.
Hoping this wasn’t the last ski of the year,
Risto
Skied the Elk Pass Loop up Whiskey jack, across Tyrwitt, down the pass, across Fox Creak and Boulton Creek yesterday on Good Friday. Probably the last ski day of the winter unless things really get colder. It was an icy slog going up Whiskey Jack and I finally just took off my skis off going up the big hill and walked it! We started early so the snow was bullet proof and hadn’t started to warm up at all yet.
By the time we reached the open sunny spots on Tyrwitt the snow had started to warm up and we were finally able to get some glide. It was actually pretty easy going and the climb up to the pass was good.
Coming down from Elk Pass was a bit sketchy with a mix of frozen snowshoe, boot, and ski tracks all over the trail. The snow also kept grabbing you in soft spots threatening to topple you over.
Once we got below Blueberry hill junction though it was smooth going and the icy tracks made for a fast descent. You never got going too fast though because you kept hitting slushy parts and coming to a stop.
Fox and Boulton – same thing, mix of ice and slush. They were fun though and in the down hill direction were easy. Only came close to falling once on Fox Creek when my skis came to a sudden stop on a short hill.
We had waxless skis and even they struggled to get up the icy hills so I have no idea what wax would be necessary to ski right now. Everybody we met said they were having a challenging ski.
Heading to Mt Shark for last ski of the season. I’m happy/sad about it. In case anyone is considering it…it was groomed yesterday.
We skied today,Lake Louise in decidedly spring conditions. From the Chateau parking lot we took Fairmont to Moraine Lake Road, up the Road to the Lookout where the view of the mountains was crisp and clear. Back down MLR to the Tramline and on to the Village. There were many ways to start the day waxwise in the morning as it was close to zero C but by the time the day was out it was short sleeves and klister under sun and blue skies. Glorious! The trail conditions ranged from fast glazed to slow wet granular
and you had best have your knees bent when you crossed the latter! The best indication that the end is coming was when we were on the Tramline just before you crosssed the road that would lead you to the train bridge. There was a section there that had almost completely melted out: about ten feet. So if you want to get out for a ski and don’t mind klister, it is possible. Universal klister in an aerosol applicator works very well. Depress the can just under the foot so that a smidgen comes out and then quickly move the applicator to spread the klister thinly and evenly along the length of the ski. Under the foot is the most important area and you are spreading it only because it is important not to have a thick appliction. After that I cork it very vigorously to help remove the klister;s carrier which is necessary for the klister to foam out of the can but is detrimental to the klister’s performance. Klister is a lot more forgiving than what a lot of people believe. You can wax over it providing that the klister is not too thick. In fact green and blue klisters can be used as a base wax.
Good to know, we head that way tomorrow, maybe I’ll try that klister. I had pretty much resigned to snowshoe/walking.
THIS IS HOW TO ENJOY WARM CONDITIONS
School is out… time for Family Fun at Lake O’Hara:
http://youtu.be/pvPluY_1Vy4
The Weather Network is predicting for Lake Louise, Tuesday April 2nd, 15 cm of snow The downside is that the high will be plus 4 and a low of minus 9C. If it snows when it is cold, it will be great. Not so much if it falls during plus 4C. Like I said before, these storms are great if the conditions are good but their effect is usually short lived at this time of the year. The prediction bears watching until Tuesday.
CASCADE RIVER
Today, we decided to ski along the river to enjoy the smooth untouched snow. It was a nice change to get off the Cascade Valley Trail at the first bridge.
As Parks did not do any grooming since the last snowfall, the trail is quite rough, icy in the shade, and slow in the sun.
But the river is very pleasant at this time of year, as you can see at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/accesschuck/CascadeRiver?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMT8yY7g0dn_Vw&feat=directlink
Wonderful weather and photos. That snow pack is supporting your skinny skis very well !
Hi Chuck. I must admit I have no experience in this but after reading your comments my first thoughts were that it would be dangerous to ski on the river where I see that your pictures have exposed water. I would be interested in learning why you think it would be safe to do this?
Hi Nancy,
Great thinking!
Also, even where you don’t see exposed water; the ice may be too thin.
Experience is where it is at… If you don’t feel comfortable, don’t do it.
Just like travelling in avalanche country, don’t do it unless you understand the risks.
Do also remember that photographers have a way of making their photos look dramatic.
Play safe out there!
In my experience dealing with people in the outdoors, the unfortunate fact is that many people are not nearly as cautious or informed as you or I and don’t “think” before they act. Many beginners to this sport read this blog and may simply not know that venturing into unknown terrain like this can be hazardous. Thanks for the acknowledgement.
Lucked out with 3 perfect “Blue Bird” cloudless skies when at Skoki Lodge this past Sunday/Monday. Temp Sunday early am at lodge was minus 24 but by Tuesday early am, it had warmed to minus 18. Snow averaged -9 for our skiing adventures. Being opposite to most people, I “waxed” all the way into Skoki and “skinned” all the way out.
So delighted to reconnect with a gal I met years back at Elk Lakes cabin, and she, Michelle was our phenomenal cook!!! The middle day we skied clockwise around Skoki Mtn and yesterday we skied out from Skoki, clockwise around Fossil Mtn meeting up with the regular trail at the bottom of Deception Pass. Thankfully by 2pm when we met up with the regular trail, the track had become slightly softer and slower. By the time we got back to the car, it was +8 so we were all grateful for our window of opportunity with cold beautiful snow.
How’s CNC holding up?
First, huge thanks to Bob for this wonderful website!
I have plans to come to the Bow Valley for the week and wonder how CNC is really holding up given the warm conditions? Also, if anyone knows a high school/college student that would like to babysit – my 9 yr old would be relieved to get a break from skating – while I go for a loop (snow permitting).
Thanks all-
Jennifer
I expect there will be enough snow, but it will be icy in the mornings and slushy in the afternoons. -Bob
An amazing ski today. Started at Pocaterra Hut at 9:15, -12 C, used green (-5 to -10), met the moose cow and calf at Come Along. They were not moving, and one on each side, so decided to go up Come Along in the opposite direction we werre used to. Turns out it is fun both directions! We turned around, back Come Along to find them still there, but both on same side, so decided to go on up Pocaterra. One more loop of Come Along, then on to the end of Pocaterra. We did rewax after Come Along. The ice flows on north end wear it off quickly, but most of the trail was firm and fast. Return on Pocaterra was the fastest we had ever done, completed 30 k in 3 1/2 hours, even with the 3 waxes we did. Did a blue wax (-3 to -10 C ) before climbing past Lynx. Returned to Hut 12:45, 0 deg. Too bad we have jobs, or we would be out again this week.
This is almost as good as it gets! We stared at Boulton Campground (temperature -10C.) and headed up Whiskeyjack (firm and fast, with no ice) and onto Tyrwhitt. Fantastic grooming and tracksetting! From the Tyrwhitt highpoint to the Tyrwhitt picnic table was a blast, and the fastest we have ever skied it. At Elk Pass table, we met other skiers, as well as snowshoers coming out from Elk Lakes Hut. Our trip down Elk Pass trail to the BlueElk table was quite fast despite the lack of grooming. In order to take in more superb conditions, sunshine and new tracksetting, we plodded up Patterson (not groomed) and whooshed down Hydroline. Even the steep hill at the end was skiable on hardpack. From there it was a quick trip down the ever-lovely Fox (a bit icy near the start, south end) and Boulton back to the parking lot (temp +3C). If this is the end of ski season, it will be a day long remembered – fast, fun, and fantastic!!
Good to hear, Mary. I was wondering how conditions were as I’m going to give it another go tomorrow. -Bob
Did Skogan Pass from Ribbon Creek on Sunday – so much easier than from Dead Man’s Flat. The snow is thin & it’s a little icy for the first few kilometers but then it’s excellent and the trail is in great condition. Made it to Skogan Pass in 3 hours. Photos on this blog if interested – http://hikebiketravel.com/24840/skiing-skogan-pass-ribbon-creek-kananaskis-country/.
Any suggestions for a must do half day trail between Lake Louise & Jasper as heading to Jasper for Easter?
Maybe the last trip of the year. If so, we went out on a spectacular high note. Headed to Lake Louise Sunday morning, skied Pipestone before a late lunch. First time on those trails, and it was stunning. Icy cold snow, cold air, hot sun, conditions as close to perfect as it gets. Had the amazing experience coming down of being out-skied by the kids (9 and 12) – with their shorter skis, they could absolutely blast down the narrow steeper stretches with total control, while my wife and I had to work a bit.
After lunch, off to goof around on Lake Louise (hot, so fast that even the kids did almost nothing but double pole), then down Tramline.
Sunday night at Emerald Lake Lodge – only $89 thanks to our Kicking Horse Ski Club memberships. -19 this morning at Emerald Lake, so off to the hot tub after breakfast to wait for the sun. Amazing conditions – deep base, hard crust with nice recent snow, cold snow, cold air, hot sun (VR30 with bare head and hands, and no jacket). Sat baking in the sun on a bench at the top of the alluvial fan loop and watched avalanches (triggered by the sun) tumbling down the mountain. We will be back, and will be renewing our KHSC membership. Amazing.
Does anyone know the current condition of the Spray Lakes rd to Mt Shark? Doable in a small car with no 4wd?
THx
Yes, absolutely, but warm weather will make it more challenging so get out soon!
Totally do able. Ripped out to shark in my 88 Camry yesterday without a hitch. Little icy in some spots and slushy down near PLPP. Ps the skiing at shark is awesome.
Any maps online to have a look at?
Did the loop from Ribbon Creek to Link/Kovach/Terrace from 1:30-2:30 pm in nice, sunny at times windy conditions. Tracksetting still in good condition but sun-exposed areas made for icy and fast downhill runs. Portion of Kovach pretty slick while Ribbon Creek just less then 1K from Trailhead had an exposed hillside. Some photos: http://pinterest.com/yeghikermike/alberta-winter-outdoors-2012-2013/
Time to rest my skis until the next big snow. So I would like to thank all the tracksetters for a wonderful job and helped made wonderful winter memories for us all!!!
MORAINE LAKE
Perfectly groomed to the viewpoint and amazingly supportive snow thereafter.
Easy to climb the Rockpile, and even easier to see it all at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/accesschuck/MoraineLake?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOC-wr2elNO-oQE&feat=directlink
Final picture: Yee-ess!!! THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!
We’ve had 3 glorious days of skiing west of Banff. Since tracksetting appears to be done in Banff, we’ve been venturing out of town. Friday afternoon’s light tour of Boom Lake was fantastic. Temperatures just below 0 and the trail had been lightly skied. Not icy at all, making for a fast but really enjoyable return. We read that Pipestone had been recently groomed, so we checked it out on Saturday and weren’t disappointed. Another beautiful sunny day, but the snow was still crisp. We used our classic skis (waxless) and had no problem at all with the grip or glide. The clear blue sunny skies beckoned us out to Paradise Valley today (Sunday). We light toured into the valley, via Fairview. The conditions on Fairview were even better than Pipestone! Temperature in Lake Louise was -2, keeping the track again very crisp and fast. We only saw 4 skiers on Fairview, and none in Paradise Valley. Skier tracks along Paradise Creek, but we did have to do some fun trail breaking in the light, fresh poweder to Lake Annette bridge via upper trail. Tough not to linger in the valley, so aptly named. Enjoy!
Saturday was super and Sunday was better at PLPP. I skied a 36 km circuit of PLPP today, starting at Pocaterra Hut at 10:00 am with an air temperature of -13 C. Green wax worked well until 1:00 pm when I applied a special violet to recover some kick to get home. I stopped at the Barrier Info Centre coming out, so I knew I was going up Pocaterra and Tyrwhitt to Elk Pass. Lookout was groomed and trackset. Bob’s report accurately describes the joy of being in Tyrwhitt heaven! Hydroline hill to Elk Pass trail junction was very manageable. From the bottom end of Boulton Creek, I skied back to PH on Amos, Wooley, Lodgepole and Sinclair. These north end trails have good tracks in hard snow/ice covered with skied-in snow. SKIER ALERT for Suicide Hill – it is bare ice at the turn and so I bailed and walked down – first time this year.
Pipestone was fantastic today, cold snow and temps around -12 when we started. Was like mid-winter skiing.
Tyrwitt terrific, Pocaterra Perfect.
Today (Sunday) I set off a bit before 0900, surprisingly cold (-17C) at the hut. The first 1-2km along Pocaterra has some icy bits, but once you get past that, the tracks were excellent (they were probably set Friday night), when I got to the Packers junction I encountered the fresh Saturday night track setting and this continued up to the Whiskey Jack junction and then to the Lookout tee junction.
Usually at this point the Saturday night track setting will stop, but this time new tracks went up Tyrwitt, so I followed them up. Really makes a difference in that first section through the trees. In the meadows it was about -11C (about 1030).
Here’s a photo in the meadows:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/113224617295715051229/posts/gC3dvxiDgPs
It was perfectly clear with a temperature of minus 23 at 6:00 AM at Boulton parking lot in PLPP. Lots of fresh grooming was done in the middle and south of the Park linking grooming done earlier in the week. Get it while it’s cold.
Hi Jody – I hope you live close by – 6:00 am!!!
Now I understand! – My thanks for all the super grooming throughout this season. The picnic table placements are perfect for basking in the sun, particularly the Tyrwhitt Table on Sunday and it’s remarkable you groomed around the snow sculpture at Whiskey Jack / Pocaterra junction. It seems you enjoy creating our world of fun.
While at the top of Whiskey Jack yesterday, I commented to David about how the tracksetters were being very considerate about going around the snowman rather than over it. -Bob
Thank you for the early post, Jody…..and thanks for the tracksetting. Had a wonderful day on the new grooming. I only wish more trail could have been done.
Anna
Lake O’Hara: Great conditions on the fire road. Cold snow provided good kick going up and hard-packed trail made for a speedy run downhill on the way out. Only disappointment was the unfriendly staff at the lodge. We asked to take a peak inside but were declined entry (guests only …). Quite a difference in attitude to what we experienced last weekend at Skoki.
How was your Skoki trip, Thorsten? What skis/skins did you go with? Did you have a good tour while you were in there?
Dennis, had a great trip! We used backcountry touring skis (x-country skis with metal edges and a little wider) without skins. Had to herringbone up a few of the steeper sections, which was a little challenging at times as we had to break trail, but on most of the trail they were the perfect choice as we were able to move faster than we would have been able to on AT skis. Katie and Leo were the most wonderful hosts and the food was absolutely deeelicious! We found some nice trails while up there for backcountry touring (Merlin Meadows, Cyclone Cabin). Some route finding and lots of trail breaking was required which added to the adventure. We didn’t have any problems on the way down to Skoki from Deception Pass or on the way back out, but with less ideal snow conditions and for less experienced skiers some of the downhill sections could be a bit challenging, I would think.
Sounds fab-ul-ous! I’m glad you had such a good trip. Skoki is the best!
It’s also good to hear your very positive comments re light touring skis. I’ll likely open my wallet for a pair for my next trip to Skoki. A person could get through life with only one pair of xc skis, but with a dawning awareness that this ride isn’t going to last forever, it’s time to indulge myself a little!
We’ll likely meet out on the snow one of these days. I look forward to it.
Saturday at Mount Shark
In a nutshell: fantastic!! We hardly ever go to Mt. Shark because we are simple recreational skiers, but it is a lovely spot. Today, well, never mind blue sky days, blue wax days are the best! It was quite cold to start, and the air stayed cold all day which kept the snow in fabulous condition. We skied the 15 km loop and it was all wonderful. The groomed sections had a light dusting of fresh powder over yesterday’s grooming, and were in the best condition I have ever enjoyed there. The outer “backcountry adventure” section was skier-tracked, luckily for us, which made it relatively easy and fun, but there are a couple of hills……. Thankfully lots of lovely soft snow to slow down, or cushion one’s fall if necessary. The last significant downhill was pock-marked with bum craters! The weather was beautiful, the views spectacular, and it was just a fantastic day out
Hi Diana, Is the spray lakes road doable in a small car with winter tires? thx
Hi Rhonda, I’ll give you my thoughts. If the road is frozen, it would be passable in your small car. If it’s wet and muddy, don’t go there. The 15K directly south of Canmore is the worst with potholes that could swallow a small car. Be aware that conditions can change dramatically in the course of a few hours. It could be frozen in the morning, but when you leave at 3 pm, it could be like driving in soup. I enjoy driving Spray Lakes road in cold mid-winter conditions, when it’s frozen and covered with packed snow. It’s smooth, there’s no dust, and the snow fills in a lot of the ruts. -Bob
Thank you Bob!
Yes, winter when the road is frozen is absolutely the best time to drive it, much better than summer, actually. If you are going from Calgary, as we do, going south on Hwy 40 and then north from Kananaskis Lakes is more reliable, and the time to get to Chester Lake parking is about the same. On good days we do the circle tour, as it is quite spectacular
My friend and I had mommy day passes today (we ski alot pulling a chariot) and went to Ribbon Creek to do some cross-country skiing. It was so beautiful out this morning and with fresh groomed/trackset trails we had a fantastic day! We skiied up Ribbon Creek Trail, around on Kovach…went out towards Kananaskis Village and realized the trail was closed so went back and returned to the parking lot via Aspen/Terrace. What a beautiful day!!!
Wonderful skiing out of Peter Lougheed Visitor Ctr. today. Enjoyed sunshine, cold snow on Meadow, Wheeler, Packers, Pocaterra, Lynx & Woolley. Packers & Pocaterra all recently groomed & machine trackset, 1 cm of fresh snow on top of March 18 grooming & tracksetting on the others. Nice!
Went for a nice 2 hour ski at the CNC today at around noon. Temperatures were warming up nicely from the cool morning so I used a combination of blue and violet. It was a little bit of an icy start up Banff Ave, but the wax combo took hold not to long after and I contined up Meadowview to Rundle and back to the main lodge. Snow was in fantastic shape. The temperature had warmed up to minus 2 by the end of the ski at around 2:00 p.m. so violet wax would have been a good option at that point. Sunday should have excellent conditions at the CNC as well. It was a bit icy coming down Olympic but not too bad. Overall, an beautiful day at the CNC!
Pocaterra from hut to Packers could not have been any better for end-March. Pristine tracks, easy waxing, even low down. -5C in the parking lot at 3 p.m. augurs well for tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, grooming crew – you made a lot of people very happy today.
As Bob mentioned in his blog yesterday, Elk Pass was a great place to ski today. From Boulton, we went south on Moraine (very good, icy underneath), Fox Creek (excellent!), and up the Elk Pass trail (decently skier trackset). A trip up Blueberry Hill, partially skier trackset in 10+cm of new snow, was a bit slow, with coming down being the usual fun. Then up to Elk Pass, and down Hydroline (fair) and Patterson (very good), then back the way we came to the parking lot. It was great to ski on cold snow! -15C at 10am, warming to -5C at 2pm. Clean tracks (no debris) all around. Beautiful blue skies, mostly. With the forecasts for a few more days of cool weather, skiing should remain really good in the south end of PLPP into next week.
A fabulous day at West Bragg. We skied Sundog-Iron Springs-Elbow-Loggers-Crystal Line. The upslope storm on Thursday left around 20 cm, enough for great conditions with tracksetting pretty much everywhere. The snow stayed cool and dry except for the most sun exposed hills. Quite possibly the last good skiing of the season at Bragg, get it while you can!
Some pictures-
https://picasaweb.google.com/steveandjoriggs/WestBraggMarch23
Thanks for the recommendation, Sunday 24 was a gorgeous day to ski Bragg, lots of new snow grad it while you can!
Skogan Pass was track set to the summit and all things considered the skiing was great. A couple marginal sections down low, but after a little climbing the snow quality improved. Blue bird day with temps around -6 in the parking lot at noon and -1 around 3:00. It was clouding over as I left the parking lot, so the potential exists for a dusting overnight. Great skiing for March 23rd!
We started out from Elk Pass parking lot this morning about 9:30 am. There was a skiff of snow from the night before that gave good skiing conditions. Fox Creek was not broken yet as was Moraine until the bottom of Whiskey Jack which was skier track as was Wheeler and Amos all the way to William Watson Lodge. The icy base underneath had consolidated more since Tuesday and it was apparent that what snow had fallen could be easily worn down. More snow is reported up on Tyrwitt After lunch we did the trails directly below WWL. Less snow had fallen in this area and the conditions of Sinclair and Suicide Hill were icy but skiable. We had good ski conditons today but we wonder for how much longer. More snow is predicted for tonight for PLPP but warmer weather is predicted for next week that will be well above zero C. Rule of thumb is that you will have powder conditions as long as it remains below zero and klister or waxless skis when it is warmer than zero C. Last year we got periodic large snowfalls that were predicted that would allow skiing for that day and these could be sought out by those wanting to to ski late into the season. We are approaching the time of year when one goes out for the sunshine rather than for absolute skiing performance and with this in mind a great day can be had..
Went to Lake Louise March 21 and did MLR and Tramline. There was about 10 cm of new snow and these trails had been newly groomed and in very good shape. Air temp. about -4 and Warm Blue wax was a little stickey.
Skied CNC today (7:30pm to 9pm – a short night ski). Just what the doctor ordered to shake the stress of the work week so far. Toko Yellow worked very well for grip but it slowly migrated towards the tail making the skis a bit sluggish after a while – that stuff seems to be less like wax and more like toothpaste. Downhills were very quick as the slush had started to freeze to a nice fast glaze. A couple times the wax caught when trying to keep my speed down (half snowplow) so down I went. Just a bit embarrassing. The tracks were pretty good but sometimes the inner tracks had clumps from skaters. Not many but with that goop it sometimes felt like hitting the brakes. Might try Pocaterra this coming weekend, looking forward to a bit more cold.
Went back to PLPP today, and skied from Pocaterra Hut to the Tyrwhitt picnic table, returning the same way. Conditions in the morning were generally as described yesterday – Pocaterra is in good shape for being skier trackset in 2-4cm of snow, and Tyrwhitt has a decent single track in about 10cm of snow. Temperatures were -4C at the start, around -1C up high, but had reached +5C (hut thermometer) at 1pm when I finished, causing the tracks in the area of the hut to become somewhat slushy. Best part of the day was the soul soothing silence that comes with being all by ones self on Tyrwhitt.
“soul soothing silence”
Gotta’ love it !
Bob, looked what you started, we analytics have no hope of competing
Waxless skis worked wonders today at Peter Lougheed. We skied most of the recently groomed trails (Wheeler, Amos, Woolley, Meadow, and Lodgepole (with detour onto Sinclair)). The tracks were still very firm and glazed at 11.30 am when we started but things warmed up quickly and softened by the time we reached Lodgepole and the waxless skis handled all conditions – universal klister had been working on the glazed, but alas, not so in the spring-like tracks on Lodgepole (also not helped by the melted wind-sift in the tracks in the open). No other grooming in PL last night.
Trip report from Heather:
Hi Bob,
The trail into Boom Lake in Banff NP was lovely this afternoon. Soft and trampled by snowshoe tracks, but still a lovely experience. Temperature hovered below zero and “last week’s wax” worked well – probably our favourite VR Blue. Enjoy!
Today I was also in PLPP and loving it; under a blue bird sky soaking up the warm sunshine.We experienced the best parts of spring skiing without any of the downsides. Waxing was easy, for climbing and kick, and the glide was long and smooth.
Trail conditions were as described by Mary and Frank for the north end of the Park. From others in our group; Lookout was deep in untracked snow, Tyrwhitt was skier track set, with little of the machine track showing, Elk Pass, Fox Creek, Boulton Creek and Moraine were all good with skier tracks.
How can you not love xc skiing on a day like that.
Late getting out but Ribbon Creek & Terrace were pretty good, it was a little slow in the sunny areas of Terrace, in the trees temp was around -1 at 2 in the pm. Skier set and lots of walkers making pot holes near the parking area both on the way in and the run out. My face feels like it got some sun!! Great to get out, too bad we had a late start, sounds like PLPP were good.
We skied the Skogan Pass trail today and the conditions were spectacular. It was -13 in the Ribbon Creek parking lot but felt warmer due to the brilliant sunshine. The fresh snow on Sunday covered the icy stuff below and made the trail excellent. The moose sighting on our way up was an added bonus. We also skied up the High Level trail to the Lookout and the new snow seemed even deeper there. It was +1 when we got back but the snow conditions were still pretty good. Best ski I’ve ever had on that trail.
We skied the north end of PLPP starting at Elkwood with a crisp temperature of -12C. under blue skies and no wind. Lodgepole, Sinclair, and Braille were groomed and trackset yesterday and we were the first ones on these trails. There was about 1 cm. of fresh snow in the tracks, which slowed us a little, but made our glide quieter and we polished things up for those skiing behind us! Skiing back to Elkwood, we then went north on Meadow to the Visitor Centre, and then down to Pocaterra Hut for lunch. The new tracksetting on the east side of the road had not got the bit of snow that the west side did, and as a result, Meadow was icy and fast, with bone-rattling corduroy, and a somewhat scary run down to the lowpoint. Pocaterra was skier trackset, but reasonably good, especially as you got further from the hut. We skied Lynx to Amos, then south on Amos to Wheeler and back to Elkwood. All of these were freshly track set and a bit icy but generally good. I had trouble getting a good kick and eventually went to red wax! All in all, some good skiing and lovely weather. (The snowmen we had built on Braille two and a half weeks ago are mere shadows of their former selves due to the warm weather last week.)
Our paths crossed on Lynx, Mary as you and Ray were going the opposite direction – confirmed by Keith! The fresh snow that fell the night before gave great conditions, However the tracksetting was not so good. Perhaps because the icy base underneath was mixed in with the fresh snow? I blame my skis somewhat. I had an old pair of Kastle Trail (Red) which have steel edges. The width fitted almost exactly the width of the track-setting and the steel edges bit in so much that it slowed me down. I ended up skiing up the cordoroyed center. Note that the Weather Channel is predictng significant snow the next three days at PLPP. I think that this might be the reason why PLPP track-setted. Anyway, GLORIOUS skiing whenever there was fresh snow. As soon as you mix ice in with the fresh snow you are creating klister conditions.
West Bragg Creek – And a Snow Shoers Advisory!
I skied West Bragg today and what a lovely day! There was about 2 inches of beautiful new snow. I decided to try a ski on the wild side and tried the trails north of the parking lot for a change: the Hostel loop and a tiny bit out and back on the Telephone Trail. At noon I was still the first skier on the trails; unfortunately 3 snowshoers had already gone ahead of me, and they failed to take the snow shoe trail, Snow Shoe Hare, which circumnavigates the Hostel Loop trail.
Snow Shoers – the start of the Snow Shoe Hare trail is not well marked where it leaves the ski trail. It is quite close to the parking lot, and you have to look into the trees on the right to see the florescent snow shoe trail signs. I don’t know if a sign is missing, because I’ve snow shoed that trail before and I didn’t notice the turn-off today either. It is untracked since the last snow. Every single snow shoe print follows the ski trail, unfortunately.
Anyway, the Hostel Loop had about 3 places where grass or rocks were peeking through the snow, and thin cover in a couple more spots. It is ungroomed, but good enough for me! I just love being outside in the woods in nice weather. I skied counter-clockwise and the very last stretch, the gradual downhill, was snow shoe print free, and fun. In the sunniest spots the snow was clumping to the bottom of my waxless skis something awful. So I had to get out my emergency chunk of parafin and give them a good coating, which stopped the snow from sticking.
Was back home in time to get my son from school.
Went up Elk Pass trail and then Blueberry Hill today. Lots of new snow but tracks on Elk Pass had been pretty much wiped out by people pulling sleds or something. Happily, there was a really nice skier-set track on Blueberry Hill and the sun even came out for awhile at the lookout (-5 up there, according to the new snow thermometer that I just bought for 30% off at Trailsports, in case anyone’s interested!). Felt inspired by the “skiing in a postcard” video so I detoured around Fox Creek on the way back. I could feel to crunchy ice under the new snow so I was pretty cautious, but it was still a really fast, fun little trail. It was snowing heavily by the time I left the parking lot at around 6 so there’s still some season left up there!
Thank you Leigh for your excellent report and incredible photos on reaching Skogan Pass from Deadman’s Flat’s. I know Skierbob will especially appreciate hearing about this route in such great detail. How tempting to follow your tracks up tomorrow!!!! Had a terrific ski up to Chester/Elephant Rocks today. Minus 9 to minus 5, Smith Dorrien was in decent shape, and saw a total of 5 cars in parking lot. Then did a short loop into Sawmill area, breaking trail half of the way. It has been years since I skied those trails when they used to be track-set and brought back many great memories. Carpe Diem before double digits hit Wednesday!
Skied Dead Mans Pass on March 9th to about 1 km shy of Skogan Pass. After the fact someone told me they only hear about people skiing it from the Ribbon Creek area. Snow was thin at the bottom but still skiable. Up high tons of snow and incredible conditions. I have a link on my blog (again if allowed) showing just how beautiful the area is – http://hikebiketravel.com/24551/xc-skiing/. Loved the fact that the TH is only 1 hour from Calgary.
Also skied the easy/moderate lower Ribbon Creek trails yesterday (Mar 17th). Lovely snow for the 2 1/2 hours we skied.
Tried snowshoeing up your route today from Deadman’s Flats to Skogan Pass and got about as far as you did, stopping at 2000 metres, less than 100 metres from the top. Took me 2 hours up and was extremely glad for the MSR Jr. Shift snowshoes to get me over the icy patches in the trees. Noticed your AT tracks closer to the top (many dog walkers on lower part) and I won’t be skiing that any time soon with my lighter touring x-c skis. Again, my hat off to you! Suggest next time, you enjoy skiing down the easy trackset side to Nakiska and hitch a ride back to Deadman’s.
West Bragg Creek? Does anyone know if conditions have improved since the grooming/trails report of the 14th? I’m considering skiing there tomorrow (Tuesday).
Thanks,
Courtney
Redearth Creek: I skied from 2:30 ’til 5:30, skinning up on AT gear to check out the fit on a new pair of boots before spending a week on Wapta Traverse in a couple of weeks. Gorgeous new snow and blue sky this afternoon, and a nicely cut single track. The track was wiped out in a few short stretches, apparently where skiers coming down didn’t have quite enough room for their snowplow beside the track. But 90%+ looked great. And enough new snow for a controlled descent all the way down. It would have been a glorious day for some “soul-mending rhythm” on nordic skis- kudos again, Chip – but there was a great big smile on my face all afternoon just to be out there.
The track and snow should be good for at least a couple of days. Get it while you can!
Have you been watching the news? http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/2013/03/18/calgary-wapta-skier-crevasse.html
Be careful around those crevasses. I would like to be getting trip reports from you for years to come. -Bob
I’ll keep my wits about me. And the Canadian Mountain Guide leading us hopefully has many more wits to pool with ours.
“I’ll be bahk!”
PLPP today was quiet – very few people decided to make the drive to the end of the road it seems. Road conditions midday were ok on Hwy 40, kudos to the roads crew for keeping up with the snowfall. At Elkwood, it was -10C under a sullen grey sky, and a base of VR30 with Rode Blue on top was all that was needed. The 6cm of overnight snowfall in the forecasts seems about right – all of the tracks were skier-set – but you could tell that conditions were warm in prior days because you could feel the hard warm crust just below the new snow. The sun came out at the end of the afternoon just as we turned on to Wheeler for the last 2.5km – beautiful finish – sure wish I could play hookey Monday and get out on whatever might be freshly groomed.
My friend and I were 2nd car at Pocaterra this morning… arrived to some strong winds and horizontal snow (lots of it) so cold (-12C’ish) putting on the waxes. So very nice having this hut… which there were 1-2 additional warming huts through the trail system (yes I’d be willing to pay a ski-fee to help support this).
We broke trail all the way up Pocaterra and Come Along (by which time wind had dissipated) and we found some other ski tracks that were “only” 1/2 filled in for a few km’s. Trail breaking actually meant that in places we could not even see the tracks. Under the new snow was hard crusty icy snow, thankfully most of the trails got about 10cm of new which saved the day, but made for lots of hard work as we did the remainder of the short Cookie course. Later coming back down we met several friendly folks heading up thanking us for breaking trail, as we *finally* got to enjoy some better gliding below Lynx- we didn’t even get to zip down “for free” along Pocaterra as we had to ski it due to the deeper fresh snow. Very tired we finished our route in about 2hr45′ish moving time… this from 2 folks that always go under 2hrs during the Cookie Race… so slow going indeed. The new snow made all the difference today out there – otherwise it would have been terribly icy… which may re-appear as snow is worn off on some hills.
Hopefully temps stay cool through the week and re-tracksetting is done to “un-sloppify” what the warm temps did the last few days.
Beautiful, though slow, skiing up to Skogan Pass summit today!
We did not follow SkierBob`s advise to stop for brunch at the Stoney Casino so we ended up breaking trail from the Ribbon Ck parking lot all the way to Skogan Summit through 1-4 inches of fresh snow over the old crusty tracks. It was very pretty. We only saw one other skier going up our tracks as we came down. In 30 years of skiing we had never been to the “summit”. Thanks to SkierBob for mentioning, earlier this season, it was now groomed and to Jeff (?) for doing the grooming. We hope to go again on a faster day!
Excellent skier set tracks at Ribbon Creek today. The fresh snow and -8 temperature made for a fantastic Sunday afternoon.
Drove to Ribbon Creek expecting to find icy tracks and was pleasantly surprised to see new snow over all the ice. There was approximately 1 cm on the Ribbon Creek trail and 2 cm on the higher Village Trails. At 10:30 the air temperature was -7 C. My best skiing was found on those trails groomed March 14, Link, Terrace, Terrace Link, and Kovach. Aspen was okay but softening in the afternoon sun. Yes Bob, spring skiing is here! It was snowing lightly when I left at 15:30, so maybe conditions will be “refreshed” for tomorrow morning. My best advice is to start your day early.
By mid day it was +5 in the Ribbon Creek area. We had a workout and it was nice out; but a little tough going.
Was anyone up at Elk pass today? I was planning on heading into the Elk lakes tomorrow? Any info on conditions would be great!
Thanks
Skiing PLPP on Friday the 15th was a quite a challenge. The temperature was hovering around 0 deg when we arrived at 11 at Elk Pass. Despite a skiff of new snow, it was a waxer’s challenge. My VR 50 seemed to work fairly well, but as we climbed, it required regular “de-clumping”. The Tyrwhitt area was nicer. Coming down Elk Pass would have been a real challenge but the snow softened during the day and slowed down the descent. A very slow day without the soul-mending rhythm of typical skiing but still, I wasn’t working!
“Soul-mending rhythm” — that captures it. Nice one!
Does anyone have an update on Confederation or Shagannappi? Still hopeful of Xskiing in the City…thank you.
CASCADE VALLEY
Although conditions were described as poor, we enjoyed a classic ski about 2 km beyond the first bridge; warm (plus 5) but great to be at a leisurely pace enjoying the smells of spring, the warm air & the chickadees. If we had waxless or skate skiis that would have been the choice, but our upper body workout was good as was a relaxing lunch sitting under a spruce wondering if the ticks were out. With tonight’s drop in temp. & fresh snow Sat. should provide another great day in the out-of-doors whatever the conditions.
Skate skied the CNC today. Because it was so warm even by 10am, I’m glad I decided to skate instead of classic. I’m not good with waxing for such warm conditions. I skied to the end of the Banff loop and back and the coverage is still good. Probably not for much longer, although I see that Canmore is getting 5 to 10 cm this Sunday. We’ll see what happens. Might be times to get out the bike soon.
Usually don’t post a marginal ski but conditions out at Castle Junction at 11am were light rain and snow temp of zero in 2-3 cms of wet new snow. We skied perhaps 4-5 kms towards the Lookout but did not even make it. Abdominals and arms got a good workout. Plus 6 at car upon our return. Am actually looking forward to a day in the big city tomorrow, knowing that I’m not missing much. Temp at CNC is currently +10 but cannot comment beyond that.
Actually, Helen, I find it just as useful to hear about marginal ski conditions as it helps me decide where not to go so thanks for posting!
Good point, Chris, and that’s why I started the blog in the first place. I agree with Helen in that it can be discouraging to relate the details of poor conditions, but it might save someone from a disappointing trip. -Bob
Anyone been to Canmore Nordic Centre this week? Thinking of going tomorrow and wondering how it is? Thx, Rhonda
Skied the north end of PLPP today, starting at WWL we skied Lodgepole and Sinclair on new (and icy) track set. Suicide Hill was reasonable on the new groomed carpet. I had to re-wax at Pocaterra Hut (special violet) and we climbed Pocaterra to Whiskey Jack. Pocaterra is icy around the Hut but was good from Lynx on, skiing good track set in a cm of new snow. Whiskey Jack had approximately 2 cm of new snow which made for a controlled/safe descent. We returned to WWL via Amos, Wooley and Meadow (?) on good track set all with a dusting of skied in snow. Temperatures were as Ray notes below.
Skied out of Boulton Bridge up to the Lookout then on to Elk Pass and down Fox Creek back to the car. Gave Blueberry a look, but had to get back to town. Snowed lightly all day, and other than the descent off the south side of Lookout, all trails were good. Those S bends sure are a challenge with fresh snow on the icy sections! It was plus 4 when I got back to the parking lot mid-afternoon.
PLPP – skied some south end trails today. Boulton, Fox, Elk Pass, Tyrwhitt, Pocaterra(south end), Packers. Generally, most trails are in very good shape, with decent trackset. Boulton and Fox have some tree debris (which we had to stop and scrape off), while the other trails were fairly clean. The higher elevation trails had a centimeter or so of fresh snow. Exposed, south facing slopes were often a bit icy, but not problematic. It was -7C as we started from Boulton (10am), -5C at Elk Pass, and +1C back at the parking lot (1:30pm). Cloudy, light flurries, light wind all morning. Hopefully, it won’t get too warm Wednesday before it cools off for the weekend.
I skied the Spray River loop today i.e. up the West side and down the East side with the M’ n’ M bus group from Calgary. The track was variable with lots of glazed ice which due to the colder temperatures today never did soften up this afternoon. I would say that klister would have been the best option, although I like to avoid that sticky mess if I can. My wax less skis really did not work that well. It was tough work but the stellar scenery, mild temperatures and wonderful company made the trip all worthwhile.
On March 5th I skied PLPP, Elk Lake parking lot up past Blueberry Hill to Elk Lake Pass, then down to the Hut where I stayed for the night. OMG AMAZING!!! 2 people into the hut before me–deep fresh snow. I skied under the power lines after the other guys followed the road. Couldn’t feel a base underfoot, my centers sunk, the tips rockered up and it was like skiing on silk for the 4.2 km down under the hydroline to the hut. Thought I’d died and gone to heaven!! OK, so the odd face plant and one turtle situation! Lots of drifting during the previous storm and I had no other ski tracks to follow. Granted, my skis were absolutely made for those conditions– metal edged, waxless, bc skis– 98-68-88 and darned fun! Is it even legal to have that much fun for the cost of gas and a night in a hut????? Anyway, fun ski out from the hut on the road so I didn’t skin. Hydroline down to parking lot. Not track set at that time, and heavy snow warning that day. Met nice tracksetter man with his BIG piece of equipment in parking lot. He was doing the trails and others have reported on those conditions. But still, gotta ask, IS IT REALLY LEGAL TO HAVE THAT MUCH FUN FOR SO LITTLE MONEY??? I’m thankful to the wonderful man that turned me onto bc skiing in K country! I am blessed. NOTE: The nice fellows in the hut before me had were fishing in the afternoon and had their fishing licenses checked by a game warden and park ranger that “happened” to be flying overhead in a helicopter!!!! They had BC fishing
licenses on them, but if you’re a fisher person, be warned! Some sledders told me that parks fellows are checking game numbers at this time of year so the helicopter thing is common. LOL. The fellows asked the park Ranger if it was a slow day in the office….
Here you go, Helen – went to Mt. Shark today. There is LOTS of snow! It was recently groomed and trackset, and quite lovely. We don’t have have a snow thermometer, but air temperature started at about -1, and it was about +5ish later in the afternoon. It was a bit windy, so sometimes it was sunny, sometimes cloudy with a few flurries. We managed with VR55, but it was getting a little slippery later in the day. We switched to skate skis to finish off the day, and the track was fast and fun! The trail up to Watridge Lake, which was as far as we went, sometimes had blowing snow on it, making it a bit tricky for glide, but the little side loops were more out of the wind, and were great fun! Didn’t want to go home!
Thanks Carol for your trip report. Minus 6 at Shark parking lot at 10:30 and minus 3 at 4:15. Skied in 1-2 cms. of new powder atop the excellent trackset trails on Watridge. Our goal was to reach the Bryant Creek Shelter and we made it there in 2 hrs. 40 min. We were grateful for the few cms. of snow beyond the bridge to help with the grip uphills and to cover minor crunchy in sunny places. The hardest part of that ski is the final part after the Marble Pass junction/and sign for Owl Lake. I was glad to have my skins especially for that return descent. A few bags of garbage left in shelter and 3 wine bottles. Very cool “snow made” firepit en route to the outhouse. Visited the Trail Centre Warden’s cabin for our final sip of tea before climbing that big long hill. NO clumping and zero to minus 4 wax worked like a charm. Very few people considering the excellent conditions (4 cars).
Helen, you meant Marvel Pass junction. Thanks for a great day
I skied the Healy Creek/Sundance trail from the Sunshine side today. Left parking lot about noon. Nice to start, mostly track set at least one way, and track set both ways after Brewster Creek Road, if I remember correctly. Snow started not bad, turned to icy heavy stuff by the end (note, was skiing on waxless, bc skis– but my friend was waxless on nordic skis– still snow kinda stuck). Had fun, some icy sections. Went to picnic area and back to car, very tame and pleasant for my normal ski adventures. My friend had a very nice time, liked the easy kick and glide on the flat areas. The side road to Sundance Lodge looked much less traveled–didn’t pay close attention to track set, but my impression is that it had been skied on by quite a few people recently, though perhaps not actually track set. Sorry I didn’t pay more attention!! A very fun day!
Would love a trip report from Mt Shark (snow/air temp and classic ski conditions) on Watridge and beyond the bridge to Bryant Creek shelter. Also on the Banff trail report it says for March 5th-trackset on Healy Creek and Sundance. Do they mean recently tracked into Sundance Lodge or just the Sundance Loop. Anyone been to the lodge recently, would love also to know conditions. Looking at last year’s records, the tracksetting could be over in 4 more weeks or less. If anyone out there wants to drop cookies/treats off for the groomers to say Thank You, I know they do appreciate it. Drop off: Lake Louise Info Centre, Barrier or PLPP Info Centres, William Watson Lodge and not sure about Banff? Thanks!
Cascade fire road out to Stoney Creek yesterday. Fresh snow and track setting this week. There were some tough goes on classic skis, however the bluebird day totally made up for it. Looked like the skaters were having a better go of it.
Skied to LAKE O’HARA today in perfect conditions. Temperature between -5C and +3C, though it felt like +15C. Snow was colder, started with Swix puple, then switched to blue ag the half-way mark. Worked perfectly – straight up with great grip the entire way, except for two brief (maybe 50m) sections of herringboning around km 8-9. Gorgeous, gorgeous snow, though by the end of the day the trail got quite beat up. Explored at the lake and at one point made my own tracks. Deep snow as I went in waist-deep once. Only saw five prople on my way up, and maybe ten on my way down. I’d be cautious skiing iver ghe lake though. Last year we encountered slush due to apparent underground spring even though it had been -20C for a week, and today after my first step on it a major crack that probablycarried 50m. That’s what prompted me to make my own tracks around. Ate in Le Relais, then headed back. No toque or mitts required, and only an hour for the return trip. Really wish I could have stayed up there for a night. Photo album to follow tomorrow night, but wanted to get this posted. Go up there tomorrow if you can, it’s sheer perfection
.
Sorry about the typos – typing on the phone. Wish we could edit posts (hint, hint
).
Here are the photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/113172765595767945238/20130309LakeOHara?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK6nvdjppcjH3wE&feat=directlink
Marmot Basin
Today I skied the Marmot Basin trail starting from the Stoney Trail parking lot near Nakiska. Conditions this morning were surprisingly good, especially once I turned left at the junction with Marmot Basin. From there to the top the conditions were excellent with hardly any sign of previous skiers. Lunch in the warm sun made me realize that spring skiing is really here now. Swix VR 55 worked remarkably well for the long climb. And coming down was incredibly fast. The quads definitely got a workout.
After that I headed up the Skogan Pass trail but decided to turn around at the junction with Sunburst. The way down was tricky with a mix of icy and slushy conditions, alternating very fast and very slow.
Lots of happy people out all enjoying the warm temperatures and sunshine. I think the lower trails will deteriorate quickly so better get out soon or go further south to PLPP.
Went to Canmore Nordic Centre today, but I forgot my wax kit at home so I picked up Trail’s ‘wax of the day’ – Toko Yellow – and it worked very well, no herringbone at all. Banff-Bow were generally great but in a few spots on Bow it felt like I was hitting the brakes really quickly. Other downhills were super-quick and fun. Wonderful day out!
Figured today might be the last day to go skiing at Bragg Creek this winter, so gave it a shot. It was a real mixed bag with some areas in good conditions while others are more or less done for the time being. Sundog was nice, Elbow, too, until you reach the shortcut to Iron Springs. Below that it was very slushy. Iron Springs has large sections of thin to no coverage.
PLPP today – Fabulous! Awesome! Totally blue skies and almost no wind. Starting early at Boulton (-9C), we skied Whiskey Jack, Tyrwhitt, Hydroline (south end), Patterson, the up Blueberry Hill, returning via Elk Pass trail, Fox and Moraine. Whiskey Jack had lots of snow (10+cm), but the skier trackset was great for heading up. The upper part of the “S” bend is a bit icy. Once on Tyrwhitt, all tracksets were more recent, with 2-4cm of fresh snow compacted into the trackset making for pretty good glide. Hydroline and Patterson were fast and fun. A few short icy sections here and there throughout caused no problems. The parking lot was quite full on our return just after 1pm, and the temperature was +2C. Snow exposed to the sun was softening near the end of our ski, so will likely become crusty overnight.
I skied at Confederation golf course this morning at 9am. So sunny and beautfiul and good enough conditions if you can’t get to the mtns but I found it fair. Icey in several places and grass in others. A few longish stretches where it’s good. So if you can get out the mtns….I’d suggest going.
Nice to see a report on the city skiing. We also went to Confederation on Saturday, and had a great time skiing. It was around noon so sections in the sun were getting really soft and I don’t hold much hope for it after today, but we had a great time. We really enjoyed doing runs down driving range, to see how far we could get. If we’d driven 1.5 hours we would have been disappointed, but since it was just half an hour from home and we ended up spending 1.5 hours out playing on our skis I’ll have to rate it a success.
I as well did Skogan (on Friday) on fresh trackset that only perhaps two(?) skiers had used before me on Thursday. I could tell that they were very experienced skiers by their tracks. Wow Bob . . . do you EVER SNOWPLOW on the way down?? Fancy schmancy carving turns in a few spots too! Me . . . I snowplow like a banshee and just trying to get to bottom alive. Third trip up Skogan this year, and especially up top, the conditions were spectacular. -8 when I left Stoney parking lot at 8:45 but V40 Blue gave zero grip in the very icy and glazed tracks. After struggling up the Screamer I finally relented and put on a layer of V45 which helped. Get out to Skogan ASAP folks. The lower sections will be marginal very soon. Once past the Marmot junction conditions improved greatly. I was first up (except for the coyote) the fresh trackset on the upper loop, and saw the best conditions that I’ve seen anywhere in Kananaskis this year!! Took a (very tired) side trip up High Level where the skiing was debris free and excellent. Blowing spindthrift from the snow laden trees on the way down was super (pun intended) cool. I am soooo done with Skogan Pass for this year.
Bragg Creek – Skied Moose Loop on this glorious sunny warm day. Overall good conditions but icy in spots. I expect the continuing warm weather to make for more icy patches. There were lots of people and dogs about. Saw moose tracks on the loop but no moose. Used a VR 45 wax but could have maybe done better with VR 50. Love the long days but i know how a vampire feels when they see the sun…… Happy skiing everyone.
Confederation Golf Course was dreamy at 8:30 this morning – sunny, beautiful track setting, and after a few laps it even felt warm out. Thanks to Rainer for grooming!
At 11am it was still great! Skied all of Rainer’s tracks, and did some twice. Should stay mostly good thru Saturday morning, but after that the sun and warmth will probably deteoriate some sections. Thanks again to Rainer for some great conditions.
Bare patches and icy spots at 6:00 PM. Hopefully we will get more snow on Monday and Rainer can freshen up the tracks on Tuesday.
Shaganappi was in marvelous condition yesterday, all skier set. Ski it while you can!!
Any word about grooming or tracksetting at Shaganappi? Am thinking about taking my kids there Saturday morning if it has been. Am thinking Confed might be a little too hilly for them.
I’ll answer my own question: yes, Shag apparantly has been trackset as per the following link:
https://calgaryskiclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/snowtrailreport_2013_Mar_05.pdf
Hi Bob,
Down here in Okotoks we had two big dumps of snow this week so we are back in business. We have 6km of fresh trackset available right now. I was out skiing tonight and it was -11C. It almost feels like winter out there
http://okotoksxc.wordpress.com/category/course-conditions/
Groomed and trackset 5 km at Confederation Golf course at noon hour today. Conditions much improved with last nights snowfall. Come ski in the city while you can. Main entrance off of Collingwood Dr and 19 St NW. Gate is usually locked but there is room to squeeze through.
I’ve never skied in the city and the one time I tried to go to Confed the gate was closed. Are you saying then that it’s ok to go through? Even in the evenings? That would be wonderful to be able to ski if the weather cooperates and we have more daylight.
Barbara, I always go in the main entrance to the clubhouse. The gate is closed to vehicles, but not to foot traffic, and I usually see ski tracks going in that way.
It is pretty rare to be able to ski in the city, given the climate, but one can have fun at both Confed and Shag when there is enough snow
Skied the Canmore Nordic Centre last night. The tracks were filling up with the fresh falling snow, but should be great when groomed today. The trails with sun exposure were a bit crusty. The protected trails and natural snow trails are in great shape. Highlights were Rundle, Bruin, and most of Meadowview. Glad the pine needles are buried.
Groomed Confederation Golf Course Tuesday evening. Several thins areas so be careful. Parking is off 19th St NW.
I have never seen the gate on 19th street open. Did they do that last night as well?
You can enter the park off 24th ave, near 14th street, the gate south of the maintenance yard walking from 16A st, and of course at the clubhouse off Collingwood DR NW. cheers
I skied some of the trails south of the West Bragg Creek parking lot today. All were freshly track set and in pretty good shape, considering how little snow the area has received this winter. The trails were still a bit soft, but should firm up overnight. I was even able to ski the short bit of Sundog East that connects to lower Crystaline, even though it had been used as a logging haul road until last week. From Loggers loop, you could see some of the new cut blocks on Telephone Ridge and Boundary Ridge. They appear to be doing a pretty reasonable job of minimizing the impact of the logging on the trail system.
Hopefully, the area will get a bit more snow during March!
Alf, I may have passed you on the trail, I was out for a ski after work. Conditions were generally excellent (kudos to the groomers) – and debris free! Some big clearcuts visible on Boundary Ridge looking across from Elbow trail, but , as you say, minimal impact on the ski trails so far.
Confederation Park was in quite good condition today with skier set trails, just a few icy spots or places where coverage of pathway/grass was thin. Special blue wax worked very well. Get out and ski it while the snow and temperatures hold!
Peter Lougheed PP was -17C when we stepped out of the car this morning. We skied north of Packers, with a side trip on Moraine and Boulton Creek. Lodgepole, Sinclair and Braille are newly trackset as per the trails reports and were very icy early in the morning. Travelling south on Pocaterra to Packers we skied good skier set tracks in about 6 mm of new snow. The recent snow depth decreased as we traveled south. Moraine and Boulton Creek tracks were covered with 2 cm of new snow and were the best skiing all day. Wheeler, Amos and Wooley, and south Meadow had skier set tracks. We were back on new track set at the Visitor’s Centre on our way to WWL via Braille. By day end the temperature had warmed to -2 C. A lot of beautiful skiing in very good conditions. Others, who skied Tyrwhitt and Elk Pass, experienced only fair skier track set. Tyrwhitt is deep in snow!
With high hopes we started up the Cascade Valley Trail. The sky was blue and sun shining, with temperature of about -7C. Track set was quite good up to the Cascade River Bridge, though the big hill had ice under thin snow in places. Beyond the bridge to the warden cabin, the track was ‘soft’ probably due to many variables including warm weather last week, new dump of snow, temperatures when track setting occured, phase of the moon, alignment of the stars, and volcanic activity deep within the earth’s crust. We were first on this section of trail and for whatever reason, the tracks kept frequently collapsing on us. More than once I went over on an ankle as the snow gave way either to the right or the left, always unpredictably! It took us longer to get to the warden’s cabin than usual, with some disappointment at the slow descent down the last hill to the cabin before the drop off direct route through the trees. The trip back was reasonably fast. All in all, a lovely day, fresh air, clean snow and great exercise!
Did all groomed and trackset trails at Ribbon Creek today in perfect conditions, temperature was from -8C at 11:00 AM at Ribbon Creek in shaded areas to -2C at Aspen/Terrace in sun exposed areas, great skiing,
Just wondering if anybody has news of Shaganappi Golf Course.
‘Pbpblrlp Pbpblrlp’ groaned the waxless pockets as we hit the odd rock near the half-way point on Bragg Creek Telephone Loop.
‘Tick Tick’ went the poles on the ice beneath the otherwise sufficient boot-top coverage
‘What? What?’ cried mapless/compassless newbie hacks when they came upon the newly constructed logging road in the failing light – with no signage!
We’d never been to Bragg before – but fortunately we did the right thing if you’re going counter-clockwise on Telephone – which is turn left and walk uphill on the muddy road (the way they’d plowed it there was no room to ski beside) for about 100m to find the trail again.
Thanks for putting a smile on my face with this imaginative report!
forgot to mention that in nearly-headlamp-light on the aptly named Moose Connector we came upon – wait for it -
a Moose. Really big guy who had settled down the night. We backed off and spoke loudly for a minute or two then proceeded slowly… pleased to report he’s the shy type.
Helen Barry from Field sent this report:
YO HO… We’re back on track out here. After a rainy slushy weekend with the TCH closed for a few hours Sunday morning, it’s winter again, and David has been out setting track. Had a gorgeous ski down the Kicking Horse River Trail this afternoon.
Still no packing at Bragg Creek by late afternoon but conditions were great IMHO! Did 18.6 KM between Iron Springs loop and part of Moose. Not as much snow depth as I expected but the previous skiers left clues for the thin spots so stepping over a couple of centimeters helped fill in the track. Watch for the gaps in the bridge on way to Moose Loop – easy to stick a pole tip in and get a nasty surprise.
Got to Boom Lake parking lot by 10:40 and minus 8 or 9. Two of us took the path of less resistance and skinned up and Don had no problem with his wax working. Sunday skiers had laid a great track (much appreciated). We were the first to the lake this morning but were met by many others enjoying the much improved driving conditions and excellent snow conditions. The ski out was “Boom-er-ific”. How far do people feel comfortable skiing onto the lake?
I took Bob’s advice and skied at Canmore Nordic Centre today. It was lovely!! Lovely beyond words! The temperature was good for my waxless skis- or at least the ones I had rented.
I was also surprised and gratified with the willingness of the better skiers to offer advice and directions to one who had not really skied there before. I often find the Lycra Brigade to be rather “above” speaking or helping a schnook like me, but such was not the case. I do wish to express my gratitude… and I guess I just have.
I also want to thank the gentleman at Trail Sports Rentals for helping me understand waxless: he went out of his way to be helpful to one who had rented somewhere else. I shall be giving them more business for sure.
I laughed at “Lycra Brigade”. I’m old enough to remember when it first came on the scene.
The details are given on the tag of the lycra clothing you purchase, and have to be read with care:
* 95% lycra
* 5% nylon
*** Do not stand still while wearing
*** Must move faster than those around you while wearing
*** Never say a word while passing others
It’s odd, but they are the same instructions given the the BMW and Audi handbooks!
Ah, Henry, you cracked me up.
Hello Pat Davis & Henry, as a member of both the “Lycra and BMW” brigade, just wanted you to know that I gave directions to some newbies poring over a map in front of the day lodge today. Not sure how good my BMW brigade membership is, as mine is a 23 year old 4 cylinder…
Drove by Confederation Golf Course today and there is lots of snow and observed a keen skier making tracks. The Norseman club is planning trips for Tuesday and Wednesday and we will let you know what we find.
Similar to Martin’s question. If anybody has news of Shaganappi Golf Course or Confederation it would be much appreciated. Itching to get out after work today as well.
Cheers!
Just wondering if anyone knows the condition of Confederation Park Golf course trails. I would like to head there after work today, if there are decent tracks set after the snowfall.
To answer my own question…
I was just at Confederation, it is in decent shape, no “official” track set but enough skiers have made the usual loops packed enough for a good ski. Snow was in good condition in most spots.
Bragg Creek was a winter wonderland this afternoon. They got about 10cm out of this storm, which sits on a solid ice base. Grip wasn’t a problem with all the fresh snow, but you could hear the klick’n klack of the poles hitting the ice underneath (sounded like MLR in early season). Hopefully the trail association gets a chance to go out and pack tonight or tomorrow morning- conditions should be superb for a few days then. Watch out when getting out of the car in the parking lot – there is a layer of sheer ice under the snow making it very slippery.
Hi Thorsten – are you close enough to the trails association, and/or Bragg Creek, to know how much packing and track setting has been accomplished Sunday and Monday?
March 2 – The Whiskey Jack Slog
Rain? All the way along highway 40 in early March? We persevered, thinking the conditions up higher (Tyrwhitt) would be exceptional, and that the rain would turn to snow. Unfortunately, the snow clumped more on our skiis at the top rather than at the bottom. There was lots of fresh snow but no grooming and soggy conditions due to the rain, so we couldn’t make the Whiskey Jack loop down Elk Pass today, but we sure got a great workout! Very few folks out there today – 10 cars at Boulton Bridge.
We drove to Louise today to ski the divide. The roads were dry half of the way and wet (but good) as we got closer to Louise. There was a LOT of new snow on the trail and the parking lot was full. We tried for classic skis with purple wax for around 0 to -2 since the car was saying +2 outside and snow was falling so it wasn’t too warm out. We still couldn’t get a lot of grip and ended up doing a mix of skate and classic skiing. The trail was soft and there was no classic trail set. On the way back the groomer passed us and removed the classic track we just made for ourselves so it was back to skating. What a workout! I would recommend skate skiing or waxless/klister.
WANTED: A pair of second hand Classic skis.
The bases on my classic skis are shot so i’m looking for a second hand pair of classics in like-new condition. I’m 5’7″ and 139lbs so something that would work for my size plse. If you are selling a pair plse let me know. I will entertain both wax and waxless.
Thx, rhonw@shaw.ca.
Rhonda
James was in PLPP yesterday and sent me this email:
Hi Bob. Nice to meet you on Skogan a couple of weeks ago! Packers, Tyrwitt, Hydroline, Lookout (never again!), Tyrwitt, Elk, Fox, Morraine. 10:15 – 14:00. Red/Purple worked well, a bit of clumping 2nd time through Elk. Raining in the parking lot when I got back, a couple of inches of fresh snow up near the pass. Rain all the way down past Nakiska. Overall great day up top. But apparently conditions are about to change radically today and tomorrow!