Skiing in the area over the weekend was excellent. Last week’s heavy/wet snow placed a thick blanket of snow and ice on the trees that turned the ski trails into wintry tunnels. Add in mild temperatures and it was incredible. More snow fell than was expected, especially in the higher elevations (12-16+ in some spots), and that put things back in a good place. The downside is that we now have some trail work to do clearing trees especially on the private land sections.
The extended forecast calls for warmer than normal temperatures although highs should be at or below the freezing point most of the time and we should not loose much to melt. We may even see enough new snow the week of the 9th to freshen up trails, but, nothing significant is expected – we look mostly dry and mild for the next 10 days. There seems to be the potential for a rain event the week of the 16th, but it’s too far out to tell. As it looks, right now, any hope for a big snowmaker will have to wait for the end of the week of the 16th and/or race week (the week of the 23rd). If the jet stream drops and the cold air comes back to the area the lake effect machine should turn on but it seems we will just have to wait and see what happens. It could make race week, or weekend, very interesting!
Reports from over the weekend indicate decent ice on the water crossings and they are safe enough to cross – if a little slushy in some spots. With nighttime temperatures continuing to stay in the low to mid 20’s those will continue to come along nicely. The crossings have begun to be prepped with pine bows and some manual packing to prep a better base.
So far, so good!