Picture from January 18 afternoon of grooming and track setting in the driving range.
The snow and cold temps remain, get out before yet another dreaded Chinook hits next week! Track setting is in on most ski trails including the driving range teaching grid (skate lanes in the teaching grid, too!). Skiing on the trail system is variable however, due to wind scouring and the persistent base layer of ice from the previous waves of Chinook Weather. (Siiiigh!) The shared snowshoe and fat bike trails are not quite ready for bikers after this round of snow and cold weather, as they likely are still soft due to the cold temperatures...the snow has been too dry to bond and harden. This weekend should be awesome skiing at Shaganappi! (Finally!!!)
January 18, 3pm update:
Cross-country ski trail grooming: All trails have been roller packed and groomed in the past three days by four volunteers...a few went out two or more days!
Cross-country ski trail tracksetting: Most of the ski trail system was track set with the exception of the expert loop and the inner loop between junctions 3, 4, and 5.
Fat bike and snowshoe trail grooming: All trails were snowmobile and Bachler packed a couple times in the past few days...the snow will hopefully set up and harden by Sunday. If the trails are soft and you are sinking while on a fat bike, please turn around and come back another day, as ruts make for a lot of extra work for the volunteers. Snowshoeing will be marginally enjoyable, as there's not a lot of snow on the trails to make snowshoeing worthwhile - off the trail system and along tree belts would be enjoyable, though....make sure you stay in the trees and stay off any roped off or flat-topped areas, as those are tee boxes and greens with fragile turf underneath.
Groomer's Ratings (Underlined and Bolded Apply):
Classic Cross-Country Skiing: Not Recommended | Marginal | Average | Good | Excellent
Skate Skiing: Not Recommended | Marginal | Average | Good | Excellent
Fat Biking: Not Recommended | Marginal | Average | Good | Excellent
Snowshoeing: Not Recommended | Marginal | Average | Good | Excellent
Trail Condition Descriptors (Underlined Apply):
Ski Trail Snow Coverage: <60% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% | 100%
Fat Bike & Snowshoe Trail Coverage: <60% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% | 100%
Fat Bike & Snowshoe Trail Rutting/Soft Snow: 5% | 10% | 25% | >50% Unknown
Low Snow Areas: N NW NE E SE S SW W
Snow Type: New Snow | Hard Packed | Snow Over Grooming | Packed Powder | Powder | Drifting | Wind Crust | Spring Conditions | Glazed | Wet | Corn Snow | Slush Wind scoured in some places
For additional photographs of conditions, go to the SNO Instagram.
Memberships: Thank you to the 64 households that became paid members for the 2023-2024 winter so far!!! We are that much closer to reaching our goal of 200 paid memberships, which will allow SNO to be financially self-sustaining. (Think gasoline, equipment maintenance, electric snowmobiles!!! and a savings fund for future equipment and machinery upgrades and electric snowmobiles!!!) Thank you for your support and consider becoming a member if you haven't had a chance yet!
Chinook Blast is coming to Shaganappi in February!!!
Join SNO for a celebration of winter sports at Shaganappi Golf Course February 3rd and 4th! Free ski/snowshoe/fat bike skills clinics; free fat bike demos; free coffee and granola tastings; and trail advice and membership info from SNO volunteers. This is going to be our biggest event ever and all trail users are invited! RSVP Now!
Groomer's Ratings Classification: Groomer's ratings are based on "typical" conditions at Shaganappi. Excellent = Best conditions of the season, perfect coverage, awesome traction and grip, Good = Above-average snow pack, traction, etc., Average = Typical conditions, Poor = Thin snow cover and frequent low snow areas for skiing, difficult traction
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