January 24th Update: ~7cm of new snow = thin coverage, but skiable on trails that are over turf; help clear tree debris & pack down the snow while out at Shaganappi!

Thankfully, new snow has returned Shaganappi to winter conditions! If you're out at Shaganappi this week, please help SNO volunteers clean up tree debris; take a moment to remove tree branches, etc., from the xc ski trails! Detailed trail reports are below.

Beware of glare ice under the new snow which is very slippery and sidehills can be dangerous.

Financial support thanks!!!

A big shout out of thanks to all who have financially supported SNO so far including this winter's corporate supporters: Bow Cycle, Taylor Law, and Conway Injury Law! Direct financial support helps pay for many costs at Shaganappi such as new trail signage, gasoline and maintenance of the machines, equipment for volunteers to use at Shaganappi such as rakes and scoop shovels, etc.

There are variable depths of new snow at Shaganappi. Volunteers will be out Sunday and all week to try to pack the snow on the trail systems with machines and snowshoes to rebuild the base that disappeared during the last Chinook. Fingers crossed that enough SNO volunteers will be available to help move more snow onto the ski trails using scoop shovels and the snowblower before the forecasted Chinook hits this week!!!

Volunteer with SNO for an hour or two in order to help with snow relocation efforts; scoop shovels (and potentially the snowblower) are accessible to volunteers anytime!

Shared Fat bike/snowshoe trails:  Trails remain unpacked and soft with glare ice underneath in some areas. DJ Grey rode the green pin-flagged trails Saturday while mapping Shaganappi for Trail Forks.  The glare ice under the new snow can make any side hills treacherous, be aware of this. If one goes slow the green unpacked trails can be manageable on a fat bike, with softer studded tires around 6-8psi. Volunteers hope to snowmobile pack these trails this week. The blue pin-flagged trails would likely have more glare ice and due to having more side hills, riding is not recommended until the new snow is packed down and bonds with the glare ice.

Multi-use trail system

The yellow pin-flagged trail system has not been packed but would be great for snowshoeing! Again, glare ice would be under the snow surface in some areas.

Snowshoe packing is needed on the shared fat bike and snowshoe trail systems and the multi-use trails which are all pin-flagged. Feel free to come on out and help in the effort! PDF trail maps can be accessed here.

XC ski trail system: most trails were snowmobile track-packed Saturday afternoon and evening by a volunteer with the exception of T Bar Trail aka the Expert Loop which has glare ice in areas including the hill accessing the trail from the driving range. Skiing is best on trails that are over turf; otherwise skis hit asphalt and gravel cart paths. There are many branches under the snow from the recent wind events and because of the shallow snow depth there are also tree roots and other hazards just under the snow. Please avoid skiing over any tee boxes which are flat-topped hills, as that turf is more fragile.

Rock cart paths...

Examples rock cart path areas on the xc ski trail system:

• Junction 1 to junction 12; transition from the driving range toward the clubhouse travels over a large gravel road and parking lot

• Junction 7 to Junction 6 aka Condo Alley has a rock cart path running closest to the trees. (There is grass running along the chain link fence)

• T Bar Trail (aka the Expert Loop) has a gravel area that's hard to explain ;)

• Junction 10 to Junction 4 - Toques Off: gravel cart path along trees from Junction 10, running past the bench around the corner between the tee boxes, then the trail runs on turf.

Buffalo Jump Trail Saturday afternoon (junction 1 to junction 8)

Skier tracks over the turf in the driving range Saturday afternoon.