Skiing extended again!! Sunday April 2nd is the absolute last day. A grooming volunteer headed out Monday morning to pack down the new snow on the skate ski lanes, thanks Brad! Picture from grooming today is above, pictures from skate skiing Sunday are below.
Fat biking is not recommended unless there was a really hard freeze and trails remain 100% hard and frozen, otherwise ruts destroy snowy trails for the next users, and ruts on the soft bare ground can permanently damage the trails/environment.
Ski trails: Remember typical spring conditions exist. Expect variable conditions including fast and hard when frozen (with frozen ruts if not groomed) , soft and variable with sun exposure, hard and fast/possibly icy in shady areas. Also expect some bare spots or thin sections of snow to navigate.
Classic track setting: Track setting is poor to non existent, which is typical in shallow spring snow conditions. We might try getting out our shallow track setters later this week if we have volunteer capacity to try to track set in the few areas the snow might be deep enough. If so, we will add a new update to the Conditions tab, or edit this update.
Skate ski lanes: Skate skiing in soft conditions is really fun and challenging, with variable sinking depths as well as wintery snow along some stretches of the trail system such as Alasdair's Alley. After skiing Sunday evening, reports are that considering this is the end of March, the overall snow coverage is good on most skate ski lanes, but the snow softens quickly with sun exposure and warm temperatures, then skiing is really variable...hard and fast almost winter snow in the shady areas, and soft sinky snow in the sun exposed areas. Skate skiing was very soft yesterday in the evening, leaving deep ruts.
Fat bike/snowshoe trail system (FB/SS):
(pink and brown pin-flagged trail systems)
Snowshoers: Snowshoeing will be isothermic and soft along the trail system and there is a lot of grass/ice, so really, snowshoeing is not recommended.
Fat bikers: Please consider biking to be over at Shaganappi for this winter unless there was a hard freeze, trails remain rock hard, and temperatures remain cold/below freezing. See picture below of damage to ski trails from fat bikers Sunday, presenting a danger to skiers. If you choose to go out, studded tires are highly recommended; trails are grass, breakable ice, and not recommended unless completely frozen hard throughout. Practice basic trail etiquette and trail stewardship by staying off ski trails, riding only when trails are frozen and hard, and turning around to walk the bike and go home if your tires are sinking in the snow leaving ruts or tires are leaving ruts on the ground, thus damaging the trail system and environment.
Picture time from a Sunday skate-ski from 5pm onward!
Fat bike tire tracks damaging the ski trail along the NW escarpment loop, which is a potential danger to skiers travelling at speed:
Alasdair's Alley (wintery snow late Sunday afternoon):
Bow Trail corridor:
Skate ski superhighway (softens significantly in the sun)
Skate ski superhighway....
Bow Trail and 26th Street corner (SE corner of trail system):
Condo Alley workaround:
