XC Ski recommendation for 12-12-04

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BobK

Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2003
Messages
93
Reaction score
3
Location
Saratoga NY
I need to get in some skiing tomorrow (Sunday) and am looking for a recommendation for good (the best) snow conditions. I was assuming I'd head up and go until I found sufficient snow. One option was towards Minerva (Stoney Pond/Vanderwacker Mtn. access rd.), Tahawas (toward Indian Pass, or Flowed Lands) or Newcomb (Santanoni Preserve). Another was to head to the Ausable Club road, the Loj area (S.Meadow truck trail) or even as far as Whiteface toll rd. I read there was 5" in Keene Friday night.

If it has the best snow (with grooming) I'd pay to ski Garnet Hill. I'll check in later tonight or early AM for any feedback.
 
NERFC Maps

Also, to see a New England wide snowfall accumulation map (updated daily) check out the NERFC site. Looks like you'd need to go pretty far north in Maine to see good snow.
 
Decided to ski Ausable Club road in AMR

Had about 6" of dense snow at the start and 9-10" near the lower lake. After the gate, full snow cover with a few snowshoe tracks. Saw other shoers & a few skiers going in after me. All the hikers split off the rd. well before the lake. A little crusty but it was good to get out on the skis.

Driving up the Northway, the snow started along the road around Schroon Lake. The roads were clear except for the access road into the Ausable Club itself. Saw a few cars at the Giant trailhead.
 
skied the whiteface toll road on saturday..

at the begining there was a cover of about 4-6 inches... about a mile up the road there was a wind whipped section (1/4 mile long) that had a 1/2 inch layer of snow...very bad here coming down as i tried to ski from one side of snow covered road to the other one of my edges caught and i went flying....it was great and i was not hurt to badly.....anyway after that the coverage is between 6-15 inches of snow....drifts on top were around 3-4 feet..
 
In the end, the storm didn't quite live up to its advance billing, but we did pick up some snow Friday night. Amounts varied widely with Saranac Lake and most of the Lake Placid area only getting 2", but Mt. Van Hoevenberg got 4-5" and Keene got 5". The snow that did fall was very dense and will make a good base. Next week will remain seasonably cool with 3-5" of additional snow predicted to fall by Monday evening, and a chance of light snow falling most every day through Friday.


Last Updated: December 12, 2004



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Mt. Van Hoevenberg X-C Ski Center:

Base:
Inches of New Snow: 4-5
Surface Conditions: frozen granular
No. of Kilometers
Packed & Open:
No. Kilometers Tracked:
Special Events: Not open this weekend, but opening next week. Some trails groomed and suitable for skating.



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Cascade Cross-Country Ski Center:

Base:
Inches of New Snow:
Surface Conditions:
No. of Kilometers
Packed & Open:
No. Kilometers Tracked:
Special Events: Ski shop now open. Restaurant open this weekend.



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Lake Placid Resort:

Base:
Inches of New Snow:
Surface Conditions:
No. of Kilometers
Packed & Open:
No. Kilometers Tracked:
Special Events: Will open for Christmas-New Year's week.



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Whiteface Club:

Base:
Inches of New Snow:
Surface Conditions:
No. of Kilometers
Packed & Open:
No. Kilometers Tracked:
Special Events: No opening date set.



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Jackrabbit Trail Conditions:

Base: variable
Surface Conditions: crusted powder
No. of Kilometers Open:
Comments: Since we didn't get the predicted snow, and some areas got very little, we'll just have to wait for individual reports to know how much of the trail is skiable.
Click here for the Jackrabbit Trail Map.



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Backcountry Conditions:

Snow Depth at Lake Colden: 8"
Snow Depth at 4,000 ft.: 18-24"
Surface Conditions: crusted powder
Comments: Marcy Dam Truck Trail reported as skiable - at least to Marcy Dam. Lake ice is thickening, but surfaces are still wet. Cooler weather this week may make Avalanche Lake safe to cross. No report yet on other backcountry routes, but at least the other truck trails and roads should be skiable by next weekend. Remember that skis or snowshoes are reqired in the High Peaks when there is more than 8" of snow on the ground.
 
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