Taylor Lake

Taylor Lake
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Another great weekend of skiing. It was again a little cold with windchills dipping into the -20C to -25C range but for the most part in the woods it was a beautiful couple of days. I got a late start both days as I wanted to watch some of the Rolex 24hrs race in Daytona but once on the trails I enjoyed pretty good snow and it was none too busy. It's surprising how little snow we actually have and every now and then you are reminded of this with a protruding rock or some gravel. I toured the Lac Phillipe sector today and did an enjoyable loop out behind Taylor lake and then down along the main Lake itself. Took this shot near the yurt on Taylor lake. With a perfectly good trail along the shore line, somebody's always got to be an individualist.

Time to start tapering for CSM. Not sure what's going to become of that. I had already planned a shortened tour as I don't feel I've gotten the miles in... but I notice tonight that they've revamped the entire course to deal with the shortage of snow... so I'll have to rethink my strategy. Looks to me like they designed a bit of a small loop which you do a few laps of (for 70k each day).... maybe not the fun I was looking for when I signed up. We'll see.

Brule

Brule
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Went for a ski last night - almost perfect conditions. Fresh snow falling, -2C. The P10 lot was crammed full but once on the trails it wasn't too bad. Most folks were in the shelters having dinner. One minor moment of drama near the lookout (the photo is from an earlier ski). As I approached the parking lot, the road sign indicating "Huron Lookout" started to move! Only moments before I collided with the moving sign did I realize it was a deer. She didn't use her signals and flaunted the rules of the road so I think I would have got off with her being "at fault" but fortunately no impact. In the darkness tho' - two (pairs) of legs seperating a large rectangular body - she did somewhat resemble the road sign. In the end I think it was indicative of the ski conditions. I was able to move pretty fast while not making much noise and she clearly didn't hear me coming. No harm, no foul so we both apologized and went on our way.

Clouds

clouds
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Another long ski. Did a loop of the parkway and Ridge road. The trails were pretty busy today but that's a good thing. The NCC was hosting skifest which brought out the crowds. Lots of people out enjoying the Park. The trails were well groomed and for the most part I didn't see any rocks poking through so my ski bases were appreciative.

Speaking of bases, I used some of the (mildly) expensive glide wax on the skis today (low flouro Vauhti green on top of a CH green base for glide - Teho green binder with a Swix green top wax for grip) . Does it ever work a treat - money well spent. The skis were extra slippery today (with grip when I needed it). I could see how the expensive (high flouro) waxes might become addictive if they improve glide a further step over this low flouro stuff.

Towards the end of the day I had a a good view of the incoming front. Hopefully it will bring some more snow with it. Got home in time to see the Bears UNLEASH THE FURY on the Saints... Hopefully they'll do it again playing the Colts in two(?) weeks.

P16 - Headin' home

P16
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Twas cold out today but the snow was good for the most part. I skied from P16 out to the Lac Phillipe gate and back. A long way but there are only 3 weeks to CSM so I've got to start stretching out the distance. For the most part the track was in great shape. There were a few spots where gravel edged its way through the snow but the rest was pretty free skiing. Lots of people out today despite the -25C wind chill. I guess folks have been eager to ski for a while now.

Friday night I went for a skate on the parkway. What a difference it makes to be skiing on actual snow... instead of the frozen, textured ice we've had up till now. It was hard work!! I guess the icy tracks we've had up till now gave me a false sense of my potential speed. I also dusted off my good skating skiis, which I hoped would help increase my speed. No dice. I may be a little heavy for the camber on these babies yet... just a pound or two hopefully ;-). I'm not sure but perhaps the summers beer and fries might have had a negative impact on my skiis?? Noooo, couldn't be. Maybe I'll give that some thought over a beer tonight.

Wattsford lookout

Wattsford lookout
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Finally, winter has arrived… and I don’t see it leaving in two days with another warm front and rain. We got the first big dump of snow of the season. Looks pretty good for Decem… oops, January 15th. I headed up pretty late (~ 9pm) to check it out. I wasn’t going to go up at all as I had two long ski days on the weekend and needed some rest but the call of fresh snow was too strong to resist. That and it’s supposed to be –25C Tuesday night so I might not venture out then. The snow was groomed up, soft but fun. I did a short ski. Climbed up penguin to Wattsford lookout and took in the city. Grabbed this shot from the lookout. The orange glow from the city, accentuated by the fresh falling snow is a special view – glad I took the time to come up. After that a quick race down Penguin and home to bed. There’ll be skiing this year…. finally.

Brule lookout

Brule lookout
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

Not much skiing since the last entry. The rains washed the snow back to a sheet of ice. Last weekend I debated going for a hike on the parkway with my crampons but decided against it. We finally got some cold temps and a little snow so I'm back in business with some sub-par skiing. There is enough snow to cover the parkway although the pesky ice peeks through in a few spots. I did a long classic ski today (gotta get the miles in) and for the most part it was okay. Wanted to continue out towards McKinstry and the firetower but Lafleur hasn't groomed that section so I had to stick to the Parkway. Not complaining tho' - You can see in this photo that there's no snow at all down in the valley so I'll take what I can get. At the midpoint of my ski I enjoyed the sun setting and still made it back to P6 before complete darkness. The days are starting to noticeably get longer now. While the days get longer it looks like winter is just around the corner (no really! this time for sure!!) with colder air and more calls for snow next week. Better late then never I suppose.

night ski photo

night ski photo
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

The trails a real mess these days. Mostly glare ice, sometimes down to asphalt, always badly rutted. Makes for tough skiing. Last night I did a short ski up to the lookouts and took my photo gear with me. Set up the camera on a new tripod and took a few long exposures to try capturing a moonlight ski. Didn't work out too badly. Tried a few locations and got some interesting results. At least it made it worthwhile to get out on the trails.

Hoping for snow.....

Spectator

Spectator
Originally uploaded by kenmore_photos.

It was winter for a second there. A bit of nice skiing over the Christmas break . A little thin but manageable. Got some nice long skis in - both classic and skating. That seems to be going out the window once again as rains and +10C weather by the end of the week should effectively destroy the little snow we have. Back to dryland training again by the weekend. Current conditions are acceptable for skating but the classic is out of the question. A little more like April skiing last night as I went along the Parkway. Had it mostly to myself which was a stark contrast to the weekend when it was overrun with skiers. The strange winter of '06-07 continues I suppose.

Met this curious spectator on Sunday. She's probably pretty happy for the low snow year. Gives her more time to watch the crowds on the ski trails.