Ski season truly underway now

Ahhhh, that feels better. We got a good quantity of snow this week. In fact it snowed a little almost every day and now the ski season has begun in earnest. I got out each evening this week to do a little skiing under the stars with the orange glow of the city in the background). The conditions have been really good from the start. In fact I’ve already retired my rock skis to the closet, not to be seen until April (with luck) – nice! The snow we got has been really wet and sticky and was easily compacted by the groomers to form up a nice firm base. Daytime temps in the +1, +2 range and evenings below zero have made for a nice track. In town the snow has sometimes been rain resulting in a lot of slush but just up in the hills it was almost always snow, slowly building the base. With the wet snow falling and little wind, the trees are taking the brunt of this with a lot of downed branches and even a few fallen trees under the load. To that end the groomers have had to lay the tracks somewhat narrow so as not to exacerbate the problem by bringing down branches on the snowcats as they plow by the overhanging trees.

Tuesday night – the first snowfall – was unbelievably busy on the trails but later in the week the crowds diminished. Perhaps the skiers had to rest their sore bodies after the first ski of the season. Saturday I headed up to the Lac Phillipe gate as I expected lower in the park would be busy again. The skies were sunny when I drove up but the clouds rolled in before I had my skis strapped on. To my surprise there were only 6 – 10 cars in the lot and a bunch of those people were snowshoeing so I had some fresh trails to ski on. The Pine road was beautifully tracked but the trail out to Lacs Renaud and Taylor was groomed so narrow I kept cutting into the classic tracks on either side. Decided to turn back at Lac Renaud rather than cut up the trail for the classic skiers. There will be other days to head out there and I expect this is a temporary situation with the trees bent pretty far over the trails. Of equal surprise was that the lake was still unfrozen. I had seen people skating on the lakes lower down in the park last weekend… wonder how thick the ice was? Skiing along the open water was a little strange – I guess you get used to seeing the open expanse of white, snowcovered ice while skiing along here and the dark, cold depths looked somewhat forbidding.

Renaud Shelter next to the tall pines

The shoulder season continues...

Ampersand summit
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Still no significant snow in Ottawa. I was originally scheduled to work on a field project on Saturday but with the extremely cold overnight temperatures we decided to scrub it for a warmer weekend. During the week I had been invited to hike Algonquin on Saturday (declined because of work) but the late change in plans left me unable to get my act in gear fast enough to tag on. Ahh well, I'm sure there will be a next time. Friday night, as I tried to work out how I could use my newly acquired free time I was strongly (I mean strongly) tempted to head to Barrie where fresh lake effect snow off of Georgian Bay has fallen and the ski centers are open for business. It’s a long drive though and I think some snow will start to fall in Ottawa this week. With luck I should be on skis again before next weekend (fingers crossed).

Instead I opted for the much shorter drive to Saranac Lake where I continued to enjoy the ‘tween season. With a relaxed start in the morning I got my gear and headed off. Got down around lunch time so I popped into my favourite deli for lunch (smoked turkey, honey bacon with a chipolte mayo on a toasted Kaiser....) and then headed over to Ampersand mountain. There was a little snow on the ground and some more gently falling as I hiked up this nice little peak. This is one I’ve heard has a great view but today’s snowy clouds were going to preclude much in the way of views. I suppose they can’t all be bluebird days and how would you appreciate them if they were? The first half of the trail was easy going but as it turned steeper I was forced to strap on some traction to clamber up the now icy rocks. The steep trail had become a static waterfall and the beautiful rockwork staircases now coated in crystal. A few people I met were using crampons but mine never came out of my pack - instead opting for the lighter Yak Trax. I even met some guys who were bare booting ... but they were clearly out of their "happy place" with grim looks of focus (fear?) on their faces and slow methodical foot placement on each step. Once onto the open summit the wind buffeted me around. I took a few shots but as you can see the view was somewhat sub par. Ducked back into a hollow and changed into some dry clothes and had a brief snack before starting down. Got out before darkness fell (which falls ridiculously early these days) and then rolled home. Nice day out on the trails… but I’m still looking for an Alberta Clipper or a Colorado Low… I’ll even take a Nor-easter if it comes far enough inland…. David Philips, where are you man?! Give me something I can work with…

Waiting

The last couple of weekends have been pretty bleak. Mostly rainy, occasional snow showers but no accumulation, steel grey skies, and the sun looks to be setting around 2pm (okay, maybe not quite 2)... tough to get motivated to do much. The skis have been pulled out of storage thanks to the October snowfall (all long gone now). The November joys like discovering that klister tubes cannot survive summers in the wax box without splitting open and leaving a layer of gooey goodness all over everything have been... ummm, enjoyed. Summer packing wax has been scraped and the skis have been preped and are waiting for snow. It's starting to get old reading about happy skiers in Alaska or the Rockies who have been skiing for weeks. World cup ski races start soon and qualifiers have already begun... and still we wait.

Today I went for a ride in the Park. It poured rain most of yesterday so I didn't get out to do much. Today the precip was to be light flurries but as I drove up there was nothing but a light drizzle. As I rode higher into the Park the flakes were falling but only when I reached Fortune lake did it look like it was sticking... then the grassy shoulders disappeared under a thin coating of snow. Finally as I got up to Huron Lodge the snow was starting to form a blanket (except the road surface of the Parkway). Still, it's a start. The skiers who shuffle in the grassy sludge on the sides of the Parkway may declare a victory but I will continue to wait. I love the bases of my skis too much - even my rock skis. Snowy days are firmly in the long range forecast with consistently cold temperatures. Won't be long now... but in the meantime I'll continue to hang by the fireside.

Sunny Sunday

ski hut
Originally uploaded by kenmores

Okay, so the snow didn't last. I still got 2 skis in before it faded from sight. Some skied a little more but - unlike spring time - I felt no strong urge to hunt for pockets of good snow while walking miles through slush and ice. The "serious" snow will be here soon (like Nov 18;-) so in the meantime its back to preseason activities. The weekend was actually quite nice with sunny skies and cool temperatures (but not cool enough to keep the snow). I went for a long walk on Sunday in the park - starting with a little hill work at Camp Fortune before heading off onto the trails to explore the woods. The main trails were crazy busy with hikers of all sorts out enjoying the fall weather but stepping onto the side trails I soon had the woods to myself. Today it is rainy and gray so I think I'll relax but the rest of the week looks warm and sunny so I should be able to get back on the roller skis. The snow will soon come, ready or not , so I'm opting for the former and getting some miles in now in preparation.