I had a pleasant ski in the County Forest and vicinity this morning. It would have been better if a walker hadn't postholed there way around the perimeter of the forest, walking on the track most of the way.  The snow gauge is at 20 cm, which is about 5 cm of powder on 15 cm of crust.  However, that probably overstates the average snow depth, which is probably more like 10 to 15 cm.  That is OK for trails on old forest lanes like most of County Forest or Marc's Folly, but isn't enough for good skiing on the rockier trails.  Until we get more snow, please be strategic about where you ski!  And please help pick up branches.  Kolapore Trail Guide   

Yesterday Kolapore received 5+ cm of snow on top of the slush that was left after the thaw.  Kolapore retained a reasonable amount of base, but there won't be much snow on top of a lot of the rocks.  There may be some slush lurking under the new snow, so if you come out bring a scraper.  I may try County Forest later today and provide an update.  I wouldn't recommend any other trails.  With the recent high winds, there are likely to be lots of branches down - please help all skiers by picking them up.  Kolapore Trail Guide     

The snow gauge has gone up from 22 cm on Monday to 32 cm today.  We've had more snow than that, but it is settling.  We didn't receive snow today, unlike some areas to the east. Skiing in the County Forest was very pleasant today.  I skied north from the County Forest, and conditions were substantially better than on Monday.  However, you will still encounter lots of rocks.  Outside the County Forest I think skiing is for experienced skiers on experienced (i.e., rock) skis.  Hills could be challenging.  And I would stay away from any "winter use only" trails - there are likely to be wet areas.  Kolapore Trail Guide 

Not a lot has changed since my last post.  I skied around County Forest and west on Southern Crossing to the 10th Line this afternoon, and the skiing was pleasant.  There were some rocks showing and a few wet areas, but still enjoyable.  I also skied north from the County Forest to the first intersection (12) and turned around because it was too wet and too many rocks were showing.  I think that most of the popular trails (e.g., the Kolapore Church - Paradise Highway loop) would be unpleasant and/or unsafe.  The snow gauge is at 22 cm of unconsolidated snow.  We need more cold weather and snow.  Kolapore Trail Guide    

A Trail Guide skied the County Forest today and reported that skiing was OK, but rock skis are highly desirable.  The County Forest is the best choice in the short term, because most of the trails are on old laneways that don't have rocks.  Most other trails will need more snow. 

It's December, so it's time to start our snow conditions posts.  Currently there is about 20 cm of snow in the bush at Kolapore.  This isn't enough for enjoyable skiing, because it is loose snow and will quickly compress.  I will post as conditions change.  Kolapore Trail Guide  

We are into spring skiing conditions - icy in the morning, turning mushy by about mid-day.  It will get even mushier over coming days with mild temperatures, and turn to ice on Wednesday with the cold temperatures.  I probably won't be doing any Kolapore skiing until we get new snow.  Kolapore Trail Guide 

Over the past 36 hours Kolapore has received about 10 cm of snow.  It is sitting on a firm crust.  Skiing is probably OK (not great) on flatter trails.  Hills could quickly get scraped down to the icy crust.  Be prudent in your choice of trails!  As usual, the County Forest parking lot is well plowed.  Kolapore Trail Guide  

Kolapore received several cm of snow over what is primarily crust, but in a few cases may be slush.  I don't think that skiing will be enjoyable until we get more new snow, because the old tracks will be icy ruts.  When we get a bit more snow, I will try the trails and post a report.  Kolapore Trail Guide

There is about 10 cm of new snow over an icy crust.  The skiing is quite good, although steeper hills could become very fast if there is much snowplowing.  The poling track is very crunchy because of the crust. There are a number of branches and possibly some trees down on the trails as a result of the strong winds on Monday and today.  Please help with the pickup.  If a project is too big, please send information to info@kolaporetrails.org  An accompanying photo can be helpful for bigger tasks.  Kolapore Trail Guide