I skied the main loop from the 10th line this morning, great skiing! The main challenge is skiing under the really low branches hanging from the ice storm. Shaking them helps but taking pruners would be really useful to cut the most challenging ones. A few wet spots between 16&24 in the rock garden, but easy to go around. Definitely still a few rocks, but easy to avoid them. Didn't have rock skis and was totally fine. With all the snow coming in the next days, it's only gonna get better.

Yesterday I skied in County Forest and did a short loop north, and conditions were better than expected.  The snow gauge is at 15 cm, and there is a firm base covered by fresh snow.  HOWEVER, it will still be very thin on the rocky trails (e.g., the trails accessed from the Kolapore parking lot) - on these trails be prepared to dodge rocks and put lots of scratches on your skis.   The ice is bending branches down, so be prepared to do a lot of ducking.  PLEASE help us to pick up the numerous fallen branches   There is the occasional wet spot.  We are aware of one large tree top down blocking the trail at the bottom of the run heading south from 13 on John's Portage.

Yesterday was interesting weatherwise.  Heavy rain in the morning washed away most of the remaining snow.  Midafternoon it switched to freezing rain.  About 9 PM it changed to snow.  Kolapore received 10+ cm of snow.  The bottom half is "cement" snow (very dense) and the top is powder.   There may be just enough snow to permit skiing on old lanes (e.g., the County Forest).  There could be some wet holes on the trails.  The sideroads at the south end are plowed, so there is a safe place to park.  I wouldn't try to get into the Kolapore parking lot until it is plowed.  Based on what I observed in my driveway, there are likely to be lots of branches down.  Please help with the pickup.  

As of 9 AM, we've received about 5 cm of snow in the past 36 hours.  In areas where some base survived (most trails, but not necessarily open areas),  there will be this snow on top of a thin crust.  This will likely be marginally OK for skiing on old lanes, but not enough for pleasant skiing on the rockier trails.  We desperately need more snow.  Our chainsaw  crew took advantage of the low snow last week, and cleared about a dozen recently fallen trees.  We are sure there are more as a result of recent storms.  If you can't remove deadfall yourself, send an e-mail to info@kolaporetrails.org about any problem areas you encounter.  

I skied County Forest yesterday morning, and conditions were fair to poor to very poor.  (The very poor conditions were between 4 and 5).  The poor conditions weren't surprising, given that the snow gauge was reading 7 cm, and there was 3 to 0 cm of snow in the track.  Lots of rocks showing.  Snow conditions will have deteriorated further with the warm weather.  I would recommend staying off the trails until we get a significant amount of new snow.

Kolapore Trail Guide

Kolapore received a significant layer of freezing rain last night.  The freezing rain brought down many branches - there is a huge amount of pickup to be done.  Please help us!   The snow layer is thin to non-existent.  The trails won't be skiable until we do pickup and get a substantial amount of new snow.

Kolapore Trail Guide

I was out early this morning, and the snow at the snow gauge has settled to about 16 cm.  There is less than half that depth under the ski track.  This is OK on former bush lanes (County Forest was very pleasant this morning), but it is really thin on rocky trails, and especially on rocky hills.  Unless you are a Kolapore fanatic, with a pair of rock skis, I would recommend staying off the rockier trails until we get more snow.   Kolapore Trail Guide

The Kolapore snow gauge is at 22 cm (9").  The County Forest is very pleasant - it's possible to ski around it and only touch a few rocks.  Today I did the loop Kingsway - Jackrabbit - John's Portage, and my skis hit dozens of rocks.  It's possible to ski the trails, but you have to be prepared for early season conditions, and rock skis are strongly recommended.  Rocks will make some of the hills quite difficult (nasty?).  I did a lot of pickup today, and have to go back to do more sawing.  Be prepared for debris on the trails - help us (and other skiers) by removing windfall where possible.  Kolapore Trail Guide

Kolapore received a substantial amount of snow last night and this morning.   There is 23 cm of snow at the official snow gauge.  Skiing in County Forest was pleasant this morning - my rock skis only touched a few rocks.  Even the southwest corner of the County Forest is skiable, which isn't always the case early in the season.  I would still be reluctant to visit some of the rockiest trails (including the Kolapore Church - Paradise Highway loop.)  If you do want to ski at the north end, the Kolapore parking lot was plowed this afternoon

Kolapore Trail Guide

There is now about 10+ cm of snow in the bush.  As I noted previously, we need about 20 cm (especially at the beginning of the season, with no firm base) to start covering the rocks.  Hopefully that will come soon.

Kolapore Trail Guide