Gorgeous in Kolapore today..   pretty good conditions too...   Scraped a few rocks here and there (skied from grey road 2 parking lot) but for the most part it was really good.  More snow has been falling since about 3:00 pm so those rocks should be covered by tomorrow!   Enjoy! 

Kolapore received about 15 cm (6") of new snow since the snow started yesterday.  This afternoon the Kolapore snow gauge was at 15cm, which says that we lost most of the base.  Skiing was OK in the County Forest (apart from a few wet spots), but outside that area we were scraping on lots of rocks.  The Kolapore parking lot was plowed today, but I wouldn't use that entry point until we have more snow.  Fortunately, the forecast suggests we could get quite a bit of snow over the next few days.

Kolapore Trail Guide

The thaw yesterday (Thursday) didn't affect the track as much as I expected.  I was out for a quick ski at 8:30 AM, and the hard wax was working well.  The tracks are fast.  With the faster conditions, I strongly recommend sticking with the flatter, smoother trails at the south end (as mentioned in my preceding post).

I expect that today may be the last decent ski day at Kolapore for a few days.  I'll post again when there are conditions worth skiing on.

Kolapore Trail Guide

At noon today the Kolapore snow gauge was up to 15cm - 5 cm of crust and 10 cm of powder.  Skiing in the County Forest was very pleasant.  An ATV had ridden around the area yesterday, but there was enough new snow to refresh the trails.  We also skied up Kingsway then back around Jackrabbit and John's Portage.  This loop is rockier, and considerable care is required on the hills.  We added some new gouges to our skis

We recommend that you not use the Kolapore Church - Paradise Highway trails until we get quite a bit more snow.  There have been a lot of walkers on these trails, and they are very rocky.

We are continuing to clear trails from the windstorm last week.  The chain saw crew has removed about 10 trees, and we know there is another one on Quite Pastures.  We have checked most of the trails.  If you encounter a tree down that you can't remove, please send an e-mail to info@kolaporetrails.org.

Kolapore Trail Guide

At noon today, the Kolapore snow gauge was at 10 cm.  About 5 cm is a crusty base, covered by about 5 cm of powder.  If we get a bit more snow, a few sections of trail - mainly old lanes without many rocks - will be marginally skiable (on rock skis!)  When skiing does start, the best choice will be parts of the County Forest. 

High winds on Monday night brought down a number of trees on the trails.  The chain saw crew was out yesterday, and we are aware of 3 more trees that need to be cut.  However, we have inspected less than half the trails since the most recent wind storm, so there are undoubtedly other trails with trees down.  If you find a tree down on the trails that you can't remove, please send an e-mail to info@kolaporetrails.org with a description of the location.

Kolapore Trail Guide 

Kolapore received about 5 cm of snow last night, although with the strong winds the depth is quite variable.  Because of the rain/freezing rain it is very crusty.  Most Kolapore trails need 20 to 30 cm of snow to make them skiable, so we need a lot more base.  I will post updates as conditions change.

Kolapore Trail Guide

In case anyone is still looking at this page, here's an update, based on a ski outing yesterday.  There is still about a foot of snow in the bush, although there are bare spots on open south facing slopes.  The trails are icy and rutted.  We now have "reverse tracks", where the former track is now higher than the adjacent snow.  I don't recommend skiing on the trails. Off-track skiing was not bad yesterday.  There is about 2 cm of new snow, which helped to provide a bit of control.  In the current cold conditions the crust is very firm - there is little chance of breaking through. 

Kolapore Trail Guide

We were skiing on Sat and Sun but the conditions are now poor as the melting and freezing are making the trails too soft.   Sat was okay we did the Paradise Trail, and Sunday was terrible as the colder night with the soft snow on Sat was now frozen and big ruts in the tracks.

Sue

Sunday may have been the last day this winter for prime powder snow conditions.  Skiing was great (as it has been most of 2015)!  Temperatures Monday got up to + 3 or 4, so the snow softened, and froze overnight.  On Tuesday I waited until the crust had softened slightly, and had some pleasant skiing in the County Forest.  I went out again on Wednesday, and discovered that a skier out late on Tuesday had frequently broken through the surface, leaving the track very uneven.  I persisted past where the skier had been, and discovered that I was also breaking through the surface, even on well packed trail.  I would describe the skiing as "crappy".  So, it was a short ski today, and it may be the end of my Kolapore skiing for this winter.

Kolapore Trail Guide 

The Kolapore trails are generally in good condition.  With relatively little new snow this week the skiing is getting faster.  The snow gauge is at 61 cm (24"), so there is a lot of base.

The Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association is now responsible for managing and paying for the plowing of the Kolapore parking lot.  If you want this service to continue (along with trail maintenance and the provision of a toilet), please support the Association by joining or donating.  You can join or donate online - click on the "join us" or "donate" tab.  Of course, we are also happy to receive cheques.

Kolapore Trail Guide